Connecticut or Bust

Sunday morning we packed the kids up and start our eastward trek. I can tell you that Ryan and I have looked at each other at least a dozen times over the past few days and we can't believe we are in this crazy situation. Seriously? Three small kids and everything we own in the back of our two cars, headed for a new state, new job, and a new life. We have no idea what we are in for.

We packed up every earthly possession we could into the back of our minivan. We sold/good willed anything that wouldn't fit. Insane.

The precious cargo fit snugly into the back of the Toyota. I started out with them but Ryan and I have been switching vehicles periodically to keep our sanity. So far we are all still alive.

Our first night we stayed with our friends the Andrea and Tyler in Indiana. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of us with them, but they were excellent hosts and the kids loved playing together. 

Davis has been doing a little of this and it seems to be keeping him from melting down too much. 

We took a slight detour to the Kirtland Temple yesterday and let the kids run around the grounds a little bit.

When D finally got out of the car, he had to learn how to walk again, his poor chubby legs were like jelly. 

Maddie was glad to be out of the car as well.

Five weary travelers in front of the Newel K. Whitney store. This was day two on the road.

Maddie trying to snuggle up to Ike tonight while watching cartoons in upstate New York tonight. Day three on the road.

Aside from Maddie losing her breakfast 1 mile from our home in Des Moines (seriously. 1 mile), the trip has gone better than I could have ever anticipated. No car problems, no mega-meltdowns, no potty accidents, and all the kids have slept like rocks every night. We have been very fortunate. 

That being said, I CANNOT WAIT to arrive in Connecticut tomorrow! And I don't want to get back in the car again for a long time...at least not for any road trips. If I ever decide that I want to voluntarily drive across the country again, someone please slap me silly and hand me a plane ticket. Ryan and I discovered that if you count our trek to San Fransisco after we'd been married just a year, we will have driven across this country from coast to coast. 

As I finish up this blog post in our hotel, I feel pretty lucky to have three great kids (all asleep...they always look so precious and innocent while they're asleep, I have almost forgotten how they were driving me crazy a mere hour ago), a sweet hubby who is easy-going and willing to role with the punches, and an overall awesome life. 

Connecticut or bust, baby, Connecticut or bust.

Graduation Weekend

Our Memorial Day weekend was jam-packed with graduation festivities, packing, and the beginning of our great move to the east coast. Ryan's parents came to town for Ryan's big day and it was great to see them and have them with us for the big celebration.

Davis wouldn't come within 25 feet of Grandpa Lynn when they first pulled up to our house in Des Moines, but it didn't take long at all for them to become bffs again.

Maddie and Grandma Mary-Ann at the graduation. Suckers were a life-saver there as well as on the road a couple of days later.

Davy on the lookout for his daddy.

Just seconds before Ryan walked across the stage to be hooded and receive his diploma, this little guy through a giant-sized tantrum. Since I was frantically hauling him out of HyVee Hall, I couldn't get a picture of Dr. Payne. I figured I should at least document Davis' fit while I had the camera all ready. 

Maddie hanging out in Grandma's camping chair after graduation. Lynn and Mary-Ann brought their own bed, their own chairs, and even their own towels to our place this past weekend because we literally had zero accommodations. Zero. They were troopers and we are so glad they came to share this special time with us.. 

I never got a picture of the whole family with Ryan in his grad robes, but here he is with his hat and ropes.

Kissing a doctor for the first time was even more amazing than I imagined.

My favorite quote of the weekend came from the words of Mark Twain:
"I'm glad I did it; partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to to it again." 
Good work Dr. Payne!

Spring Family Photo Shoot

Are you sick of seeing our family pictures? Great, me neither! We are super lucky to have both a fantastic photographer in our family and another great friend here in Des Moines, thus getting our family pictures taken four times in the last year! Here are a few of the latest favorites.

All photos courtesy of Chrissy Jo Parkinson.

This Might Have Been the Start of Something Big.

Ryan pretending to be a doctor. How priceless is this photo, considering what he has accomplished over the  past four years?

Can you believe this was taken almost 30 years ago? Ryan graduates this Saturday with his doctorate and I am so proud of him. I bet his mom never imagined when she took this picture so long ago that one day her little angel boy (that's what she still calls him...to this day) would accomplish such a great undertaking. I mean really, what kid hasn't played with a toy stethoscope a time or two?

Ryan and Isaac just after beginning medical school (at the white coat ceremony) almost 4 years ago.

Taking Gross Anatomy.

Doing some pro bono work on his dad back when he didn't really know what he was doing. He knows now.

I can't wait to see what is in store for our family on this next adventure that we are about to embark upon! It really is such an exciting time. 


Congratulations, Ryan! You did It! 
We are so proud of You!

I am a Child of God

Love this video!

Butterfly Garden

A few weeks ago I purchased a butterfly garden so my kids and I could watch caterpillars eat, grow, build cocoons, and eventually turn into butterflies. I hope that we can make a Spring tradition out of it. I bought mine for less than $15 on Amazon, but a friend of mine found them at Walmart as well.

By this point all the caterpillars had built their cocoons. 

Many mornings it was the first thing the kids checked on when they woke up.

Even though we watched them pretty carefully, we never saw any of the caterpillars emerge from their cocoons. They were pretty fast and would suddenly just appear in the garden, flying around.

A couple of the butterflies, just after leaving their cocoons.

Getting ready to release the butterflies from the garden into great wide open.

Even D wanted in on the action.

I tried to capture a photo or two of the butterflies leaving their garden, but they were too quick! We were lucky enough to see all 5 of our painted ladies turn from caterpillars into butterflies.

One of the more exciting educational experiences I have had with my kids. I would highly recommend it!

Maybe He Really is Paying Attention?

As Ryan was reading stories with the kids tonight I noticed that they were all paying attention and enjoying the story at the same time, so I deemed it a Kodak moment. I sneakily pulled out the camera and hoped to snap a shot without any of them noticing. Just as I was taking the picture, Davis looked up and belted out "CHEESE!!!" as cute and clear as can be.

Who knew he has actually been paying attention to us and what we say?  There are definitely times when he could have fooled me, that's for sure.

It cracked everyone up to hear Davis get so excited about the camera. Here they are laughing at him and his new word.

Mothering Manipulation

My two-year-old firecracker, Maddie, has been Dora's most devoted fan since before she turned 18 months old. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING rivaled her compassion and love for that little Latina. And to be honest with you, I loved it! Spanish-speaking role model, friendly and kind, loves her abuela, talks to monkeys and other animals...

But ever since Disney's Tangled came out on dvd, Rapunzel has been slowly but surely creeping deeper and deeper into Maddie's heart. At first I loved it---the music is seriously catchy, Rapunzel is smart and sassy, and could Flynn Rider/Eugene be any cuter? I think not. And then all of a sudden I realized that the long-tressed blonde was really winning Maddie over. While I have no problem with Rapunzel (I did buy her the DVD for her Easter basket, so according to Ryan I have no one to blame but myself), I just don't want her to be into princesses quite yet. Is that too much to ask? Dora just seems more age-appropriate, more little-girlish than 18-year-old Rapunzel.

Call me crazy (pretty sure Ryan thinks I am), but I DO have a problem with this Disney princess:

Maybe I'm a little old-fashioned, but I can't be the only mother in America who has issues with this scantily-clad redhead who blatantly disobeys her loving father and ends up selling her voice (soul) to the sea devil for the chance at wooing some punk she's never even met. I'm just sayin'. Not exactly the type of role model I want for my not-yet-three-year-old little girl.

Enter manipulation. I talk constantly about how awesome Dora is---I sing her songs throughout the day and mention often how smart and fun she is...and I try to coerce my daughter into choosing to watch her over the Disney girl instead. So answer me this: Is there anything wrong with that? All I really want is for my baby girl to stay a baby for a few years longer!

And just for the record, the manipulation doesn't seem to be working too effectively.

Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird

Here is the latest favorite primary song in our house. In an effort to give Maddie equal air time (Ike seems to unintentionally drown her out when they sing together), I videotaped them separately, Maddie singing the first verse and Ike the second. The only problem I ran into was that little Mads didn't want to stop at just one verse, so you get the whole song from her and just the second verse from Ike.

I wish I could have fully captured Maddie's outfit today---Sparkly Unicorn shirt, Princess skirt, and Dora snow boots.

It's 80 degrees outside today.

These are for you, Corey!

Tulip Fest

Yesterday morning we packed the kids in the car and headed south-east to the Dutch town of Pella. Every year, on the weekend before Mother's Day, the city puts on a Tulip Festival, complete with thousands of flowers, parades, and Dutch food. We decided to pass on the festival (and the crowds) this year, but thought it would make for a fun Mother's day drive to head out there before church. The flowers were gorgeous, and we even found a fun park where the kids could play. It was a beautiful morning.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Remember these old-school slides that burn your leg when the temperature creeps up in the heat of summer?  Luckily yesterday it was a brisk 55 degrees in the morning.

Maddie took this picture---not too shabby for a two-year-old, eh?

Ike's favorite flowers.

Ryan took a picture with me and each child in front of their favorite tulips. Maddie is partial to the color purple as of late.

I loved the big orange ones.

The tire swing was the hit of the park.

My daredevil little boy. A couple of days ago he ran right off the apparatus at the playground, tumbling five feet to the ground. One of my scariest moments as a mother. Luckily I was the only one hurt by that fall.