We reloaded in Nashville on December 28th for our 2-day trip to Elkton, Maryland. Mama and Papa made the journey in their truck to help us get settled.
The first day was pretty uneventful. Craig and I looked on with interest at the scenery, as we had never made the drive to Maryland before and would likely be going back and forth between Maryland and Tennessee often.
The kids played toys, got out at rest stops, and napped. Ahhh.....
That night we stayed at a Country Inn. The Jacuzzi tub room was perfect for the kids, as they really needed to run around, we hadn't brought their swim things, and a hotel tub is a lot cleaner than a hotel floor. I used a bottle of hotel shampoo as bubble bath, turned on the jets, and... found out what happens when you do that. Eighteen inches of bubbles. Oh my.
Cold weather bed head the next morning. Not sure what to do with all this static.
The second travel day was just hard. Not sure why. Nobody slept more than a half hour. Everybody fussed. By afternoon I was indulging in fantasies of tying the kids to the top of the car like Christmas trees and enjoying a moment's quiet.
In Maryland we met Grammy and Grandpa, who had flown in to make the move go easier. Yes, that's right. We needed six adults on three kids to make things go smoothly. Ask any one of them and they'd tell you things were chaotic enough as they were.
Since our house was still locked up, we met at a hotel and stayed there that night. Mommy and Daddy went to the house, but the power was off in our court due to a downed line, so all we could do was walk from room to room with a flashlight like burglars. We were halfway expecting our neighbor, a sheriff, to come over to see what was going on.
The next day Mommy and Daddy cleaned while Grammy and Grandpa amused the kids. This was no small task.
Tuesday was unloading day.
Devon, Carrie, and Melina stayed safely at the hotel while all the craziness went on.
And really, everything went off without a hitch. Our indoor temperatures dipped to 51 degrees. We put gloves on and fleeces over our sweatshirts. When they were pretty much done and we were able to close up and run the heat again, we welcomed the kids to the new house with stairs.
The next few hours were a precarious dance of keeping the kids entertained, trying to place a few items of furniture, and letting the house warm up. Everyone was pretty well pleased with the new house, but there were a few tears from general overexcitement.
Some things that weren't intended to be unpacked got unpacked right away. Devon, especially, was keen to see what was in each and every "present".
He was really excited to see his beloved train table again.
Then came the naps. My mom caught me in a moment of exhaustion, and Devon in just about the only nap he's taken on his bed since we moved in....
It was an entirely fitting way to spend New Year's Eve. What more of a new beginning could there be than a brand new house and a new life in a new state?
The mood that evening was festive as we ate our pizza and toasted the New Year with sparkling grape juice.
After over a week on hiatus, it felt good to live somewhere again. And the somewhere deserves it's own post entirely, or maybe many. Oh, beloved House With Stairs....
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