We've Moved!

Tonight I really ought be working to put our house together. But I'm tired of unpacking and sorting through boxes. And, quite frankly, I'm just plain tired. So instead I'm posting about our big, exciting moving day.

We closed on our house on the 21st and had some professionals come in to paint most of the downstairs a few days later. We opted months ago to keep our all of our belongings moved from Dallas in storage with the moving company, so in our apartment we'd been using the bare minimum generously loaned or donated by many family members. Literally the only thing we brought from Texas was two weeks' worth of clothes in suitcases since we thought we'd have a home to live in after a month or so. Anyway, the moving guys came and brought everything on the 29th. The real work for us began on the 30th and we had fantastic helpers in the form of all of Danny's siblings. We got so much done and unpacked that day, and we couldn't have done it without them. So thank you Stacy, Ben, Mike, and Emily!!

Here are some photos I took the day before the movers came.

My favorite part is this Nacho Libre chapel they put on. Yeah, we're hoping to get that changed (if the HOA okays it).

The entry way.

From the reverse position.

The hallway off the entry way to the garage, the laundry room, a bathroom, and a bedroom.
Part of the laundry room. I think I'll love my sink and cabinets in there.

We opted for an additional bedroom downstairs instead of having a den or extending the family room. For now, it will be a play room.

We also opted to make this downstairs bathroom a full bathroom instead of just a powder room.
The kitchen. I love it. The red is not as bright in real life. And someday I want to stain the cabinets a much darker brown.

Looking into the kitchen from the family room.

Looking into the family room from the kitchen.

Upstairs is the master bedroom and bathroom.

And the kids' rooms. I'm so thrilled for Megan to be in a crib and a real bedroom instead of the playpen and our stuffy, little, pitch-black closet she resided in for the past four months.

And happy for Emily and Dallin to have actual beds to sleep on instead of the air mattresses they've been using since we left Dallas the end of May.

A view of the backyard from the house. Soon we hope to have grass and a swing set for the kids. And later shade trees, citrus trees, flowering shrubs, and an edible garden. As for now, you'll just have to use your imagination.

There you have it. We feel so blessed to finally have this home. We are definitely hoping to share it with others, so come on down for a visit!

Girls' Get Away

Over the weekend I got to go on a Girls' Get Away in the Phoenix area. The girls included: my mom, my two sisters, my three sisters-in-law, and myself. It was SO FUN!



People got met up at various parts of the day to do lots of fun stuff. I arrived in time for dinner at Carrabba's, one of my faves. Let me just say Pollo Rosa Maria with garlic mashed potatoes and a Caesar salad. YUM!

We stayed for free at the Westin, thanks to my brother-in-law. We were all in one room; some in beds and some on the floor on air mattresses. I liked staying in one room. Some conked right out while some of us stayed up late talking and laughing.

One of the best parts of the weekend for me was a slow, leisurely Saturday morning. My sister, Jennifer, was SUPER nice and painted my toe nails for me since it's nigh unto impossible for me to get down there these days. She even massaged my legs and feet with lotion. She offered to do it. It was her idea. Talk about a thoughtful sister! I finally agreed and it felt so nice. I've been admiring my pretty toes ever since.

We shopped for most of the afternoon at some outlets. We would shop all day, every day if we could. We live for good sales and found tons of stuff. I like this picture of my sisters, my mom, and me. They are great! Often strangers ask if we are triplets. And they also think my sisters-in-law are actual sisters. I guess we all look pretty similar.

Here's all our loot that filled up the back of my mom's car. We did well to say the least. After shopping we went to eat at the White Chocolate Grill. Mmmmmm.

A big thanks goes to all the hubbies who stayed behind with kiddos. We had a great time being together and having a little time away from the daily grind. Besides Danny, of course, these are the people I love spending time with most. I can't wait till next year!

The Zoo

Danny had the day off, Emily's still on fall break, AND it's not 45,000 degrees anymore. So we went to one of our favorite spots this morning: the good ol' Reid Park Zoo.

It's a terrific zoo for several reasons. It's quite shady, the exhibits are close together, the animals are almost always in plain view, it only takes two hours max to see everything, and admission is relatively inexpensive. We love it. We were happy to go back after so long.

Always the highlight is feeding the giraffes, Denver and Texas.

Good Eats

Yesterday at breakfast, Megan tried feeding herself for the very first time. I really love her concentration face.

I wouldn't be encouraging this so soon if it weren't for this new baby coming. We hope Megan can get the hang of it by the time she's born.

After a while, she got tired of all the effort it takes to use a spoon when it yields little success. When I wasn't looking she ditched the spoon and the bowl. She's no dummy.