What we've been up to...

Besides unpacking and buying furniture and appliances and getting quotes on repairs and renovations, oh and both working full time, we've managed to squeeze a lot of fun into the last month or so!  It's sure been busy and we're all tired of shopping and spending money and looking forward to just getting to settle in and enjoy it.  It's coming along.  I'll get around to a post about the house soon.
Just before we moved, we had a great time celebrating Gramps' birthday!  There were dinosaur water gun fights...(best $2 ever spent at the dollar spot at Target perhaps)

Bugs to watch

Cards to receive

And presents to open. 

And then someone got the bright idea to try scooting down the hill and they did this for a very long time.  Over and over until we took them in kicking and screaming for bed.  What a great night!!

These two shots don't really have captions, but I love them.  The people and the pictures.  Mostly the people but I love the expressions the pictures captured.

We also spent a morning at the Carillon tot lot before we moved.  Not that we won't be back there a lot since the Higginbothams live so close, but it was a fun morning.  Max and I drove and Kenny and Jack walked across the Nickel Bridge.  While we don't miss paying a toll to get the kids to school and back every day, we do miss traveling across the Nickel Bridge in our new house.  I loved seeing the River every day.  Anyway, some cute pics from the playground...

We had one last dinner on 42nd Street with the Pearsons.  We get together maybe once a month for dinner, usually on Sunday nights and have the best time.  We alternate who cooks and we just hang out and drink wine (well, when one of isn't pregnant anyway!) and eat and talk.  It's so much fun!  The kids also love it.  Jack Lion loves Eddie and Audrey absolutely to pieces.  He gets so sad on Sunday night if they aren't coming over.  So while I know we'll have many more in the new house, we had one last dinner with them in the old house and it was just as lovely as all the others...

And then we moved.  It wasn't awful.  It could have been much worse.  Movers really made a huge difference.  We lived at Grams and Gramps' for 3 days I think.  It was all fine, though hard.  I had a hard time leaving the old house, just like I knew I would.  I had several good cries about it.  I was so ready to have more space and a better place for the kids to go to school, but I loved that house so much and worry a lot that the new owner won't take good care of it.  I hope I'm wrong.  Anyway, it's just one of those things you have to get through.  I felt like I knew that house inside and out and she took really good care of me and my boys.  I feel really fortunate to have gotten to live there.  The new house is wonderful though and our new neighborhood is really amazing.  We're loving the new place, and hoping 42nd St knows we miss her and always will.  The kids did really well with the move, all things considered.  Oddly, the new house is laid out just like the old one, though it's bigger and has some additional rooms.  The boys' rooms are in the exact same spot and painted in the exact same colors so I think it felt like home very quickly to them.  It has a sandbox...they love it so much!  Here they are on moving day...

So the first weekend we were in the house we celebrated Grams' birthday.  We had our first dinner guests and enjoyed the lovely weather on the patio.  I somehow failed to take a single picture. :(  BOO.

And the second weekend we celebrated Grandma's retirement (after 44 years from the State Dept of Accts) and Mother's Day!  It was a fun-filled weekend with a visit from the O'Donnell clan and lots of great events.  We kicked off the weekend with a trip to Maymont which was tons of fun.  The weather could not have been any nicer.  Look at all that red hair...

And look at how sweet Ellie is to play with Max.  She took such great care of him all weekend and just catered to his every need.  He's definitely in love with her and I'm sad she's not closer to babysit - she's going to be SO good at it!

It was such a beautiful day spent with 4 beautiful kids.  

We waited for EVER for lunch in Carytown and then spent the day at our house purchasing and installing a new fan in the playroom.  Thanks to Dan for all his help!  That night we ordered up some pizza (it's so nice to have so many more delivery options in the new house) and enjoyed being together.  Jack and Max cannot get enough of Emory and Ellie - it's really fun to watch and we were so glad to have an entire day with them!

Saturday we had a brunch at Strawberry Street Cafe to honor Fay which was a lot of fun too but I failed to take the camera. :(  Then it was off to tea at the Jefferson with all the ladies.  I cannot believe I didn't get a picture of this.  What fun!  I'll admit I was a little worried about how stuffy it might be, but it really wasn't and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't been.  I don't even like tea that much but it was the best I've ever had and the sandwiches and sweet treats were also very good.  It was such a fun afternoon!  The fun didn't end there though - then we had a great dinner at Grams and Gramps' house that night.  Again, no pictures.  I have no idea what I was thinking.  And then Sunday morning we had everyone to our house for a simple little Mother's Day brunch.  

It was a whirlwind, but so nice to get to see so many great people in one weekend and celebrate Grandma's retirement and Mother's Day!  Stay tuned for a separate post on my Mother's Day goodies and the rest of the fun we've been having...it's been a busy but super fun month and this post is getting way too long so we'll get it up and start a new one!