1,623 miles

We started our move way back in October.  E and I were able to go on a house hunting trip by OURSELVES because my parents were nice enough to take care of the kids.  What happened on that trip? I got a stomach bug and felt like death.  The good thing: we found a house anyway.  It is on a little circle, near a good school and a cute town center.  Yay! It might be 50 years old and less than half the size of our old house, but hey at least that means no maid service to pay.  Yay! Wait, did I just say yay to no maid.  Yep.  I'm pretty sure I have already confessed to being cheap.

little circle

The next couple of months consisted of bank loans, saying goodbye, and dreaming up complicated logistics that was suppose to make our lives easier in the long run.  One of these logistical ideas included driving to Tennessee for Thanksgiving and allowing my sister to babysit my dog for a month.  I know, so sweet of me to include my whole family in the move! So, as of Thanksgiving we had no dog and only one car.  We didn't miss the car, but man I missed my little hoover.  I did not realize that A was soooo messy with the goldfish until Jasmine left us.

We moved out of our Texas home on the 19th or the 22nd of December depending on your definition of "we." We spent a wonderful Christmas in Tennessee and an all adult New Year's in Blowing Rock, NC.  Yay friends with houses in beautiful places.

S and cousins surveying their loot

The whole family gathered at Oma and Opa's

The women at Blowing Rock 

The adults

I didn't want Sophia to spend her 5th birthday in a house full of stuff on the floor (the movers take the boxes but leave the unorganized stuff) and no friends, so we stayed in TN one more week to allow her to celebrate her birthday with her Opa and Aunt Angie who both share it with her.  It was a grand time that led to many a beauty session the following days.

S with her "frog"-google frog cupcakes, I swear you will see this!

The best gift ever-The princess salon

Finally, we headed up to New Jersey.  The trip wasn't too bad, just a bit boring.  The first night in the house was AWFUL! The contractors who were painting, installing new doors, and refinishing the floors were JUST finishing up when we pulled into the driveway at 5ish.  The house reeked (and still does according to recent visitors) of polyurethane.  We opted to sleep on air mattresses in the basement the first night to be as far away from the smell as possible.  Unfortunately we were not that familiar with the thermostat and FROZE while the baby was up all night most likely freezing her chubby little ass off.  Not once did it occur to me to go upstairs and turn up the thermostat.  My brain must have been frozen too!

The next morning came and so did the movers.  As mentioned earlier they unpack everything, but put away nothing.  As I looked at A's room I had a little breakdown.  It looked like an episode of Hoarders.  I made an emergency phone call to my friend Gina and she calmed me down.  Now you know why she gets the gifts!  Soon after that the driver/leader told two of the more unhelpful movers to leave.  Everything calmed after that but I still told them to leave 10 or so boxes unpacked because other than floor space we had no other room for the stuff.  The next several days would include a LOT of TV for the girls and a LOT of packing material for me.

It has been 3 weeks now.  We have made 4 trips to IKEA, 3 to Walmart, 2 to Target and 2 to Costco.  If you refrain from looking in certain kitchen cabinets, the guest room, or along the walls where all of our pictures still lean you will think that we are moved in.  The kids go to school three times a week, but have yet to have a full week. We have had a bit of white stuff (19in  sorry, 29in.  The 19in was just the latest.) since we arrived.  E comes home at lunch (oh yeah, that 10 min. commute is awesome).  Neighbors have come by to say hi while others have actually helped shovel snow. The Jets lost their Superbowl bid (their practice field is across from E's work).  And we have finally made our first trip into the City.  We are on our way.  We are hopeful.  Still a bit scarred, but hopeful!

On train-notice my new, very warm jacket!