Playing Ketchup

We've been so obscenely busy with unpacking, school prep and life in general that it's been nearly impossible to keep up with it all here.  But I'm hoping to catch up before we celebrate our first month here.  To that end, here are the few pictures I was able to snap of our big move from Pembroke to Naperville.  The kids were FANTASTIC the entire journey, from waking up at the crack of dawn, to getting through security, to waiting at the airport, through the flight and then over hill and dale trying to escape from O'Hare with our belongings and sanity intact.  We did really, really well.  Until we arrived at the new house, that is.  The movers had insisted on starting to unload early that morning, so there could be no introduction to the new house without the insanity of six guys running around with boxes on a mission to empty the truck.

It wasn't safe for the kids to be at the house, so Marc took them to a local hotel with a pool for the afternoon, which turned out to be the unleashing of complete and utter disaster.  They ended up back in the room watching a movie, with no food, no drinks and no other diversions.  The few times we spoke by phone, the shrieking, overtired, hungry, bored children in the background were enough for me to realize we won't do that again!!! 

Next time we move, I'm coming out first as the advance team to take delivery, unpack essentials and childproof.  Then I'll fly back to get the kids and Marc and we'll all go to our happy new nest and start living.  And we'll make sure not to do it during the biggest heat wave in a decade. (Remember this!)

But back to this time.  THIS time, we did manage to have a whole lot of fun amidst the insanity of it all.  It was the first week we'd spent as a family in four months, so we had a lot of reconnecting to do!

Our Awesome Packing Team!
Jake, Robert, Jack, Charles, Taylor, and Driver Jeff Olson

These guys were amazing!  I just tried to stay out of their way because they were a force of nature.  They had the entire house, including a full attic and full storage shed, packed and loaded in under 3 days.  It would have taken me three MONTHS! 

I let Jack stay for the last few hours of loading.  He was one of the hardest workers - Robert commented that he'd never seen a kid like that.  "What kid wants to work?"  he said.  "Amazing, I've never met anyone like that!"  Jack was a filthy, sweaty, hot mess after it all and couldn't have been happier!   He ran water out to everyone and shook all their hands when the job was done.  As a reward, Jeff let him ride shotgun in the truck (with mom following behind in the minivan) when he went to get gas for the big trip out west. Talk about HEAVEN, for this 8 year old!

I have no idea what these guys make an hour, but it couldn't have been enough for how hard they worked in blistering heat, with little rest.  It was a good thing we finally sold our swing set so I could tip them well and buy them lunch each day.  They were truly impressive role models of the strong work ethic that we hope to foster in our kids. 

Marc, 'Gray' and Jack got to chat while we waited for our flight.

 
And then after a few days at Nana's house, it was off to the airport!  The kids were super-impressed with the shiny Cadillac Escalade that picked us up for the ride to the airport.  But they were even more impressed that their grandfather could see them off from inside the gates! 
 
Nannie and Gray met us curbside and Nannie came as far as she could with us to sneak in a few big hugs before we left.  But because Gray works for Massport, he could come through and meet us on the other side.  But the BEST part was that when we boarded, he got into his work truck on the runway and followed beside us (from a safe distance) during takeoff.  The kids were screaming "It's Gray!  It's GRAY!!!  Hiiiiiiiii Graaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!" 
 
Who needs superheroes when you've got grandfathers!

Molly and Puppy checking out the view.

Marc and Jack getting all set up for the ride.

Buzz Lightyear-who-refused-to-take-off-his-dirty-pajama-shirt-for-two-days
checking out the buttons as we head out.
To infinity and beyond!

We're HERE!

We're HOME!

Action Jackson, at it again!

The view of the van from this side of the trip.

The all important "Open First" box, filled with  the necessities of living. 
Toilet Paper - Paper Towels - Paper Cups/Plates - Etc.

What I don't have pictures of is the AMAZING spread that we were welcomed home to, a joint effort between my mom, sister-in-law and brother.  There were snacks and drinks, gifts for everyone, gift certificates to local restaurants, menus for dozens of area eateries, balloons for the kids, wine for the grownups...it was so overwhelmingly awesome I temporarily lost my sanity and forgot to take pictures.  We were too busy ripping apart the snacks and drinks since we hadn't eaten in hours!

I intend to send proper thank yous within this millennium, but in the meantime

THANK YOU MUM, DAD, PAUL AND ULIA!!!!  YOU ROCK!!!

Once we'd gotten over the initial 48 hours of complete bedlam, it was time to start settling down.

Our 1st meal cooked on our new stove.  It's probably capable of a much more impressive meal, but this night, I wasn't!

Master Bedroom - DONE!  Only 7 rooms left!

Writing this 3 weeks after this picture was taken, I am so tired of opening boxes and unwrapping paper packages that I'm considering asking for no presents for my next birthday.  Or maybe just no presents in boxes?

This is the view from our front door with NO MOVING TRUCK outside!  It's a bit of a dressy front door, maybe not quite my style.  But it's head and shoulders above our old one because A. it's actually attached to the living area and B. It makes RAINBOWS!

This happens every day as the sun sets.  The kids yell out "It's Rainbow Time!!"

The first time we saw the rainbows it had been a particularly rough day for me.  It was day two, and I was driving in the car, coming back from picking lunch up for the movers.  My Tom Tom GPS sent me 20 miles out of my way and I ended up stuck in traffic with $50 of Portillo's hot dogs piled on my passenger seat and starving movers and kids and husbands to feed.  I just wanted to cry.  Or throw up.  Or both.

As if a cosmic sign, Poison's "Cry Tough" came on the radio (okay, so I was listening to Satellite Radio on the "Hair Band" channel, so it wasn't all that improbable that a Poison song would come on, but STILL!  I'm taking it as a message from the universe, so there.)

Anywho, the lyrics that reminded me to suck it up went like this:

"Life ain't no easy ride, at least that's what I'm told.  And sometimes a rainbow baby, is better than a pot of gold." - Poison

For the younger generation, the 2010 translation of these 1980s lyrics is this;

 "Ain't about what's waiting on the other side - it's the climb." - Miley Cyrus

So I took some deep breaths and sucked it up so I could enjoy the climb, and my day ended with me and the kids catching rainbows in our hands through the front door. 

No complaints here.  Especially about the sunsets.