GAS, GAS, GAS!

Not sure what other gas prices are right now, but I am THRILLED to announce that I have now seen gas for $2.49 per gallon! Makes me want to fill up every day, except that I wonder if it will keep going down even more. :)

YEAH FOR FALLING GAS PRICES!

Another week's end...

It has been a hectic week. My dad went home on Tuesday, our friend Amber came with her daughter on Wednesday (she came to look for housing...they are moving here for podiatry school as well) and Brandon left for Idaho on Thursday for his brother's wedding. I was really glad to have Amber here for some company...she left this morning though, and it is just me and the kids until tomorrow afternoon when Brandon comes back. We have missed him like crazy!

On a high note, WE WENT GROCERY SHOPPING! To some, this may seem like a bizarre thing to be excited about. But after all the frozen meals and take-out we have eaten the past month while packing, moving and unpacking, I felt like I was on a shopping spree to finally fill my fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, cheese, juice, etc. I think I ate a turkey pita 4 times in a row because it sounded SO fresh and healthy...the farthest thing from fast food burgers, fries and tacos. :)

Amber's daughter, Elaina, is 10 mo old. The kids had fun playing together, but it was definitely an adjustment hauling three young ones around and trying to be productive. My unpacking has come to a complete stop...it seemed that every minute of the day at least one of the kids was awake and getting into things. Not to mention that sleep has been almost non-existant this week (for all of us!) and I have been exhausted! I had contractions all night last night, and felt so sick this morning...I have been doing better this afternoon though, for which I am relieved.

When Amber was here, the kids had a blast playing outside. Got some great pictures of them playing. :) I still haven't forgotten to post pics of the inside of our house...but at this point, you would all be disappointed because you wouldn't be able to see much through the boxes. This week we have to see the finish line! Our new little guy will be coming soon--less than 11 days now. So, having the house in order is a HUGE priority. I still need to find some things...have been searching frantically for a used bassinet (I borrowed one before) and had to sell my glider rocker when we moved. I would love to have another one now--so I have been on the hunt for one. No luck on either yet...

This is our little climber toy in the backyard. Jenna LOVES it--we got a small one for Kaden with a swing, which both kids really like.

Jenna, Kaden, and Elaina loved to play outside together. They had a great time!

Kaden loves the little tractor we found for him--Ebay and Craigslist have been lifesavers while trying to find outdoor toys!!!

Kaden hopped in the tub with Jenna while I was putting some things away. He got a little too excited too soon! :)
Our garage is still filled with some of our "treasures". The kids played out there with Brandon earlier this week, and he took some cute pictures of them playing. My dad made this cradle for me when I was younger and just gave it to me for Jenna to have. Kaden enjoyed taking a break in there. :)

We have a set of shelves sitting in the garage waiting to hold storage. For now, the kids thought it was their own special place...BUNKBEDS ANYONE??

I don't know wht this picture was SO funny to me...Kaden was just chilling in the climber toy...what a cute guy!

Our adventurous little Jenna in mid-air! :) She loves to be outside and run around.

Welcome to Ohio--birthplace of...

WE'RE HERE!

Kaden enjoyed his little spot on the floor of the airplane. We were so lucky on our first flight to sit right up front so nobody was in in front of us and we had extra leg room. He was a real trooper...had a VERY hard time at first and screamed through most of the first leg of the flight. Ear pressure? Needing a nap? Who knows??? Once he calmed down and fell asleep though, he did great. :)
He looks like a complete junk food junkie!

Jenna was SO excited to look out the window of the plane. At that time she was sitting in the middle though, so she had to get up to look. The last plane we took, we sat her by the window thinking she would love to look out the whole time (at this point in the trip we were absolutely DESPERATE for something to help her make it through. She was tired and cranky--rightfully so. Before we could even see the clouds she was asleep...Go figure. :)

My mom was wonderful to come with us! I couldn't have done it alone...so much to carry and the kids to keep an eye on...it is not something I plan to do again for a long time. :)

Here is Jenna checking things out with grandma!

Below is our life in a UHaul...by the time my dad and Brandon left, the back was pretty stacked full. Hard to believe that you can fit everything you own in the back of a truck. They drove pretty much straight through to Ohio. They said it took almost 40 hours...I can't imagine (although flying with the kids felt like it took that long!!)

Welcome to Ohio, birthplace of seven U.S. presidents, birthplace of the first professional baseball team, and birthplace of that all-American favorite, the hot dog! Also the "birthplace of aviation"....I wondered why, so I checked it out. Apparently one of the first men to fly, Orville Wright, was born in Ohio. The first American to orbit the earth, John Glenn, was born in Ohio. The first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio. Hmmm....interesting Ohio facts for the day. :) You can check out tons of other neat things at: http://consumer.discoverohio.com/default.aspx



WE ARE HERE! Don't know that this blog entry will be the most stellar blog of all times, but it is a start. I am SO happy to have internet after not having it for almost a week. I have planned to have it all set up the day after we got here, but we had so many boxes that we couldn't even make room TO set it up. We got so busy unpacking and trying to find new furniture to replace what we sold that my dreams of keeping up on my blog and emails were extremely short lived. :)

I feel so scattered at where to even start updating! So much has happened...from our less than 2 year old microwave mysteriously breaking down two days after we moved here, to getting my first ticket as an Ohio resident (my first in MANY years, thank you very much!!). I think the officer hadn't met his quota for the day...It really was an honest mistake and everyone else was going the same speed!!! Maybe they get double points for out of staters... just kidding...it just seems like it has been one thing after another. Our utilities have been one phone call to customer service after another--I am afraid to look at our cell phone minutes because I have had to use it SO much (our home phone service is really tempermental right now...working on getting that fixed. Sometimes we have phone service, sometimes we don't). Hopefully things will be ironed out really soon. I won't go on about the other exciting events...but let's just say I am learning patience...there has got to be a reason for so many things going wrong. :)

On a positive note--I went to meet my new Dr. She is wonderful! I loved the midwives I had in Idaho, and was really sad to leave--wondered if I would find anyone who compared. But this midwife (her name is Colleen) is fabulous! I am very glad I found her. She said I am 50% effaced and dilated to a 2. My mom will be back here on August 7th, and Colleen said if I didn't have the baby by then, they would just induce me on August 8. So...2 weeks and counting and we will have baby Spencer here! It is so hard to believe...it really has been the longest/shortest pregnancy EVER! Feels like we found out forever ago, but at the same time I can't believe the time is almost here. If I weren't so uncomfortable right now, I think I would accept if they told me pregnancy was a year long...it feels like I have so much more time to go.

On another positive note, we bought a new washer and dryer...YEAH! We have had them provided in the last 2 places we lived, so we knew we needed to get a set here. We found a nice set of front loaders at a clearance appliance place for a GREAT deal
, and they make a WORLD of a difference in how clean our clothes are and how nice they smell! Mmmmm....our last set just never seemed to clean anything right and I felt like our towels and washclothes always smelled weird. Not anymore...I think I actually LIKE doing laundry now. And the kids LOVE that they can sit in front of the washer and dryer and see the clothes spinning. :) Ahhh...the simple joys of life.

We are still unpacking and figuring out where things go, but I think we are slowly making progress. I have been searching for my camera since we got here, but finally found it yesterday. So, I will be back at the snapshots once again and will send pics in a tour of our house as we get things put away and organized.

We really love it here (especially the weather so far!!) It has been in the 70's since we got here. SUCH a nice change. We are getting to know our way around much easier than I thought. I feel comfortable and confident on the freeway...I had been really worried about that. It is nice to feel like we are home. It may not be the home we grew up in or the place that is most familiar to us, but there is a sense of peace in being where you need to be. I think that is where we are now...

Will do a MUCH better job this next week posting some new things. I think we are back on track for the updates!

Saying goodbye...

Jenna hopped on this horse at her cousin Anthony's house and was BEGGING me for a quarter so she could "ride" it! What is this complex electronic world coming to??

Kaden made his way to the sandbox for a little "alone time".
Anthony had jumped in the pool already, but while we were saying the prayer on the food, Jenna stripped down and jumped right in with him. She LOVES the pool. We let it slide...she was having too much fun. Their diapers were SOAKED! I think the footage from their little water adventure should be used on a Luv's diaper commercial though...they hold TONS of water!!!

Jenna and Anthony really don't get that they won't see each other for a long time. The were both asking for balloons and other distracting items--but we did get them to hug for a picture. :) They play really nicely and I think Jenna will miss having a cousin living so close.

Jenna is our little climber! Sometimes I am glad we don't have a climbable tree at our house!

Jenna, Gavin, and Kaden. Cute cousins...

Aunt Tia (Brandon's sister) and Kaden

This is our last Idaho blog entry...it is going to have to be because it is 5:20 a.m. and I still have so much to pack, including the computer. We get our UHaul today and are loading up. Whew...big day ahead of us. The kids are at Grandma and Grandpa Holloway's house until we pick them up on Tuesday on our way to the Salt Lake airport. They have been such troopers...I really do feel for them and all the stress that has been present the past several weeks. We felt horrible because we totally missed church yesterday--really wanted to go, were all dressed and ready, and Kaden fell asleep. Jenna threw a fit about something and after working that out, she too fell asleep. We had already had such a rough couple days that we just let them sleep...I think we are all completely exhausted and ready for this to be over!



We did make it out to see some family for the last time for a long time! Brandon's sister was in town and we got together with that side of the family for lunch (she brought her son Gavin, who Jenna thinks is pretty fun!) and then drove down to see my brother and sister-in-law at their little Sunday dinner/birthday party for my nephew Anthony (who Jenna loves too!)



We are anxious and excited and nervous all at once. I think I will feel much better about this whole moving thing when today is over and our stuff is in the truck...IF our stuff all fits in the truck. Kind of nervous about that. It is so hard to tell until we start loading. We have really gotten rid of a lot of stuff...sold almost all our furniture, etc. But we have been living in chaos the past few weeks and I think the boxes are closing in on us. :) I really actually wish that we could ignore the final stuff that we don't know what to do with...we really hoped we would get robbed and someone would want to take all the stuff we didn't know what to do with, but that never happened. :) At least I am feeling more organized with things and feel like for the most part we can unpack and know where things really go. Maybe our next move won't have any misc. unclaimed items...doubtful, but I can always dream.

I see the light starting to shine through the window. My sign that a BIG day is ahead of us and that we really need to get going to finish all our tasks at hand. Lots to do!!!

We will miss this place..all our married life memories are here...our children have been born here and there is a great sense of comfort and familiarity. There is 1 main highway that drives by here...We have 3 exits...3 main roads. You can walk almost ANYWHERE! It has been small town living for sure. I just hope and pray that we can make a difference in the lives of our children and those around us, no matter where we live in the world or how big of a city it is, or how far out of our comfort zone we are. :)

A night out with grandma and grandpa

My family (the ones left at home still) and brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and us all got together for dinner last night at one of our favorite places to eat--Texas Roadhouse. Yum! Since I am always behind the camera, Brandon took a few snapshots of me and Kaden. Not super successful, but you get the idea. :)

Here is me, Jenna, my mom, and my sister Abby.

Kaden thought the display cactus was pretty neat.



The pre-dinner snack here is peanuts. TONS and tons of them. The kids had a blast opening them and then doing what kids do best...throwing the shells on the floor. It is really what pretty much everyone does...at least it seems that way. There are always shells on the floor when we go there...although come to think of it, it kind of sounds like a pretty primitive thing to do.

Hmmm...oh well, the kids had fun nonetheless.

We will miss being so close to our families. It is nice to get together so frequently and I am so glad the kids have really gotten to know their grandparents (both sets). I know that is a rare blessing, but one we have really been so thankful for.

Billions of bubbles

Leave it to Jenna to pick on the little guy! :) He is a brave boy for taking baths with her...but he loves it! Jenna smeared his face with bubbles--he really looked pretty funny. Jenna's comment after seeing these pictures..."wow! That was CRAZY!"

YEP...

A few other random pictures

Kaden is a funny little guy--he chews on everything and makes the funniest faces! And most of all, he LOVES friends!

We are so lucky to have some good friends who don't care what our house looks or if we eat on paper plates and improvise with our random food supply--so we had them come help us clear out our cupboards last night. It was really nice to visit for a little bit and take a break from packing. :) Back at it again today! It is a randomly busy week..lots of loose ends to wrap up and things to remember to do.

Jumping on the trampoline

We spent time on the trampoline with some friends of ours after dinner last night. It was nice to be outside when it was starting to have shade, and was nice a cool. The kids love the trampoline (Brandon included...aka Kid at heart) and we will be sad to not be able to take it with us when we move. We have found some fun backyard things to replace it when we get to Ohio, but nothing quite like this! :) Jenna had skipped her nap and decided to get ready for bed early on in the night. She really loves to wear pajamas...whatever keeps her happy on long, hot days is fine with me! :)

Riding dad's back is SO much fun!

SOOOO CUTE! Jenna loves to rub noses with Kaden (eskimo kisses).

R-E-L-I-E-F

WE FINALLY DID IT! We broke down and put our little air conditioner in the window of our bedroom. I just didn't think I could take the heat anymore...it isn't anything fancy, but I have slept SO much better feeling cooled off at night! We run that AND our fan at night...sounds pathetic, I know. But it is pure bliss!

Having an August Baby...

I just came back from the hospital and visiting a friend of mine who just had her baby. I have been trying to think of ANYTHING good about having a baby the end of summer...today, I thought of one reason. The hospital has air conditioning...

Looking forward to 2 days of cool bliss--(I am sure those will happen to be the 2 days it rains, but I can hope!)

"UNDER THE SEA"--our playgroup party

Today, the kids and I hosted a play group with an "under the sea" theme...basically just a little water party in the backyard with a "seafood" lunch. We had a great turnout and Jenna had a lot of fun with her friends. Kaden was not so sure about all the people and became super clingy...I think it just took him a while to get used to so many people, but he FINALLY did pretty good at the end of it all.

Our friends brought their slip and slide to go along with our little kiddie pool.

Jenna thought it was GREAT!

Our menu consisted of:

Octo-dogs (sliced and boiled hot dogs made to look like an octopus)

Sea crackers (cheddar whales, big fish, and baby fish crackers)

Strawberry sailboats (halved strawberries with toothpic/paper sails floating on a sea of blue whipped cream)

A piece of the sea (blue jello with gummy fish inside)

Juice

Really, the pics don't do our food fare justice. It turned out really cute.

I love to think up theme ideas...and this was no exception.

My very kind in-laws took the kids for the afternoon and overnight so I can pack, clean, and get ready for our mega garage sale tomorrow morning. I am SO grateful...I really needed this right now. The kids love to visit them, and since there aren't many more opportunities before we go, I thought that it would be good all around. :) I just had to take a few minutes to keep caught up so I am not completely behind on my blogging when we move. It is just so hot...I feel like I need to buy 10 fans and set them up in the living room while I go through things. (none of our Living room windows are air-conditioner compatible) I am not sure why the end of my pregnancies are always during that one weird heat wave that nobody can explain...this has to be the worst one yet though! I have been SO tempted to fill our bathtub with ice and just lay there---

But, for now, I better get going. Heat or not, there are a million things to do before tomorrow. Gotta keep on going!

All in a days work...

Our theme in life this week has been work, work, work! Jenna and Kaden helped me pack yesterday (or should I say they helped me UNpack...) and Jenna decided to take a little break from all her hard work for a popsicle...we ditched the clothes early on in the day. It is just TOO hot right now! Kids have it good!!!

Kaden was a REALLY big helper while I was packing some boxes. He found a big pile of paperwork and things to file, and climbed right up on top of it. When I walked in the room, he was tummy-surfing from the side of the desk to the floor with all my stuff underneath him. :)

Jenna was a VERY tired girl! I can't remember WHAT she was doing before this pic was taken, but it must have worn her out big time! :)

We have a private investigator at our house. Kaden seems to want to explore every single thing that moves or breathes...and even the stuff that DOESN'T do anything! :)

This is him checking out some weeds...

The rite of passage in our house when you learn to walk, is getting your first job...diaper duty. Kaden took his "first steps" towards becoming a responsible, contributing family member by disposing of his first diaper. :)