House finally starting to look like home...

 Our house was finally started to come along.. We still have a lot to do. I have a garage packed full of boxes and furniture. We both had furniture so we just chose some that fit and called it good. We are just renting for now, so I dream of the day when we can really get into decorating a home to call our own..

 The family room has these great windows.. It really brightens up the whole house..

 We have 2 beds in each of the bedrooms.. so each kid can have their own bed but so far they have been sleeping 2 kids in a bed cause they all like to be together. It's summer so I'm letting them have their fun but come August.. it's back to their own beds/rooms..

 The kitchen and view from the kitchen.. There is still stuff everywhere but it's coming along..

 The dining room.. Yes, we need a bigger table! One that seats 8 but this will have to do for now.

 My makeup desk in our room.. I love it! so girly and fun! Ping is a trooper! :)

And the little laundry room.. that is always full of clean laundry to be put away or dirty laundry to be washed! at least the love note is cute, right?.. At least I know I'm loved when I'm washing their dirty clothes! :)

New school and family life..

 You should see the looks we get when we go out... and there is always someone brave enough to ask if they are all our children.. I still can't believe we are a party of 8 now! Here we are at the kids favorite pizza joint.. The Mellow Mushroom.

 One of the first things I did upon arriving in Georgia was get the kids registered in their new school. I think I was more nervous then them. It was a BIG change. They went from a small neighborhood, year-round school in Utah where they walked to and from school each day, to a HUGE traditional  school, a bit away from home and would now be bus riders. (being the paranoid mom I am, I had to take and pick them up for the first 2 weeks) We went and toured the school and got to meet the teachers before they started and what nice teachers they both had. I was relieved! The boys LOVED school! They came out just raving about their new teachers, classes and friends! It was a huge weight off my shoulders to have them be so happy and have such a smooth transition. There was only a month left of school when we got here, so the kids were kind of bummed when school ended.

 Here they are on their first day at their new school..

 We were settling into our new life pretty good... Can I tell you handy it is to have a husband/father around.. They do everything these days! Fix scooters, play/rough house, cook..

 We got to know our area pretty well.. and found this great park right around the way from us.. It is beautiful and we sometimes eat dinner there and let the kids get real worn out and play..

 Early morning school days.. The kids started at 7:40am it was quite the change from our 8:25am back home.. Most mornings it was so foggy.. this pic is from the field by our house on the way to the school...

This picture makes my heart melt every time I see it. THIS makes all stress and sadness of my big move and the hard times worth it. My boys finally have a daddy! Someone who is here day in and day out, someone who plays with them, teases them, takes them places, helps them their bikes, feeds them, clothes them, swims with them, snuggles them, hugs and kisses them and goes in a tortures them while they sleep. (its how he shows his love) :) I have waited, hoped and prayed the day would come when I could give my boys the loving family unit they both so badly craved and deserved and I have done just that. I feel truly blessed. I have a family and my boys are healthy and happy! We have come so far.. and I'm so grateful.

Easter, Ticks and Yogurt runs..

 The littles playing in all the moving boxes.. They built a pretty cool house that even had a bathroom.. that one of them used! :/ Crazy boys!

 For Easter we had all the kids and we tried to make it a fun one.. It was our first holiday together as a family..

 Coloring eggs with kids.. This is one of my favorite things to do and a memory I hold dear to heart.. I hope my kids will always remember it too! We skyped with Pop and AshieB too and watched them color eggs! So we would feel like we were together. It was fun watching the doodle pick up his eggs! He had color everywhere!

 Aiden LOVES playing outside and we have a forest in our backyard.. Well one night after baths, he was sitting in bed and called Jason in and said he had a bump on his head.. He looked and realized it was a tick!!  A TICK!!????  I ran up and got my tweezers and pulled the sucker out! Luckily he hadn't burrowed in very far yet. It was sick! We now check our kiddo's  for ticks! :/ Dang south!

 Frozen Yogurt runs at night quickly become a favorite thing to do when Daddy comes home from work! :)

Our forest of a backyard! BEWARE of ticks! ;)
April 2012

Unpacking our new house..

 One of the first nights I was there, my Ping took me to get a new bedspread for our bed... Its missing some other pillows..

 My moving truck got there days after I did and boy was that a mess! My wardrobe boxes were completely smashed and my clothes were all mashed in there! Ugh..

 We were surrounded in boxes and furniture and it was so overwhelming! I didn't know where to begin!

 Our new home..

 The lovely dining room..

 The hallway/ family room...

 The kitchen..

 Our bedroom..

 The office..

 Our bedroom again...

I can't believe I'm showing these pics...but I wanted to show the progress we made. It was so weird and I didn't feel like it was my house yet.. I was still fighting tears everyday. Don't get me wrong.. I loved being with my husband.. I have just never moved away from home and it was such a HUGE and drastic change... The kids did so well! They did better then me! I'm so grateful that the transition wasn't hard on them at all.. But little by little as I started unpacking and putting away my things it started to feel more and more like my home.. and after I got the house sprayed for bugs!! I have never seen so many bugs in my life. Yuck! :)

Tears and Planes...

 The day we left I snapped this picture of my beautiful mountains I'm going to miss so much.. I cried all morning long.. We picked up Pop who was going to see us off and I cried and cried.. He was being so positive the whole way and trying to make me laugh like he always does... but the tears wouldn't stop.. I was going to miss him so much.. We pulled up and he left the car on the curb and walked us inside.. I got our tickets and then it was time.. He hugged me and I fell apart and smelled him one last time.. He finally broke in that moment a little but said this isn't the end, sweetie.. We had a group hug and then we had to go.. I cried all the way through security... and I'm crying again writing it.. (such a baby and daddies girl)

 We had a long layover in Arizona and the kids were tired and bored.. It was hard to keep them busy..

 We finally landed late that night and this is them walking through the Atlanta airport and waiting for all our baggage to arrive..

We were then greeted outside by my sweet new husband and he loaded us up and we started the drive to see our new home. Exciting and scary.. It was such a weird feeling that my home was here now.. A whole new life awaited me..