We've Totally Got This

{Typed hesitantly, yet hopefully, as we end our first week here with boxes still everywhere, kids already starting to spiral into summertime "boredom," and lots of projects still to complete.}

When last we left off, we were on the cusp of our newest big adventure.  Now that we've had one week under our belts here, I can officially say that I think we're going to love it.  We have had SO many friendly and helping hands on this end who have helped to make our transition to a new place awesome.  And even though school is only barely getting out over HERE, the kids have already started to make some new friends with people they've met at church.

But first -- I know you're all DYING to hear how the drive down here went.  Right?!?  Hahahaha.  Well, let me tell ya, it was something else all right.  Haha.  Leading up to this epic drive was a week and a half straight of me being on my own with the kids while Scott had to head back to our NEW house for his new role after he flew home with us from the wedding.  I'm pretty sure I've reached a whole new level of insanity over the last couple of weeks with trying to get all the last minute house stuff done plus all the end of year school stuff done without having my better half here to help me.  It is not an exaggeration to say that I only survived those harried days thanks to the kindness of friends who helped out by bringing meals, watching kids for me, and getting Ethan to seminary each morning so that I wouldn't have to.

 We were seriously so crammed into the van.  In retrospect, we should have had the movers pack our bedding and just borrowed stuff for the two nights we were camping out in our empty house.

 (Alex and Jane with their next-door-neighbor BFFs that they're going to miss SO much in our new place.)

Needless to say, by the time last Saturday morning rolled around, I was MORE than ready to just get down here and be reunited with Scott.  So much so, that I ended up just pushing through and making the drive all in one day (and with only one stop for lunch/gas/bathrooms) because I just needed everything about this move to be over with.  We made awesome time, even if we did have listen to Alex freak out for a good half the trip because he needed to go to the bathroom and I wouldn't pull over.  {Don't judge me FREDDIE!}  Hahaha.  And since Alex refused to use the diaper that I threw back to him, we got to hear quite a bit of whining for the bulk of the drive.  The last 20 minutes in particular were a NIGHTMARE because we were stuck behind a couple of slowpokes on a 2-lane road and I couldn't get around them.

(There was literally stuff EVERYWHERE.  Part of the reason I didn't want to have to stop any more times was because it was seriously an obstacle course to get everyone out of the car and not upset the delicate balance of precariously perched STUFF that was stashed throughout the car.)

Scott was waiting with the garage door open to rush Alex into the house and to the bathroom as soon as we got there, and I'm sure we made quite the first impression on the neighborhood as I came barrelling down the street and into the garage while all the other kids were screaming and laughing at Alex and trying to get all their stuff out of the way so that he wouldn't pee on it on the way out of the car.  We were all a little concerned that his bladder wouldn't be able to hold up any longer, but he proved us wrong and made it inside without an accident!  Hahaha.

 It was an exhausting day, but it was so worth it to all be together again!

Our moving truck ended up getting there the very next day (Sunday), and while I took the kids to church, Scott stayed back to direct traffic as the movers started hauling stuff in.  They were finished unloading by about 5 in the evening and then the real fun began.  Hahaha.  NOT.  I don't know what it is about unpacking, but it causes me to have such paralysis/laziness.  We've gone from having our old house be in perfect order and organization for the last few months as we've had it for sale, to our new house being the complete opposite as we've been trying to figure out where to put everything and what we should do.

Grace and Sophie were the most excited and motivated to unpack their stuff and get their room set up the way they wanted it, and by the end of Monday, they were ready to show off their handiwork! Ethan wasn't too far behind, but the Tweedles + Isaac were slow to get started.  {They needed a LOT of help in getting their act together.}  It doesn't help that they're the youngest three (and that there are THREE of them in that bedroom), but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that once we get them their new beds and organize all of the toys into the BONUS room, they'll be able to keep it marginally tidied up on their own.

 The Tweedlearium for now.  I've ordered two Full-sized beds to take the place of the Twins. 

The bonus room has been an awesome addition to our lives thus far, and surpassing even that, is the front porch swing.  I'm not even kidding when I say that swinging on that swing is my new favorite part of life.  ;)  It's such a simple thing, but it sure sparks joy.  And I'm not the only one who feels that way.  I've seen Ethan and Grace escaping out there over the last few days as well, and Isaac just LOVES to sing and swing with me.  It's pretty much the funnest, if I do say so myself.

 (Actually, I'm all about that front porch life.)

I managed to swing Isaac to sleep the other day while doing our daily Sing-and-Swing.  He really needed that nap, so I'm glad I've got this trick up my sleeve for future boycotts.  ;)

The only real hold up to becoming fully moved in and organized around these parts is that we're going to have to replace all the carpet upstairs.  We were hopeful that we'd be able to get away with just re-carpeting the bonus room (because that's the MOST dog-smelling room -- and when I say it smells like dog, I mean it smells like DOG), but there are still faint whiffs of it in the bedrooms as well, so we're just going to go ahead and do all of them.  Piggy-backing on that big project is one that I'm going to undertake on my own (for now) -- PAINTING!  Yay!!!!  Hahahaha.  I know I'm crazy, but I just love colors and paint, and I'm dying to change the trim throughout the house because it's driving me nuts.  In addition to the trim (which NEEDS to be WHITE and not cream/almost-yellow), Ethan, Grace and Sophie will be going "Gray Owl" by Benjamin Moore in their bedrooms, and I'm turning the office into my library/study and the walls are going "Sea Serpent" by Sherwin Williams and I'm so excited.  {I'm in love with this color and I don't care who knows it!}

{Pictures never do colors their true justice.  Just as an FYI.}

To close, everything has been GREAT so far (minus a few tropical storms from certain children, if you know what I mean) and I'm just so glad that we're all under one roof again -- and that school is over (HALLELUJAH) so that I don't have to wake up so early anymore -- that it negates anything else that might be aggravating or frustrating about our current chaotic condition.  ;)  Stay tuned for more house stuff and some end-of-school-year reflections...