Here's a little excitment we had with Owen in the midst of packing. He likes to poo when he's in his Bumbo - they should make Bumbo potty seats!
We picked up the moving truck the night before we intended to load. After we got the truck home, we let Eli sit in the truck with Dad while he backed it up just a few feet to the back door. Remember of course that our duplex was on this hill with no driveway (well actually it got paved a couple days before we left!) and when Brad hit a little bump, Eli went flying off the seat and into the dashboard. A crazy mistake for a family of carseat fanatics - here's the nice shiner and scratched lip. Let this be a lesson....
The next evening a group of wonderful people from Church came to help load the truck. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the Relief Society President with my kids - Owen really loves to cuddle her, and she brought Eli a plug-in fish tank which he LOVES. The perfect pets - no feeding and no cleaning! Anyway, the whole truck was loaded in less than two hours - I think we had around 12 people loading. The only hitch? My piano fell off the dolly inside the truck and NEARLY crushed the Elder's Quorum President... my heart skipped a few beats. He was able to jump out of the way thankfully, but it's pretty scratched up and about 15 or more keys don't work. I haven't decided if it's worth paying to fix it - Brad is ready to be rid of it, but I'm emotionally attached (even though I don't really play). You can't see it in this picture, but there's a giant digger behind our truck there. It was entertaining for Eli, but a bit of a nuissance to us that the owners decided to start digging the basement for a new duplex the day we loaded our truck... lots of equipment had been coming and going our past week as they finally paved the driveway as well (though it still doesn't go up to the house or even the walking path *headscratch*).
The road trip took us two LONG days to complete. THANKFULLY Brad's dad came to help drive. He drove the truck and towed one car so Brad and I could ride together with the kids. I get carsick, so I did most of the driving so Brad could turn around and tend to snacks, binkies, etc. This is who we ran into at a truck stop in New York:
Another stop in the Midwest somewhere (PA?) had a flock of crazy Seagulls. They were attacking people for food and would catch french fries in mid-air. Needless to say, it was nearly impossible to get Eli back in the car after this kind of show.
On day two of the drive, we stopped in Columbus, OH to say hello to some long-time friends. Brad has known Shyler since they were kids, and our families were in Surprise together at the same time for med school. Owen is one month YOUNGER than this cute little guy! It was great to catch up with them, and have the kids burn off some steam so they could take a good long nap in the car.
Since we stayed in motels for two nights of the road trip, we had to get creative with the sleeping situation. After our last vacay with the Bensons, we figured out that 4 of us in one qeen bed was not a good idea. So this time around Eli slept with "Ga-pa" in one bed while Owen slept in his usual spot with Brad and I. The funny thing is that Eli thought he was cuddling Brad at first... when he fully woke up and realized it wasn't daddy, he freaked out. It was just the surprise of it though... by the next night he was asking to sleep with grandpa - who has the magic touch for putting kids to sleep by the way! (First two pics are of Eli, third is of Owen - he and grandpa took a couple naps in the recliner together in Missouri.)
The day we moved in was hotter than I don't know where! It was HUMID and STEAMY! We wondered what planet we had crashed on! We felt so sorry for the people helping us move in - some really great guys from our new ward showed up to help out. We are renting a home from a really nice family who did their residency out here, and have now moved to Boston for a fellowship. It just so happens that they are LDS as well... we found each other in a round about way but it worked out well. Now we just need to find a good family for OUR house in AZ! (hint hint!). Anyway, the weather hasn't been nearly as bad as that first day, and we are still working on getting settled in. I think it takes 100x as long to do things with kids as it does without. Thank goodness we had Grandpa B. for an extra day - we got more unpacking done in the two days he was here than we have in the rest of the 3 weeks since! He is magical with the boys... he must have raised a few or something =).
Stay tuned for the story about the giant spider, and Eli's tube drama.
2 comments:
I agree... normal activities take at LEAST 100x longer with kids in the equation. Glad you were able to have some fun stops along your journey to your new home.
It sounds like this move went much better than the last. I'm glad you made it safely, and I hope you're adjusting okay to the humidity and giant spiders! It was funny- when I read your description of the spider, I was imagining a tarantula flying into your dryer! Just think- it could be worse!
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