Monday, November 18, 2013

Big News!!!

Perry and I have been talking about growing our family...........








One thing turned into another, and this guy fell into our lap...







Meet Kotah! He is our 2 year old, lab/border collie newest addition to the fam! 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Zoo

Saturday November 2nd, 2013
Dakota Zoo

This was a nice treat. For the first time in a way-too-long of a time we did something as a family. It was a super special day. Blessed.















He's a great daddy.
:)
















Monday, November 11, 2013

Halloween 2013










These are the "healthy" candies I bought for the kids.




Halloween was weird for us this year. Or, really just different. Since Asher has been a year old, we've gone trick-or-treating with our friends, the Seymour's.  It's pretty much all my kids have ever known. This year, with having just moved - for various reasons, we did not go trick-or-treating. Thankfully, the kids school had a Halloween party the day of during school hours, but the community was also welcomed to attend. (I can't get over how different the school is up here from what we are used to.) The school was decorated for Halloween - not fall, Halloween. Kids were able to dress up in costumes, as were parents and teachers. The food provided was mostly homemade, whereas what we're used to, had to be store bought. I walked into the school, nobody checked me in. I just went to the gym and joined in. It seriously reminds me of what life must've been like 50+ years ago. People are so kind and trusting. It's like we have gone back in time. The boys did not have costumes, but they did have their skeleton jackets given to them  by Perry's mom, so they wore those (at least Asher did, Zeke didn't want to). Everyone at the school was really friendly and kept offering for Macie to join in on the activities, but she was being super shy. They had different stations/activities set up and the classes rotated between them. It was cute because the high schoolers were usually the ones helping the younger kids - it was really sweet. The assistant teacher in Asher's class told me how funny he is and how they all enjoy having him in class. Honestly, I didn't get to speak to Zeke's teacher...not even sure whose group he was in, but I took turns following both boys from different activities.

That evening after school, they REALLY wanted to go trick-or-treating. I ended up letting them hit a few houses on their own which took all of five minutes because we live that close to others. They zipped up their skeleton jackets and went to about 5 neighbors houses. They came home and shared what they got with their little sis. I had bought them some candy (pic above) a week before knowing we wouldn't be going trick-or-treating this year. I had also purchased Halloween cookies for them to make with Perry when he came home that weekend. Perry's mom also mailed them out a box and made them each their own container full of candy and bought them each a pair of house slippers. They just received that this week. So, they still had a pretty good Halloween.






Friday, November 8, 2013

The Move


The Move
Sunday October 20th-22nd, 2013
approximately 1,643 miles and estimated just over 25 hours w/out stops

Leaving out from Perry's mom's house.

Macie getting her last lovings from Ms. Meredith.

Silly boys.

Da hubbies. 
Sorry Crystal; our group pic turned out to be a video recording :( 

Everyone was in good spirits waking up in the car the next morning (10/21).

I wanna say somewhere in Illinois.

St. Louis. (Ahh, Missouri...the longest day of my life. Will not miss it.)

Iowa.

We ended up leaving out later than planned as Perry (THANKFULLY) bought a container thingie to go on the roof of our Traverse to help clear up space inside our car. Best. Purchase. Ever. Amber was a great help getting so much packed in such a little space. We got rid of a lot of stuff and are starting over, which is cool because this move is all about new beginnings. 

After Zeke's baptism, we met with our landlord for final walk thru and that went well. Amber and April followed us over there; it's like we just could not say goodbye. Then Amber came back to the in-laws with us while Perry and the guys did the roof carrier thing. That's where we said our goodbyes. Then we went to the Seymour's and said our goodbyes to them. Sunday will be 3 weeks and I still can't believe all this has come to be.

Perry was supposed to start the driving with me taking over in Kentucky because I've never been in let alone driven in Kentucky and wanted the new experience but of course my man got tired somewhere in Tennessee so that is where I took over. Quite honestly, and he will tell you this as well, I did most of the driving. I may have teased my husband, the truck driver by occupation, about this, but I guess doing this as a living would make this move more tiring. We stopped somewhere in Kentucky for an hour or so to get some rest (in the middle of the night). We were in a Waffle House parking lot, right next to a gas station. That next morning in Illinois we would realize someone had stolen the license plate off our car during that short amount of time. We called the authorities in Kentucky and because we didn't realize it until we were in Illinois, they told us to report it to them, but Illinois said because it happened in Kentucky we had to report it with them - it was a huge mess, nobody wanted to help, so yeah we drove cross country with no license plate and by the grace of God were never pulled over. We did hit up the North Dakota tag office first thing and am currently awaiting our new plates, meanwhile, they've given us a ticket to keep in our windshield. 

Monday AM when the kids woke up, we were somewhere in Illinois and that's when we stopped for breakfast.

Missouri took forever. I think because we hit it during the day, and our stops were longer so the kids could get out and play. But for me it was like, "My gahhh does this state EVER END???" I was ready to see MORE, yet we were STILL. IN. MISSOURI. Oh-my-gah... We'll be taking another route whenever we visit Ga. Sorry, y'all, I'm scarred. 

Kids did great. Macie, my one who hardly ever naps, napped so much of the trip. The boys were great. The only restless ones were me and Perry. Kids were perfecto. In fact, at one of our many stops in the never-ending-state-of-Missouri, I told my husband we need to buy the kids a treat because they have been just so darn well behaved. They seriously deserve the best kids ever award. I was completely surprised. Makes me wanna do more trips - they got my hopes and expectations all built up now! ;) (Big thanks to Farah for the game ideas and jokes. And to the inventor of the portable DVD player and my arch enemy, the DS; turns out there really is a time and place for technology! (:  ) But seriously, my kids were great - am super proud of 'em all!

We ate dinner at a little pizza diner in middle-of-nowhere Iowa. It was cute. The last stretch was hard. 'Cause it's just that; a long stretch of sameness. I remember getting to Fargo and thinking it looked just like it did on a House Hunter's episode I saw. It seems like a nice area. Somewhere between Fargo and Bismarck and my husband could not go on anymore. He pulled over again. I could not rest because of our previous experience in Kentucky, so I forged on (maybe this happened before Fargo, I was so tired, everything all kind of runs together). Then, we switched. But I know between Fargo and Bismarck we pulled over and Perry wanted to sleep for a minute (cue pic below). However, the kids and I were pumped, wide eyed and bushy tailed. This is when the boys played outside the car for a few, and finally I took over driving. Dude, we were so close and Perry wanted to sleep. I don't think so buddy.

Passed out (10/22).

This pic is kind of creepy. But dude was passed out in the front seat, and the kids and I could not sleep at this point for we were finally in the home stretch. There was snow dust covering the ground - might as well have been a blizzard to my kids. They wanted out, who am I to deny these kiddos when they've been cooped up in a car for so long - so what if it was 5-something AM? 

Finally. Made. It.

Christmas tree?

North Dakota is like a beautiful person who is not photogenic. It is beautiful, but I feel like I have a hard time capturing it's beauty on picture. But that's just my opinion.






Asher is in that tree.


Zeke and Mace-Mace playing a little game of b-ball.




Monkey man, Asher, found a new tree to occupy.






That would be my bed.

First day back at school (10/28).

Macie wanted in on the first day of school pics.

First day back at school (10/28)

Don't let this pic fool you. Though Zeke was initially more nervous, he has adjusted quite well, whereas Asher has since begged and pleaded to go back to Georgia.

Day 2 back to school and the boys were bus riders for the first time, ever. Macie waiting patiently with big bubbas.

Zeke was a bit nervous, but turns out they both enjoy the bus now. They are the last pick up, first drop off, so they have it pretty well. 
(Technically, they could walk to school. I can drive to and from and still have not driven a mile.)

Waiting on the boys to come off the bus.

We are still working on furnishing the home. The boys beds are temp ones til theirs comes in. We are working on making this house a home. Just a little, fyi, before y'all get the wrong impression.

Living room.

Living room.


Formal dining room turned Macie's play room.


Standing in mud room looking at kitchen and into laundry room.



Master.


Stairs.

Boys play area.


They talk big talk about wanting their own rooms, they fib.

Extra bedroom. 
Let's just keep it real, folks, we're co-sleepers.