Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  The girls were very excited to wear their new Easter dresses from Grandmere, and they looked like little fairies.

Got some good ones of all of them this afternoon.

And some silly ones, too.

I can't believe she'll be eight in just under two months.

Before all the guests came for Easter dinner, Mac and I ran outside to get some pictures of Grandmere's house to send to her preschool class in Minnesota.  They had wanted to know if it was snowy and what it looked like.

Our decorations for dinner turned out lovely.  The kids table had colorful eggs on it.

The adult table had this addition to each place setting.  Very pretty.

I found some tulips yesterday at Costco that were the perfect color.

Finished up this this morning...a cute little bunny silhouette on a tiny pallet made of shims.  So fun. 

Eggs everywhere for Easter.  It was a nice night with family gathered around to share in the celebration of the Resurrection of our Savior. 

Last but not least, one of all of us girls together.

Easter Hunts and Eggs!

The girls found this note after breakfast this morning.

It was sitting by these baskets when I opened the drapes in the kitchen.

The girls were very excited--look at those faces!

There was running all over the yard.

Mimi stopped for a few minutes to check out what she had gotten.  The girls got jelly beans, quarters (a big hit), a jump rope, and some seeds to plant.  It was so wonderful to do Easter outside--and without jackets, let alone coats!

Mac received some mail, today.  A friend from preschool missed Mac's last day of school because she was sick.  She had made this necklace to give her, and was so sad she was absent that day.  So her mom called and got Mac's info and sent it in the mail.  So sweet.

Double Decker Easter Day, here!  We colored eggs for the kids' table tomorrow.  They will sit in a basket and be colorful.  Mimi went crazy with her little tubs of dye.  She plopped egg after egg after egg in there.  The other girls were complaining that she got so many more than them!

After the kids were done, we grownups dyed eggs for the adult table tomorrow.  It's going to be a beautiful dinner, table, and day!

Easter 2013

Grandma's

We got our car back this morning--awesome mechanic to have it done for us so quickly.  It needed a new starter, so that's done.  But, he tells me that it needs a large repair.  It's been making a strange noise for a while, now, made better for a short time after having a tune up, but worse these last few weeks.  It's really the reason I didn't want to drive it across the country.  I guess it's a good thing I didn't, because I need a new transfer case.  I don't really know what that means, aside from a vague understanding that it deals with putting it in and out of 4 wheel drive, and has something to do with how the car shifts gears, and something with the drive train.  Yeah.  I really don't know what I'm talking about!  Anyway, it's an expensive part, so he's going to start looking for one from one of his wrecking yards.  Yet another expense!

Today we went over to Grandma's house and hung out with her for a while.  The girls were very happy to help make some frosting for cinnamon rolls.  Grandma was very brave and let Mac handle the hand mixer.  Her courage was well rewarded when Mac didn't send frosting spraying everywhere!

When Mimi saw Mac frosting rolls, she wanted to get in on the action, too.  Her biggest problem was licking the knife she was using and then putting it back in the bowl.  I think Grandma replaced her spoon for a clean one multiple times!

Mimi is starting to do at least something when I ask her to smile.  It's more of a grimace, really, but she's trying!  And it's cute, anyway.

This afternoon we went with Aunt Emily, Grandma, and the boys to the park in Daybreak, which is pretty cool.  I had never been to Daybreak before, so that was eye opening!  It's so good to be here.

School

Good day, today.  We went down to Washington Elementary, where Leiden will finish out second grade, and registered her to start there after Spring Break.  She is excited, and the school looks nice--although the demographic is much different than her last school!

After Washington, we went up to Children's Discovery to pay the deposit for Mimi to attend there in the fall.  I got to see the director, Miss Dee, who was the director there almost 30 years ago when I went there.  She was happy to see me, and thought the girls were cute.  I happened to mention that Mac was starting Kindergarten in the fall, and that she was sad to leave her preschool in Minnesota.  Miss Dee told me they could take her for these last couple months of the school year!  It's only two days a week, but that's better than no days a week!  Mac is very excited, and it will help with trying to make things as normal and similar to the old routines as possible.  She too will start after Spring Break.  I am so thankful that things are going smoothly here and turning out so well.  I have many blessings!

I do have many blessings, but I am also living real life, which isn't always what we planned on--like today.  I had stopped at a flower store to pick some things up for Easter Sunday, piled the kids back in the car, and was feeling pleased with the day's work so far.  Then the car wouldn't start.  Out of the blue.  I have had it with car trouble!  My parents' mechanic, Dwight, sent over a tow truck straightaway, and he's going to try to fix it by tomorrow.  Ugh.

Outside

Holy Smokes!  It is beautiful here.  The weather is verging on 70, and there is no snow.  For my little Minnesota kids, this is hot weather deserving of shorts and tshirts!  And playing outside.  Absolutely gorgeous.

The girls got the fun idea after we ate an apple to plant the seeds outside.  Each girl got one seed and found a spot of dirt.

Green things are poking their little selves out of the ground.  We have come to Utah at a most beautiful time.

Unloading

Today was unloading day, after what seemed like a precious few minutes of sleep!  Madison and I converged at the storage unit with the movers and we got it done.  We even managed to get all the things that need to go to the house into the various cars we had.  Mom came later with the girls, and we FINALLY took the truck back.  I had driven it to the UHaul on the way to the storage unit and dropped off the trailer.  Driving it wasn't so bad.

Whew.  We are here, and there is a bit of organizing that needs to be done, and then we're going to have some fun before Leiden goes back to school!

Never Want to Be On the Road Again

Well, first thing in the morning, we were still getting the run around from UHaul--"we don't know where the part is, we don't know where it is coming from, we don't know, we don't know, we don't know!"  I was ready to tear my hair out.  And Mac was putting hair on.

FINALLY, about 2 PM, we were saddling up to get the heck out of there.  Johnnie was a nice guy--he was working hard to get us out as quickly as possible, and told us that UHaul is pretty notoriously difficult to deal with.  Note to self: never rent UHaul for a cross country need again.  Of couse, I hope to never move across the country again under any circumstance! 

This was about how we ALL felt while waiting for the truck to be ready.  We just wanted to be on the road, already! 

We decided we were going to push on through, no matter how late we got to Utah, so push we did.  Mimi is looking a bit haggard.  It was hard on the kids, and even harder on us adults because we had to deal with the kids! 

Welcome to Utah!  We hit this sign about 11 PM.  The kids were fitfully asleep in the back, Mimi may have been crying, and then Mac was crying because their booster seats are not meant for long haul driving and just didn't provide enough padding for their little bottoms. 

But we made it.  Finally we are here in Salt Lake.  I am so excited!

On the Road Again

This was the view of the sunrise behind us this morning.  We pulled out of the hotel around 7ish and took to the road with another 12+ hours ahead of us.

Not two hours later, this was us on the side of the road.  Yes, the 26 foot truck began acting up again this morning, and then finally, Mad couldn't get it started again.  STUCK.  We called UHaul's roadside assistance line, and they sent us Johnnie from Sydnee, Nebraska.  Super nice guy, just the kind you never want to meet because he is a mechanic from Sydnee, Nebraska! 

Turns out the truck's fuel pump is shot, and yes, it's Sunday.  There isn't anywhere open for the part today, and UHaul is being atrociously negligent with dealing with us.   

We finally checked in to a hotel here, which we better be reimbursed for.  And there are other problems.  First and foremost, I think I've mentioned that we were stranded in Sydnee, Nebraska.  On a Sunday.  With three small children and nothing to do.  So what did we do?  We went to Walmart and got lunch and swimming suits, and then we went back to the hotel and swam.  Later this evening we went to dinner.  How unfortunate that this was how our Sabbath was spent! 

Johnnie tells me that we should be on the road first thing in the morning.  Ugh.  I was hoping to be waking up in Utah first thing in the morning!

On the Road

Whew.  We adults were up at 3 AM this morning to prepare for a hoped for 4 AM departure from Minnesota.  We almost made it, and were driving down the street at 4:26 after saying goodbye to our old house and kitty.  This was my mom's and my view.  Funny story, the girls only slept for like 30 minutes.  After being awakened at 4 AM.  Seriously.

Pretty sunrise, though, and my mom was asleep at the wheel.  If you can see her face, you can see that she's actually making fun of the way I fall asleep in the car.  Head back, mouth agape.

I had such fun little things planned for the girls, including disposable cameras.  Mimi's 27 exposures were gone in 5 minutes, Leiden was very much more judicious, and Mac was somewhere in the middle.

All in all, pretty uneventful today.  The girls haven't needed to stop as much as I thought, and the truck needs gas often enough to meet their needs.  The truck was acting funny this afternoon, though.  Mad would go to accelerate and pass another truck, and all the electrical would go out.  He thinks it's the 'governor', which is installed in many trucks to prevent speeding.  Hmm.  It better be.  We got to the hotel tonight about 6ish, which allowed for dinner and BED!  Hopefully home tomorrow at a decent hour.