WE MOVED!!!

Tuesday evening we said goodbye to our house, Virginia, our friends, our whole life the past 7 years and got on a plane to move to Utah!  It was a hard day, very emotional and stressful.  Traci and I had agreed to not have a big long emotional goodbye because, quite frankly, neither of us could handle it.  However, when I went to pick up Tyce from her house on our way to the airport I knew I wasn't going to be strong.  Saying goodbye to Anna banana was so hard, I've loved babysitting her and her fun personality and I've always felt close to her since the day she was born.  I was also so sad to say goodbye to baby William who will grow up not even knowing auntie Jenn.  Traci...I have never met anyone like her and I know I never will.  She is everything I could ever want in a best friend and, in most ways, was more like a sister to me.  She said it well when she said our lives were intertwined which is so true.  We saw each other almost every single day and were in constant contact.  She knew more about me than anyone else and was always always always there for me with kind and wise words, no judgement, and love.  I feel so blessed to have had her in my daily life and still feel blessed that she is still my best friend despite the 2000 miles between us.  I cried all the way to the airport, through security, and on the plane.  I remember when we moved to Virginia seven summers ago and I cried all through the airport saying goodbye to my family.  Now here we are, sad to leave Virginia but excited for our new life in Utah.  Josh was super excited to leave and didn't seem the least bit sad.  Jackson was very sad and brought his yearbook to look at on the plane.  When we took off he looked out the window and started just sobbing.  It broke my heart.  Tyce cried all the way to the airport.  He has made some very very good friends and will miss them terribly.  

I packed up 90% of the house by myself and was pretty proud...

Goodbye gorgeous green and Manassas Drive... 

On the train at the Dulles Airport, I love that airport and will definitely miss flying in and out of it!

Waiting for our flight and being sad...

Flights were uneventful and boys were angels...

Tyce loves studying the safety card located in our seat back pockets...

Taking selfies while waiting to take off...

Tyce passed out and slept about three hours on my lap...

Josh slept too...

And Jack slept also...

Daddy picked us up from the airport and the boys were SO excited to see him!  It's been a long month for them to be away from him!

The next morning we took the boys to see the new house.  They hadn't seen anything except a picture of the outside so they were pretty excited.  I was recording their reactions so I forgot to take pics but I grabbed one of Josh being all excited about his new room...

We were there looking around and all the sudden the doorbell rings with a delivery for Jenn Morrill!  I'm like what the heck is it?  Of course, it is a beautiful framed pic from Traci of her and I and all the kiddos.  Made me cry and I will put it where I can see it all the time..

After we showed the boys the house we dropped Parker and Bart off at the airport so they could fly to Virginia, load up the UHAUL, and drive across the country!  Everything went smoothly except a) we realized all our stuff wouldn't fit in one truck so we had to rent a trailer and drive the van separately which we were hoping to not have to do (thank heaven Bart was there to drive!) and b) they blew a tire and had to wait two hours for road side assistance.  But they were safe and still made it to Utah in three days!

Brody was such a trooper, other than nearly escaping in one of the hotels he was a perfect angel and Parker's driving buddy!

Here they are!  Think we have enough stuff?!

While they were driving we were hanging out at my mom's for a few days and Morrill's for a few days...

Cousin snuggles at my mom's..

Blondies...

Brownies...

Making smores...

Reading with Grandma...

Hanging out on our new hammock...

On the drive out to Neola Tyce and Jackson entertained themselves for over an hour playing with just their cowboy boots.  It was hysterical and very creative...

Grandpa Morrill bought this awesome Razor and made a trail all around their property.  Needless to say, my boys were in heaven!

He also bought a peddle boat which they took all around the pond...

More fun on the Razor, mom and I dared the bridge and totally rocked it.  :)

Reading with Grandma in the new grand kid room!  Super cute!

We went floating down the canal which, by the way, was freezing!

Grandma Morrill had them roll all her coins and smash all her cans and they got to keep the money...

I left the boys in Neola and came back out to clean my house before we moved in.  Linds and my grandma both came to help me which was so wonderful!  My 81 year old grandma climbed the ladder and scrubbed down all my kitchen cabinets top to bottom!  She's amazing!

That night Linds and I went to dinner with Aubrey and Mikaela!  It's been SO long since we've all seen each other and the four hours we had wasn't nearly enough...

Parker and his dad got to the house Sunday evening and the boys and I came out Monday to MOVE IN!  Brody has adjusted well and found many cozy sleeping spots...

Haha, poor Parker smacked his head getting out of the trailer and now gets to look super cool with this on his head...

Tuesday Linds took my kids for a few hours and I unpacked the kitchen!  Before...

After...

Tyce wrote this adorable letter to his bff Michael.  Our copier isn't working and I had to mail this to him so I took pics of it...

Poor guy got eaten alive when he slept on the tramp in Neola.  He had about 16 bug bites on his face and neck!

Brody is back to sleeping with Josh...

Josh has been a huge help to Parker putting IKEA furniture together.  One day Parker was at work and Josh wanted his nightstand done so he went to work!

Lunch at Jason's bakery...

Seven years ago Grandma Morrill bought this awesome blow up pool for the twins.  We used it that summer in Neola and haven't had a place for it since!  But we've moved it from house to house and now can finally use it!  Surprisingly it has no holes in it either!  They have been loving it...

They would warm up on the tramp and cool down in the pool, what a life...

Parker is playing on his firm's softball team so we went to watch him and cheer him on...

We've been having lots of fun with cousins.  Here's my three and Luke having a contest to see who "looks the weirdest."  When Lindsay and I said it was a tie between Jackson and Tyce they walked away saying "we have GOT to get better judges!"  

Then, since Jackson HAS to win everything...he marches out looking like this and says "NOW who looks the weirdest?!"  Haha, needless to say, he won...

But Josh looked pretty funny too...

Lastly, Parker took the boys to a Real soccer game the other night.  It was their first professional soccer game and they enjoyed it!  Parker said Tyce got a little bored but was still good.  They were excited because they made it on the Jumbo-tron and then, in an attempt to get back on the Jumbo-tron, Tyce was dancing!  Love that kid...

 They also had fire works...

And finally I am all caught up!  We are all consumed with house stuff and feel so overwhelmed with all there is to do.  Going from renting a town home to owning a home and yard is NOT an easy transition!  But we are loving it here so far!