Slowly, but surely

WE MADE IT TO OHIO!!! All in all, the move went pretty smoothly. There were definitely snags and things that could have gone better, but in the end we made it, and we are all here together in our beautiful new house, and that is all that matters!

It's been 4.5 years since I moved across the country, and I *thought* it was difficult last time. Phew--I had NO idea how much harder moving with kids would be. I know that the me that existed 4.5 years ago would have already had this whole house put together and be sitting on the couch drinking wine right now, lol. (Ok, well I guess not, since technically speaking I was pregnant 4.5 years ago, but you get the idea;) This time around is a whole new ballgame. Add in the fact that poor pitiful Ava is still sick, and it is taking me (and Chuck!) a looong time to get this house together. But I keep pointing out that we're *hopefully* going to live here the rest of our lives, and, after all, Rome wasn't built in a day! :)

So to end this post, this is the ONE room I have finished (well, not even completely, since I don't have curtains up yet). It will most likely NEVER look like this again, lol, so I had to take pictures:) The kids are in love with their new playroom and it is soooo wonderful to have all of the toys out of the way and in one place. They definitely migrate down to other areas of the house during the day, but that's what kids do, I suppose;)

Aiden's party

We had Aiden's 4th birthday party yesterday at a park in town. Almost all of his friends made it and the weather held off for us, so it was a great time. The kids loved the blue cupcakes and Aiden was very happy that he got his Star Wars cake:) He made Chuck and I laugh this morning--as soon as he woke up he told me, "But Mommy, I don't want to go to the 4 class today, I will miss my friends and my teacher!" He thought that because he turned 4 (well, he isn't actually 4 yet, but try explaining that to him, he DID have his party, after all!) that he would have to move immediately to the 4 class at school. He was so happy to hear that he won't start 4K until the fall! :)

Here is a slideshow of pics from the party. I think the cake turned out ok--despite Miss Ava sticking her finger in almost EVERY single cupcake when I ran out to the car to get the cooler. Naughty girl!

Thank you to everyone for coming and making it a wonderful and memorable party!

Bad blogger...

I promise, we're still here! I've been awful about taking pics of the kids lately. I'm sorry!!

On a VERY happy note though, Chuck will be here on Thursday! We are having Aiden's birthday party at 3:30 and then Chuck should be getting in sometime around 6pm. I am so excited to see him and I know the kids are too. It's been such a long time!

I'm still packing (and probably will be until the last minute!) but everything is looking good to go for the closing of both houses. As long as everything goes off without a hitch (knock on wood!) we'll be leaving here Tuesday afternoon (March 23rd), staying overnight in a hotel, arriving in Ohio on Wednesday late afternoon and hopefully moving in on Thursday. I really really really can't wait to finally SEE the house in person!

I promise lots of pics from Aiden's birthday party on Thursday:) I can hardly believe my little man is going to be 4 years old already. Time really does fly when you're having fun:)

A poem for Ava...

I should go to bed, especially since it is Daylight Savings time tonight, which means I'll get an hour less sleep, so it's actually almost midnight, instead of 11pm.

But I can't sleep. The day feels too heavy on my limbs, too weighted on my mind. I need to let some words out, so I think I'll do it here.


She Sleeps

Your soft silky strands
on your puffy pink pillow
remind me of wheat fields
blowing in a summer breeze.
Your little luscious lips
pouting in the pitch-dark
part perfectly and you sigh
contentedly for only me to hear.
Sometimes I sit in silence
and watch you dream your dreams
and wonder if you know
how much I love your loveliness.
Your cheek feels like velvet
under my lips as I kiss you
and I hope you always feel
lively...lovely...lucky...
Loved

Afternoon at the lake

The kids were wired after lunch today--like bouncing off the walls--so I decided to skip naps all together (in hindsight a terrible idea, lesson learned, lol) and head to the lake since they had so much fun there last week. It was nearly 70 degrees today, and sunny at that. We had a nice time digging in the sand and playing on the playground, but they only lasted about 2 hours before the no-nap blues set in big time. Nothing some ice cream and quiet time at the bookstore couldn't cure, and now we are hanging out at home for the rest of the evening and hopefully early bedtime! Thought I would share the pics from this afternoon...

Boxes boxes and more boxes

I have been busy packing up the house, and the garage is now half full of boxes. I'm definitely getting a little concerned that our whole house won't fit into one U-Haul, no matter how large. But, I digress...

The kids were being adorable this morning. I had assembled probably a dozen boxes or so, so they were everywhere. Aiden kept hiding inside overturned boxes and stealthily scooting his way into a room, sneaking up behind me, and then jumping up out of the box and shouting, "Surprise!" It scared the bejezus out of me! Ava was trying to copy him, but because she lacks the stealth factor, she basically was just climbing in and out of boxes all morning, lol. Too cute:)

Dearest husband,

I have some bad news for you. The sweet young daughter that you left in GA just 2 short months ago has left us. She has been replaced by an evil two-year old monster. This monster throws tantrums over every single thing that does not go her way. She hits--a LOT. She kicks and pulls hair and demands 5 different drinks with her breakfast every morning. She fights with her brother and antagonizes him on purpose. She refuses to wear socks, and sometimes shoes, and most definitely jackets (though I think she will rethink that attitude when we get to Ohio and she realizes how cold it is). She is mouthy and talks back--a LOT. Her favorite word is no and she loves to use it in all varieties of sentences, such as, "NO! I don't wanna go to bed!" or "NO! I don't wanna eat lunch!" or "NO! I don't wanna new diaper!" or "NO, AIDEN, NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" She is a public embarrassment, throwing tantrums in nearly every aisle of any store, and refusing to ride in the cart, yet also refusing to walk or be carried. It typically results in my running out of the store, cheeks blazing bright red in embarrassment, carrying her underneath one arm.

I just wanted to warn you--things around here have changed. Let's hope that soon, VERY soon, she outgrows this phase! No one ever said that us Witherspoon girls aren't a tad dramatic, but this takes the cake.

Love,
Your exhausted and maxed out wife