Working on Our Summer Bucket List

Preschool Field Trip to the Local Fire Station

I was a little jealous that I didn't get a chance at the fire hose like the kids did.

Knocking down a cone with a giant hose proved to be a lot of fun.

The preschool crew.

 The Farm

Maddie and her buddy checking out the farm's pig.

Giddy up!

No you can't have a goat for your birthday.

Milk that cow!

Isaac gave the hayride a thumbs up.

 The Bronx Zoo

Checking out the sea lions at the world's largest urban zoo. We can check another NYC borough off our list of places to visit. 

Getting geared up to see the animals. 

In front of the lion's lair.

Careful there, don't get too close...

After walking our keesters off all morning we took an afternoon monorail ride and saw many more animals from the comfort of our train car. 

The Beach

At our favorite local beach a few days ago. It's my goal to make it to the beach at least once a week. The kids were swimming like crazy in what had to be 40 degree water. Brrrrrr!

Orchard and Fruit Farm

CT is full of fruit farms and strawberry picking season began a couple of days ago. Getting Davis to refrain from eating the berries until after we paid was fruitless (pun intended!!! bahahahah!)

Maddie, on the other hand, was much more cautious and deliberate. She loved picking berries with her buddy, Emmy. Fresh-picked strawberries are heavenly.

An exhausting and adventurous couple of weeks. I think we better slow down or I might burn out by the end of the month...

Storm-Watching

Davis watching the weather from our front window.

We survived Hurricane Irene (it was actually downgraded to a tropical storm before it even hit CT, but I'm still claiming I lived through a hurricane)! In fact, we never even lost power. Our only casualties came from our garden.--I don't know if the tomato and pepper plants are going to make it, but you won't hear us complain about it. Thanks for all the phone calls, texts, and especially prayers!

Preparing for Hurricane Irene

We are in full-fledged disaster prep at our house this morning. At least I am. The kids are clueless to what might happen over the next few days and instead are watching PBS while check all our supplies to make sure we have enough batteries, flashlights, and matches. I also stocked up on water, diapers, and chocolate, so we should be set if the rains really do start to come down.

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I miss those crazy Iowa ice storms...so much for moving to a milder climate...

Now Both of My Sons have Slept in a Closet

After going back and forth for weeks about whether to rent or buy while living here in Connecticut, we finally concluded that renting was our best option. We did something super-risky and didn't even fly out to see our new abode before rolling into the driveway a little over three weeks ago. It was just going to be too pricey and we felt good about taking the risk. Our instincts didn't let us down---the house was exactly what the realtor said it would be (people out here go through a realtor to rent their homes as well as buy them) and the pictures were true to real life. Here are a few photos of our new place after Mary-Ann worked her magic. I can't figure out how to get blogger to put them in the correct order, so here is your sporadic photo tour:

Remember when Davis slept in this closet as a newborn? Well now Ike sleeps in a large closet upstairs, about the size of a bathroom.  We convinced him it was cool  with the Lightning McQueen decal.  Everyone gets more rest when D and Isaac aren't in the same room--they play too much and sleep too little. 

I love having a yard. We even planted a little garden as soon as we got here.

The playroom. 

Another one of the playroom. Have I mentioned I LOVE having a playroom?

Davis' wing of the bedroom.

Maddie's wing. We had originally purchased a bed for her from Ikea (did I mention we bought almost EVERYTHING there?), but when a new ward friend was selling her daughter's entire canopy bedroom set for $50, we took the Ikea bed back and now she has this one. No canopy yet but hopefully someday. Maddie is in love with her pink wallflower lights. 

Our bedroom.

This picture makes the lights above the bed look a little crazy, but in reality they look wonderful and I love them. The perfect little  reading light. 

I call this the multipurpose room because it doubles as an office/bathroom extension/laundry-folding station/exercise room/guest bedroom. 

The dining room. Isn't that curtain funky? You'd never guess we bought it in the shower curtain section. Just one of Mary-Ann's many design secrets.

Rapunzel's tower and the bane of my existence. I can't keep Davis off these dangerous stairs (no matter how strictly I discipline him) and I might have to break down and buy a gate.

The living room. Go Backyardigans!

One of the many things I love about this room is the window into the kitchen. I also love the funky light that sits on the sill. And of course the corner with a picture of each of my kiddos.

Another thing I love is the mantel. There is a mirror just above it and it makes it a fun place to decorate.

My tiny kitchen. Mary-Ann did a nice job of making it bigger...

By doing fun things like hanging canisters on the wall to give me more storage space.

Not too shabby a place to stay during a New England vacay, eh?

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.

Lucky Me

We just found out that my sister, Brooke, and her family (Jeremy-the hubby, Homer-the turtle, and Peewee--the chihuahua) will be moving to Massachusetts just before we move to Connecticut. 

We will be a short hour away from each other. I can't tell you how very excited we are about this! Spending holidays together...girls' nights...pillow fights...dropping my kids off at her house so I can get pedicures and go on weekend getaways with my hubby...the list is endless!

They just bought this beautiful home, so there's no turning back now!

I plan on spending many many nights in their sweet guest bedroom.

We can't wait!

Heading Back East!

We just found out tonight that we will be spending the next 3 years in New Haven, Connecticut where Ryan will do his podiatric residency training. We are thrilled! It has been a long month waiting for the news and an even longer couple of days while he scrambled for a position, but it was all worth it! I am so proud of how Ryan handled the situation and how well he works even under a great deal of stress. We are excited to begin the next chapter of our lives. We've lived in the west and loved it, lived in the mid west and loved it, so I guess it's time we head back east, right? We will make the move late this Spring after Ryan graduates.
 Let me give you a few reasons to consider visiting us in the next three years:

We'll be less than two hours from the Big Apple...

Less than three hours from Boston...

And chances are, if you stay with us, you will be sleeping in the same room as these crazy kids! Guest bedrooms are hard to come by in New England, especially on a resident's salary...but I promise they will give you a vacation to remember!

So when are you coming?