Road Warriors

We were a family on the go for almost 3 whole weeks...The movers came on Friday September 2nd and we arrived in Birmingham on Wednesday, September 21st. We had such a fun time on our trip across the country. It was wonderful to spend all that "quality" time together, but even better to be able to stop and see so many family members and friends along the way.

We spent the first few days of our trip in...Seattle!! :-) Evan's parents recently moved back to Seattle from Missouri and it was great to spend some time with them. They were a HUGE help as we were finishing packing up our house and cleaning it once the movers were gone. The kids stayed with them and it was nice to know they were there and loving being with their Grandma and Grandpa. They have a GREAT yard with a fun swing and hammock and they had a blast.

To celebrate finally being *DONE* with everything (dissertation, packing, cleaning, etc.) we took a trip to the Space Needle. It was fun to see Seattle from so high up. Seattle really is one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen, especially when the sun shines!! :-)

 After our stay in Seattle we drove on to Spokane, WA to spend a few days with my Dad and Alane as well as my sister and her family. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and I had a great time spending some time with my family. I love my sister, MaLeesa. She is such a good friend and source of strength to me. I will miss living close to her. I will also miss my Dad and Alane. My Dad is as steady as they come and Alane is wonderful, so easy going and patient and kind. I was able to see many of Alane's kids during this trip and it's alway good to see them and continue to get to know them better.

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa and all their cousins.  

One evening Evan had them all lined up on the back deck looking for deer and wild rabbits. I think they actually saw a few.

Lauren, Bella, and Aracelli...these little girls were all born within a few weeks of one another. So cute!! Bella is a sweet little girl. She can't hear, but she sure makes up for it in enthusiasm. She is so expressive and it's so fun to watch her communicate. It was also fun to see the other kids learn some sign language so they could interact with her.

After our trip to Spokane we drove to Utah and spent a day or so with my family in Logan and the Provo area. After that we drove on to...Cedar City, UT and spent a few days with Evan's sister, Shelley and her family. We thoroughly enjoyed that visit and took a trip up to Cedar Breaks National Monument. So pretty!! :-)

Next stop was the GRAND CANYON...

The Grand Canyon was breathtaking, absolutely spectacular. The kids however weren't so much into the scenery. They were more interested in climbing on all the rocks, stepping in puddles, or finding cool sticks. There aren't too many barriers at the Grand Canyon, not a lot between you and the bottom of the canyon. This is fine if you are a responsible adult, but when you're four and think all rocks are fun to climb on...not a good idea. Evan and I spent the majority of the time playing man on man defense, trying to keep our kids safe. We were a little nervous at times. Other than that, it was great. We definitely want to go back when our kids are older and might appreciate it more.

From there we drove on to...Phoenix, AZ to visit Evan's grandparents and his aunt and uncle. We spent a nice Sunday visiting with family and enjoying the HOT weather. We also loved the cactuses (cacti??). So cool!!

Do they look like they're hot?!? I've never felt such intense heat before in my life and I think it was only 99 degrees or something. 

Our family with Grandpa Thacker

From Phoenix things got a little crazy. We had some LONG driving days. I'll just mention that we left Phoenix Monday morning at about 5 am and arrived in Birmingham Wednesday afternoon around 4 pm. Yikes! We did spend a night with my cousin Nicole and her family in Tulsa, OK on the way. It was wonderful to see her. She's one of those people who I have always felt a special connection with, so it was fun to spend a few hours with her.

Wednesday was Evan's birthday and I felt so bad because we didn't do anything to celebrate other than eat dinner at Pizza Hut (his choice...sort of). I made him a birthday dinner a few weeks later after we were a bit more settled, but all in all a pretty lame birthday. Good thing he's such a good sport!

Thursday was Lauren's birthday and I couldn't let that one slip through the cracks. We stayed with my cousin and her family for a few days after we arrived in Birmingham. They are great and I'm so so excited to be living near them. Bonnie (my cousin) has always been someone I admire and look up to. It's been fun to see her kids and my kids interact with one another. Anyway, we had Lauren's birthday party at their house. I think Lauren had a good time. She was pretty tired, so it was a little hard to gauge how much fun she was having. ;-)

Lauren, 3 years old!!!

Lauren and Sam with their "new cousins". :-) 

We are settling into life in Birmingham and I'll try and post more about that soon!!