California Here We Came

Here are the pictures of our move out to California. Josh arrived two weeks ago tonight, to an empty house, at midnight, sick with the stomach flu, and the boys and I arrived the next day. We are so glad we're here and getting settled! I went to Enrichment tonight and met some more women in the ward. They are all so nice and come up to me and introduce themselves to me and say " I think we're going to be great friends!" Wow! I think so too.

Watching Rudolph on the laptop with their friend Elizabeth while we finished packing.
Saying goodbye to my best friend Melanie and her daughter Elizabeth.
All ready to go 860 miles to St. Louis.

The boys spent the time watching movies, thank goodness, and were mostly good in the car.
Sam screaming and getting a lot of stares in the McDonald's in Washington, PA. Turns out he had a nasty diaper rash. I would have been screaming too.Michael kept his head and talked to me over a juice box and an enormous ice cream. (Don't worry, he didn't eat more than 1/4 a cup of it.)

I let Michael dump salt on the table and draw in it while I held Sam. Unfortunately, it became a habit we then had to break.
Sam settled down once I let him play with my credit cards.
Dinner at Sbarro in the truck stop 30 miles east of Columbus. They ran in 2 different directions.

Ah, at last. The Hyatt in downtown Columbus, Ohio. On the 16th floor and with a bubble bath to help them wind down, the boys settled down for the night, mostly sharing the bed with me.
A rest stop in Indiana. A nice woman helped me keep both of the boys in the bathroom so I didn't have to chase them all over the place while I changed their diapers. Hurray for Grandma! In Terra Haute, IN my parents met me for lunch at Bob Evans and drove the last 3 hours home with me.

This makes it all worth it. Reading books with Grandpa by the fireplace and the glow of the Christmas tree. The boys had so much fun playing in the big basement and enjoyed their "Grammy" and Grandpa.

So, now we're here and initiating ourselves into California. Here the boys are eating their first In and Out hamburgers, and loving them. They're still up to their old tricks, even in the new house.

Fortunately, this potty has not yet been used for it's intended purpose and the food is plastic. Let's hope they catch on soon.

Sam can still wear his apron and help me in the kitchen. With the help of his new stool he can even lend a hand with the "biggies" (hand-washable dishes).So, there you have it. The trip of a lifetime. Like I said, never move across the country in the winter, with toddlers. Just take my word for it. But, California appears to be worth the effort. Josh is enjoying his job, I love our home, and we all love the weather! Once the house looks decent I'll put up more pics of it.