Pre-Christmas & Our 15 Year Anniversary

I made the boys get "real" haircuts at a salon.  They were not happy, which I'll take as a compliment, so we decided to find a treat afterwards.  I just typed candy into my map app and it took us to a barn 10 minutes away.  I was very skeptical, but that quickly turned into enthusiasm when we walked in.  It was a fruit and nut store, very similar to one I went to as a kid.  They had all the familiar treats my parents would buy, even a tea similar to that my mom would make us when we came in from sledding.    Each of the kids picked out a treat and then I got some goodies for stockings.

If someone would kindly tell Alison to stop growing, that would be great.  People did not believe she was my 11 year old daughter at the church we went to this past weekend.

I found a cookie decorating kit at the grocery store and it was the perfect solution for this years' Christmas activity.  You could eat them or let them dry and hang them on the tree.  I loved how the icing and candy was all ready for us and we could just sit down and enjoy decorating.  We may be pushing the easy button again next year because the ease of not cooking made it a little more fun.

Colin making the face of his gingerbread man:

Ben found a store very similar to Food City, but nicer!  He was so excited that he decided to make tamales. 

Right before we moved, my friend Gwen gave me this puzzle to do when we got to our new house.  It was such a sweet gift and a great relaxing treat for me.  It also fit great on our awkward island :)

We randomly found this picture while unpacking boxes: on our honeymoon.

It sat on our kitchen counter for a few days and even the kids commented how young we looked.

15 years later:

Ben had to work on our anniversary, but met us on the beach for a little bit.  We saw a whale and two dolphins!  It was the best present!

Later that afternoon, we went to the Reagan Library.

They had an exhibit on Pompeii that we were all excited to see.  We have a book on it, so the kids were familiar with the history, but it was amazing to see it come to life for them.

We ended up getting a membership so we can go back whenever we want.  The views from the library were breathtaking...pictures just don't seem to do this place justice.

Eli got a little carsick from reading the book through the mountains, so we ended up ordering Indian food and having a home date while the kids watched a Christmas movie. 

Colin just can't get enough of being outside.  Alison and Eli will be ready to go home from the park and Colin will want to stay 5 more hours.  So, a couple of times, I've taken just him back out for some one-on-one time.

Lucky for him, we can walk to 3 parks from our house.  I love watching him run.

AND he lost his 3rd front tooth in church!

Life in the midst of chaos

We live right across the street from the best park in town and have been pretty much every day.

I took my eyes off Colin for 2 minutes...

Alison is so strong!

Running here is pretty great; beautiful scenery and endless paths to take.  My favorite view is from the top of our street.

We checked out a homeschool group for military families.  They had a gingerbread house making party and all of the kids made a few friends, which was very encouragement for them.

The kids have done a great job keeping themselves entertained while Ben and I work on the house.

Christmas decorating when you just moved in=

Moving, Part 2...The Great Downsize

The drive to California went smoothly and we made it there in time for dinner.  

First stop, Wetzel Pretzel!

Eli was beyond excited that there are 3 pretzel places close to our new house.  We took our food to the new house to meet the realtor.  After a quick walk through and instructions, she handed us the keys and the empty house was ours!  We made up camp in the living room and watched a Christmas movie.

The boys and I went early so we were there to meet the movers first thing Monday morning.  Ben had to check out that morning and then he, Alison and Maya came that afternoon.  I was SO cold that morning and thankful that I splurged on these slippers the week before. 

Colin was my best little helper.

While I checked boxes of items unloaded, the boys explored the yard...or helped me find out what the number really was on the box, as most were read incorrectly in half English.  They found we have a pomegranate bush and orange tree :)

Life in transition equals the most random snacks you can find, which also equals finding these little gems on your phone.

The movers slowed down quite a bit after lunch.  I'm pretty sure they were taking a little siesta in the truck, so we had some time to kill.  We found the tub of Legos and the boys played on the back patio.

I started unpacking kitchen boxes during the down time.  I would throw all the paper on the floor and the boys would play it in and then stuff it into a box for me and take it back outside.

Ben and Alison got here about the same time the movers were finishing up.  By that time, every inch of the house was full.  Literally, if there was one more thing, it would have to go on the driveway.  2800 square feet to 1700 is not easy.  They set up beds so we could sleep in our rooms, but the house was so full of boxes that it was a maze to get anywhere.  

Tuesday, we worked hard to get boxes unpacked and things somewhat functional.  The boys had fun playing with all the boxes in the backyard.

The rest of the week was a blur.  I got my first migraine Wednesday and was out for the day, while Ben kept working on the house and taking care of the kids.
We felt like this move was a constant shuffle of things.  Lack of room to just move things in, made it so you had to unpack a box and put things in random places and then move those things around 10 more times to get where you wanted it to be.  We got the kitchen somewhat up and running, but the table was so full of random stuff that we had to eat on the floor several nights.

It was a constant shuffle, but I was also constantly thinking it was a miracle.  It was a miracle that we even found anything.  Boxes were mislabeled and not organized well.  It took us 3 days to find our bedding and bath towels.  The house itself is a miracle, which is another post.  The fact that we had clean clothes and fresh food to eat is a miracle.  I would have died if it hadn't been for all of Ben's hard work and that work enabled us to even do some Christmas decorating...because that's all the kids  could talk about.  The house had been empty for at least several months and has a little stink to it, so we opted for a live tree to help with that.

It's a miracle Alison can stretch in this room, because day 1 you couldn't even walk into it.

It's a miracle Maya is not a complete basket case because I think this move was hardest on her.

If I could freeze time, it would be with 6 year old Colin in his Spider Man Pj's.

 

It's a miracle we survived the last few weeks and that now I get to spend mornings watching the sun rise over the mountains, sitting next to a fire.

It's going to take a few more weeks to get the house really how we want it, but I think we're going to love it here.  So far, we've been to the most amazing library, some fantastic parks and nice stores.  Everyone is so friendly, even the salesclerks.  When we've told people we just moved here, we've gotten a lot of "Welcome to paradise!" and "Congratulations!", which is basically the opposite of when we moved to Yuma.

Moving to California; part 1

The tale of moving begins with Jose.  

Senior Jose showed up at our 2800 square foot house to pack it up...by himself.  He didn't speak much English but I was actually quite impressed by his quick packing skills.  While he packed, the kids and I tried to stay out of the house as much as possible, but we also had to take Maya with us.  She decided to be a complete diva that week and refused to go in the back where she belongs.  She would steal one of the kids' seats and then refuse to move.  

We booked a couple of rooms at the Inn on base so we had a place to put our stuff/hang out while the movers where in our house.  I made the kids do a little school work and we started reading Pippi Longstocking.

I was thankful to be able to stay at the Inn and not an empty house, but I was not prepared for the week of essentially camping.  And our two rooms were far away from each other, so we were basically apart all week and constantly shuffling and juggling kids and the dog and our stuff and jobs that needed to be done.  It was exhausting, as moving notoriously is.

By a miracle, everything got done.  Jose packed up our entire house in a day, then it took 2 men 2 days to load up everything.  It took another day to have the carpets cleaned and to clean the entire house, which surprisingly was not as bad as I had anticipated.  We also fit in a doctor's appointment, a work dinner and Maya's 3rd birthday.

Ben had his end of tour ceremony.  We weren't allowed to take any pictures of the ceremony, but it was amazing.  I wish I could have taken a video to capture all of the wonderful things said about Ben.  There were great challenges that came with this command, but Ben's work blessed so many people.  I am so proud of him!

Chaplain Jenkins, Ben and Chaplain Ellison

And their RP's...don't ask me their names :)

Chaplain Jenkin's giving Ben his awards in their office:

By the end of the week, it was time to start saying goodbyes.

Our last trip to Chili Peppers:

We went to the empty house so the kids could say goodbye to the house and their neighbor friends.  We also had to release Hermione, Alison's fish.

I will not miss those tile countertops, but I will miss all the memories that filled that house.

We went to the White's for dinner one night and the kids decorated cookies.

We also had dinner with Justine's family.

Our last Sunday at church, they had a little reception for us.  Saying goodbye to these families was hard, but we also find comfort that we're only 5 hours away...I'm pretty sure the Yuma heat will drive them to visit us.

The boys and I hit the road for California right after church.

The kids will always remember Yuma with fond memories, but this is Yuma in all reality:

A town full of snowbirds doing the most insane things.