Note to My Big Kids Who are Not Here to Help Move

We're moving out the contents of all the closets and dressers and the stores in the crawl space today, kids.  But the big Moving Day is tomorrow.  Aren't you boys glad you're missing out on this -- Paul, Jon, and Br. Pio?  You, too, Michelley!  (sneersnort)

But, Kevvy -- darlin' -- we're so glad you're coming!  You are our favorite son, you know.  (Just now, anyway...) You others can pray --especially you seminarians --  and that's big, but it don't get the fridge moved. Dangit all anyway.  But if you guys will pray away hernias and snow, we guess we'll give you a break.

But, seriously, we're doing alright; you should see the little Amazon-woman girls lifting and carrying!  They are amazing!  And smile and give us little concerts while they pack and unpack.  They've worked out a two-part rendition of Down in the Valley that is awesome.  Nice to have the free entertainment while we work.

Still, Wish You Were All Here!

Sure you can't drive out real quick?

(Just kidding.)

(No, I'm not, really)

It's a Brown Box and Silver Tape Kinda Day

But almost all the books are packed and moved over.
This is a big deal.

Ordinary acts today:  Moving the kitchen, laundry room and the rest of the barn over to the new place; figuring out how to make a walk-in closet out of the tiny room near the girls' room that has plaster walls that we can't nail into; remembering to eat and feed the children.

Well, maybe not so ordinary -- but all in a day, anyway.

Exactly a week before we have to be all moved over and have the old house cleaned up and ready to go for the new tenants.  Kevvy comes Friday to help with the big stuff, but 'til then, it's me, Dan, and the girls -- with the little boys running around our feet...  But, no worries!

(Sure, we can!)

Paul's on his way...

....apparently by a rather circuituous route to Afghanistan via Canada. Nobody knows why -- but, unless he's going to defend Canada now, which would be alrighty by us, we expect he'll eventually get to the predetermined destination.  All's good, though.  He's in God's hands,

as always.

Still, everyone misses him.

This picture of his sweet little guy makes me tear up every time I look at it.

-sniff-

We want a "Daddy Doll" like Gavin's.

But we'd have to call it a "Paul Doll."

And I'm not sure he'd like that.

Our 1st Lieutenent Deploys Tomorrow

You know I'll be heading out tomorrow, Gavin, buddy.

Some last minute instructions:  The most important -- take good care of Mommy until I get home.

Don't worry, Daddy.  I'll take care of everything.  I love you.

God speed and God bless, Paul!

We love you!

All our prayers are with you.

Show those guys in Afghanistan how it really needs to be done.

(See you soon in e-mail!)

Car Guy Rube Goldberg Thingamajig

Thanks to good friend, Brian, who fixed Kevvy's car so that it will now -- work.

Friday Update

Old house.  Not ours.

As I mentioned, we painted the girls' room Wednesday.  It looks nice; they love it.  And the little boys' room, we painted blue yesterday -- a shade darker blue than the girls'.  In the southeast corner of the upper floor, the little guys' room has the most "challenged" walls of the old house we're moving into.  (Did I mention it's 109 years old?)  this little room tucked under the eves looks like it was painted in the thirties maybe, and is used to be that unidentifiable shade of beigy-peachy-grey you see sometimes in old houses.  Bleh.  (What were they thinking??)  And this dull color coats particularly old, cracking, falling down plaster.  Double bleh. 

 But now, all the cracks and blemishes in that room are masked by a lovely shade of sky blue.  The trim will be a darker blue by tomorrow afternoon -- and one particularly bad wall will be completely covered in National Geographic maps of the world.  I'm hunting around the internet now looking to add to a little globe collection  to further the world travel theme.  And my satisfaction will be complete if I can find some nice, lined, map-themed curtains for the big picture window. 

Add a dark blue bunkbed, a half dozen or so small bins of toys in a bookcase, two toy pirate ships (complete with pirates and cannons) and one big Noah's ark set (complete with Noah and animals)  -- and, of course, two little boys -- and voila!  presto!  Home.



Safe Haven, by Vladimir Kush
If super-artist, Jon, were home, I'd have him paint this on the ceiling....

* Pictures coming when we're all done.