Boxes Galore

This is what yesterday looked like at our house...

Fun times!

Originally the packers were suppose to show up on Thursday to start boxing up what we had left, but called on Wednesday to reschedule for a Friday only pack. I agreed as long as it got done on Friday and everything was still out of the house by Monday. I was surprised to only see 2 packers show up at 1030 (scheduled show was 8-10) and was starting to get a little worried about our time frame. Thankfully around 430 two more guys showed up, J came back from some errands and I went back to the TLF with the boys. J managed to get home around 8 after the packers finished their work.

We have been blessed to have some awesome friends while stationed here and they were wonderful enough to watch the boys for us during this process. The boys had a blast going to soccer with them, swimming at the pool and we even put together a grill out complete with s'mores the other night. We will really miss our backyard gang of boys!

Giant Tetris

We finished loading the trailer last night, every space/gap is filled. Maybe I should host a guessing game on how much all of our stuff weighs, at least the portion that we move. Closest one gets a prize that I will pick up along the way of our route. Who's in?

Counting Down

Ya that's how I feel too buddy.

J may have done this for the last time this weekend...hitting up Vegas at the same time.

This guy lost another tooth...the other top center won't make it much longer either.

Been sorting things out like school supplies just in case we aren't quite settled in late August.

Sorry Target, trying to reuse what I have this year.

Tested suitcases we have in the torpedo tonight, now to fill them so it can be locked and loaded...

ya don't laugh to hard on that one remember I feel like doing this...

Apparently the boys had too much fun seeing Venus cross the sun last week.

Arm the Torpedo

Ok, so we aren't going nuclear...just maybe getting a little crazy with less then a week till the movers show up and less then two weeks until we drive away. We will be putting thousands of miles on the van this summer, hitting Illinois before driving up to Minnesota and then back to Illinois for a couple of weeks before driving down to Dallas for a three week work-ation. J found the Thule carrier on Craigslist, figuring we would be a little cramped with suitcases, electronics, and stroller in the van.

Anyone else being a road warrior this summer or going someplace special for summer vacation?

An Unexpected Pet

While taking the totes out for garbage day I spotted this guy hiding in the corner. With the move we have been "gathering" all the extra non-donation worthy stuff next to the totes, so i think he thought he was getting a safe little hideout. The boys loved going over and checking on him throughout the day. We will have to see if he's still there tomorrow!

**Update** In the dark of the night this guy took off, the boys are still asking if we can keep him for a pet. While this furry guy sure was cute (and preferred over the cheese eating furry guys), I think moving a dog cross country is a big enough of a challenge!

A Trip to the Park

J got some new running shoes and wanted to try them out...so we all walked down to the duck pond to play while he ran on the track there. The boys and I enjoyed watching the geese, ducks and the occasional turtle in between playing on the slides. Enjoy the couple of pictures I snapped with my phone that night.

Point Reyes in April

So back in April, when my parents visited and J was still home, we went up to Point Reyes lighthouse once more. This time we could drive to the parking area for the lighthouse (last time you park and bus in due to the little roads) and had more time to spend walking around and to hit a couple of the attractions.

We took the steps down to the lighthouse and wondered around for a while watching for whales.

If you look closely (or click on the picture) you can see a red arrow I drew on the picture...it is pointing to the whale that was swimming out in the ocean that day.

Going down to the lighthouse didn't take much effort, but going back up however was quite the workout. J did it with N on his shoulders and still beat the rest of us up.

Along the way we saw some of the local colors and textures of nature.

We also had some breathtaking views.

About half way to go mom!

At the top they have some small hands on stuff for kids and adults to interact with and they also have a volunteer helping to point out various wildlife and plants of interest.

N and Grandparents with a whale skull.

The giant trees that grew on the rocky hillsides were pretty neat with the gnarly branches and odd angles.

J decided that N couldn't have all the fun of being carried around by daddy.

We then drove over to another side to a beach known for elephant seals. I think this beach had more then the beaches down by the Hearst Ranch where we had last watched them.

We then stopped at an actual beach were we could walk (and N could dig) and take in the ocean air and watch the waves come in.

If you get the chance this is another great day trip if you are in the NorCal region.

Day Two of Yosemite

At the end of day one we headed to our hotel in El Portal, Yosemite View Lodge. We left spur of the moment so camping was out, (lodges on site are pricey being the start of peak season) but we still wanted to stay close by since Yosemite stretches over 761,268 acres and speeds are limited due to the curves, traffic and possible run ins with wildlife. The hotel is "rustic" (not a five star modern hotel), but it had air conditioner, a small kitchenette in room, a snack shop, and had a couple restaurants on site. After getting some breakfast at the hotel we headed in for the day.

Again it is just breathtaking, various rugged terrain, (which may lead to some hot tummies to those in the back seat) lush green prairies, and also remnants of fires from previous years.

At Bridalveil falls.

From a Bridalveil Creek overlook (before Glacial Point).

M's photo of a lizard he was being entertained by.

Half Dome in the background.

Our final stop on the trip was to Lower Yosemite Falls.

The boys had a wonderful time and lil' J kept on saying how great nature was and how he wished he could stay longer...I am sure we could have spent several more days exploring the 1,200 square miles of Yosemite, but unfortunately leave was coming to an end and with the impending move we just couldn't spare any more time. If you get the chance to go, go...don't wait almost three years either ;)