We're There!!!

DAY 25 & BEYOND:  MOVIN' ON UP

At long last, the big day had arrived.  Moving day!

We left the kids at the hotel with K and S in charge and a whole slew of boredom busters at their fingertips.  Electronic as well as edible.  Shaggy even had the brilliant idea to let each kid hide a package of snacks somewhere in one of the hotel rooms and bust it out to share at some point during the day.  Sort of a time-release sugar high, even if some of the snacks were of the natural sugar variety.  And I promised to bring them pizza for lunch.

Then Shaggy and I zipped over to the house so we wouldn't be late for the 8 to 10 am arrival window they gave us.  Turns out we didn't have to hurry.  They were late. 

And then they had a whole lot of trouble getting that giant semi up the driveway.  Can't imagine why.

But after a very long and boring day telling them whre to put things and checking all our items off the check list, we had our stuff back.  We only seemed to be missing one evasive green duffle bag.  A fact that delighted me.  Because I missed my stuff.  Most of it, anyway.

That night we opted to stay in the hotel because we couldn't find sheets, or pillows, or towels, or anything else, really.  I was overjoyed that it would be our very last night away from home.  I am sick to death of hotels.

Our adventures in the morning as we were trying to leave the hotel, only convinced us all the more that we needed to go home.  As Shaggy was walking the dogs, they spotted a squirrel and took off after it, pulling Shaggy off his feet and dragging him through the grass on his back (he showed me the lovely grass stains on the back of his shirt.)  Which was sort of scary for J and R who were with him.  Oh, how I wish I could have seen that moment.  I think I would have busted a gut from laughing at him. 

But I was back in the hotel room, alternately trying to gather the rest of our belongings and pushing B's head out of the railings where she kept shoving it in an attempt to see where Daddy had gone with the "goggies."  Even when she got it stuck repeatedly and cried for help, she would still stick it back in once I had freed her.  Yes, definitely time to go home.

Where we had a ginormous mess waiting for us.  But we were home. 

Unpacking the first day was pretty fun, even though Shaggy had to motor off to start his new job.  Mostly because I completely ignored the kitchen.  (I HATE unpacking the kitchen!)  Instead, we focused on the kids' rooms.  They were all eager to help with that process.  And every box we opened was like Christmas morning.  Toys they hadn't seen in ages, and had even doubted they would ever see again, only having a hazy understanding of the whole moving company thing.  And then they were kept delightfully busy playing with all these seemingly new toys while I bustled around trying to find linens 'n things. 

Ruger really liked the packing paper.  To lay in.  To eat, whatever.

We also took some breaks to play.  Packing materials are great fun.  They make good slides on the stairs.  And the plethora of paper is great to jump into and crawl around in and make pretend burritos out of.

 This is what B looks like when she's playing dead.

And this is what she looks like when she comes alive again.

So our days went, Shaggy went to work and we stayed home and worked.  And very, very slowly we began to clear the clutter and watch our home emerge.  I can't say that it was all fun, because most of it wasn't.  But we did it anyway.  Because it was worth it.

And I am so very happy to report that we are there.  We have arrived.  We. Are. Home.  And we can stay in our pajamas all the live long day.  Beautiful.