Date Night

While Edward and Madison attended their dance, the boys and I had a date night. Luke has wanted to go golfing forever. He first was intrigued by it when we were at Death Valley visiting Jennifer and Andrew. Our room was right by one of the holes, and he thought it looked awesome. When we moved in, we discovered a mini-golf place down the road, BRAND NEW! So, for our date night, the boys and I went to a local favorite of ours, Sammios, for pizza, spaghetti, and garlic bread. They ate EVERYTHING!!! After dinner, we went for an evening of golf. We had a great time, and the boys loved it. I wasn't sure how Alex would enjoy the mini golf, but it was a huge hit.

Ready for their evening out! I told Luke he had to wear "golfing clothes" instead of his usual favorite cotton shorts and t-shirt, so he changed into his golf attire. Alex did too.

After I filled up their bellies with pizza and spaghetti, we were off to golf. They had a perfect, plastic-sized club for Alex.

It wasn't Wonder Mountain like my sister, brother, and friend Carin used to go to in Wells, Maine every summer, but it was a good mini golf place. We'll be heading back, many times, I'm sure.

Without prompting, Alex did most of his golfing with his left hand. Madison is left-handed, and we're thinking Alex might be too. He seems to have the same tendancy. Nonetheless, they had a blast. We made it through about 14 of the 18 holes before they seemed to get disinterested. Actually, they were very interested...in the go-carts on sight too. Alex was too little for those, so we just had to watch.

We ended our date with ice cream at the nearby Dairy Queen. Luke loved the fact that a couple of police officers came in for ice cream too. Luke loves police officers, so that made his night.

Daddy-Daughter Dance

Edward and Madison attended their first Daddy-Daughter Dance this past Friday night. The first day Edward was in-processing, he was getting the info for the kids to be registered at the CDC (Child Development Center), who has great programs for deployed families (including free childcare). Anyways, they had a flier up advertising this dance, and he knew it had Madison written all over it. So, he bought the tickets. Now, at the time, it didn't seem like a problem that a jacket was required for the dads at the dinner. It's not a problem IF you have your clothing here. So, the day of the dance, when we were told our stuff wasn't coming, as it had been promised, he had to venture out to the mall to buy a suit. All included...suit, shirt, socks, shoes. Yeah. Fun. Of course, he said most guys were in their military dress, but of course, his was on the truck. Anyways, the two had a great evening, and I'm sure it will be an annual event. Madison said she loved the buffet, which Edward said was tailored to little girls. The dinner/dance was held at the Fort Bragg Officer's Club. I'm glad they had such a good evening.

Madison was so excited to go. She watned to put her dress on at lunchtime, but I held her off. I even did her hair, but she didn't like how the hot rollers felt, so she took them out pretty quickly. I know the bathroom looks awesome. We were getting ready to paint that evening, and that's why there's tape on the walls and the ladder in the tub. I promise it is squared away now.

Waiting on the hot rollers

Ready to go!

Back from a fun-filled evening

"It's on the Truck"

This is the second move the Army has missed the estimate on how much room we need on the moving truck. It's also the second move that our stuff has been the last loaded on the moving truck (usually four families). This is the second time we haven't been able to get all of our stuff on the moving truck...what a mess.

The movers started packing our stuff on May 27. It was picked up on June 2. 2300 pounds of our stuff didn't fit on the main moving truck load, and it was left at our house. At 6PM on June 2, a small truck came to pick up our load, and we were told it would sit in Yuma until another truck picked it up. And, it did sit in Yuma, and sit, and sit, and sit. Now, it's over a month later that our stuff was packed up, and we still don't have it for a CONUS move (Continental United States) that was supposed to be door-to-door.

2300 pounds is a lot of stuff, especially considering most of the furniture was on this load. It's mostly boxes of household stuff, and believe me, we've figured out about 75% of the stuff that IS NOT here. The load was supposed to arrive and be delivered last Thursday. Not here. Now, they are saying this Thursday. Very doubtful it will get here, but that's because we've been having glitches like that with so much of our stuff...yes, the new sofa we ordered for the living room is now backordered until at least August...not even an easy mess to just cancel that order. Uggh.

So, it's sort of a joke, but also sort of a hot topic to discuss what isn't here at the house. Whenever we come across something not here, we say, "It's on the truck." Even the kids have started saying it! So, here's the list we have come up with so far:

-ALL of the kids' bedding
-half of Alex's clothing...when I say half, the half that arrived is his winter stuff
-the boys lampshade and curtains
-Madison's curtains, and 2/3 of her toys/books
-Madison's Pottery Barn chair
-laundry hamper
-all but one laundry basket
-all my buckets
-VACUUM!!!
-steam vac
-ALL of Edward's and my hanging clothing
-75% of my clothing...all that arrived is my winter stuff, which is a couple pairs of jeans and sweatshirts!
-pegs for pegboard
-string trimmer/weed whacker
-grill
-wooden picnic table
-kids' Little Tikes picnic table
-ALL the hardware for the curtain rods (we were in base housing, so we had to take down our curtain rods, and I'm going to be upset if our hardware doesn't show up)
-wastebaskets for three rooms
-hardware for the boys' mirror
-Alex's trike
-COMPUTER MONITOR
-half of the cords for my computer
-cords for one of the tvs
-75% of the boy toys, including the Batcave. That is what got Luke crying in Yuma, and the other day he told me that I lied to him when I said the Batcave would be at his new house. That almost made me cry.
-All of Edward's Army uniforms
-Edward's manipulation table for practicing his osteopathic stuff (fixing backs and such)
-one set of large storage shelving for garage
-more lampshades
-a good chunk of Edward's power tools including a saw and nailer
-the ONE box of dry/boxed food goods I was moving. I did such a good job of eating down our food stockpile, and this box of stuff has now sat in over 110 degree weather for weeks. It's going in the trash. That's too sketchy for me.

Can't believe I forgot:
-baby gate we use at night



That's the list so far. I'm sure there is more, and I'll add more as we discover what didn't come on the first load. I do hope we see it again, as do my floors. They are in need of a vacuum.

Ocean Isle Beach

Edward and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary on June 17. With moving and all, we couldn't take any big trip, but he booked a weekend at our favorite beach, Ocean Isle. We got engaged here at this beach 11 years ago, so it's a special place. He even arranged for his parents to come and stay with the kids so we could have a restful getaway. We haven't left the kids overnight for almost four years, and we really enjoyed the extra sleep! We had a very nice, relaxing weekend, and I'm very thankful for the time to get away before he heads overseas.

View from our room...we love this little hotel. The oceanfront rooms are great.

Relaxing beach

The Mailbox

The mailbox has its own story. In Yuma, the post only had PO boxes, so we had to go to the post office everday. That wasn't a huge deal, as the post was tiny, but still, the kids were enamored by the thought of a REAL mailbox. In asking them what they wanted in a new house, both Madison and Luke told us they wanted a real mailbox, not knowing that most of America has real mailboxes. Well, we promised we'd have a real mailbox, and they ran to it when we first got to the house. In fact, I even had to take a picture of it when we bought the house to show them we had one.

Well, we did have a mailbox, but it was UGLY. It just looked beat up, as did a lot of the walls and such of the house. Funny because the house is just four years old, and from what we know, it was vacant a long time before we moved in (military owners prior), and when they were stationed here, they barely lived here due to deployment. So, the house hasn't had much done to it with painting and such (well, nothing done to it), but in other ways, it's beat up! It's coming around very quickly, and the mailbox was no different. Many here have nice brick mailboxes, but right now, that's just not happening. So, to "Keep up with the Joneses" (oh wait, that's us), we had to update our ugly, beat up mailbox. Even the numbers had started falling off.

The before. From the back, it actually looks pretty good, until you get up close. The white box was in bad shape. As I said, the numbers were coming off, and the flag broke off before we got here and was lying in the grass. Madison thought cleaning it might help.

During...all the kids wanted in on the action.

The after...again, not perfect, but MUCH better, and we don't stick out here. Funny thing is that our Home Depot was out of the 5's. We actually had to get the 5's at the Home Depot in Myrtle Beach when we were there last week. Random, yes, complicated, yes, but that's been the story here so far.

Sleeping Scared

The first couple of nights we were here, Alex was scared at bedtime. I don't blame him; he had no clue what was really going on. Across the country, he would shout to random people and waitresses, "Move," but he really had no idea what that meant. Plus, if you consider the a/c was out, he was hot and didn't have any of his normal stuff around. One night, we found Alex in bed with Luke. He had gotten scared and crawled in with him. Super cute.

North Carolina, FINALLY!

Well, after 2640 miles and a week of driving, we finally arrived at our new house in North Carolina. Now, back into home ownership we jumped. Our house is just about four years old, we did have a thorough inspection, but we arrived to the air conditioning not working, along with the dishwasher receiving no water. Ahhh. Luckily, we negoitiated a home warranty with the purchase of our house, so that covered the repairs, minus the $60 per problem service fee we have to pay. Whatever. As friends of ours say, "Sometimes you have to throw money at it, and make it go away." We did...the WEDNESDAY after we arrived. Yes, that's right. It was "record-breaking heat" over the weekend in NC, and we had no air conditioning. Awesome. Edward went to the garage in search of our two fans. One isn't here (still on truck...another long story), and the other is literally the only thing we've found broken so far. Good and bad...good nothing else has been broken, but bad, something we desperately needed. Anyways, we had already decided to send the kids to my parents' house in Wilmington for a few days so we could paint and unpack. The no a/c helped with that decisioin too. So, Sunday after checking out a church (wasn't a winner), we drove over to Wilmington. After a delicious dinner and ANOTHER birthday party for Madison (she loved every minute and every piece of cake), Edward and I came back to the heat (we thought we'd left Arizona).

Wednesday turned out to be the day of the workforce. Both the a/c and the dishwasher repair people were here, and the big purchase of the kids' swingset was installed. My parents brought the kids home to their new "park" as they call it. Luke only knows that our house had a park behind it, and with our set being nice and big, he thinks we have our own personal park in the backyard.

Here it is! The new swingset, a.k.a. park.

They were quick to try it out. The grandparents seemed to like it too. In picking out a swingset, the kids each had things they wanted. Madison desperately wanted a tire swing. Luke wanted monkey bars, and well, Alex, just wanted a swing (adding a toddler swing was a no-brainer!). All requests and more were fulfilled. Due to a mailbox obsession (next post), we added on a mailbox to this package. The package came as pictured, and so for around $25, we could add a personal mailbox. Awesome if you know the mailbox obsession. On the deck, there is a ship's wheel and binocaulars. The deck is six feet high with a long slide off of it. We love it, and the craftsmanship is awesome. Thanks, Woodplay!

This seems to be the favorite part of the set so far.

Then, Grandma and Grandpa had to leave, or "Ma" and "Pa" as Alex called them. It was hilarious. He started that on his own, totally (I mean, who would pick that, haha), and the names have stuck. Any picture of them, he now shouts, "Ma," or "Pa." Madison wanted a picture in front of her new house.

My parents got Madison a scooter (her old one was stolen), and this dress combo for her birthday. Yes, she and her doll, Hannah, are into matching dresses. And, if you know Madison, it would be nothing new to see her riding the scooter IN the dress! So, here she and Hannah are with Grandma and Grandpa outside of her new house.

Splash Country and Roller Skates

Well, before driving to the new house, we spent an extra day in Tennessee. Last year, we flew to Tennessee for Edward's grandmother's funeral, and we were able to spend a day at Dollywood's Splash Country. The kids had so much fun that we wanted to take them back. We figured after spending almost a week in the car, they would enjoy getting out and playing in the water. We had a great time, and it was nice that Edward's mom could go with us. We enjoyed her company, and it gave us three adults to three kids, odds we never have!

Alex was delighted with all of the water rides.

Luke didn't remember much from last summer, but it didn't take him long to catch on to the fun rides at Splash Country.

Snack break

Snack break for Luke too

...and a snack break for Madison. My kids can eat A LOT.

After a fun-filled day at Splash Country, we had some down time at Nana and Pop's house. Madison decided to break in her roller skates. Now, if you have ever been to Edward's parents' house, you know it has a very steep driveway because it's built into the side of the mountain. We told Madison under no circumstance, could she skate down the driveway!

Top of the driveway

Bottom of the driveway...she "walked" down through the grass as best as one can with roller skates on.

This was pretty common site. She's still learning.

Thanks for everything, Jean Ann and James. We are all very excited to eat through the case of green beans you sent with us.

A Birthday Party with Nana and Pop

After having lunch in Nashville, we drove another three hours to Nana and Pop's house outside of Knoxville. Madison was delighted to celebrate her actual birthday with family, and Nana and Pop had a great dinner waiting for us. After dinner, Madison opened her birthday presents. Well, first we had to find the box of her presents in Edward's car, as we had packed them a couple of weeks prior. Then, she tore into her gifts.

Alex was happy to help Madison with her presents.

Nana and Pop got Madison one of the things she had been begging for...roller skates. She's wanted them for awhile and even told me the style and color she wanted. Amazingly, Nana and Pop got her the exact ones she wanted :)

...and, to go with the skates, the knee and elbow pads that I required :)

Aunt Mer and Uncle Harry sent the American Girl "Molly" books, whose storyline is about her dad going off to war to take care of soldiers...hmmm. Familiar.

We gave Madison an American Girl doll, her first, next to the Bitty Baby. This one was Lanie, one she has thought was really pretty in all the magazines. She kept saying how she liked her outfit.

Madison needed a new "friend" for her moving adventure.

The other thing she asked for was a My Little Pony set. She has been eyeing this for awhile too.

Madison, we are so glad you are in our lives and hope you had a wonderful birthday. Thanks to Nana and Pop too for making the day special with a great dinner and an ice cream cake. Happy 6th Birthday Sweet Girl!

A Chick-Fil-A Birthday

On our drive, Madison celebrated her sixth birthday. We happened to be driving across Tennessee on her birthday, and Tennessee happens to be home to many of Edward's relatives. So, we had our first stop at lunch with Lori, John, and Clara. Lori is married to Edward's cousin, Burt. Edward and Burt went to medical school together, and Burt and Lori are stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY, just outside of Nashville. So, we decided to get together for lunch, minus Burt. He's deployed to Afghanistan right now. We decided on Chick-fil-A due to the indoor playplace. It didn't disappoint. Our kids kept asking what they could get to eat, as we didn't have Chick-fil-A in Yuma. Lunch was completed with a cookie cake that Lori got Madison. It was so good to see some family, and the kids seemed to have fun playing for awhile. Thanks for having lunch with us and celebrating Madison's birthday, Lori, John, and Clara!

I forgot to mention Clara really liked me and didn't want to get off my lap the whole meal. She and I became good pals. From left to right: John, Luke, Madison, Alex, Clara, and me. The cookie cake was delicious!

Ft. Sill, Oklahoma

On our cross-country adventure, we stopped to see my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew at Ft. Sill/Lawton, Oklahoma. Clay recently took a break from active duty with a government job at Ft. Sill. They moved into their rental home just a few days before we arrived. Our visit with Clay was short, as we arrived Sunday evening, and he had to fly to D.C. for work on Monday morning. That was okay because we spent Monday hanging out with Karen and Wes, along with doing a ton of our laundry! Thanks, Karen, for the use of your machine! During the day, we visited this castle park, and it was a huge hit with the kids.

Castle Park in Lawton

They loved this tire swing. They have been asking for a tire swing forever, and unknown to them, we had already ordered one with their new swingset.

Even Edward joined in on the action.

Wes was very tired and very hot. The temps were 102 that day.

Aunt Karen with Luke, Alex, Madison, and Cousin Wes

The kids thought the built in obstacle course was awesome.

Thanks for showing us Lawton! I can say we'd like to not be stationed there. It was interesting. The post looked great, but the town...well, not a retirement location for us. We are so glad we got to see some family on the trip. It was also really nice to have a day's rest from driving. Edward and I both enjoy driving, but we needed a break for a day!