When it rains....

Let me tell you, things have been hectic around our house this week. First, the air conditioner decided to stick at a balmy 88 degrees for two days, letting us know that something horrible was wrong....we had to spend last night at my parents house because it was literally unbearable heat. It was actually cooler outside our house than in it. Then, Shawn's truck started smoking and making hissing noises. Finally, my brakes sound like two pieces of bare metal scraping together every time I even think of tapping the brake pedal. On top of all of that, a few months ago we treated the weeds in our yard, and lo and behold, we murdered the grass. All of it. (one good thing: no need to mow!) We have been waiting for the temperatures to go down to lay down a completely new yard...in the meanwhile, we get a nice little note from the homeowners association instructing us to "please water our lawn". I had to laugh at that one, since this has literally been the rainiest summer in San Antonio in the twenty something years I have lived here. I am not sure too many people would come to the conclusion that the brown of our grass equals lack of water. The funny thing is, the only green in our yard now are the weeds!! So embarassing as it is, WE are the biggest white trash in our neighborhood; which mortifies me and amuses Shawn. (Not really, the translation of that sentence is: I have lost control of myself over the mortification of being contacted by the homeowners association, and Shawn thinks that is funny.) I almost want to put a huge poster in our yard that issues a public apology to everyone who is forced to look at our crispy brown grass. Then again, the neighborhood association probably has some rule about posters in your yard!
All of this in the days leading up to our coast trip, which is stressful enough in itself. I tried to start packing today (before the AC repairman showed up) and was dripping with sweat in about two minutes flat. The only way I could stand to wait for him was to sit really, really still on the couch with two fans pointed at me. I contemplated sitting out in my car until he got there, but didn't. So now there is a huge pile of junk on the bed in the babies' room, and nothing packed. (Did I mention we are leaving tomorrow morning???????) The magnitude of stuff necessary to travel with two five month olds is mind boggling. Two sets of clean clothes for every day, double the amount of jammies necessary, washcloths, baby bath products, a can of formula, a box of cereal, baby spoons, baby swimwear, swim diapers, sunscreen (or "sunscream" as my students used to call it! :) blankets, burp cloths, two packs of diapers, about fifteen bottles, the "Bumbo" chair (since Cale likes to sit up "by himself") pacifiers, two (count em-TWO) pack-n-plays, and the list goes on and on and on.....I am starting to think I am going to have room for a toothbrush and one clean pair of underwear. :)
All that aside, I am so excited to get away!! We are going to have lots of fun in the pool and at the beach, or at least as much fun is tolerated by five month old babies. Hopefully they will enjoy these new "firsts"...they are starting to tolerate rice cereal, which is still hilarious to feed to them. They are both making SO much noise, squealing and screaming all the time. The other day I could hear Hayden on the opposite side of TJMaxx with my mom. It was so funny!! Cale has discovered how to take his pacifier out of his mouth and throw it on the floor. I am sure this begins a long road of discovery involving "What can I throw on the floor next?" He is also trying to hold his bottle, which doesn't help much, because he isn't really helping, but won't move his hands....I have to have a veritable slap fight with him to get the bottle in his mouth, since his little hands are waving all over the place. (Note to everyone: I do not "slap" my child....this was my attempt at funny...) The babies have been doing so well at the church nursery....there is a little boy who is a little over a year old in their class that LOVES Hayden. The other day when I went in there to pick them up, he was about to crawl in her carrier with her. He had piled up toys in her lap, and was so interested in her. They said they tried to put a blanket over her carrier so she would sleep, and he kept lifting up the blanket to talk to her. It was pretty cute!
Well, the AC guy has finally left, and I can actually feel cold air circulating!! Gonna try to get everything together before we have to leave tomorrow!