More Peas Please

Today was one of those days, where everything blows up in your face and you wonder why did I even get out of bed--oh that's right the two kids.  As I prepared dinner, fish sticks and a bag of steamed vegetables (I know real gourmet, but I'm living in an apartment and having a bad day), I was prepared for another battle regarding meals (really why don't kids just eat what you give them, it is not as if I'm trying to poison them).  Instead I was pleasantly surprised.  They enjoyed their fish sticks with some ranch dressing and enjoyed popping the peas out of their shells and eating them.  Lila's faces were incredible every time a pea would pop out and then she would say, "More peas, please."

Thanks for coming to my rescue, my princesses.

Ellie Starts Kindergarten

So one of the first things I did when we arrived was go to the school and register Ellie because I had been told school started on the 15th.  Well as it turns out the 15th was an orientation with a parent--like Kinder Roundup in Tucson, of which we attended 3.  Oh well, it was nice to take her to the school and meet the teacher with her.  I think it brought comfort to both of us.  She went in Wednesday morning to complete a test with her teacher and then really began school this afternoon (we are in pm kinder--which so far is nice).  Here are few pictures documenting the process:

Getting ready to walk to school for the orientation.  And yes she is wearing the same shirt she wore for the first day of school last year, but hey if it makes her comfortable then it works.

Working on some projects her teacher gave them.

Lila wanted to go to school with Ellie so badly and when we returned she wanted her name tag so I got the masking tape and a marker and made her her own name tag.  We also decided that eating donuts on the first day of school may be a new tradition for us.

Walking to school--just as I was getting ready to take this picture Lila tripped and scuffed her knees, but as long as her baby Elmo was okay she was okay.

In front of the school sign.

Looking at her name to see which color she should sit on.

Sitting on orange.

We met Ellie in the auditorium.  I thought we would be late, but we had just got settled onto a step and in came her class.  Both Ellie and Lila were excited to see each other and Lila shared her snack.

Moving Day[s]

I wish I would have taken more pictures throughout the process, but I guess my hands were busy with other things like packing boxes, moving boxes, fixing quick meals, etc.  We are so grateful to our friends who supported us both physically and emotionally through the process.  I wish I would have taken pictures of them during the process too--we had friends help back boxes and lots of support loading the Uhaul. THANK YOU!  

Even though it was draining we still managed to have some fun during the process: Steve setup an elaborate fort with all of the boxes for the girls to play in and they played in it for days while we continued to pack and organize; The girls enjoyed being sprayed with the hose while Steve was cleaning outside;  We went to dinner at a nice restaurant which the girls thought was such a fun adventure;  And of course the big truck (Uhaul) was exciting.

We surprised Stephen with a pre-graduation gift.  He has wanted a toaster oven since the day we got married, but I didn't think we had the counter space for it so when we went shopping for houses in Layton Steve jested that his number one requirement was space for a toaster oven.  Well he is staying in our Bishop's guest house and I thought he could really use the toaster oven there so we bought him the top-of-the-line and he is enjoying it.

The truck.  Ellie begged to ride in the truck during our trek North, but there was never a good time for her to be in there for an extended period of time so she had to settle for little rides in the drive-way.

The fun begins.  As we began loading we thought this truck is huge, but don't you worry we filled it to the brim and even left a few things behind (these items were on the bubble any way--things I wasn't for sure I wanted to keep).

I bought these cute Phineas and Ferb white boards for the girls to write on during the trip, but Lila found a different surface--her face.

The crew who made the move possible by driving the truck and towing the Datsun which ended up being 60 feet in length.  THANK YOU!!


We had to call Roadside assistance once due to a flat tire, but thankfully Dad noticed it while leaving the parking lot of the hotel in Mesquite.  The Datsun got a little dented by the engine and transmission Steve loaded on the sides.  The construction in Utah was unbelievably bumpy and busy which caused one of the straps to actually tear through, but thankfully nothing fell off in the middle of the street.  I think they both earned a truck driving hat for this adventure. :)

Unloading the Datsun and storage boxes at Nate's office where he is letting us store our stuff--THANK YOU!

The girls and I are getting settled into our apartment.  Ellie in her wisdom said, "This is like home.  It has our couch, TV, and beds.  Yeah, it's like home."  Now that we are close to family we are also enjoying moments like this with cousin Izzy and Aunt Nessa.

We look forward to seeing more of the family again this weekend.  

Side note:  The closing on our home was delayed due to the buyers loan not being completed.  We hope this will happen on Friday.  Here's to the adventures of moving!