We are moved!

We are moved! Here is a quick recap of our move (probably more info than any person could possibly want but this is my only record of anything as my brain really no longer functions as a memory source):

Wednesday May 16: our packers Ed and Dave arrive at 7:45.  Girls go to school for their last day.  D's flight back to VA was canceled and he had to rebook on a much later flight.  The packers were crazy fast and had all our stuff in boxes and inventoried by 4 pm...the same time D arrived.  I had us all packed up and we spent the night in a hotel in Fairfax. (night 1, location 1)

The girls thought it was so funny to see the house totally empty.

Thursday May 17: Ed and Dave had two helpers to load the truck.  They started at 7:45 and were done by 11:30.  Crazy fast.  Much faster than we thought it would possibly be done.  So we decided to head on out and get a few hours down the road.  So we stayed somewhere about 3 hours out. (night 2, location 2)

Our last family photo in front of our house in VA

Friday May 18: Since we left early we decided to stop at Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte and spend the day frolicking at the indoor water park.  We got there about noon, had lunch, bought Brooke some new crocs as she had packed one of her purple crocs and one of A's purple crocs (both right feet), and were in the water park by 1.  And thank heavens the girl measuring was very generous and measured Audrey as 42 inches so that she could go on all the rides except the tornado (perhaps it was because we were yelling at A to stand up super straight and lift her head as high as possible to try to hit that line)  The girls were AWESOME and did everything and LOVED it.  It was wonderful! (night 3, location 3)

The girls at Great Wolf Lodge

 Saturday May 19: We drove to Atlanta to visit with D's sister Leslie and her family.  (As an aside, D pulled a muscle in his back this morning while putting on his shoes.  If it had not looked so painful watching him writhe around on the floor, then it would have been hilarious that he got hurt putting on shoes!) The girls had been looking forward to playing with their cousin Kayla for weeks and it did not disappoint.  They had tons of fun.  (night 4, location 4)

Playing with Kayla and loving every minute of it

Sunday May 20: We drove to MS to stay with my mom....and leave the girls there while we unpacked and got settled. (night 5, location 5:  So I have been pointing out all the different places that we stayed mainly cause it was so hysterical each time that we stayed for ONE night after unloading 5 suitcases, two boxes of our special keepsakes that I did not want the movers to take, a cooler, 4 bags of food, two dora backpacks, two bags of stuffed animals, and a goldfish!!)

Monday May 21: We (minus the girls) arrived at our house just before noon.  Ed and Dave had already started unloading our stuff when we pulled up.  They unloaded all our stuff and were done by 5.  We went that night and bought a fridge, washer, dryer, and TV.

What our house looked like when we pulled up to it

Tuesday May 22: The unpackers arrived (late and man they moved slowly) and unpacked all our stuff, the uncraters arrived and took out the TV's and reassembled our computer desk, and the furniture we ordered for the girls' room and playroom arrived too.  We took Target by storm...thank heavens for that 5% redcard discount.

The girls' princess playroom...they love it

The girls' bedroom

Wednesday May 23: Lots of organizing.  Our purchases from Monday night arrived. D and I spent the first night in our new home!

Thursday May 24: D thought he had a training class but after arriving and walking through a class in progress he realized that it had been canceled.  We got our TV and internet all set up - we are loving the whole house DVR.  What a revolution in TV watching. More organizing

Friday May 25: D and I got our new Lousiana driver's licenses.  That is always a treat.  There were only 2 workers - and one of them seriously was the person that took people out on the driving test.  And you can only pay cash...but if that is the case why would you choose to charge $24.50 and not $25?  Most excitingly, my mom arrived and the girls got to see the house for the first time.  Their reaction was awesome!

Last Day of School

 The girls' last day of school was May 16, so they left about 2 weeks early.  Fortunately for me, their last Monday was their Spring Fling where they did a little show in their creative movements class and we all had lunch and watched them do their jobs and play in the big room.  On their last day, the girls got to make crowns and wear them all day (what a treat) and they made pizza for lunch.

 Brooke was a monkey with Zach P and Audrey was a snake in the little show

 Dancing around with Maddie and Sean

 Heading out for their last day of school

 Brooke with Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Gray

 Audrey with Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Gray

 The girls together with their teachers - they insisted that they take one all together.

I insisted that they take one by the sign

Mother's Day

 This year D was already in LA for mother's day, so it was a day for just the girls.  We had a delightful meal at McDonald's and opened presents that they made me at school. 

 They each made me a bracelet.  It is one of the sweetest things I have ever gotten.  Each of the big balls was made by them and it is adorable as you can still see their sweet little fingerprints in it.

Hard to say goodbye

These last three weeks have been super busy and very bittersweet. On one hand it is so exciting to be starting the next chapter of our lives in Louisiana and moving closer to our family and friends from Houston. On the other hand it is sad to leave our friends here and Virginia is really the only home that the girls have ever known.

We've been very busy trying to get in one last play time with all our friends. And since I want to make sure that I get pictures of our life and friends in Virginia, I am going to do a little photo montage.

 

Girls night with Kate, Kelly, and Amanda.  Hopefully we will meet up again as all our spouses work for the same company!

 Nathan, Audrey, Brooke and Abby at their last day of swim lessons.  As an aside, Audrey has improved SO MUCH!!

 Brooke, Spencer, Audrey, and Parker...Audrey seems to think that put your arm around each other really means try to strangle the person next to you.

 Me and Erica - one of my best friends from way back in college.

 Brooke, Lorelei, and Audrey rolling around together

 The girls with MASON!  Audrey was so cute as we were leaving his house.  She asked "How am I going to marry Mason if we live in different states?"  Heartbreaking!

 Playing with their friend Maddie from preschool.  Brooke was rocking that pink wig!

 Eating Chick-fil-A with their friend Tori

 My last night in VA with my friends Renee, Dana, and Andrea...they are single-handedly responsible for Goldie's safe arrival in LA.

 Same night - with Lanette, who was staying seated as she was technically supposed to be resting rather that being out and about.

 Their first real slumber party with Haley

 Playing with our neighbor Christian in the now empty POD as we were about to hit the road.

 Peter and Stacy came down one last time from RI to bid us farewell....and to tell us that Stacy was preggo!! I think I was as excited for them as they were!

 D's work goodbye dinner: John and Val, Amanda and Kevin, Kate and Jason, us, Jason (sans Kathie), Caroline, Heather and Matt, Jeff and Justyna

 The girls with their favorite babysitter Kelly!  She was so super sweet.  She even got them little goodbye presents.

 The girls in their PJ's having movie night with Falyn as I was at my last game night...

The last game night: Lanette, Renee, Dana, Sharon, me, Marci, Samantha, and Andrea

Happy (half) Birthday!!

Today the girls are celebrating their half birthday. Which means we have been in Virginia almost exactly 4 years. And we leave in less than a week!

Looking adorable in their PJ's

A perfect way to spend a (half) birthday - swimming with their friend Haley, one of the first people that they met up here who is now in their preschool class.

Easter

We had a couple of Easter egg hunts this year.  First on the Wednesday before Easter we had an egg hunt with my mom's group.  Then on Friday we went to one put on by the city of Fairfax (though it was massively crowded and the poor girls only got one egg between them!).  The actual day of Easter we were in a hotel in Charlotte.  And finally the girls dyed eggs with Papa and Weecie and had a hunt with them a few days after Easter.  They were so excited about dying the eggs and had been talking about it for weeks!

Lining up to start the hunt

"Finding" the eggs - not a real challenge as they were just laying out on the grassy field.

 

Pictures with the Easter Bunny

Getting their Easter baskets in the hotel

 

 Posing with their new Easter guys!

Dying eggs with Papa and Weecie

On the hunt!!