Aedan: 62 Months, Week 3
Owen: 21 Months, Week 1
When I opened my eyes on Sunday morning, I let out a big breath, thinking in my head, "I don't know if I'm ready for this day." It was our last day before the movers came to start packing up all our stuff, and it was our favorite day of the week, the day that we really enjoy living in Sault Ste. Marie because we love our church, Sault Wesleyan, and we love our small group of friends that is comprised of 5 families and 15 kids. I knew a lot of people would be saying their good-byes at church, and I knew I would be feeling very emotional with thinking about leaving all the people we have met in our time here. This is this first church we have been this involved in, from leading small groups, to teaching children, to Ben being on the board of elders, to me being on the leadership team for MOPS. We have loved becoming fully invested in this church, and we will sincerely miss it.
On Sunday afternoon we did something a little crazy. We decided to eat a quick lunch and go over to Canada one last time for public swim at the John Rhodes pool. The kids were excited to go again, and even though it was Owen's nap time, he really did pretty well. We had fun playing in the beachfront pool together before splitting off some. Aedan wanted to go in the middle depth pool, and since Samantha can now pass the swim test, she wanted to go into the lap pool to jump off the diving board and rope swing. Ben took some turns with her, and then I took some turns with her as well. It's so fun to do some of these big kid things with her, and to be able to spend this time with her one-on-one. It was a lot to squeeze into one day, but I'm glad we were able to do this as a family one last time.
Owen fell asleep in the car on the way home, and I was able to lay him back down in his crib to get a little bit longer of a nap in. We did a few things around the house like picking up toys and things so that we were ready for the movers to come the next morning. Then, we had our last small group meeting out at the Clark's house. We had a "friendsgiving" theme, and everyone had a blast. The kids played outside on the trampoline, swing set, and in the sand pit. The food was all delicious, and we had a good conversation about our passage in James. With it being our last time, we spent extra time hanging out with our friends afterwards, and we even took some pictures of all the kids together, and then everyone (except Sam because she was sick) all together. The pictures turned out great, and we are sad to be leaving this wonderful group of families. I'm glad we can still keep in touch and follow each other's families on Facebook.
Samantha has been feeling really sad to leave her school and friends, and she keeps saying she doesn't want to move. I told her that it's okay to be sad and that I feel sad, too, but that where we are going will be fun and exciting, and that she will make friends fast, and we will have them do things over the summer so they can meet people before school starts up. We try and talk up all the different things we will be able to do in our new city, but also explain that she can still stay friends with Marek and her other friends. She has a lot of people that want to be pen pals with, but she is definitely taking our move the hardest out of all the kids. It makes me sad to see her sad, but I know that this is where God wants us to be and that this is what our family is supposed to be doing, and that in the long run, this will be better for our family. It's just hard for her to see and understand right now.
Monday was the day we had been anticipating for a long time. It felt weird thinking this would be our last day in our house, and that in fact, that night we were going to stay at a hotel down the road so that way the movers could start taking apart our beds and get everything loaded in the best way. When the kids woke up that morning, I took pictures of them in their beds in our old house for the last time.
After that we got right down to business of stripping the beds so I could wash all the sheets and bedding, plus taking down the curtains so I could wash them as well. We ate breakfast, the kids got ready, we finished packing up the last things we would need that we didn't want packed into the truck, and then sent the kids over to the neighbor's house with Miss Patty to play. She volunteered their place for the kids to hang out on moving day so that Ben and I could focus on packing and moving without the kids being under foot. It was really sweet of her to offer, the kids were glad to be able to hang out with our wonderful neighbors again, and it was nice to not have to keep our eye on the kids for a couple hours.
Here is the moving truck parked in our driveway, getting ready to start loading up. Ben and I had a few errands to run, like dropping stuff off at the dump, and then we just kept working on laundry and getting things done around the house. Ben helped the guys with knowing how to take things apart and how to get mattresses up the stairs, and slowly but surely, our belongings were being taken out, boxed up, and packed up. It was all a little stressful and tiring, but I was so glad we hired a moving company to do all of this. It's better to just have a couple stressful days than a couple stressful months.
Ben picked up Wendy's for lunch that day, and we got some for the neighbors as well. Everyone ate their lunch well, and then Ben put Owen down for a nap while I took Samantha and Aedan over to Juli's house to play with Kenny and Bradley. She was so sweet to offer to take the kids because her husband is in the Coast Guard and she knows how difficult it is to try and move with kids running around the house. Samantha and Aedan were excited to bring their swim suits over so they could play in the pool and the sprinkler, and when I went back to pick them up, they were happily playing inside. Juli said Bradley opened up to Samantha, and she doesn't do that with just anyone, and Aedan did not want to leave and tried to hide in the corner and refuse to leave. The only way I got him to come out is by telling him we were going to go eat dinner at Zorba's. I'm glad they had a fun afternoon playing with friends, rather than being stuck in the house with us.
Here are some pictures of the progress that had been made on the house on that Monday. Most of the big items of furniture were packed, along with all the mattresses, and things were definitely coming along.
Since we were no longer staying at our house, we ate dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Zorba's, with yummy Greek food. The kids did a pretty good job considering it had been a long day for everyone and Owen did not take a very long nap. After dinner we went to the Holiday Inn Express to check in to our rooms. Even though it was late, and we probably should have not have done it, we decided to let the kids go swimming for a little while before bed. The pool was a little cold, and Owen wasn't quite in the mood to be wrangled in the water, but Samantha and Aedan had fun roughhousing with Daddy in the water. Then, we took the kids upstairs, gave them all a quick bath, and tucked them into bed. We got adjoining rooms, and the bathrooms were too small to put Owen's pack and play in one of them, so we just put his pack and play in the same room as Samantha and Aedan, kind of tucked back in the corner. He doesn't wake up at night much anymore, so that's not really an issue anymore. In fact, as I held him and rocked him a little bit, he actually fell asleep in my arms. He was really tired from not napping much and having a busy day. Here is a picture of the sun setting over Sault Ste. Marie that evening from the hotel room. It's been pretty cool living this close to Canada.
On Tuesday morning we had plans to meet Miss Linda at Sherman Park so she could watch the kids for us while we closed on our Sault Ste. Marie house at 10:00. There was a MOPS play date scheduled for then, so there would be other kids for them to play with, too. Here are some pictures Linda took of the kids that morning. I'm so glad they got to spend our last morning in Sault Ste. Marie together. Linda and Ken have blessed and encouraged our family so much over the last year. Like we both say to each other, "God knew what he was doing when he put our families together."
Our closing was pretty short and sweet with no complications. Ben and I had a couple errands to run, and then we went back to pick the kids up from the park. I got this picture of the park and the St. Mary's River before we left. Samantha was very sad as we were saying good-bye and giving hugs to Miss Linda. She did not want to say good-bye, and she was not excited about moving away. The tears just started to flow as we got in the car and drove away from the park. Poor girl, she was having such deep feelings about this move.
Our original plan was to have the house all packed up by 1:00, and I would do a do a quick walk through and clean before we left town to drive down to Upland, where we planned to stay until we heard any word about when we could close on our new house. However, it was taking the movers much longer that we anticipated to get finished that day. They didn't get started as early as they could have, and we think they took a little too many breaks and weren't as motivated in getting things done. I really wanted to stay until everything was packed up so I could check the house myself, but they were nowhere near being done, and we still had to drive all the way to Indiana that day, so we really just could not stay any longer. Ben dropped me off at the house so I could do a quick clean of the bathrooms and clean out the refrigerator. He took the kids to get a quick lunch at Taco Bell before coming back to pick me up at the house. I took these pictures and videos of the house before leaving that day.
And here are a few last pictures of the kids at the house from earlier that day, playing on their play set one last time...
Driving out of the U.P. felt weird because it felt like we were just leaving on a trip out of town. It was just our minivan, as the moving truck was going to take off the next day. I enjoyed driving over the Mackinac Bridge one more time, and we said good-bye to the U.P.
Our drive went pretty well, and even though both boys were tired and fell asleep, Owen only slept 40 minutes and then woke up crying, which then woke up Aedan. It was definitely not a long enough nap for the long day we had had and the long drive we had before us. I expected to feel a little more sad as we left what had been our home for the last three years, but I don't think the feelings had really set in yet because we have been so busy. I imagined it will set in later, but I did feel a little sad walking around our house, thinking about bringing Owen home from the hospital for the first time and thinking about all the memories of his early years being in that house, thinking about Samantha's first three years of school being there, as well as Aedan growing from a baby using a pacifier and being rocked to sleep to a boy that is getting ready for kindergarten. Most of my feelings were in being sad and overwhelmed with the idea of starting over again and moving to a place where we know literally no one. Plus, that it's farther away from family. However, I was excited about exploring a new area of the country and actually having more normal seasons and more things to do. I felt nostalgic, but ready for a new adventure.
Once it got to be around 8:00, we started trying to get the kids to wind down and settled down to sleep, as we still had a couple hours left to drive, and we needed them to sleep until we reached Upland. I took these pictures at about 8:50. I rocked Owen's car seat back and forth until he fell asleep.
We got to Upland around 10:00, and the kids were all excited to see Ema and Papa. I held Owen for awhile, but was able to hand him off to Ema as she watched a Cubs game so that I could help get everyone situated for bed. It wasn't too long after that that Ben and I rolled into bed as well.
Wednesday morning came too soon, as Ben and I had another busy day ahead of us. He was going to drop me off at the Indianapolis airport for my flight out to Harrisburg and then from there a two hour drive up to Wilkes-Barre. It was kind of fun traveling by myself. In fact, I don't think I have ever done that before. My flights were easy, I was able to read for the first time in a long time, and getting my rental car was not a problem either. I arrived at my hotel at about 4:30, got checked in, and then decided my plans for the evening. I decided to get some food at Moe's and then go see Aladdin at the movie theater in Wilkes-Barre. Ben took the kids to see the movie awhile back, and I had been wanting to see it as well. It was a little strange eating and seeing a movie on my own, but it was fun being able to make my own plans and do things on my own. I enjoyed my time out. Here was my view from the restaurant parking lot. It was weird to think that pretty soon this will be our new home, and we will live near a lake, surrounded by mountains.
When Ben got home from dropping me off the kids were just enjoying their day in Upland. Cousin Alaina was in town and they all just had fun playing. All of the kids enjoy being outside, playing with balls, riding bikes, and just exploring the backyard in Upland. Our kids were wearing their matching Toy Story shirts and Owen was interested in watching Ema make some food.
On Thursday I didn't have to be at our new house until 1:30 to meet the realtors and do a walk through, so since I didn't have anything to do, I decided to relax that morning by sleeping in, eating breakfast, taking a shower, and working on my blog. It was nice to be able to have some time to focus and get some work done.
Ben decided to have Ema and Papa help him take the four kids to the Muncie Children's Museum on Thursday. The museum was not huge, but it was a nice place to spend a few hours in the morning. The kids enjoyed playing around for a while. We had a snack break, and then played some more. Ema sat by Owen on the way back from the children's museum and plied him with snacks to keep him awake. The kids did well again on Thursday, as they routinely do in Upland, and enjoyed hanging out with each other. Here are some pictures from the museum that day.
I stopped at the Back Mountain Public Library to sign the kids up for the summer reading program and story time, and took a couple pictures of it to show the kids. Then, I stopped at a place called City Market for a sandwich before meeting the realtors at the house.
Here are some pictures I took of the house as I walked around for the walk through, and while we were waiting for the movers to arrive. It was exciting to see the house without all their stuff in it, and I was just so excited that this would be our new home. There was much more space than I even remembered, and I kept texting Ben telling him how much I loved the house.
The movers didn't arrive at the house until 3:30, and they had some trouble trying to figure out how to get the truck into the driveway with the trailer since our driveway is pretty steep. They ended up deciding that that wouldn't work, so they unloaded the trailer at the end of the driveway and walked everything up to the garage. Then, once the trailer was empty, they detached it and backed the truck up the driveway. However, of course as soon as they started unloading the truck, it started down-pouring, getting everything wet that they were carrying, and getting into the truck as well.
The seller's realtor ended up coming back and staying with me until they were all done unloading our stuff. While they got things out of the truck, I wandered around a little bit more, taking measurements of the bedrooms as well as looking at the play set in the back yard a little more. It was not as worn down as I thought it was, and I talked to Ben about how we could probably still use it. I climbed in it and jumped up and down a little, and it was pretty sturdy. There were even still hooks in the wood that we could hang swings from, so it looked to me like all we would need to do is buy the accessories for it, which would save us a ton of money and time from buying and putting together a whole new play set.
The movers finally finished unloading everything into the garage and basement around 7:30 that night, and I took this last picture of the front of the house before heading back to my hotel.
On my way back to the hotel, I stopped at Hillside Farms that I had heard so much about, and tried out some chocolate cherry ice cream. It was delicious and well worth eating ice cream before having dinner. I went back to the hotel to charge my phone and use my computer to figure out what I was going to have for dinner. I opted for a healthy place with lots of different salads, and I picked it up to eat back at the hotel. It had been a good day, but I was feeling rather tired and ready to relax some.
Most of Friday wasn't too exciting for me because I just had to drive back down to Harrisburg and take the flight back to Indy. Ben picked me up at the airport, and we were able to stop at Chuy's for dinner that night to have a quick date before heading back to Upland. Ben's parents put the kids to bed for us that night, so I wasn't able to see them until the following day. I was looking forward to seeing all my kiddos again.
After our trip out on Tuesday, and the day out at the children's museum on Thursday, we just stayed at home and walked on campus on Friday. The time to just decompress from all the stress of moving was nice. All three of our kids simply feel at peace in Upland. They are cared about and loved on by Ema and Papa. So, they don't have to be nervous, or pretend to be something different than they are. They can be themselves and know they are cared about. We took a walk around Taylor with Izzy, and then we all ate lunch on the patio at Ema and Papa's house. While it wasn't our original plan to spend almost a week in Upland waiting to move to Pennsylvania, it worked out really well.
The kids were lucky to have Alaina staying in Upland with them the whole we were there. They haven't gotten to spend this much time with her since our vacation last summer to Niagara Falls, and I know Samantha was enjoying her time with Alaina so much. They were getting along really well, and they are like best friends that can just pick up right where they left off.
On Saturday we decided to take a day trip to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Ben and I had never been there with the kids, and Ema and Papa decided to come along, too. Here are the kids posing for a picture outside the zoo.
We bought some tokens for feeding the giraffe a lettuce leaf, and the kids really had fun with that as well. Samantha and Alaina stood talking to the zookeeper for quite a long time, asking her lots of questions. I loved their curiosity and desire for learning.
They had a petting zoo area where you could feed, pet, and brush the goats, and that was another highlight. Owen was really pretty gentle with brushing the goats. Samantha loves animals, and says she wants to be a farmer, so this is right up her alley. Aedan had a goat that kept nibbling on his t-shirt, so he thought that was hilarious.
Here are the kids posing for some pictures with animal statues.
We also decided to buy tokens to use on the river boat ride. Owen was getting tired at this point, so it was hard to keep him happy as we waited in line, but Ben always does a good job being silly and making him smile.
The zoo was a great day trip for us, and between that and the children's museum, and the extended time with Ema, Papa, and Alaina, it was almost like a family vacation without having to go to a different location. The kids were loving this extra time in Upland, and I think it helped soften the sadness of moving away because we were going to a place they love so much with people that do so much to make them feel loved and special. Even though we thought it was a bad thing that we couldn't move in right away, I am sure now that it was God's way of blessing us with extended family time as we were temporarily "homeless."
That night after dinner, all the kids got in really silly moods and had Alexa playing silly songs like "Cat Flushing a Toilet" and "It's Raining Tacos." This is the craziness that happens in Ema and Papa's basement, and I love it. Owen learned a new word, tacos, and he was trying so hard to say Alexa so he could get it to play a song for him. As you can tell, the kids were having a blast, playing, dancing, and roughhousing without a care in the world. It was a wonderful way to end a great day together as a family.
(Blog about June 16-22, 2019)
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