A New Beginning

Eleven days after C was born I sent Hubby on a plane to the west coast for a couple of job interviews. I know what you, or anyone of reasonable mind, is thinking...'what was I thinking?' Don't worry - I had my mom with me helping to hold down the fort while I delicately balanced the new role of mom of three. She cooked...yum. She played. She gardened. She crafted. She showed me that life doesn't slow down one bit (to anyone who doesn't know - my mom courageously raised six children...how did she do it?). She made it look easy. And fun.

What came of that trip? We spent our summer sifting through our life in the Midwest, selling or giving away unused possessions. Our house was listed on the market and a large box semi was ordered for pick-up in mid-September. We decided to move west.

The big boys waited in anticipation, 'helped' pack box after box, and said their good-byes to friends through play dates at favorite parks around the city. None of us knew what to expect with our move - more family time, yes; more time in the mountains and by the water, yes; less bone chilling (below) zero degree winter days, yes! None of us could anticipate the friends we would meet on this new journey or what our life in our new corner of the world would look like. We just hoped and trusted that it would be good.

O double checking the size of the bag the boys would be using on our drive West. Yup, he fits!

Saying goodbye to our beloved babysitter!

Baker stuck close to the boxes (and the door!) for fear she would be left behind. 

Baby C being oh, so helpful (and darling, don't you think?).