Boxes, Boxes, and More Boxes...

Moving with two small children is not for the faint hearted. But, thanks to some amazing help from the Moores (1,000 thanks to all of you!), we survived. Two weeks ago, on Wednesday the 10th, we closed on the house and spent our first night on mattresses on the floor. Then, Scott, Jason and Tom took Friday off of work and spent the better part of three days doing the heavy, grunt work of moving us in. Eli was battling what we thought was a cold, while we were packing up our old house, Keira started to sniffle, and by Sunday Scott was on the couch with what we think was the flu. Ugh! By Monday, I was right there with them. So, our first two weeks have been hairy at best, while we tried to unpack, Scott tried to work, and we all tried to recover. Fortunately, I think we've all recovered from the flu although, I'm on steroids, and Keira's using her nebulizer since ours went to our chest. Eli, who was the first to get sick, has finally gotten off his rescue inhaler after 2+ weeks. But.... our house is huge and gorgeous!

Our favorite room so far, is by far the playroom. It's huge and has space for all of us to hang out and play for hours. Being at home for hours on end here is no struggle. At our old house, the kids and I would have to leave, we'd get claustrophobic and cooped up. But, here, it's been a joy. Our yard is gorgeous, too. And, just on the other side of our backyard is one of our favorite playgrounds. Even though, Scott's had the whole week off for Thanksgiving, he's been busily building shelves and a tv stand to facilitate more organized unpacking. So, the kids and I have spent lots of hours on our own, while Daddy tries to finish his building projects before school starts again.

My favorite day with the kids so far, was a few days ago. We spent a leisurely morning playing in the playroom, then got ready and took the golfcart into downtown Senoia to one of our favorite destinations -- The Senioa Coffee Company. Eli loves their chocolate chip muffins. Then, we played around downtown Senoia, took the golfcart to the awesome playground downtown, then went home for naps. Later in the afternoon, we walked around the subdivision with the double stroller and later ended up in our subdivision's wonderful playground.

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Okay, so I wrote this post a LONG time ago, and finally just got around to posting it. I have not spent much time blogging lately (obviously!). I've just not gotten back in the swing since the move. I've also spent what little free time (nap time) I have during the day doing Zumba, which I love! Hopefully I'll get back in my routine soon and continue my sorely needed updates. :)

Halloween, Part I -- CDC Trick or Treat

Last Tuesday, Eli's preschool went Trick or Treating around the high school. At the last minute, when Dendi called to volunteer, I decided to dress up Keira and tag along. I'm so glad I did -- there were tons of great photo ops. This year, Eli decided to be Mickey Mouse. At the beginning of September, when we started looking at costumes online, he was interested in being Blue from Blue's Clues. The Blue costumes looked a little chintzy, but on the same page they showed some Mickey and Minnie costumes. Almost kiddingly (since I didn't think he'd want to), I suggested that he could be Mickey and Keira could be Minnie. He got really excited and wouldn't entertain any other ideas. Since I knew that their years of coordinating Halloween costumes were likely numbered I happily ordered the matching costumes. They turned out great.

Here's Keira showing off her "Mi Mou" costume and Minnie eating a pre-Trick or Treat cracker to build up her strength.



Before hopping in the car, I had the kids pose for a few photos. Of course, the ones of the two of them didn't turn out as I'd hoped, but they're still worth posting.




When we arrived at Eli's preschool Keira was in seventh heaven, as she is whenever I let her stay and play a little. She LOVES his school. She especially loves the slide in the middle of the room and the perfectly proportioned chairs. After taking a few slides she waited for no invitation to sit down and have a little breakfast.



Right after Dendi arrived, we all set out. It was great that Dendi came to help. At first, she held Keira which gave me the opportunity to hold Mickey's hand for a little while. Although, Kaitlyn held Eli's hand for most of the Trick or Treating around the high school. It's one of the great things about Eli's preschool program. They have so many teenage "teachers". On field trips and for special events, they each have a teenager assigned to them. Fairly quickly, Keira made her opinion known -- she was not a fan. I think she may have thought she was at the doctor's with all the long sterile hallways and small rooms full of strangers. Dendi and I left with Keira after about five rooms.



Keira recovered quickly once we left the high school and headed to Mike and C's for some brunch. Most of the restaurant was filled with retirees who were tickled to have a miniature Minnie in their midst.


After filling up, Dendi, Keira and I headed out for a walk and a trip to the park while we waited for Eli's preschool day to finish.



After I picked up Eli, we made once last appearance in their costumes. We drove to CLT to see Grammie at work. Fortunately, it was the most successful trip to the thrift store with both kids, ever. Eli slipped his costume over his shorts (he had taken it off when he got hot) and both kids seemed to enjoy the attention of my mom's coworkers. To make the trip even more magical, Grammie found Keira a perfect bike. The fact that the bike had to be stopped so that I could take the picture explains Keira's expression, but I absolutely love Eli's grin!