Once we we finished the remodel work on the house it was time to move in! Unfortunately Dalton and I are not the best movers…something we discovered during this move. We were slow to start packing, and then I would give up after several hours each day, leaving me with half packed rooms all over the house (even though the older two boys were spending the week with GG and Papa!). Finally the time came to move the big stuff and Dalton had some very gracious friends come over to help. They came in and started moving the big stuff and the boxes we had and I immediately regretted not having everything boxed up. For one thing there was junk everywhere which I was embarrassed about and for another I was sad that Dalton and I would be responsible for the rest of the move by ourselves!!
We spent that night at Mere Mere and Popsey's because the house wasn't quite set up. The next day, after I attempted to sort some things at the house, we went to pick up Cooper and Ace who'd been at GG and Papa's all week so we could pack and move. It was a productive trip; we got some needed storage for the house on our way. It was also good to have our little guys back after so long! Because nothing was set up we stayed at Mere Mere and Popsey's again that night. The next morning I loaded all the kids up, stopped by United for a few essentials and then headed out to our home for our first official day and night at the new house. It was so exciting to be in our new place!
Setting up house!
Trimming all of the trees. I've always told Dalton I didn't want to live anywhere without trees….
well this place has trees and more trees to spare! It's great.
The next few days were filled with unpacking, settling in and "camping out" in the house because we didn't have a bed for the big boys yet. Ace slept with us and Cooper slept on the love seat. Tucker was the only one with a bed to himself. We also headed out to Caddo to finish our moving. It took a good three trips to finally get everything out….and each time I threw more stuff away!! We would laugh to keep from crying at the amount of stuff we had to move, as it seemed to multiply. We said our new theme song was John Fullbright's "Keep Moving" because we felt like we'd never be finished!!
Goodbye piles and goodbye Caddo house!
The first time we went out there we had some comical circumstances on the side. We had gotten Dalton on my phone plan and he took my Iphone and I got a new one. Somehow (we figured it out later) our phones were synced to where we each received all the text messages the other one got. It was so funny because I felt like Big Brother was watching me all the time! At one point while we were trying to get stuff packed Dalton's phone went off and he said "What's your Mom telling me now" I laughed and was a little embarrassed because he knew how much I'd been texting everyone.
At the house we made piles, moved piles, made more piles, put some of the piled items into boxes and then laughed as we realized that after 3 hours we still had lots of stuff to get, we'd just moved it all to the living room, a central location. We joked that when we ran out of room we'd just put stuff on Cooper because he seemed to be wearing several things from several piles.
Cooper the human clothes rack.
Our little cowboys playing in the empty rooms.
It looks very different without our toys scattered around the yard.
When we'd had enough we loaded up what we could, caught the chickens and grabbed Boots the cat. Then it was time to head home and put more stuff in our new place.
Heading out to pick up the chickens. Notice the two wild animals in the trailer.
After trying to catch them in the pen, Popsey had the bright idea of just herding them into the cage.
Less exciting but definitely a better idea!
Did I mention that moving is exhausting? Boots is awake though and not sure about what's going on. Once he got to the new place though he settled right in and has been very helpful.
A few days later we went back one more time to get the rest of our stuff and managed to fill up a trailer…..I think we wound up throwing some of it away when we got home because we didn't want to put it in the house. I think it took a good two weeks before we got all of the stuff from the trailer to the carport to the house. And finally after a month I decorated, realizing that I could do it and didn't need to wait for someone else better to come along. (Did I mention we aren't good at the moving thing)
Wiley worked with the dozer and front loader on the tanks the first few days we were here….the boys loved going out to watch him. I love my clothes line. It's therapeutic and economical.
Tucker's a big fan of the full length mirrors where he watches himself play. The carpet cleaners came out twice to clean the carpets and, of course the boys watched and asked questions. We eventually got new carpet (good investment with a crawling baby) and it looks and feels great!
Not a bad view from the kitchen window!
At home the house came together. We had some furry friends that we had to take care of, but within just a few nights we were mouse free. The house set up is so different that it was an interesting transition. Since all of our bedrooms are together on one side of the house we are one big cozy family! I feel like this house will be full of memories, like the "little house" was for my childhood. Each day has been an adventure though, discovering the yard, the plants growing, the barns to explore, etc.
The boys' machines were must haves for them. They rode them and rode them and it didn't take Ace long to master driving his gator and Cooper's tractor. Even though both boys are bad about going full throttle at all times, they can drive with precision.
Daddy built a new fence around the yard to keep the kids contained. It took a while but looks really good! The boys were always right there watching him work, or driving by on their gator.
We love our new place and are so thrilled to be close to town. It's been nice for me to be able to leave all three kids with Dalton while I go to the grocery store. And I joke that now Dalton goes to town more than I ever did.
One morning the boys disappeared for a while…I looked out and saw them loading up their gator in the pasture with these terra cotta pipe pieces. They loaded up, drove to the yard and came to get me. Then they told me they were going to use them to build a road/bridge to drive over. Too bad for them I told them they had to take them back where they got them. They obeyed and worked hard to put them back. I think they enjoyed the adventure!
We finally got the schoolroom set up and Cooper loves it. He will tell us he has "to go do some school work" and head in there, sit down at his table and work in his preschool workbook. It's so nice to have a space for that, motivates me to do lessons with them; we're currently working on going through the Bible and doing lessons for each story (haven't gotten far though!) It's funny how God works all things for good. Even though the house we moved into has smaller bedrooms and a few other differences that we'll miss from the Caddo house, God gave me a schoolroom/office, which is something that I really wanted.
Happy boy likes the new house!
I kept trying to pack away the winter stuff but they would steal these hats and wear them around the house. I did finally get them packed away.
Another big hit with this house is the removable shower head that they can hold.
It does help get them in the shower faster!
I'm sure there are more funny anecdotes or details about the move that I've missed, but that's what I get for waiting this long to write. If I remember some later I'll add them. We are so blessed to be able to have a home, and even more blessed to have the home that we do. God is gracious in so many ways.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. " Joshua 24:15
"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going….I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:2-4, 6
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