Lunch Box & Back Pack

Cy got a brand new backpack and lunch box for school this year, they are so stinking cute! He is just getting so big:)

So Behind!

AGHHHH!!! I am feeling super overwhelmed and super behind right now. Summer seemed to come to a screeching halt and all that I had planned to be doing all summer still has been sitting in the corner and left untouched (figuratively speaking)....The move is done and the boxes are unloaded. We have pictures everywhere and have yet to put a nail in a wall (aside from Cy's room). We also need to replace a few light fixtures, install some ceiling fans, paint the dining room and the guest bath, buy a new couch/sectional for the family room downstairs, and head to Ikea (1.5 hours away) to get a few bookshelves and a couple things for Cy's room and his craft area downstairs.
For school, I need to figure out definitively what I am doing during each class period for the first week of school each day, I make myself crazy if I'm not a week ahead. So, actually, that is what I should be doing right now rather than updating this but my focus is sporadic. I have a ton of paperwork to complete for both of Cy's schools, paperwork for school on benefits to complete, a classroom/lab room to clean up and out from the teacher that I replaced, a new Macbook to figure out, we are having a 1.5 hour meeting to discuss "Creating Innovators" which was a required reading for the summer that I didn't get to because of all the forensics and microbiology texts I have been reading, and of course, the normal wife/mom duties that are required each and everyday. I am feeling behind in every aspect of my life right now and I'm still trying to find a way to spend some quality time with my son and my husband each day. Plus, I have a triathlon coming up in 2 weeks that I REALLY need to train for and then an 8 mile adventure race the following weekend and I haven't run over 6 in ages (aside from that trail 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago I guess). Blah. Just feeling pulled in a million different directions, and, I have so many fun things to add to this but have a feeling that they are just going to get swept under the rug as I am treading water already and school hasn't even officially started yet.
Breathe, breathe, breathe...I need to tatoo this on my body somewhere.

The Move...

Good lord, we are at it again! We are moving again to a new house, one more time! Like I said, this will be Cyrus's 4th house and my...17th...ugh, you would think I was an Army kid. After living in so many homes, it hard to be particularly excited about any one of them but the home we are moving into is so AWESOME! It's perfect for us, we may never leave! Truth be told, it was build in the late 70's and is a bit dated in decor but that can be fixed. A few light fixture changes, some new window dressings, and replacing the two rooms with the wall paper (uh huh) and it's going to be golden. I have NEVER lived in a home this big. We don't have nearly enough furniture to fill it. It's about 3000 square feet and has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 living rooms, a HUGE kitchen, a giant storage/gear/cy play area, and on and on...I have all my kitchen stuff in and nearly 1/2 the cabinets are empty. Brad says that's fine, I say, there are millions of kitchen gadgets out there that I have always wanted and now seems like a good time to make that happen:) We need to do some shopping for some new furniture in the next couple of weeks. Our living room will be downstairs with the tv and such and will share that with Cyrus's play room. So, we're going to get a new couch/chaise and chairs and such for that room and bring our current couch/chairs up to the sitting room upstairs since they are slightly more formal (think less comfortable) than what we want downstairs. Anyway, my personality is such that I just want to get it all right now and be done with it but i will try to taper that so that I can find the perfect pieces to fill this wonderful house that we have been blessed with.  Life in Richmond has been so good to us, it's amazing the opportunities that have presented themselves to us since our move just over a year ago. I still miss Steamboat, all the time, but I know we would never be where we are financially now while we were there. I know it's not everything but it's a big part of life and it's a whole lot easier when you are comfortable, finally!

I Did It...

Ok, I told myself I wasn't going to replace my Coach diaper/multi functional tote when it was stolen from my car many moons ago....however, I missed it (yes, ridiculous) and decided to replace it after all.  I just couldn't help myself...they sent me a 20% off coupon for pete's sake! I am a sucker I know, no one in their right mind needs a $400 bag but I LOVE it:) I'm going to get it embroidered with my initials this time so hopefully it will be less enticing since they won't be able to sell it on ebay or where ever things like that are sold. Either way, I'm a happy girl:)

My Fish...

Cy is a maniac in the water. He is swimming really well, even showing his Butterfly after watching the Olympics. He is using arms and legs and consistently picking up his head to breathe now. I'm really proud of him. He's got a lot of talent for a 2 year old and I'm excited to see where he will take this as he gets older.

The Big Move, Again...

This is the big week, we are moving from our home on W. Franklin to our new home on River Road. I am so excited and so ready to move out of this house. We are busting at the seams and I am ready to move on. It's been a great house for us and I hope Gardner and Stinson are able to sell it quickly after we move as I know they have a lot on their plates. I will post pictures of the new home soon, we are professionals at this whole moving thing now so it should be swift this time. This will actually be Cy's 4th home in almost 3 years...ugh. We are getting there though, we'll eventually find the perfect home to buy and until then, we'll settle into this awesome new house and make it our home.

Nantahala River Run

We took our annual trip down the Nantahala River this week and it was so fun. I LOVE this river. It had rained a good bit the night before so the river was actually up a bit making the wave trains much bigger and much more fun. I had a great time. Todd came with us this year and took a Ducky down the river which was really fun. I think we're going to try to take a whole family trip on a raft next summer.

Passing through Surfer's Rapid

Baby Falls

I look like a midget in this photo

hilarious

One of my favorite all time photos;) Family picture wall quality!