Our last couple weeks in IL were super busy. I ran my first half marathon in Chicago, which was my New Years resolution, and has been on my bucket list for a few years. It was the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, and there were bands along the way, which was pretty cool. I had a couple injuries that had me in a good deal of pain the last few weeks of training, and 2 days before the race, I was seriously considering not running (because I could hardly even walk!). I ended up deciding to still give it a try, and despite it being a pretty painful experience, I'm so glad I pushed through and completed the race. I loved running through the city, and I was so glad to be able to experience it before moving away from a city we love so much. And crossing the finish line and getting that medal was a pretty amazing feeling. :)
The day before the race, we had to go downtown to pick up the race packet, so we took the kids and made a fun day of it with a stop at Millennium Park.
We also got to meet up with our friend Lee who was out visiting his Dad. The kids got to fish for the first time, and they loved the big tree swing in the backyard!
The next couple weeks were crazy with our pod leaving, living with essentially minimal belongings, and trying to sell anything we couldn't fit on the pod. It was ridiculous CHAOS and stress. But with the help of some great friends and family, we got it done. This was our pod during the packing process and fully packed. I can't believe how much we fit into that little box.
Saying goodbye to everyone was gut wrenchingly hard (still is), and we cried more in our last days in IL than I ever thought possible. And now I'm going to stop thinking about that before I find myself in a puddle of tears again. :) We had a really nice final stop at Matt's parents and got to see his parents, brothers, and nephews (and Lindsay!) before heading to my parents. One of our last visitors that night were Jordan, Olivia, Audrina, and Beckett. Audrina gave Reese her first Best Friends necklace, which was the sweetest thing ever. <3 comment-3--="">
We left at 4 a.m. the next morning. The ride down was an adventure. I drove our SUV with the kids and Bailey, and Matt drove his car with Moxie. Both cars were packed FULL, including the roof of the SUV. We looked like the Griswolds pulling into town. We made it all the way to Atlanta that first day. We crashed in a pet friendly motel (ewwwww!) for the night. It was very interesting sleeping in a motel room all together, especially since Charlie discovered he could climb out of the pack n play. But we survived and left again at 4 a.m. We pulled into South Florida that evening, and although I wouldn't say I enjoyed the trip down at all, it went much, much better than I ever anticipated it would. The kids and pets were really great along the way!
Charlie tried to take over the driving at one of our stops. :)
When we got here, Brian, Jacqi, Austin, and Callie met us with our house keys. The kids were so excited when we came inside, and Jacqi's family had the place decorated with balloons and welcome signs. And my awesome sister also had Merry Maids come in the day before our arrival to clean the house so it was all ready for us to move right in. So amazing and such a stress relief. The kids were already super excited running around, but they definitely got REALLY excited when they saw the pool! The kids have really settled in great here, and we are so thankful for that.
Amidst the moving craziness, we have been trying to take breaks and have some fun. We spent a lot of time in our pool that first week, and we have made 2 trips to the beach, which the kids have absolutely loved. Reese is really getting comfortable in the water, and it's so fun to see her swimming around (with her floaties). Charlie is still a little more unsure, but he gets more comfortable each time we are in there.
This is our closest beach. It's about 25 minutes from our house.
Unfortunately, us midwestern folk don't know a darn thing about taking care of a pool. So, it started to turn a little green last week, and it's taken a few trips to the pool store and a little tutorial to get things turned around. We think we got it all straightened out now, and are looking forward to getting back in today! :)
Getting settled down here has been an adjustment that I think we will continue to go through for several months. Life and people down here are very, VERY different from what we are used to. I wish I could explain it, but I really can't. But suffice it to say that we are feeling pretty shell shocked and homesick. All feelings we expected, but it's been an emotional month. It will get better. :) And my sister and Brian have been SOOOOOOOO welcoming and helpful, which has been a huge help. I really can't imagine being here without them.
We are definitely missing Matt's family, and Reese and I made a countdown chain until Grandma Mary comes to visit. We are going up to South Carolina for Matt's cousin's wedding next weekend and Mary is riding back with us to come and stay for a few days. We can't wait!!!
We have been doing FaceTime with Chuck & Mary once a week, and the kids love that as well.
My job is…a little different than was advertised, so I am on the hunt again. I won't waste blog time going into the details of all of that, and I will definitely keep working there until something better comes along (I had a great interview on Thursday, so fingers crossed!), but…yeah…it's been a bit miserable. Including my 13 mile commute that takes me an hour. On a good day. Matt has had a lot of promising sales calls, and seems to have no shortage of places to visit down here for sales, so hopefully he starts to see results from his visits very soon. He is definitely using his Spanish speaking skills, as most of the areas he is visiting are primarily Latin population.
Reese started school on the 18th. She is attending a school just a couple miles from home. Her program is 5 days a week from 9-12. Just as it was last year, it has been quite the adjustment filled with lots and lots of tears, but she made some major progress with drop off the last 2 days this week, so hopefully that will continue to improve. Once she is there, she is great and she says she has a lot of fun. She has learned so many new songs, and she has plenty to talk about when she comes home. Her teacher made my heart burst with pride when she commented on how smart she is and how she already knows everything they are learning right now. Maybe they say that to every parent, but it made me so proud of her. :)
This was her first day of school. The tears hadn't started yet. She wants to be a teacher, doctor, and firefighter when she grows up. :)
We started our house projects last week. We rented scaffolding and a paint sprayer and painted our brown exposed beam ceiling white. What. A. Mess. I can't even explain the clean up after this project.
We got most of the downstairs painted as well.
Charlie liked watching Daddy (don't worry, they weren't here when we were spraying the paint!). I apologize for the bare bum, but that's been normal around here. Charlie is pretty much potty trained! He pretty much never has an accident when his bum is bare, but if he is wearing undies or shorts, he sometimes forgets. But he is really doing great!!!
Daddy and Reese took a break for a dance party. :)
We have been spending a lot of time with my sister and her family. It has been SO fun to see the kids together. Over the last couple years, Reese and Austin have had some rough times learning to play together during our visits, but since we have been here, they are getting along amazingly well. I think they have both turned a corner and matured a little, and seeing all of the kids playing together makes my heart so happy. (And if I'm being really honest, Charlie is the trouble maker starting most of the problems now!)
Yesterday, the kids and I went to Jacqi's while the guys were out golfing. Jacqi and I made food for the get together they were having that evening, and the kids played. Reese and Austin had fun drawing and writing while Charlie and Callie were napping. It was so sweet to watch them together.
When Brian got home, he took the kids in the pool for a quick swim. Charlie woke up from his nap mid swim, but was content playing on the patio.
It was hilarious watching Austin and Callie in the pool--they are little fish, and they love it when daddy throws them up high!
Callie kept asking Reese to hold hands and jump in together, which was adorable.
Jacqi and Brian had several families from their church over for dinner, and the kids had so much fun playing with all of the other kids. It was nice to socialize and feel like we had some friends here for the evening. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and it definitely made us feel happy to hang out. :)
We are looking forward to the rest of the holiday weekend and hopefully a tiny bit of relaxing. We hope you all get to do the same. Here are a couple videos!
The kids seeing the house for the first time:
Reese in the pool:
Reese singing her rainbow song from school:
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