The Big Move: The First Days

I feels like forever since we got here, but it’s only been two weeks! So much has happened, especially in the first few crazy, fun days. Janice headed out to see family in the area soon after we arrived, and Mom checked into a hotel a couple blocks away, while she waited for Dad, Amber and Cami to arrive! They all drove over to help us out for a few days! They came that night for a few minutes after they arrived, and then I was ready to pass out from exhaustion. So fun to see them! (My little camera ran out of batteries on the plane, so my iPod took over for a few days. Don’t mind the blurriness.)

The kids loved the new empty apartment. They liked finding places to put their backpacks.

That little netbook really came in handy before our toys or TV came.

The also loved their make-shift table.

This kid always wants to be “cozy.”

It was so great to see them excited about the littlest things, like a different tub. What’s most exciting to me about this tub, is that it’s ONE OF TWO! We may be in a small apartment, but having two bathrooms feels like pure luxury.

Alex loved pretending my labeler was a phone.

I went to work out with everyone and then, we may have eaten at my family’s free hotel breakfast.

The girls presented me with a wonderful house warming gift! Coconut oil! It’s already half gone.

We struck gold with a Mexican restaurant a few miles away! I still miss my faves in MD, but this will definitely do! They were great with the kids, sat us immediately, and the food was awesome and awesomely priced. What more can you want?! I was able to relax a little after finding a good Mexican place. Phew!Nachos! Enough said.

The next morning, Saturday, the great unpack began! We really didn’t have that much stuff. We never accumulated much, with the knowledge that we were going to move someday. I’m glad. There wasn’t hardly anywhere for the truck to park, so the nice man driving offered to help get us get it all out so he could move if needed. Cami and Mom took the kids around town, and we had that thing emptied in no time! It was so nice to have to kids out of our hair! Thanks mom and Cami! And that truck driving guy not only got a good tip, but lunch on us. KC’s aunt and uncle Jean and JD also came to lend a hand! They were so great!

After unloading into our rented garage space, we started bringing everything inside, and putting it together. Only a few casualties, but mostly everything was ship-shape! We did lose our old TV (which was a replacement from a friend for our other old TV), but we were going to upgrade in a few months anyway, now that the kids are older and can be somewhat trusted around expensive items. Amber was awesome at helping me put away and organize things. She definitely has a talent for it. We kept most things packed away since we’ll only be here for four months. It’ fun living with bare necessities for a little while! I can’t express how much I love and appreciate all the help we had.

The kids checked in for a few minutes, but went RIGHT back out while we finished up.

We worked really hard all morning, had some quiet time to rest, and then enjoyed pizza and a sundae bar to celebrate. Oh, and we watched movies on our new TV. Also we have cable for the next few months. We haven’t had it for many years, and it looks like I haven’t missed out on much.

Of course there was A LOT of shopping, enjoying of the beautiful Costco, and laughing at the kids. They were acting up a little in all the excitement, but with lots of adults around, we could let them knew THEY were the ones outnumbered for once and show them who’s boss! It really was great having family here to welcome us to this new life. It was very hard to say goodbye on Sunday morning, but I know I can see them again soon! And we had a fun family dinner planned at KC’s aunt’s house that night, so that was a nice distraction. We ate an amazing chili dinner, followed by ice cream and brownies, and had a great time chatting with relatives we haven’t been able to see much these past nine years!

Like I said before, that all seems like ages ago! I’ve been able to find a few fun places to take the kids, and look forward to seeing what else this awesome state has to offer. We are loving it here, and although there is so much we miss about our pre-Colorado life, this really feels right. Expect another picture post of what we’ve been up to in this new place we call home. And maybe a tour of this cute little apartment (if I can ever get it to look decent long enough to take a picture!) before we pack it up again.