A day at the beach

Sunday I was going stir crazy. I had to get out of this house and better yet out of town. I took the kids to Gulf Shores. They have a huge outlet mall and it was fun to walk around. Then we headed to the beach. Even though it was a cloudy, muggy day we had a blast.

Owen is definitely his fathers son. On our way home he demanded I stop at this car dealer so he could "check out" the mustangs. The highlight of his day!

Why are kids so mean?

So this afternoon a group of kids from our neighborhood, about 6 of them, were gathered in the pool parking lot which happens to be right across the street from our house. Owen and Gracie were watching them through the window and I told them to go out and talk to them. Within seconds they had their shoes on and were headed across the street. I should have taken a picture because Owen was holding Gracie's hand. He's such a great brother! Anyway, I'm standing up by the front door watching them, but not letting them know I'm watching, and two of the boys pointed at Grace and said "why does she walk so funny" and chuckled. Then all the kids started laughing very loudly. Keep in mind these kids range from about 6 to 13. Being the mom I am I darted over there to rescue her. I told the two little boys that it wasn't very nice to laugh at people and that she has very special legs. Then I scooped her up and grabbed Owen by the hand and ran in the house. I know I didn't handle the situation appropriately, I just didn't know what to do. I guess I should have been preparing myself for this exact situation long ago. Gracie is fine, didn't seem to bother her a bit thank goodness. Needless to say I am still in tears for my little girl while writing this :(

Homesick

Well Luke is officially into his third week of academy. It's going as well as you can expect it to besides the nasty shin splints he has. We are both counting down the days til he's done.

The kids are great. The move almost hasn't phased them. I'm still anticipating the moment they both have meltdown and realize this is permanent. I, on the other hand, am still very homesick. I can't wait for my visit home this summer.

On Sunday we attended a church around the corner from us. It reminded me a lot of our church in MI only smaller. We felt very welcome and the people were friendly. Later that afternoon Luke took a nap so I took the kids to the mall. Our mall is outdoors and it was such a beautiful day I thought it would be fun to walk around and window shop.

Yes, those are palm trees :o)

When the weather is warm water the circle above is a giant water fountain and kids (or adults) can run through it.

This is in the center of the mall area right next to the big circle fountain. In the summer they hook up a screen to this stage and play a movie every Friday night.

The grand tour...

OK so here is the tour. Keep in mind we still don't have any furniture, except our beds, so it's pretty empty.

This is the front door and entry way. The door on the left is a coat closet and the one on the right goes into the laundry room.

From the entry area you walk into the living room. First pic is the back wall of living room looking from entry. Next one is the wall to the right. Notice in this pic the hall to the right goes to the kids rooms and the one on the left goes into the kitchen.

Hall that leads to the kids rooms and bathroom.

So we made the decision to put the kids in the same room at least for the first few weeks until they are used to the house. This will soon be Owens room and closet.

This will eventually be Emmalyn's room but for now it is the playroom. Or should I say disaster area. I just love the high ceilings in there.

This is the kids/guest bathroom.

So back into the living room where you walk into the kitchen.

Dining area. You just gotta love that blue:o)

In the picture above, the door on the left goes into the sun room. Not sure what to do with this space.

Out the door on the back right above you go into the back yard.

Back into the house on the opposite side of the house is the master bedroom. This short hall leads there.

Off our bedroom is the master bath.

In the picture above, the door on the left is a linen closet and the door straight back is our closet. Yes, I finally have a walk in closet!

This is an opposite view of the bathroom. Door straight back goes into our bedroom.

Thanks for touring my crib, peace out...LOL.

I can't wait to get some furniture in here. Better yet some visitors:) I miss you all so much!

On the road

It was for sure a tearful good-bye but in some ways I was looking forward to being on the road. Things at home in MI were getting so chaotic and unorganized I couldn't wait to settle into our new home and start fresh.

The kids did the best they could on the long trip down. If it hadn't been for the in car DVD players (thanks you mom and dad VW) Luke and I would have gone insane. We made it to Kentucky and stayed there overnight. The beds felt amazing but I'm sure any mattress would have considering the five nights prior were on an air bed or the floor. After a lovely continental breakfast we were back on the road. Our goal was to make it to Fairhope before 5pm so we could get all the utilities turned on in the house. Thanks to Louisville, and Nashville traffic we didn't make it in time. Needless to say power and water didn't get turned so it was one more night in a hotel for us. We had a great night sleep and were finally at the house the next afternoon!

Good-bye Michigan...Hello Alabama

Sadly we are unhooking the computer now so I won't have access to email until we are all settled in. I can't believe the move is here, we leave tomorrow afternoon. You will all be missed dearly but there is always and open door if you'd like to come and visit.

Please pray for us while we are traveling down. The next time we post it will be from Alabama.

We love you all!!!

Packing up

It's been snowing like crazy today so I figured I'd finish up packing what we aren't going to need for the next week. I've been putting the boxes in our laundry room so they would be out of the way but I'm running out of space. Better find another spot or I won't be able to get to the washer:o)

The walls are bare, we're down to just the necessities. We sold our living room furniture this week so we've been watching TV on the floor. The kids are loving the extra room to run around and be wild.

I've been reminiscing as I pack up each box. Our house has changed so much over the years. Each room has been at least three colors, new carpet, new windows, and the list goes on. This is where both my babies have grown up and it's going to be very sad to leave.

I can't believe we're down to only 10 days left!

Our house in Alabama

Thought I'd post a picture of our new house in Alabama. Not the greatest picture (Luke's not a professional like his Sis) but it will do for now. I haven't even seen it in person. But I totally trust Luke. He's done such an amazing job finding us a house and figuring it all out. We are just leasing for the fist year but I'm still super excited to move in plus, there is a pool right across the street. More pictures to follow later.

Alabama

Well, I'm starting this blog for all our friends and family. A place where you can see our latest pictures and adventures in Alabama. I still can't believe this is really happening. I'm sure it will hit me as we are driving away in our Uhaul. I'll probably cry the whole 15 hours down.

I'm both excited and sad about this new journey in our lives. So many changes and lots to look forward to but at the same time being 1000 miles away from the people we are closest to. I promise to do my best to keep in touch with you all just remember we will be an hour behind. If you call at 8am your time I'll just be waking up:o)

You are all welcome to come and visit ANYTIME. It will be nice and warm year around. Plus we are only 35 minutes from Gulf Shores, the most beautiful beach I've ever been to.

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. This past year has been pretty crappy and finally some doors are opening up for us. We are going to miss everyone so much. We love you all!!!