starting to feel real

So this moving thing is really happening. Yesterday we got our pack out dates. They come get our air shipment April 30, our long term storage May 4 and all of our household goods on May 7 which is the day we move into the hotel and then we fly out on the 17th. That gives us a week to get the house really clean and any repairs done before we leave and renters move in. The house will be listed for rent this week I think. Cory has been filling in all the little dents the kids have made in the walls downstairs. I need to sand it and paint it. Seems like very little time left here, especially since my family is coming mid April and I plan to fully enjoy their company while they are here so that means I need things done before they arrive. I start packing out as soon as they leave. I'm stressed and excited all at once. I took some old furniture to DI and someone came and got the rabbit hutch the first day I listed it on KSL for free and I sold the kayak today. It has gotten very little use since we don't live on a lake anymore. My brother took it out once or twice. If we did something it would need to be canoeing or something better for our size group. We boat so little though that it just makes more sense to rent when you're at the lake. A nice guy that's a retired heart surgeon bought it. He knows the heart surgeon in Dothan. Small world. I guess I need to list Cory's car for sale soon. I just don't want to be without a second car very long.

taking pics of the house for rental listing

Happy St Patricks Day!

Avery's class made leprechaun traps and when they got to school Friday the room was a mess. There was no laprechaun in the trap but he had left a pink shoe in it. Avery was really into it telling me all about that naughty leprechaun. It was so cute. We really don't celebrate it but we did watch a movie about Saint Patrick's life and went to Arby's and tried their reuben sandwich. It was OK but we prefer just the regular old roast beef so we all split one reuben and then still ate what we really like. Lidia and Aiden are playing at a friend's house and the younger two are home with us. It's a bit windy out but we have yard work to do and are doing it anyway. Well not really yard work but Cory is repairing the rabbit hutch roof so we can give the hutch away and we put outdoor carpet up on the fort. We need to repair the fort roof too.

I pulled the wall stickers off of the kids walls today. You know the kind of decorative wall clings that are not supposed to hurt the walls? Well they all came off fine except for the ones in Avery and Tristan's room. Now I have more paint touch ups to do and I will have to do it soon so it doesn't get worse. The basement needs lots of touchups too from the dings put in the walls by rowdy kids. I think the house will list for rent first of April. Movers will be packing us up the first week in May.

I guess I will list Cory's car for sale mid April. We are trying not to think about it. Micah and Lisa are gonna take the van up to Tacoma for us after we leave so we will not have to rent a car before leaving or drive it so far to port. They will get a free road trip out of it and visit where Micah served his mission. We will buy a used car in England soon after arriving so we will have two cars, one small enough to haul our family around town and one big enough to haul the family and luggage on trips.

Jackson sent us his flat Stanley and then Avery made one for his class so we sent Avery's back with Jackson's.

I got some Merrell barefoot pace glove shoes and I love them. It's like wearing just socks everywhere but better. I have had major problems with running shoes hurting my feet and giving me blisters. I have tried so many and custum insoles and all but always ended up walking in my ecco mary janes or keen sandals. These merrells will be good, they are nice to my feet. I have friends who like the five fingers but I can't stand things between my toes.

Yesterday we got Cory two new suits and he looks so nice in them...can't wait to get them back from being hemmed. Yes I'm enjoying shopping for a few things before we move and things will cost a ton so I'll have to order everything online from the states and wait forever for it to arrive.

All of the boys are wearing their new linen suits and bow ties for easter. I have a tan suit too. Gotta figure out what Lidia will wear. 

stuff

Boy do six people accumulate a lot of stuff! Yesterday Cory cleaned up the garage and filled up both trash cans with junk that needed to be thrown out. We still have more that wouldn't fit and some more things to give away or give to DI. I went through Lidia's room yesterday. Yes, it took all day. She keeps every paper and little do dad that anyone gives her. If you have ever been in YW or RS you know that they hand out a lot of things like that and school gives them junk too. She also likes to keep every drawing from her or her friends. Lidia also never admits things like this doesn't fit me anymore so get rid of it. She will keep wearing it until I tell her to stop. So yesterday I went through every drawer, shelf, closet etc and got rid of a lot of stuff. She even voluntarily gave away a few toys, just a few. I have three garbage bags to take to DI and filled up another two with trash. I went through the boys' rooms the other day. Now on to the rest of the house. They better keep their rooms organized and clean.;) We will have people coming to look at our house for rent soon. I've gotta clean up so pics can be taken for the listing now.

We went and got pictures and fingerprints for our visas Friday. It's nice that it's computer scanned instead of ink these days. The to do list doesn't seem so long but when you have to keep doing all your normal stuff too it's kind of hard to fit it all in.

The weather has been upper 50's and lower 60's and nice and clear and sunny. The kids have been playing outside a ton. It's great! I am not thrilled about daylight savings time though. It was very hard to get up today. My kids had just gotten good at getting up on time because the sun was up. Now I'll be back to dragging out of bed. I gotta sub tomorrow so no running late.

March already?

Man did February fly by. I'll be packing out in two months. It's gonna fly by, so much to do. Our flights are booked. Crazy.
Cory helped Lidia and Aiden get their science projects and displays finished this weekend. I am volunteering to help judge all week. I don't exactly look forward to it but I'm willing to do that more than other things.
It was warm today and will be tomorrow too. Yay! The kids played outside. They were so happy. We walked to church and didn't freeze. It'll be cold again later this week but I'll take what I can get. We helped the neighbors unload their moving truck and Tristan's friend Coleson and his dad came to help too. Tristan just told me yesterday that he had not seen Coleson for a long time and wanted to play with him and then he showed up today. How lucky!
I made a blessing dress for Carrie's baby Emme this week, she was blessed today, and monogrammed towels for her girls and my family. My niece Ella turned two yesterday and my nephew Jackson was baptized today. Too bad I can't attend all of these fun events. Today is my friend Ginger's birthday and I did take her some goodies and visit with her last night. She is Tristan's teacher for the rest of the year too since his left to have a baby. Bless her soul having to try and get Tristan to do his work everyday. That is one super stubborn kid. If I could convince him to be super stubborn about wanting to do his work that would be an awesome quality.
Poor Avery doesn't have a great grasp on time yet and he keeps asking me if we are leaving the country yet.
There were some teen suicides in our community this week. Very upsetting. Happens too much. Scares me. One of the boys was the son of one of our teachers at our school. I am so sad for her.
Our family loves watching Once Upon a Time together on Sunday nights but I am getting annoyed by how much they are dragging out the plot. It's from the creators of Lost which I lost interest in and stopped watching for the same reason. The new movie Mirror Mirror looks fun though. We saw the Lorax yesterday and it was pretty good I guess. Something about it and other movies by those same people that makes it hard for me to stay awake though. I wonder if it's the animation style like maybe too one dimensional or something. I know others who have the same problem. Strange.