Home Sweet New Home

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-The kids are sleeping like little rocks through the night.

-The neighbors are so, so, so nice thus far. Bringing beautiful welcome baskets full of goodies and flowers.

-The boys have taken to their new bus number and schedule like little champs. They have a ton of little friends from church and their classes on their route.

-Georgia has been snatched into the care of an adorable little eight year old neighbor girl. She has already been over twice to dye Easter eggs. Another adorable nine year old neighbor girl came over and dug out -
Georgia's bike helmet and helped her ride around the other night.

-We have the most amazing ward family. (The people we go to church with.) They came on Saturday in force and moved us. Truck after truck pulled up and loaded up. We didn't technically even need to make two trips with the moving truck to get it all! Even the new neighbors have commented on all the help we had! One even said she had us pegged as Mormons right when she saw everyone pulling up to unload. Hahaha!!! And they were so respectful with our things.Thank you!!!

-We have found the learning curve of the first few days in a new home. Grappling for light switches in the dark, the intercom system radio suddenly playing pop music at three in the morning, turning on the heat fan full blast and not knowing how to turn it off while Del was gone, not realizing the front door lock didn't catch and waking up to a wide open front door, (yup, looks like the neighborhood is safe. Just testing.) Oops. And the funniest thing, learning that there is a robin that is in love with one of the front room windows. He spends the morning repeatedly slamming himself into the window pane. The previous owners said it is a yearly occurrence, and sorry they didn't disclose the wacky, love sick bird in the contract. Ha ha!!!

-Walker has been very good (to this point) about all the water dangers that are around us, and has been good to stay within the boundaries we tell him. Although I do fear that the more comfortable he gets, the more daring he will become. We will have to be on our guard this Spring. Oh...except for yesterday when he scared Del within an inch of his sanity. Del was yelling for him like crazy while I was across the street. He searched high and low, ran around outside, checked closets and the garage, with no answer from Walker. He found him in the basement about five minutes later. Crouched, giggling, behind an arm chair.
When Del got mad that he didn't answer when called, Walker kept saying, "Dad! Pay Hide and Seet!!" (Play Hide and Seek.) Oy!

-I only have about a third of the boxes left to unpack.

-I do have the entire storage room to set up and organize.

-I have yet to hang anything on the walls.

-It has only been a week, right. Guess I'll give myself a minute.

-I put our very complicated new bed together all by myself. I won't admit how long it took.

-I wish for the millionth time I was a good photographer. Especially for interiors.

-The wall color I chose for the majority of the rooms I had repainted is a camillian. It changes with the sun, and room by room. Luckily I seem to like all of it's many personalities.

-I have a dining room. But a "make it do" dining room table, and no dining chairs. It will come together.

-Del is working like a crazy man from his new home office. I love the color and light in there. It is a nice room, right at the front of the house. It needs some details... and some storage.

-It has been so sad every time I go back to the old house. The heart and soul of it are gone. So it feels like an empty space with evidence that it was once loved. Sad to leave my Dad's moldings and the faucet he installed for me, and our nicely finished basement. Even though we have a very nicely finished basement here in the new house.

-The kids are so completely entertained by the play set in the backyard.

-We have been creative with our seating for meal time. The kitchen chairs are being refinished, and it looks like another three weeks! Thank goodness for bar stools!

-I like to try to keep track of the number of golfers that hit their ball into the pond and have to fish it out. In the short amount of time I was watching the other day, I counted six. Who wants to lose a ball on the first hole?

-This golf course is on the list of the top 50 toughest golf courses in the USA. There is a new owner who wants to make it a bit more playable, and make it a top 100 PGA course. Do I sound like I know what I am talking about??? I don't understand golf.

-I have a happy, light filled little office/piano space of my own in the sunroom.

-We are happy. And so grateful. Our cup runneth over. I don't know why this move came our way, but I have had friends call me with stories about how our move affects their lives that only reaffirms that we have a mindful Heavenly Father. The previous owners told us they had three people before us want to buy this house. One even tried to put money down. But they didn't feel that it was right, until us. So we will live in gratitude for the blessings at this phase of our lives, and hope that one day those blessings may include living closer to family.

Wally Lately

Wally has been a busy guy these days.
First he participated in his very first Pinewood Derby at Cub Scouts. He took a lot of pride in, and had a lot of concern for his Pinewood Derby car. He asked about it every day until it was completed.

 The car proved to me a great source of stress to me. I have never had to take a piece of wood and make it into something that will race down a ramp in the hopes of winning before this occasion. But with the very kind help of some people we go to church with, we got the wood shaped into a car. It was a family effort. Wally and I painted it, put the wheels on and threw on some decals.

All the cars lined up. And Walker's train on the end. He was so into the whole race concept. He kept sneaking up and putting that train on the track. Notice the very proud smile on his face.

Wally's car ended up being in a triple overtime tie breaker with his friend Jaren. Jaren actually won the race in the end, but because he is moving this weekend, Wally's car was boxed up to be sent to the big time Council Pinewood Derby race. We will have to see how that goes.

Ooo... the big leagues!

We think just qualifying is a job well done by Wally.

I did record the race, but it is kind of long, so watch if you dare.

Wally also advanced from Wolf to Bear. He completed all the requirements and received his badges the night of the Pinewood Derby. I look awful in this picture, and I am aware of that. I was SOOO tired. Craziest month of my life! We spent the day preceding the Derby running the kids around, getting packed, preparing the new house for the move and making trips back and forth with car loads of STUFF! I had lost about five pounds at that point from stress, and no time to stop, or eat. Oh, and the church's florescent lighting is not doing me any favors.
So that is my list of excuses. But it is not about me, it is about him.  Ha!

Wally also had a birthday a week ago! He is now nine. So close to an entire decade old! Life hits the fast forward button when kids come into your life. I love this boy so much! And I love that handsome smile. Wally continues to gain a level of maturity with every passing day. I am so proud of him. Wally has always had areas that he struggles. Don't we all? But he tries so hard and always has pure intentions. He has made huge strides!

I don't buy boxed cereal. Will loves to eat cereal so this is hard for him. Sometimes I do let him eat a gluten free, organic brand with coconut milk because Will seems to have a dairy sensitivity.

But I took an idea from a family that used to live near us, and we went to church with. Stephanie buys her kids their very own box of cereal for their birthday.  I wrapped it up as a gift for him to open. Wally was thrilled! And he knew how much all the other kids wanted some cereal, so he shared. Very kind of him.

Georgia wrapped up a dollar from her piggy bank and gave it to Wally as a gift. This was the hug that followed. Neither of them were very in to it.

 We had a makeshift, moving birthday celebration. Wally's birthday fell two days before our move. So we embraced the moving box theme. Wally had a surprise in a moving box. You can watch the video below.
The last big family event to take place in our old home.

I told the kids we could have a combined birthday celebration for Wally, Will and Georgia in the coming weeks.
So that is what Wally has been up to. Here is a sneak peak at another event our family was involved in. The talent show at church! Always a hit! Wally's act was demonstrating how to make the biggest paper airplane in the world!!! I will post those videos soon.

It's Ours!

Well,
We are officially the owners of two homes. We closed last week on the new house, and it has been a whirlwind since. Very exciting! The first few times we had to be at the house for more than fifteen minutes at a time, the kids would start crying.
"I want to go home!!"

That had me a little worried. But we moved some toys over, and had some furniture delivered. We moved the couch over so that it could be cleaned along with the carpets, and it is feeling a little more like we belong there. The painters started today, and I have a feeling that is going to make a big difference to me being able to put my mark on the house. The projects I have scheduled for the kitchen, (which is the room that I feel needs the most change to make my own,) and the fireplace, won't be completed for a couple of months because our awesome carpenter is busy for a few weeks. He is worth the wait!

I have been hauling things over in my car every time I go, so I am making quit a dent in what remains in our current home. We do the big heavy stuff on Saturday, and then we are no longer the occupants of what has been our home for the past eight years!

A new chapter. It is always so exciting to open a new chapter, but sad, and sentimental to close one.

We have lots of these hanging around.

They are very handy for packing all sorts of odds and ends.

We have had one activity, or errand, or project after another over the past couple of weeks, and it does not stop because we are moving.
Even on Saturday, we will be officially moving, and then heading to the church for the chili cook-off and talent show! Keeps us on our toes! I have also had been rotating which child I am slathering down with essential oils because there is a bug that keeps circling through the troops. I am trying SO hard to avoid a pediatrician trip because I don't have time for it! We will just keep using our oils and get some chicken broth into them, and hope for the best!
I hope to have some activity updates soon. Until then, you can reach me at one house or another!