It's been a long couple of months but we're settling in just fine here. Here's a few photos representing our last few months.
In Arizona: EMN and MTN enjoying a DVD in their "movie theater" the packers made for them.
We stayed on base after the house was packed up and before we drove away. EMN enjoyed the National Anthem every afternoon and required everyone to stand still and give proper respect.
Crossing the border into Texas at El Paso. Texas is huge!! An interesting drive. Not much out in West Texas ...
Clutching their Texas postcards (you can't see their San Antonio shirts but they're wearing them). Both are thrilled anytime they see the Lone Star and that's a lot around here!
The empty, broken down boxes made for a great perch to watch all the activity. The stack got much higher before it got taken away. Still a few boxes remaining in the house but we'll get to those eventually. They make a great fort, spaceship, pirate ship, etc. so the kids are reluctant to let the empty boxes make it out of the house.
Our first traditional Sunday night dinner in our new house with all the family.
EMN was a HUGE fan of the Olympics, particularly Michael Phelps. The TV was on at almost all times so she could catch all the different events. She wore these special PJs that her daddy bought in San Francisco for her. She loved that a few of the Chinese girls in the opening ceremonies wore similar clothes.
It rained quite a bit here after we moved in. Almost every day in fact. With the hurricanes and typical summer storms, it was hard keeping the kids inside. Their new raincoats have gotten a lot of use!
Home improvement projects have the boys very busy! MTN was beyond tickled to use the drill. Wish we could have gotten the accompanying giggle in a movie clip - priceless!
The sunset as viewed from our backyard. I can see it when I'm standing in the kitchen at the sink and also from most of our living areas since most of them have windows out to the back of the house. Usually I'm cleaning up as the sun sets and it's just beautiful. I love looking out at the back yard. It's very serene and peaceful. We're playing more in the yard now that there are less fire ants to eat up the kids. I'm not loving the snakes but I'm working on that.
Willing workers! Anything to play in the sink. Works better now that MTN isn't using hand lotion to clean everything!
First day of school!! EMN has been waiting for this since school ended in May. It's a very different style of school than her last one so we had a few growing pains the first day. She's knows what to expect now so that helps tremendously. She eats lunch and naps at her new school (that's her nap-mat that she's hugging) and she's slowly making friends. She's been missing her AZ friends so much - she mentions them every day. We're meeting new faces here but none of them will ever replace those we moved away from! Hugs to you all!!
And we love having Daddy around more!! Continental furloughed him so now he's full time at the Guard unit. Thank God for the Guard!! Always an adventure for sure ...
So that's the basics of the last few months. It's been emotionally and physically exhausting for all of us. We're still working on getting into a good groove and schedule but that will come with time. As we establish our routines, meet more people and find a church home we'll start to feel really settled.
We're very thankful for all the help, prayers and good thoughts we've received over the last few months. Our families have been tremendous in helping us to make the move. We couldn't have done it without you!!
