Getting Ready for a Month in El Paso

We are remodeling some of the space upstairs in our house, so we decided it would be the perfect time for me and the boys to spend quality time with all our family and friends in El Paso.  This means that we had to make most all of the major remodeling decisions prior to leaving for our trip (so Barrett didn't get stuck deciding on small details- which he said he did NOT want to do!).   

LJ helped me paint the walls to decide what colors to pick- and he LOVED it! 

He had just gotten up from a long nap in these pictures, so excuse his hair and groggy face! But he was so excited to wake up to painting walls! 

Since we were staying in El Paso so long, we figured it would be best to stay in a place where the boys could have their own rooms and attempt to get some good sleep. (We love staying with Gigi and Capi, but their condo is only 2 bed rooms so we were worried it would be way to hard or stressful for such a long trip.) So Barrett found us a furnished 3 bedroom apartment in a brand new complex in far west El Paso. And then he let me go to El Paso for 2 days by myself to get the apartment all ready for the family to arrive! I flew in on a Monday afternoon and spent Monday and Tuesday getting the place set up. Gigi picked me up, and we went to the condo to get all the baby stuff we needed from there, picked up the keys to the apartment, and got to work! We set up a tent for LJ, a pac n play for Evan, and both of their 'big boy beds' with the rails so we can attempt a transition while here; got nails hung for cameras, door handles turned around so no one could lock us out of their rooms, etc. Then on Tuesday, we went with Grandma to get all our groceries, cleaning supplies, and other needed things. I left on Tuesday night feeling very prepared about arriving to a set-up apartment with all my boys a few days later! 

Here are some pictures of the apartment as we left it on Tuesday afternoon.

This is the room Evan will be staying 

And LJ's room:

Our living room:

Master bedroom:

Dining area and kitchen:

And the only slightly inconvenient thing is that you have to walk up this big staircase to get to our apartment! Thankfully, both boys are good on stairs! My biggest concern is that they will be playing too close to them- but we will be very careful! 

Poor Evan had a fever on Tuesday night, so I made a doctor appointment first thing on Wednesday morning when I got home. He didn't have a fever when he woke up and was acting fine, but with the fever and bronchitis he had last week, I thought better to be safe than sorry before a big trip! 

I already had our nanny, Karinna, scheduled to come since I usually have bible study and tennis on Wednesday mornings, so she went along to the doctor with us. And then I got to use the time to get ready for our trip!

Boys playing in the waiting room!

Thankfully the bronchitis was totally gone, but now he has a bad ear infection! We got 10 days worth of antibiotics, and he should be feeling better soon! Luckily we are driving to El Paso too since a flight wouldn't be as much fun with an ear ache! 

I spent Wednesday and Thursday finishing up remodeling preparation (moving all things from upstairs I could, etc), packing up our stuff, and getting ready to head out at the crack of dawn on Friday morning! We waited until Friday because I really wanted LJ to enjoy his last day of school at WHPP, which was on Thursday. 

See you in a few days El Paso!