California...and their LAWS!

SO.... as of July 1st you have to use a hands free phone device if you want to talk on the phone while you drive. They have huge billboards advertising it and TV commercials... maybe it's a good law... maybe. Being from Arizona... we didn't have that law. The fine for talking on the cell without one is over $200! Luckily, Hailey has been sitting next to me in the front seat so she has been my hands free device for the past 2 weeks! =) She of course thinks that is AWESOME.

Steve threw away the boxes that our cell's came in and of course didn't bother to check what was inside so...he threw away the ear piece/mic thingy. I went to Best Buy to buy a hands free thing but found out that the one I bought didn't fit it. So today I went back to get a different one. AND I found out that my phone has Blue Tooth capability...didn't know that! I thought I had a cheapy phone but apparently Blue Tooth is included on the cheapy phones! =) So now I have an ear piece. You know, the ones that stick out of your ear and make you look like you are talking to yourself!

I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. But right now I feel like a dork! At least I know that I'm not the only dork in CA!!! =)

FINALLY!!!!!!!

Finally, we are in the house. Finally, the cable guy came (after waiting nearly 2 weeks). Finally, the kid's beds are put together and they are sleeping in them. Finally, I have fresh towels on the 2 towel bars...and the only 2... that are in this house! Finally. Finally.

Do you know how irritating it is to pack up a house in 1 state thinking that you'd be in a new house in another state in only a matter of a few days, only to find out that its going to take longer than you thought....then you realize you only packed enough clothes for you and your 4 kids to last you...oh...about...a week! Time goes by...4 weeks... and FINALLY we can move into the house. I've been sleeping on the couch (or the floor) because our bed is one of those lovely inventions that requires water tubes....sorta like a water bed but there are 8 individual tubes that you fill with water... well the bed is 10 years old... the tubes...yeah um... leaking. So, we don't have a bed set up... those stinkin tubes are $30 a piece to order replacements. We need about 5 so...do that math! Yeah, I think we just need a new mattress. =) *sigh* So, my wonderful parents loaned us their air mattress. I have it set up on the box spring so that I can "pretend" to have a bed! lol
did I mention that the floor boards upstairs squeak very LOUDLY?

The kids are enjoying their space. The house is pretty big. The Lord really blessed us with a lot of space. I'll post pictures later when I can find my camera under the piles of boxes! The house is a 2 story with a formal living/dining room and office off the front of the house. The kitchen is big and has a step in pantry AND a wall pantry AND an island! =) The family room is connected to the kitchen...like a great room. There is a niche for this wonderful computer that I am typing on (did I mention that I can't find the keyboard for the computer and had to run out to Wal-mart and by a cheapo one? not happy about that). We then have a play room and full bathroom as well as an INDOOR laundry room!!!! *giggles* I'm stoked!
Up stairs is 3 kids bedrooms and a kids bathroom. We have our pet turtle up there in her own little niche as well. Then the master with a HUGE bathroom that has a big TUB!!!! So...add it all up and it's a 2500 sq. ft. 5 bedroom 3 bath plus office. The backyard is landscaped and nice plus we are on a cul de sac which is great for the kids. There is also a brand new park only 3 blocks away that has tennis courts, basketball, volleyball a HUGE playground and the best part is a water splash pad (water comes squirting out of the ground or raining from the umbrella looking thingy). The kids love it, I love it.... and I guess Steve loves it. I think he's happy that I'm happy! =)

So... off to unpack some more boxes. Oh joy.

Wait... did I tell you that I have the best family? My brother and sister in law (who is 9 months pregnant) drove the 2 1/2 hours with my mom and helps me set up a lot of the down stairs. We used my brother's muscles to do all the heavy lifting and my sister in laws creative eye on decorating and my mom's good eye on everything else. My parents then came back and helped me get the kids' beds all set up (stinkin bunkbeds and missing screws!)

Okie dokie... Now I really have to go. The boxes won't unpack them selves....and I can't trust the kids to do it. And hubby is out of state for a few more days so... that leaves me. =)

No...I didn't fall of the face of the Earth!

Hey. I haven't had 2 seconds to sit by myself let a long Blog. Sorry about that. So, we moved out. It was HORRIBLE. But here we are....still at my parents house because we haven't found a house yet. It's not like we haven't been trying. I have been on the computer every day searching. I thought I found one, we drove out there, saw the house, and was truly disappointed. So....we keep looking.
The good news is that we have a potential house lined up as of today....haven't seen the inside yet. But it's big enough to hold all of us and down the street from a new school so we'll see.
My parents have been great. The kids LOVE being here and getting to swim every day and having Papa take them on the boat. (My parents live on a lake) I've enjoyed the company and extra help so it's been nice. Steve is still staying in his temporary place and coming down on his days off. So we see him about once a week. I can't believe it's been 2 weeks already. I miss my friends and my church terribly!!!!!
SO as soon as we find a house and get settled I'll post some pictures and get back to blogging. Right now...I'm going to bed! =)

PODS are coming...PODS are coming...

Whew! I have tried calling all kinds of places to get some moving truck/storage/movers etc... and everyone is booked! BUT Pods is not! =) So, tomorrow some time we'll be loading the PODS... I'm soooo excited to get stuff finally cleared out. I have boxes piled 4 high in my front room. We can start taking beds apart and furniture down...now that we have a place to put it. I'll keep you posted on our PODS experience because I've heard both good and bad things...so lets cross our fingers that ours is a good report! =)

Kraft Food and Family

Can I just tell you how much I love Kraft's Food and Family Magazine!!?!??! It is such a great magazine. Plus, it's FREE! They send it a couple of times a year. The one I just got was the Summer '08. I think they send them out for every season. Check out the website and sign up, it's free and they send you coupons as well... http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/registration/contextualsignuplogin?RegistrationActivityID=1237


Enjoy!!!!

Packing

So it's been a while since I posted. It's not that I didn't want to post...just haven't had the time to sit down and put my thoughts into actual sentances! You know how that goes don't you.... the 2 year old refuses to go to sleep and now that she can climb out of the crib she thinks it's fun to get up in the middle of the night. She wanders into my room and says "Morning Mommy!" but....it's only 2:45am! AM!!!! No, Bella, it is not morning let get you back in bed... again! After a few nights of this, I am EXHAUSTED!!! So my thougths tend to be sporatic and fatigued! =)

Since I'm also trying to finish my degree by taking classes online, I have homework (which my kids find hilarious!) and Monday night is when everything is due... Did I mention the class is on the American Constitution! Yea....um...I don't do history very well... and me being determined to get an "A" in every class....I'm screwed! =) lol I have had an "A" in every class but 1...it was a "B+" !!! 2 stinkin points away from an "A"...
Anyway, so between kids....school...and packing...I'm tired.

This whole moving thing has really began to stress me out. It's not packing and the move itself ... it's the fact that we still don't know where we are moving. I decided to take a few days to really pray and fast about what the heck we were going to do. In the midst of my time with the Lord, Steve's company informed him that his district will double at the end of the month but they can't tell him where the stores will be yet. >=( Why.....why can't we catch a break? After I begged him to find out some more info (like a general vicinity of locations) he was told to stay along a specific highway. So not the answer I wanted!!! It's in the middle of the state! So, my dream of moving to the beaches of the central coast were just put on hold... and now we are trying to find a place to rent.

We'll be moving in about 12 days.... and ask me if my house is packed! =) NOPE! Still working on it... somehow I misplaced the huge tape roller....so I'm on pause until I can find it...=) The joys of packing with 4 kids that decide that those items you put in the box were really items that they can't live without! and so "please, please, please can't we just keep them!!?!?!?!" as they pull the items out of the box... Yeah...I'm getting lots done! =)

Yummy Coffee-Mate!

Hey! Want some FREE coffee-mate? Go to http://www.coffeemate.com/ and click on the little coffee cup on the right! =) I'll probably get my coupon about the time I'm moving...but hey...I'll use it eventually! =) With all those early mornings unpacking 50 Million boxes!!!!! =)