laundry day

One thing about going on vacation is coming home (or bringing home) a pile of laundry this big. The washing machine in the kitchen thing has never really been an issue for me since I process the laundry on a regular basis, but today it really stacked up (pun intended) and the kitchen/hallway became a breeding ground for pukey, sandy, sweaty, poopy vacation clothes. As of 7:20pm, the pile is down to about 1/3 of its original size following two loads. My average would be better, but the drying component takes about 4 times what a normal dryer would, so I have to wait...and wait...

la playa

We left for Mexico on the morning of Catcher's third birthday. As is our tradition--a tradition because it was the last thing I had to eat before my water broke and we went to the hospital to have Catcher--we had Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. Then we headed to the airport and took off for Playa del Carmen. The flight was relatively uneventful (if you skip the part where Scout went Baby Matrix in my arms and knocked my coffee all over the gentleman sitting next to me) and we were through Customs on the other side before most college kids are awake. Although there were hurricane-like rain showers when we arrived and we were flooded out of our first room, and Scout threw-up at dinner--causing me to miss Catcher's ice cream birthday celebration--the trip was great. I didn't have to cook, clean, do laundry or get the kids to and from daycare for four days. I got to take afternoon naps under the shade of giant umbrella with the warm ocean breeze blowing over me and swing from the hammock on our balcony at night. The kids loved the water (and the sand) and they were out before dinner was even digested. I got used to the wild calls of the Mexican birds waking us up every morning and the coffee that Alex would bring me in bed before the sun barely peeked over the horizon. It was exactly the vacation we needed before packing up the house, driving 19 hours through the southern United States to arrive at a vacant apartment in Austin where we'll wait approximately 1-2 business days for our precious belongings to arrive.

But back to Mexico...here's a look at some of the fun:

Don't let the rain fool you. Our vacation may have started with a flood, but it was all sunny skies and fruity drinks after that.

Catcher and his dad woke up early the morning after his birthday to watch the sunrise.

Sandcastles and beautiful blue waters.

Scout enjoying her afternoon nap with Dad.

Alex and Scout enjoying happy hour.

Catcher enjoying happy hour. Should I be concerned that when he woke up at 6:30 the next morning the first thing he asked for was a daiquiri?

Another day...another afternoon nap for sleeping beauty on the beach.

Mmmmm...sand.

pardon our appearance

While we were in Mexico, our flowers died. The window box now holds a bunch of shriveled-up flowers and a giant cobweb; the herb garden is nothing but a pot full of brown nothingness; the geranium is beyond thirsty. And just like that our curb appeal is gone. I'm not really that concerned, however, now that our house is off the buyer market and on the renter market. I don't think a renter looks at the house in the same way as a buyer, so what if the flowers have died? That's less work for the renters to keep up anyway, right? We have two showings tomorrow, and maybe I'm just feeling over-confident because we already received a message while we were in Mexico that someone is interested in renting the house, but in lieu of a frenzied cleaning tonight, I placed the above note on our dining room table. I was even wondering if I should add a postscript: this table is for sale...and so is the dresser in the master bedroom...and the one in the kids' bedroom. You know, just in case they want this house and they happen to like our decorating style and they happen to need a piece of furniture or two. I also think the smiley face is a nice touch. It shows we'll be great landlords.

i think we need a bigger bag

Ever since I lived out of a backpack for six months while traveling through Europe after college, I've considered myself a pretty decent and efficient packer. Until tonight. Tomorrow is the first time we've gone on a major trip--outside of the US, no less--with both children. Kids come with a lot of stuff. After I loaded the diapers and the butt paste and the sunscreen (about $100 worth because we have very fair-skinned babies who will not like the Mexican sun) and the life jacket and the floaty thing into the suitcase, there really wasn't room for much else. Our carry-on luggage is for the essentials like more diapers and Teddy Grahams and Goldfish to keep the kids quiet and happy (and fresh smelling!) on the plane. You seriously need a caddy with you on these trips...and I only have two kids (not counting Alex). After miraculously jamming all of Catcher and Scout's clothing into one tiny bag, I moved on to my own pile. If you'd ask me right now, I could not tell you what I packed for myself. Oh, I did manage to fit these wedges in somewhere:

Are they completely unnecessary? Perhaps, but I have to have something other than one pair of flat sandals for the trip. You can't expect any woman to go anywhere with just one pair of shoes.

So I'll be off for a few days...but hopefully I'll come back with some good pictures and interesting (but not too interesting) stories.

i had this great idea...

We leave for Mexico on Catcher's 3rd birthday. We're meeting my brother and his wife and their four children there, so I had this great idea to create custom t-shirts celebrating Catcher's 3rd birthday. Everyone would get one, and the back of the shirts belonging to my brother's tribe would say "Team Sprinkel" while ours would say "Team Wheat." I can't remember what my brilliant idea for the front of the t-shirt was, but it was definitely not cheesy and did not look like this (although I am a big Survivor fan):

But, alas, in between finding a place to live in Austin and finding something to do with our place in Charlotte and packing (the house) and packing (for Mexico), the whole thing slipped my mind. Sorry, Sprinkels. So now I have no birthday present for Catcher--if you don't count the trip to Mexico--and no party favors for the cousins who are celebrating his birthday with him. At least there will be tacos and beers and swimming pools and hammocks and the ocean...

suenos de mexico

We're leaving for our Mexican vacation in three days, and these are the three things I'm dreaming about today:

Everybody loves them but is a little embarrassed to drink them in normal social settings: umbrella drinks! When you're on vacation--and I don't care if it's Hawaii, Mexico or the Caribbean--the fruitier, more colorful and more decorated a drink, the better. Bonus points if your drink is served poolside; double bonus points if your drink is served via swim-up bar in the pool; triple bonus points if your drink is served in a swim-up pool next to a drunk, obnoxious, sunburned American raving about religion, politics and terrorists.

A giant straw hat, because without it I would be the obnoxious sunburned American. I'm also dreaming of SPF 75 because it's taken me years to get this pasty and I don't want to ruin it with a few days in Mexico.

And of course I'm dreaming about the beach, and the palm trees, and the relaxing sound of waves crashing on the shore. Is it Saturday yet? Better yet, is it Saturday following an early morning plane ride with a toddler and a baby, customs in Cancun, a 45-minute cab ride to Playa del Carmen and check-in at the resort...now where's that fruity drink?

first one to go

Happy 4th of July! I celebrated my independence today by working while Alex celebrated his independence by taking care of the kids (yikes!). He also managed to sell our china-buffet-hutch, so cheers to the beginnings of our moving slush fund (and cheers to getting rid of the first piece of furniture neither one of us was excited about moving). Although I loved our china-buffet-hutch when I found it at the Habitat for Humanity Restore a few years ago, I never had the time to refinish it as I had planned, and the drawers didn't really work once you weighed them down with your belongings. Plus, I'm confident I'll be able to find a suitable replacement in Austin when and if we ever buy another home.

Here's one last look at our mid-century find of the century:

The current state of our dining room (below). Please excuse the mess. If you didn't believe me before, you can see I was serious when I said I've given up on having our house "show ready." The table is up for grabs, too, so I hope it goes next and we can turn our dining room into the packing room.