1-22-2012 Week in Review

Let’s see, Monday the boys had off of school and my mom went in for Knee Replacement surgery.

Toddler Approved's 100 Acts of Kindness project starts today! We're in, are you? Nice thing was we were already working on writing thank you’s this week so when the first week’s assignment was to write thank you’s to strangers who do service for you everyday it was perfect!  Ella & Sylvie wrote thank yous to the grocer, pet store employees, firemen, librarian, policemen, and mail man. Now we just have to deliver them!

Sylvie was the first to get hers out since she could just tape it on the mailbox and wait.  “Imagine little girl faces pressed up against the glass waiting half an hour for the mail carrier to come by and then imagine their excitement as she gets the note Sylvie left her and starts to write a letter back! There's a whole lot of laughing and squealing going on here right now. lol”

Tuesday I had my Level 2 Ultrasound.  My sweet husband went into work late so he could attend.  The baby was curled up so tight that they couldn’t get a look at most of what they were trying to find so I have to go back in a month.  However, we did get to verify for the world what we already knew in our hearts…It’s a Boy!!

I headed from the ultrasound to visit my mom in the hospital and give her the news.  I then headed home to pack for my trip to Colorado with Tammy and her family.  Ryan surprised me by taking the night off early (he’s amazing) and driving me out to Tammy’s house so I could be there for the 5am shove out.  He’s taken off the next week so he can stay home with the kids while I party hard with my sister! (Okay maybe not party hard but you know…).

Wednesday I woke (from a fabulous nights sleep) at 5am to the sound of POURING RAIN.  UGH.  We finally pulled out sometime between 6 and 7am and were on the road.  The trip was definitely not without it excitement.  First we had a longer than expected stay at a gas station just before we hit TN after some much needed items went missing and then once back on the road Monkey Man busted out with a sweet nose bleed… He was a trooper though.

When we hit Nashville we took a break to let the horses roam…in the Bass Pro parking lot and to meet up with Tammy’s good friend and past roommate, Sue, from the JaneDear Girls.

We were then back on the road for a near 20 hour trip to Missouri where we were to spend the night with another of Tammy’s good friends.  It was EXHAUSTING but the kids were fantastic and we made it safely. I didn’t bring my good camera because I was going to have to fly home and I didn’t want to pack it on the plane but I passed some cool things along the way.  I loved seeing the St. Louis Arch!

Dade spent the night with a friend since he doesn’t have school the rest of the week.

Thursday morning we headed out after a fantastic breakfast.  Tam and I decided to try our hand at riding in the moving truck and let the guys take on the kids.  It was fine except that Bean’s car seat was sitting up so straight I had to hold her sleeping head up for almost an hour! lol.

We stopped for lunch and then it was my turn to drive the truck and horse trailer!  No one died! :)

The sunset was gorgeous as we drove.  Tam took this picture for me to email to Ella since she LOVES a good sunset.  I loved seeing the huge windmills against the setting sun.  Wish I could have gotten a picture of them for Corben.  We drove just to the Colorado border and stopped for the night.

I talked to the kids before bed and they told me they got new beds!! The girls have been in modified cribs due to lack of space, for the last few years and we’ve talked about getting them bunk beds.  Leave it to my amazing husband to come up with an affordable solution!  This could be called bunk bed cribs!!

The plan is to add a castle facade to the front of this eventually.  The girls are SO excited and so am I.  There is so much more room in their room!

Friday, after another great breakfast, we were back on the road and expected to hit the Colorado mountains by afternoon.  I got this picture from Ryan with a note that said MISS YA!!  (He took them to the mall to buy jewelry for them.) – Dade had off school and then that evening the boys’ dad came to pick them up for the weekend.

The trip across country was beautiful! I took this picture of a cloud train for the girls.

Tammy’s pretty funny.  We sang Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice to the other travelers on the CB and then Tam got hungry and ate a whole Semi….lol.

THEN…we could suddenly see the mountains WAY off in the distance…

Okay, so (first please excuse the reflection of toilet paper and a bag in the window) we were asked by other travelers if Tammy thought we’d see some snow in the mountains.  She said, Maybe a flurry but nothing that would stick. We’d been told there hadn’t been snow in weeks.  Then…all of a sudden…this CRAZY CLOUD of white came barreling down the mountain right at us!!  It was literally rolling down the pass right at us!

You could see the line of snow as it hit the road in front of us… Tam yelled TURN ON YOUR HEADLIGHTS!

We stopped just inside of the snow for lunch and gas and then headed up the winding mountain pass (that had been closed the day before for 150 mph winds!!).  It was snowy and slick but we made it!! (Glad I wasn’t driving!)  We passed at least one car crashed into the guard rails.  That snow was no joke.

But finally, and with sun to welcome us, we pulled into the new house!

Here’s sweet Monkey Man hanging out while everyone unloaded the truck.

Tammy and Chad had so many friends there to help, it was amazing.  There were cookies on the stove, the house had been cleaned, and friends had flown in to help with the moving and fed us supper.  So cool.

I have video of the house if family/friends would like to see it, so just email me for the link.

We spent the night at the Ranch House since Tam’s house was a bit of a boxy mess but got to work Saturday getting it all put away.  We got a LOT done and then went over to spend a great evening with friends back at the ranch.  We had homemade ice cream and got to listen to my amazing sister sing.

There’s video of Tam spinning, too and of her singing but I’ll let her post all that on her blog…

ALSO on this wonderful day, I became an aunt again!!  Meet my new niece, Sophie!!  Ryan’s sister, Rachel and her husband, Wade, had their first little bundle of joy today! I can’t wait to meet her!!

Sunday was another early head out onto the road as we piled in the pickup to take me back down the mountain to the airport.  Of course it was snowing to the near point of white out at times but again, we made it safely down and just on time to the airport.  I saved my tears for my walking away.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much I miss my sister already…

My flight home was uneventful and Ryan picked me up from the airport.  I sure missed my family.

They, of course, survived with out me and the boys had a great time at their dad’s.  I’m so grateful to my hubby for staying home all week and taking over for me.  I sure love him!  Here’s some pics he took of the girls today with them all dressed up in their Sunday clothes.  I’m already horrified of their teenage years!

Can you tell which one I’m worried about?? lol