Things I am Enjoying . . .

I love bundling the girls up in their winter weather wear! Hats, scarves, coats and gloves are novelty items for us right now, and I am having fun dressing my kids up in them. I am enjoying the experience of cold winter weather, at the moment that is. I am sure this won't last long, as most days are freezing, but for the moment, it is something different and fun, and a new experience for us.

I am enjoying driving Madeline to school and picking her up every day. She could ride the bus, but I want to make the most of my time with the girls while I am not working, and by picking her up I get to enjoy about 40 extra minutes a day with my girl. I love how she has so much to say when I pick her up right after school because the events of her day are still fresh in her mind. I am enjoying not having to deal with a before or after school program while I can.

I am enjoying taking the kids to the park which has always been a favorite activity of ours. I am happy to have found a nice park nearby, and as an added bonus, there is a dog park for Leah adjacent to the kids' play area, so I am enjoying that, too.

Friends

This post is out of order, but I was waiting for a certain sister to email me some pics! First of all, let me say that I have the best friends, the best friends in the world, and of course my sister is included in the list, in Los Angeles. Definitely, by far, the most difficult thing about leaving Los Angeles was knowing I would be 3000 miles away from these girls who were, and will always be, a part of my family.

During my last week before heading east, we were able to gather at my favorite restaurant in Studio City, Mexicali's, for dinner and drinks. It was a great time, and my only regret is that we didn't make time to do it more often.

We had a last "hurrah" for the kids at Dearborn Park, too. My girls are seriously going to miss hanging out with these boys!

Maryland!

After two months, we are back with Daddy! We all missed each other so much. That was rough, and not something we ever plan to repeat.

We are beginning to settle in. Condo life has its disadvantages, but this view is not one of them.

I think Leah is doing pretty well. She seems to have survived her first flight and is enjoying being walked several times a day.

On Sunday, we went to Virginia to see our family and meet the newest member. Another nephew for me and a cousin for the girls, his name is Kellen.

Monday took us by surprise with a seventy degree day. The girls ate lunch outside. Kinda crazy and not what we were expecting.

Madeline started school this morning. She was very excited about her first day. I am not sure which one of us was more nervous!

Moving Days

Our last few days in Los Angeles were crazy busy. Our moving truck arrived Wednesday morning, about an hour late.

Dean, Mel, and I (but, mostly Mel) packed up our belongings, and everything was loaded up.

My car was picked up to be shipped to Maryland.

The girls ate their last meal in our little house on Thursday morning.

Dean and Mel were with us right up to the end. They drove the girls and I and Leah to the airport.

I needed some help checking in with two kids, one dog, three suitcases, and two car seats.

We were so ready to see Daddy. Sitting on the plane and taking off felt soooo good knowing who was waiting for us on the other side of the country.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the movers arrive. We'll load the contents of our loved little home onto 14 feet of space bound for Maryland. Tomorrow, Madeline will have her last day of second grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District, she'll say good-bye to her teacher and to her friends. Tomorrow, Sophie will have her last day at Knollwood Preschool, a lovely place we've been dropping off and picking up from since Madeline was two back in 2005. The day after Tomorrow, we will board a plane at LAX bound for Reagan National in DC.

I have lots of pics I'd like to post, but that will have to wait until the day after the day after tomorrow when my life slows down, drastically.

And . . . We have a closing date!

We have a closing date!! And more importantly, we have flights booked! In 10 days I will see my husband, and the girls will see their daddy for the first time in 2 months. Seriously, how did we survive the last 7 weeks?

Things have moved pretty quickly since December 27th when Kent left our little home for a new job in DC. We listed our home, had an open house, considered an offer, made a counter offer, scheduled countless inspections, signed pages and pages of paperwork, did some more paperwork, and of course, there will be even more paperwork to come.

I feel as though we have reached the homestretch, but the next 9 days are going to take a whole lot of stamina. I am exhausted just thinking about it. Thank God we have been lucky enough to have my Dad and Mel staying with us and helping us through this process!!! I have four more days of work, a house to pack, movers to schedule, and the list goes on and on and on. But, at the end of it, our little family will be finally sleeping under the same roof again.

Wildlife Learning Center

Today we went to the Wildlife Learning Center for the first time. It is nearby and quite cute. We went with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Jessie and her three boys, Carrie and Milo, what a fun group! We saw lots of animals and reptiles, all of which were incredibly active.

A bit more excitement than we anticipated at the tortise exhibit . . .

Madeline sure loves her cousins!

My pouty princess. Yes, she insisted on wearing her tiara this morning.

In Review . . .

We went to see Tangled,

We met with some friends at the park,

Sophie got new glasses, bifocals,

Madeline lost another tooth,

And Grandma and Grandpa have come to stay with us for awhile. Lucky girls are waking up to a hot breakfast every day from Grandpa!

Sledding and Snow!

One of the cool things about Los Angeles is that you can drive 45 minutes west and enjoy a day on the beach, or you can drive 45 east and enjoy a day in the snow. Last Thursday, Jessie and I decided to take the kids up to Mt. Baldy (10 minutes from her house in Claremont) to sled, a first for my two.

It was fun dressing the girls in their cold weather gear. They are too cute!

Upon arrival, Madeline quickly made and threw some snowballs.

Sawyer looking his cutest as always:

Sophie wore a hand-me-down snowsuit, and she reminded me of the kid from A Christmas Story. Getting her to sit criss-cross-applesauce was um . . . challenging.

Madeline and Emmet have similar senses of adventure and good enough "climbing back up" skills that they needed very little assistance. Good thing since Sophie basically needed to be carried up the hill, and Sawyer requested to be in Jessie's arms throughout our adventure. Next time, we've decided to either bring Daddies or leave the "babies" behind.

Here's Aunt Jessie taking a turn, and I went down three times. Fun, fun, and fun. I don't care how old you are, you will always love the thrill of a sled ride.

Sophie made a little snowman:

Emmet and Madeline made a snowman, too:

Snow angel!