Guilty Pleasure

I've come across both of these videos over several months and only once for each but with both I'm tickled pink with the sweetness and adorableness of them. I believe the American Idol season with Paul MacDonald was the first one I ever really watched (Thanks Mom Vitale!) and, yes, I saw there fate-like meeting on the red carpet. Then I remember hearing they began dating and then marriage. Each bit of news came and went with their own moment of "aww" in my mind. Now these two are adoring each other in song.

MacDonald has that Damien Rice vibe going on and paired with Reed's gentle, graceful voice (and their beautiful faces AND their longing stares) it is hard to deny that these are the music videos we have in our heads of us and our significant others when we are swept away in the loving times! This isn't a blog about genius lyrics or unmatchable talent, just the simplicity of a happy, loving feeling!

What the HOUSE is going on?!

This afternoon after 24 hours of home intensity ...
Me (in a light manner) : Oh Addison, mommy's going crazy. Do you know what crazy is?
Addison : Kukamonga??

But let's start from the beginning ...

Some of you may be hanging on to news of our house that we should be closing on in less than a week!!! Let me gladly announce that this plan has been thwarted and our closing date extended tentatively to June 11. Normally this is a huge "son of a gun" moment for me but I'm beginning to piece together my sanity to realize it's not so bad.

We are working with a USDA loan, which has grown to be the impending death of me. It was all easy peasy back when we were set up with a fixed rate and a closing fee of $584 and then came in the last 2 months before our closing date of May 30th. Suddenly we are asked by the underwriters to account for and prove origins for every cent in our possession. *head against the wall*

*Warning : Sarcastic Remarks to come*
Around the beginning of May, it seemed the scanning of a year's worth of rent checks, a bazillion letters of explanation for significant, I use the term loosely, transactions like "The $20 deposit made on March 30th, 1986 was a gift from a relative for my first birthday." signed and dated and many more seriously and obviously useful requests had come to an end and we were just weeks away from a peaceful closing. We went about 2 weeks without a word from anyone and then rolled into being a week away from closing.

*ring a ling ding ding!*

Me: Why Hello?!
XMAN: DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

As a result of the loan being in Micah's name and my mom having gifted us some funds to help in MY name we have to gift her back the money via a cashier's check and have her send us a cashier's check for the same amount in Micah's name along with a gift letter, signed and dated. In addition, because I still have my personal checking account in only my name alongside our joint account, the underwriters now want to see funds under our joint account so I have to "gift" what's in my personal account to our joint. Still with me? Micah also has to sign a gift letter oh and one more thing as icing on the cake. A completely separate loan my mom gave me months ago that I gave back to her within a week they now want proof of my mother withdrawing the money (SORRY FOLKS, IT WAS CASH!) as well as a letter of explanation stating that she lent me the money to be paid back even though they have a copy of the check showing I paid her back AND a different letter of explanation and it has NOTHING to do with ANYTHING! AHHHH! These are just a few items on a list of about 15 that were brought to my attention YESTERDAY. As a result of the timely fashion of the underwriters, we have to push our closing date to June 11, tentatively. I had to call the utility people to let them know and change our truck reservation.

Things to be thankful for :
1) That we didn't pull out of our lease, that ends June 30th, sooner. We'd be homeless.
2) We won't be paying one month's rent AND a full mortgage payment for the month of June
3) God.
4) Family.

I hope you enjoyed this bit of cray-cray and I suggest you come back for updates!

Change Happens

Addison has proved herself capable of falling asleep on her own. One night she's requesting the door be shut and I trot on downstairs gleefully overhearing her singing herself to sleep .. "winkle, winkle lil staahh". Sometimes she gets bored of being such a nighttime delight and she'll scream, "OH GOD PLEEEASE!" Other evenings she will casually and repeatedly get up out of bed and allow me to practice the ol' "Supernanny" technique of ..
*on the first escape* Me (while carrying her back to her bed): Sorry kiddo, it's time for bed so you have to go to sleep now.
*on the second escape and so on* Me: A reassure kiss on the forehead, NO talking and placing back to bed.
This can go on for an hour and a half on the days that perhaps she thinks I didn't get a good workout in. Other times she is cool after being put back down the first or second time.

I've been relishing in my 90% great bedtime girl but I'm noticing that she's going through a restless stage where she's just waking up and calling for me throughout the evening. I don't identify with any bedroom in this house because I can never fall asleep in my own bed as I'm usually anticipating her call but eventually I do fade away only to wake up in her room. Why? Well, she likes to begin slumber parties at 3am and I don't think I'm actually conscious of the fact that I head over to her room to quiet her. And by quiet her I mean slumping into her bed only to wake up there 5 hours later. I feel a bit guilty that this happens because I'm not enforcing her sleeping on her own and then it dawned on me...

I was talking to my friend, a mother of 6 *BRAVO TO HER!*. She mentioned that all of her kids took to different routines and they all came out fine whether they slept on their own, needed coddling or whatever the case may be. I realized that kids change, their preferences change and I'm not hurting Addison by being there for her. It'd be different if she depended on this or if I was doing this to make life easier. The reality is, she sleeps fine on her own and the times I do go in there, it's so late neither of us really knows what's happening.

All I know is, we wake up fresh and happy and daddy has a bed all to himself - who's complaining???