The Cahill's

My Dad (aka “Papa”) is here for a few days so I thought I’d take advantage of the extra help. 🙂

(this picture was taken for Grammy’s benefit 🙂 )

Actually it was fun watching him with Lance and thinking of how he did this with each of us kiddos as we came along.  We did, however, use his visit to take a little impromptu date. God’s timing worked out perfect by having dad here to “watch Lance” while I accompanied Brian on a late night work project. We put Lance down for bed, went for a run while dad made some phone calls and watched a little bit of a movie with dad while we waited until it was time to go. About the time Dad was ready to settle down for the night, we headed out the door for the data center to swap out a switch. We read on the way there, did our work and were on the way back when we found we needed to do something else to help a coworker out so we went back and swapped out something else. All went well but it was past midnight when we were done and I was hungry. We completed our “date” at the McDonalds drive thru – ordering hamburgers and french fries at 1:00am! It was so much fun to go and work alongside my husband – holding things, screwing, switching cables, we’re a team.

Here are my two guys being silly before bedtime. Lance has taken to sticking his tongue out and making strange noises. It sure beats the gagging noises he learned how to make last week – talk about jumpy Mommy and false alarms!

I sure do love all my guys – it’s been fun having them all around.

At long last, here is the story of our move!

Saturday morning started bright and early for these two eager beavers – a quick but hearty breakfast was eaten out of the frying pan (plates were packed) and last minute items were stowed in boxes.  The crew arrived at 8:00am on the dot – several men from our Sunday school class and the teacher’s wife – to help Amy clean the new place.

Our volunteers had pledged their help before they knew we were moving from one upstairs apartment to another! Nothing daunted they gamely toted all our stuff up and down all morning. Brian made sure our “garden” made it safely.

As a reward for all their effort Amy had home made pizza ready about the time they finished. They stood around (because there was no place to sit) swapped stories about the Olympics, work and the heaviest item they hauled that day. After mutual gratitude was shared for the help and the meal they all left and we faced…

…a disaster zone! You could hardly move for all the boxes – and the new place was supposed to be bigger than the last one! Slowly things got pushed into corners and stacked into closets and the house began to emerge.

Ahhh, space! Brian’s grandparents were there to help with Lance while we worked and ended up giving some decorating help as well.

However, a total move in couldn’t be completed just yet. After moving in we decided that the carpet had not been cleaned so the management scheduled a cleaning…the following week.

Wanting the most accomplished out of this cleaning we stacked things in the bathroom…

…fireplace hearth, kitchen and back porch. The cleaning was a success and we could finally settle everything into it’s proper places.

The following weekend became “project days” as we made small repairs and “modifications” to make the place more like home.  We installed a washing machine that had been given to Amy’s Dad and passed on to us, and a dryer that Brian found for $25 on Craigs list.

Next,we ran internet cable and hooked up all the many cords for our workroom setup. Brian rearranged the pantry shelves to better utilize the space.

Lance got a bath in the kitchen sink where Mommy could keep a watchful eye as she painted the new shelves.

Meanwhile, Daddy went to great lengths to convert a drawer we salvaged out of a no longer needed shelf/desk into a Master bath drawer for Amy.

He did a nice job and made it out of a scrap board we had and various screws he had collected over time. Amy was highly impressed with his skill, creativity and forethought. Curtains were also hung – a first for our married life – and the effect delighted both of us.

After all that work, we enjoyed the pool and spa – really, it was like being at our own resort!

And finally, here is a video tour of the house as it looks today. There’s still a little more work to be done, but for now – there’s no place like home.

Sorry for the long absence, changing living quarters meant changing internet providers, which meant access was only granted this weekend after days of waiting and hours on the phone….

So, lots of things happened in two weeks – biggest for Lance was his first taste of baby food!

Isn’t that great! He loved it! Sucked it all down as fast as he could!

Daddy did the honors while Mommy documented the occasion.

Here’s a video – forgive me if it’s long, but we’re first time parents after all 🙂 Besides, this is for grandma’s benefit.

Anyhow, that’s good for now – I’m going to hang pictures today and then make a video tour of our new place which I’ll post soon – stay in tune!