Settling In

Well, Gary made it home Saturday. We unloaded the truck on Sunday. And we have been unpacking ever since. We are both starting to get a little tired of boxes. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to find somewhere to put it all.

Gary and Jackson have gone to KO to hunt today, but should be back tonight. We are hoping to finish unpacking tomorow and then paint the living room this weekend. Gary starts his new job on Monday and I am going to get back working too.

For those of you who don't know, I got new furniture for my birthday and we are still waiting for it to be delivered. Honestly, we don't have anywhere to put it at the moment.

Madison is just as we left it...with a little less road construction. It has been great seeing all of our friends. We have not made it to church yet, but are hoping to start back this Sunday.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us in this move. Jeffrey for flying to Denver to help, Mamaw for the food, all the guys who helped unload, Amy and Rob for taking on Chance for the whole weekend, and everyone who has just called to check in. We are truly grateful to be home.

There's No Place Like Home

I guess Glenda the Good Witch really knew what she was talking about. There really is no place like home. I had to call Gary the other night to tell him that even the rain is better in Mississippi. The kids and I were having a picnic on the living room floor and had the front door propped open (in JANUARY) to watch the storm.

I want to say thanks to everyone who has called to check in on the kids and I. For those of you who haven't, I know you have thought about us. We are surviving. Truthfully, it hasn't been that bad. The worst part is that we miss Gary.

All 3 kids started school this week, in spite of many trips to the doctor. Jackson has an ear infection, Ella had to get immunized, and Chance had pink eye and now the flu! We are doing our best to take it all in stride. Back to school, Ella was meant to be around people! She loves school and her teachers love her, SURPRISE SURPRISE! Jackson still doesn't want to see me leave, but he does fine once I'm gone. He has a wonderful teacher who makes him feel very important! And then there is Chanceroo! He is so big! He only got to go to school two days this week, but he thoroughy enjoyed it.

I have been painting up a storm. I have finished both the kids bedrooms and plan on painting my office (formerly Chance's room) tomorrow. Jeffrey flew out to Denver today to help Gary load the UHAUL and drive back. They should be here late Saturday night. He will have all next week off to help me unpack and get things in order around here. And then hopefully we will both be starting new jobs at the same time. I am still planning on doing my research job from home just as soon as we get settled in.

We are so excited to be back home. it's true what they say, You never know what you had until it's gone. . . (I'm just glad we were able to get it back!)

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig!

Well, for those of you who have not heard yet, we are moving home! Gary received a job offer over the Christmas holidays and since our house has not sold, we decided to come on back to Mississippi! Gary is already back in Colorado packing up the apartment. He is handing in his two weeks notice today and should be home next weekend. The kids and I are staying put! There was no point in driving all the way back to CO just to turn around and come back! So, we will start school in Madison on Monday the 7th. Chance will be at Madison Crossing and Jackson and Ella both have spots secured at FBC! We can't wait to see all of you again!

I'll Be Home For Christmas!!!!

Well, this is it...the last blog entry before I will see most of you! I was hoping to get the kids Santa Picture posted, but that doesn't look like it is going to happen. We are running around like busy little bees. You know how it is before you go out town. Gary has been working late to get all his hours in so he won't have to go in on Friday! The kids are counting down and driving us crazy! I am just trying to get in all done. The good thing is I will have 18 hours to catch up on sleep in the car.

For those of you who like to keep up with travel plans, we are planning on leaving here between 6 and 7 Friday morning (which is 7 or 8 MS time). Right now we think we will try to drive straight through and hopefully be in KO by 2am. However, since we are traveling with 3 kids and 2 dogs, we are flexible. We might end up stopping and spending the night along the way. Either way, we will be in town in time for Christmas at Mamaw Bobbye's. Everyone keep us in your prayers for both safety and sanity.

That's it for now...as I type Ella is crying, the boys are fighting, the dogs are barking, and supper is boiling...needless to say, I better go. We will see you all soon.

All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!

What a weekend we had. First and Foremost...Chance lost his front tooth! He is officially a snaggletooth. He looks so funny, but so BIG!

And then there is Miss Ella Bella who has figured out how to make people laugh. This is one of her new favorites. Her Daddy calls her a little "pot" head!

We had our first big snow this weekend...about 6 inches between Friday night and Saturday. The kids are loving it. The boys got out and played in it a little bit on Saturday morning, but we didn't make it up to the mountains yet. Friday night Gary & I had his company Christmas Party. We had a great time and found that there are actually people here we could be friends with.

For those of you who don't know already, we turned our house over to a property manager who will hopefully find someone to lease it in the next few weeks. We are hoping to start seriously looking for a house here in Denver after Christmas.

Gary left this morning for North Dakota. . . HA HA HA . . . it's even colder there. He will be gone until Thursday and then we are at a week and counting until we come home. Can't wait to see you all. Love you!

Elf Babies!

Jackson & I played on the computer this afternoon and made some elf babies! You have got to see how funny they are! If you need a good laugh, check out the link below!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1201433834

What Do We Look Like???Garbage???

Okay so the title of this blog is a little strange! Let me explain...It is Jackson's new favorite thing to say and it seemed appropriate since Gary and feel like we are living in pig sty most of the time. We just have too much stuff for this tiny apartment. I have to give a shout out to my mom though, she helped me find a good way to deal with it. I had gotten to a point that my mantra was I hate this ******* apartment. (I refuse to even type that word because it is not one I ever say.) So the fact that it would go through my head at least twice a day tells you how bad it had gotten around here. My mom made a suggestion that I wake up every morning singing "This is the day that the Lord has made." Well, I'm not really one for singing first thing in the morning, but I have replaced my daily motto with this song. Now, every time I hate this apt. I just burst out singing. The kids think I have gone crazy, but it works for me and I am not quite as miserable.
We have turned the house in Madison over to a property management company. They will find someone to lease it and keep it up for us. This takes a huge pressure off of us. So, as soon as we have a lease on it, we can find something else here! HALLELUJAH!!!
Kids are doing well. Chance asks every day if it is Christmas yet and when are we going to Kosciusko. They are very excited about seeing everyone. We went to the mall last night to see Santa...and he wasn't there. What kind of mall doesn't have a Santa. So, we are going to find one this weekend and I will post a picture as soon as we have one. I hope everyone is full of the Christmas Spirit! We will see you all soon!