We Made It!

Well, it's taken me a while to get to this post, but we are back in the good ol' USA, and getting settled into our new home here. Apparently my computer prefers the other side of the ocean, because it has already decided to crash since our arrival here. That's part of my excuse for not blogging earlier. Of course, we still have Jason's computer, so it's not a very good excuse. Anyway... The picture abovce is one we took on the day we moved out of our flat. Seven guys showed up at our house early that morning and proceeded to wrap every piece of furniture we own in cardboard and plastic, and then they loaded all our possessions onto this truck. For some reason, they loaded the boxes and smaller things first, and then put our couches, etc. on top. I won't be the least surprised to find a broken dish or two when we finally unpack, but hopefully most of it is okay.

We had a good trip across the ocean. I think on every flight someone stopped us as we were getting off to comment on how well-behaved our children had been--always something a mom is glad to hear! It's never an easy trip, but the kids really helped by not melting down on us--and by sleeping a good bit. We were glad to finally get to P'cola and hug some necks. Our friends here have really gone out of their way to prepare the house where we'll be staying for the next six months. This...

is how the pantry looked when we arrived--and the fridge looked about the same! Talk about spoiling us!

And here are a few pictures of what we've been doing since our arrival:

Riding scooters...

Drawing with sidewalk chalk...
Playing with Mimi...

and playing with Mimi some more, and playing with Mimi some more...

and going to the beach! We made a trip out there this Tuesday since the weatherman was forecasting rain for the rest of the week. We took a picnic lunch, and then had a blast playing in the sand and getting our toes in the water.

Lee Anna, who just a few years ago wouldn't even let her feet touch the sand, could not get enough of the sand or the waves! It was so much fun to watch. Next time, maybe it won't be quite so windy. We were scared to even take the camera out in all that blowing sand!

Still Growing

Here's the latest installment of my "growing belly" pictures (if you missed the first installment and just need to see more pictures of my belly, here's that post). I was 26 weeks along this past Friday, which means we're almost to the third trimester! Our little princess has gotten quite active, especially after meals, and big brother and sister have both had the thrill of getting to feel her kick. Sawyer now comes up to me several times throughout the day and announces, "I think the baby's kicking now."

You might notice that the scenery behind me has changed a bit. I'm standing in the same spot, but the cardboard boxes have now taken over the house. I'm just glad we're going to make this overseas trek soon, before my belly has a chance to get much bigger!

Are We Done Yet?

I apologize for the slow posting lately. Things aren't really very picturesque around our house right now! We've got stacks and piles and suitcases and boxes galore, but it's not very pretty. So, to add a little cuteness factor, I stuck the kids in the pictures with the packing stuff. Sawyer and Lee Anna have been good helpers this past week, and I really feel pretty good about where we are right now, packing-wise. Of course, this next week is going to be crazy, but I do feel like it's within the realm of possibility that we could really be ready to move out this Friday. (It'll happen Friday whether we're ready or not, by the way.)

I can't promise a lot of exciting posts this week, but I may be back a time or two with some packing updates (thrilling, I know!) and/or stories as we prepare to make the trek back across the ocean. If not, then I'll definitely pick back up on "the other side," documenting our adventures in the land of green grass, stop lights, and Chick-Fil-A.