Moving is Exhausting

Georgia Claire has always been our baby that needs her sleep. When she was a baby she'd sleep 12+ hours at night & then take two naps. My sisters always said it wasn't fair that I had a baby that was so easy! I should have enjoyed it more because Ivy Jane came into the world & is STILL not the best sleeper...sleeps lightly, wakes up at night, naps are inconsistent...and so on! 

Trying to update my blog & going through pictures made me chuckle this morning. I had to share the pics I have of the girls falling asleep during the whole move process...

Sawing logs with her mouth open & a sore neck when she woke up!

 Don't let this sweet face fool you...she stayed like this for MAYBE 30 minutes and was awake!

 One of our new favorite Mexican restaurants has a spell of GC...she almost always starts to nod off when we go here! Here she has trying to stay awake by wrapping her arms around the back of the chair...

 And chewing up her chicken fajita meat...

 At the hotel...

 Another trip to the Mexican restaurant with Mimi & Granby & she FELL ASLEEP!

 And passing out on the couch...

 And sweet sisters wanting to nap together...very rare but VERY sweet!

Thankfully we've now settled nicely into a routine!

Therapeutic Spring Day at the Farm

I found myself making several trips to my parents' home while Shelby was in San Antonio & our house was on the market. I enjoyed the adult company, the girls loved being with Grandma & Paw Paw and it was a WHOLE lot easier to keep the house clean with us GONE!

I've said it before...being out at the farm, in the sun, digging in the dirt...totally therapeutic for me! On this particular day we raked & picked up peach limbs from the trees that Dad had pruned. We also got to help plant the garden! 

I LOVE the girls in their overalls & work boots...

 Tiny hands...

 Learning from the best farmer there is!

 Terrific sensory therapy for Georgia Claire, too! Digging her hands in the dirt, getting to pick onions...the smell, the "hair on top" the way it looks...therapy!

 A trip to the farm is NEVER complete without a ride on the mule with Paw Paw...

 Or having a driving lesson...

 She was so proud of herself!

 Even falling asleep to the lull of the tractor!

 Stil one of most favorite things to see is the peach trees in the spring...

 A farmer & his technology...

 

A farmer's daughter & her technology...

 Loving the time we got to spend before our move...I just wish Shelby could have joined us! He probably could have used the therapy session at the farm to relieve a little stress!

Before the Move

I have to give a shout out to our parents. From January to March they helped us MORE THAN THEY KNOW! Shelby's parents kept the girls one weekend while we house hunted...HUGE HELP! My parents came over & spent a night and helped us make some repairs on our home before we listed it...another HUGE HELP! They all allowed us to crash at their house at any given moment. When Shelby couldn't make the trip the whole way home, we'd meet in Keller at his parents' home or when I didn't feel like being alone with the girls at home another night, we'd pack up and head to my parents' home. That's the one thing about this move that I don't love...family is so very very important to me & I hate being 4+ hours from Shelby's family & 6+ hours from mine. It's all good though, because I know that this is where God has planned for us to be at this point in our lives. I'm really trying to make a conscious effort to live in the moment & to be present with my girls each day instead of thinking about the future & what the next step will be. Who wants to live like that? It's hard for someone like me...a planner, a list maker, a do-er, to NOT think about my next item on my list so I can check it off. I'm working on it...God's working on ME!

Please forgive the randomness of these photos but the last 7 months has been a big blur! I know these were all things we did before we moved but I KNOW they are not in the correct order!

We had ONE LAST play time on our play set before it was taken apart to move to our new home...this play set has been a terrific investment! It's been a pirate ship, a house, a school, church, a place to picnic, to nap, to eat ice cream, etc. 

My nieces Mary Katherine & Caroline came for one last visit before we moved...

 These four girls LOVE each other!

 It's SO sweet to see them together...

 I love watching them together...ages 9, 7, 5 & 4!

 We had a day at Sci-Port...LOTS of fun!

 Our budding scientist...

 And we even had craft time!

 We had to have one last scoop of ice cream before our move...

 And I had to get my tires rotated. Ivy Jane was just catching up on the latest magazines!

We also helped at the farm...talk about THERAPY for my soul!

 One of the several times we visited Mimi & Granby. I love GC wearing her 3D glasses!

 Their last day of school...

Mimi & Granby playing Minnie Mouse bingo...LOVE THEM & how they PLAY with our girls! 

And the visit would not be complete without Uncle Jules as a robot...in a random box! Talk about squeals of laughter! We were ALL laughing! HE is good for the soul.

Random picture to end with, I know. BUT, I am HOPING to blog tomorrow on what we've been up to SINCE the move!

The Move

I CANNOT believe it was February when I last posted---A LOT has happened! The first week of January Shelby started his new position in San Antonio & lived in a hotel for 3 months while I kept the house clean & ready to show for an realtor at any given moment....with TWO girls, I might add! Our relocation advisor said that it was like eating Oreo cookies while brushing your teeth...YES! EXACTLY! That was a stressful three months & I was never more excited to see this truck pull up...

Thank goodness for movers and a company that pays for us to be moved...WEIGHT LIFTED off my shoulders!

AND, thank goodness my parents only lived an hour away from us & were able to come pick up the girls the day of the packing. After all of the toys are packed up there's only so much a three year old & a four year old can do! 

 

That was THE QUIETEST night EVER in that house. Shelby was in San Antonio working, the girls were with Mom & Dad, and I was home alone with no internet and no tv...so, I went to bed! 

 I really did love our house in Louisiana. I just wish it wasn't IN LOUISIANA!

 The very next day we were in San Antonio...in our new home that was built in 1947!

I love that the developer restored the old hardwood floors in the original part of the home. These bookcases in the front room are probably my favorite thing in the house.

 One last night in the hotel before the movers came & Ivy Jane had some business to take care of!

 Georgia missed her daddy terribly...

 And this is how GC fell asleep...at least one of us was comfortable! :)

Giggling and Smling

Staying in a hotel when you are 3 and 4 means one thing...you get to jump on the bed!!! I love this series of pictures, blurry and all, of the girls having a blast together! 

 LOVE this one...

Every time we go somewhere at least one person asks me if they are twins. I always say, "No, but they're a little over 13 months apart!" IT NEVER FAILS that the person always says something like "Oh wow!" or "You must be BUSY!" or "I bet THAT was a surprise!" or...the list goes on and on. Yes, WOW is right! And yes, I AM BUSY! And yes, it WAS a surprise! Going from mourning multiple failed fertility treatments for 5+ years to having 2 girls in a matter of 13 months...it has the been the best, the busiest, the most challenging and the most love-filled years of my life. Being a momma to these two is what I prayed for and dreamed about for so many years. I love hearing giggles and seeing smiles of these two sisters...and when I think about how we were all brought together it makes me smile and giggle a little, too! God is SO GOOD!