Moving continued....

Friday morning Todd & I were beat.  Sarah was up at 6:15 ready to sit on the couch & watch TV.  Emma was up too & grumpy.

I unloaded a few more things from the car, got everyone ready, then we decided to head out.  Our neighborhood was having the annual garage sale (these are a really big thing around here).  We did not want to buy anything, but did want to visit our friends. 

I got the kids into the car then was trying to put Emma's strolled in the back.  There was a big mirror in there that Todd had not known what to do with.  I planned to take it to our house & put it in front with all our other garbage.  Well, it broke as I put the stroller in.  As I pulled it out I sliced the palm of my hand.  It bled terribly.  I had all the kids buckled in & did not know what to do.  Luckily I had diaper wipes in the car & was able to hold those on until I got bandaids on.  It was crazy.  I did not look at the cut too carefully, but figured it was probably going to be okay.  We headed up to Sam's house for a while since they were also having a garage sale & it would be nice to talk to Jenni for a few minutes.  We stayed for a few minutes, but Sarah did not want to get out of the car.

We decided to come back to the hotel since Sarah was not feeling well.  She had a fever, so no school for her.  I took the bandaid off my hand & realized I still had glass in there.  I pulled it out but then got a bit queasy.  Yes, I'm a nurse, but digging something out of my own hand kind of did me in.  I called Todd & told him he'd better come home because I needed stitches & did not want to drag 3 kids along with me.

So, I spent 3 hours in the emergency room for 3 little stitches. (It actually was kind of nice to sit there with nothing to do & no little bodies demanding something & no boxes to pack)  Todd would have done it himself if he'd had the stuff.  He will take them out for me next week because we'll be heading off the Utah.

Sarah still has a fever this morning.  Her ears & throat look fine (she's had strep 3-4 times this winter, I can't remember).  We'll just load her up with motrin so she can still dance in her recital this afternoon.  She's going crazy because I won't let her swim.  Our hotel has a cool mini waterpark.   She was so jealous when Mason got to get in last night without her.

That's it for now & hopefully it for the mishaps.

Moving Day

The official moving day was on May 29.  What a day, actually not that terrible, but not that great either.

A few weeks ago Todd realized that the Civic A/C was not working.  Great.  On Sunday as Todd drove to work the check engine light came on.  Even better.  So, we got lined up to take the car in Thursday morning at 7.  So, we ripped the kids out of bed at 6:50 & headed to the shop.  We all came home, wrestled clothes on the kids then tore their beds apart to pack sheets & such.

The movers came at 8, first in a little truck & I thought they would be doing a shuttle move like we had out of Utah, not great. That's where they load the stuff on a little truck, haul it to a warehouse then load it on a big truck, lots more chances for damage.  Luckily, a big truck showed up a few minutes later & they were under way.  Just as they were ready to start loading, it started to rain.

I took the kids to play with friends, Mason to play with Sam & Sarah to play with Sophia.  They were thrilled.  I was ready to head home to clean out the fridge but when I called Todd he told me it was crazy there & probably best to stay away for a while.  So, I browsed Target alone, filled the car, got some lunch.  Emma slept.  It was nice.

The day progressed.  We got Sarah on the bus at 12:30.  The movers were still there loading away.  It did stop raining in time for them to take the piano out, whew.

Finally, the moving truck drove away around 2:30.  Then our real fun began.  We cleaned bathrooms & unloaded stuff from the kitchen to take to the hotel for the week.  We picked up the car & Mason, getting home just as Sarah got off the bus.  As we got out of the car I noticed a car ready to stop at our house, then it drove on.  I figured it was the buyers just driving by the house.

Well, at 4 as we are all in the house I heard the door being unlocked.  In walked the buyers & their realtor.  Um, closing was not until the 30th!  They were all flustered & said they had talked with my realtor & planned to do the walk thru at 4.  Sure would have liked to have known that! (I'd talked to my realtor the day before & he had not mentioned anything other than it would be official on Friday & he'd call me when it was all done, which he has yet to do....) Anyway, I would not have been ready since the movers had left 1 1/2 hours before!  I was not happy.  I was stressed out as it was & this just about did me in.  They did the walk thru, despite the kitchen being a mess, Emma screaming, & Sarah trying to get out the door to dance dress rehearsal.

We loaded the car & brought stuff to the hotel, realizing we saved out too much stuff for this week.  Yikes!  I think we'll be okay since quite a bit was food from our fridge for this week.

Finally around 7 the kids had all had it, Sarah was in tears, & we left the house.  The kids were better once we got to the hotel & even better again when they saw the pool.  Poor Todd went back to the house to finish up.  It was a long day.

We had 11,200 pounds of stuff.  Glad we were not loading it!  Now it's on it's way (I hope!).  We won't be there to receive it, good thing we've got family on the other end!

This WILL be our last cross country move. 

The moving blahs

Okay, the house is packed (I think!) & our moving truck will be here at 8:00 am.  Yikes.  This moving business is the worst!!!!  Only one more time hopefully ever & it will just be across town, not across the country, good thing!  I don't think I can handle doing this ever again.  

The kids are feeling our stress, but are excited to go to a hotel tomorrow with a fun pool.

One more thing.  We've had this beastly desk since our Provo days.  Well, today the Salvation Army  finally came to pick it up (I'd called a few weeks ago) & they would not take it, it's too beat up!!!  So, now I'm still stuck with it.  

Farewell to the swingset

Mason playing in the sandbox last night
Sarah, Mary Jane, Blake, & Sam playing on the swingset last night.
Where the swingset used to be! The sandbox is empty & waiting to be taken away too.
The swingset in Phoebe's yard (the little girl next door). Now when I stand in my backyard I feel like I'm one house down, it's weird!

It's finally hitting my kids that we really are moving. All week & especially yesterday I told the kids they had better play on the swingset because it was going away. Well, they followed me around all day yesterday & would only play outside yesterday if I was out there. I pushed Mason on a swing forever.

This morning our next door neighbor came over & started taking the swingset apart. We watched as he & several friends hauled it up & over the fence. Then Mason started begging to swing. Yes, the swingset in always more appealing in someone else's yard!

The sand box is on it's way out also. Our backyard seems much bigger all of a sudden!

Our last backyard fire

The boys' table. It's impossible to get four kids to look at the camera at the same time!
The girls, a little better at looking at the camera & looking into the sun.
This made me laugh. Todd went out to split some wood to start the fire & he ended up with an audience! They were ready to roast marshmallows! Emily had binoculars to watch the action.

Fire is going & we are in business. Mason roasting away.

It's hitting me, we really are moving, soon. We had some friends over last night for dinner & a fire. When we bought our house we noticed an odd ring of cement in our backyard. We thought maybe it had been some landscaping & the tree inside the ring had died. No, it was a fire pit. We've had a few backyard get togethers & made s'more. Last night was our last. Sigh.

Mason's bigwheel

Mason in the summer of 2006
Mason today after a ride past Mary Jane's house

Here is Mason's beloved big wheel. We got this in 2006 at the Aldrich (preschool) raffle. I actually had won dinner at the Olive Garden. My friend Janus had won the big wheel but really did not want it for her five year old, so we switched prizes. Those $5 in raffle tickets were some of the best 5 bucks I've ever spent!

Mason's first summer on this was spent pushing with his feet since he could not reach the pedals. He wore out several pairs of shoes doing this. Last fall after we got back from Florida he finally mastered the pedals. He'd cruise around the cul-de-sac, then cross the street from the neighbor's driveway to ours.

I wish the big wheel had an odometer, I'd love to see how many miles it's done! One of Mason's favorite things to do these days is to ride the big wheel while I push Emma in the stroller (the cul-de-sac's not big enough anymore). He loves to go past Mary Jane's house. One day we did this while we had a home showing. It was the middle of March & in the 40's, which felt really warm at that time. I bundled everyone up & we headed out. Unfortunatly, the showing lasted forever & we were out for over an hour! Poor Emma's nose was very red.

The big wheel will not be making the move with us. The "big wheel" has got a few holes from Mason "slamming on the brakes". Oh well, on to bigger & better things, maybe a bike with training wheels or something.

One more thing about Mason. He's been a little sick this week. About the only thing he's wanted to eat is popscicles. Last night we'd gotten a bunch of different kinds. He tried one & threw it away after a few licks telling me "it is too spicy".

Transportation Fair

Yesterday we attended the transportation fair. Mason remembered going to this last year & was very excited. All sorts of city vehicles & other fun trucks are at a park available for kids to get in & see how they work. Mason loved it! Sarah had Mary Jane & Katelynn with her. I told them they would have to do things like this more often if they had a brother. I think they enjoyed it, but were happy to leave. Mason & Todd stayed for a long time, getting into almost every truck they could. Mason's favorite place in all of them was behind the wheel.

Chubba Bubba Baby

Emma was 6 months old on the 13th. She weighs 15 pounds, 10 ounces, so her nickname of Chubba Bubba fits! She's great at sitting up now.

Mason is a Cars fan, he's got the hat, shoes, & shirt.

The background is a mess! We are in the process of cleaning out closets (last year's sandals on the floor) & packing up! Not fun. After our move next year I don't want to move again, ever!

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day turned out just fine this year. Sometimes I get myself a bit worked up expecting a perfect day without dealing with dinner or kids or anything. This year I decided to just enjoy being a mom & doing my usual things & it went much better. Also, Todd & the kids did do some nice things & it was a good day.
The nice day started on Friday. Rosemary picked Mason & Sarah up for the primary activity (Friday night activity, awesome for those of us not involved, free date night). Mason felt like he had really arrived in life since he was going in Mary Jane's pearly white van, just as Sarah does nearly every other day. They both came home higher than kites so excited about the little mother's day gifts they had made.
This morning Sarah mad a big to do about putting all the cards & gifts from primary & school on my bed. It was fun to have her so excited. She also helped Todd with a fun ecard. That's the kind of thing that makes days like today great.
The day did a end a little off. I decided to try a new chocolate cake recipe. It was in a bundt pan, so after I popped it out I set it on the table near the open sliding door. It was chilly out today, so that was a great place to cool the cake quickly, so I thought. Mason was attracted to it & next thing I knew he was licking the cake. Gross! So, now the cake has toothpicks sticking out around his licked area so we know where to serve him from! The cake itself was just so-so. Oh well!
Now we are on to another fun week of packing & getting ready for our move. We are excited but a bit overwhelmed!

I don't floss

Aunt Jen mailed Emma the greatest shirt. Today it got a bit dirty with pizza sauce & chocolate, niether of which Emma eats yet. The stains are from Mason who can't seem to keep his hands, or dirty face, off of her. And yes, Emma does have a very bald spot on the back of her head where she's rubbed all her hair off. It would not be so noticable if she did not have so much hair on the rest of her head!

Rock on!

Sarah & Mary Jane were doing a rock concert. Sarah sang & danced while Mary Jane played the guitar. Great entertainment!

These two are going to be very sad to say good-bye in a few weeks, they are such great friends. We have really started packing, there are boxes in the background. Luckily the house is sold!

Let's go fly a kite

Now is that song stuck in you head? Last Sunday was a warm, breezy day. We decided to fly our kites that we'd taken to Jacksonville last summer to fly on the beach & never did.

Mason thought kite flying was great, for about 7 minutes, then was done. Sarah lasted a few minutes longer, then it was mom & dad holding the kites while the kids ran around.

Tap, tap, tap

Sarah has a dance recital in a few weeks. She begged to put on her costume to practice. I finally gave in with the threat that if she ruined her costume she would not be able to be in class pictures yesterday or the recital. She was very careful.

Mason wanted in on the action so I pulled out some of Sarah's old tap shoes. I think Todd was not too thrilled to see Mason tapping away in girly tap shoes, but Mason thought it was great! Todd was really done in when Mason asked to wear some pink ballet slippers. Luckily, the small ones are all packed away!

Sorry the picture is sideways, I'm not sure how to flip it in blogger!

As for the pictures yesterday, you would have thought we were getting ready for the prom! She locked us in my room to get her dressed. We curled her hair & put on a bit of makeup. She felt like a princess! As she got in the car she looked around the neighborhood hoping someone would be outside to see her, too bad, it was all quiet.

Emma babes

Emma is learning to sit. Sarah has taken it upon herself to "teach" Emma various things. They were working on sitting this morning. She's doing great, considering she's 9 days shy of 6 months!