Back to School

Drew had is first day at his new preschool today and everything went great. He was excited to go and meet new people and see his new room - both of those things blew my mind! He had been clingy at drop off the last couple of weeks in Knoxville so I expected some real drama this morning. Instead he went right in, headed to the toys and started playing. He made a new friend today - Tobi. They hit it off right away and apparently he is the only kid Drew played with today. At least he has found one friend! He did inform me, as we were getting in the car at pick up, that there is not a train table at his new preschool. But he didn't seem too traumatized by that so hopefully he will just play with other things and go on with life! He is only there for 2 1/2 hours on Tuesday and Thursday so it is a much shorter experience but I think that will help. For mommy it means a longer nap on those days - he was exhausted today! Thursday is pajama day and he thought his teacher has lost her mind - "Mommy, my teacher said for me to wear pajamas and shoes to school on Thursday. That seems silly!" They do a lot of theme days and I think he will enjoy that!

I have not found any programs here that take children Allen's age. For that matter, the youngest I have found is Drew's current class (3 by 12/31) so I guess Allen will have to wait until August 2010 to go back to school. I'm debating between Kindermusik and the Little Gym to give him an outing one day a week while Drew is at school. He needs the interaction for sure!

I did get a picture of him this morning before we left. Whenever I figure out how to download photos from my new camera (that I got for Christmas...almost a month of pictures trapped in that little thing!) I will update this post. Allen climbed in the picture too - I think he felt a little left out!

We're Here!

We arrived safely in Scottsdale on Saturday evening. Both Drew and Allen have been quite sick over the past week which has made things interesting to say the least. Allen seems to be on the mend but Drew slept 14+ hours last night - he went down for a nap at 3:30 yesterday afternoon and came into our room at 5:00 this morning! He went back to sleep for about an hour and then was ready to get up. He seems to feel better today so hopefully that is all he needed.
The house is great - it was nice to finally see it since Patrick picked it out without me! He had unpacked all the boxes and had the moving company pick them up so it was nice to not have any boxes to deal with. However, everything that was in boxes is sitting wherever and it is a little chaotic! It will definitely take some time to get settled. I'm working on it one room at a time but that's hard to do too!
The boys were VERY excited to see their toys and Maddie! They have played hard and roamed the house trying to figure out where everything is. Their rooms are pretty far from ours but I think they have both navigated the distance pretty well. It is so nice to not have stairs to worry about. Allen is to too hard to contain and not having to worry about him falling down stairs is a nice perk!
I'll keep the blog updated as I can!

Daddy Rocks!

Patrick and Maddie arrived in Scottsdale on Friday evening and on Saturday they met the truck at our new house and helped unload. As of this afternoon, both boys rooms, the guest room, kitchen, dining room, living room and garage are all unpacked. Granted...I'm not sure where anything is or how many times I might move it around, but at least I don't have to deal with the boxes! He has had some help from Grandma and Grandpa who were passing through on their way back to their "home" (currently parked in Casa Grande). Patrick is most proud of the fact that both cars can already fit in the garage!



Maddie is enjoying the new yard and the weather. Apparently she just sits outside and looks around. She is frustrated that she can't see much from the backyard (the yard is walled in since it is a zero lot line) so she also sits at the front windows and watches the world go by and everyone playing at the park across the street.


Patrick took Teddy Bear with him on his trip across country and sent back photos along the way of all the things Teddy Bear did and saw. Drew has enjoyed them so much and I am putting them into a photo book for him. I think it has really helped the transition process and understanding what to expect when we get there.




Patrick flies to Knoxville on Friday and will turn right around and fly with us back to Arizona on Saturday. I think we are all ready for this move to be completed and to start our lives out there!

Maddie's Travels

Our "puppy" is enjoying her long trip across the country with Patrick. She stayed in a hotel for the first time and is being a very good girl. Last night they were in Albuquerque and stayed at a Marriott - on the 15th floor. Maddie was able to look out the window from high above the city! Patrick said she kept huffing at all the people and cars below - like she could get them if she really wanted to! He thinks she might have thought they were bugs!

Happy New Year!

A new year has begun and our family is on the move! Mommy, Drew and Allen moved into Nana and Grandaddy's house on Saturday. Daddy and Maddie joined us Sunday after the movers took over our home. They started packing at 8:00 am Sunday morning and finished packing Monday evening. Tuesday they began loading the "big truck" despite the constant rain. They hoped to finish but the rain was just too much. They will begin again Wednesday morning and hope to get on the road by noon. Daddy and Maddie plan to start out Wednesday morning at 8:00 am on their bonding drive across the country. He hopes to be in Scottsdale by Friday evening. Maddie has no idea what she is getting herself into!
The boys are doing well and adjusting to life at their grandparents' house. Drew is having trouble getting to sleep at night and we think he's probably a little stressed with all the changes. Both boys started back to preschool today and I hope that will help with the adjustment. We will be here until Saturday, January 17 when we fly to Arizona. Drew will start at his new preschool on Tuesday, January 20. Mommy is excited for him but so worried about that transition as well!
Keep us in your prayers as we make these big changes over the next couple of weeks!

Drew's Favorite Christmas Song

I wanted to quickly share Drew's favorite Christmas song for this year:

Elise Noddy Nod
Elise Noddy Nod
Elise Noddy Nod
Elise Noddy Nod
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my hea-a-art

That's Feliz Navidad for those of you who speak Spanish and not toddler-ese! And he sings it with such joy and spirit - it's great!!

Fun Times with Daddy...

Sunday after church the boys (all three of them!) had a big time playing together. It was fun for Mommy just to sit back and take pictures!

Awww...brotherly love!

Superman! And his sidekick, of course!

Christmas Thomas chugging through the tunnels...

Allen decided he needed the tunnel more...

What? I didn't touch the tree...I promise!

Updates...

Allen seems to be getting better, although his temp is still around 101.5 without Tylenol. I'm hopeful that the morning will bring a fresh start! Drew was exhausted after school today and took a 3 1/2 hour nap. It made for a cranky and late evening, but I think he needed the rest. I am holding my breath and hoping he does not come down with a fever as well!

Patrick called today and the preschool in Scottsdale where we really want Drew to attend has a very unusual opening in January. So Drew will be able to start school there the Tuesday after we arrive! We are so excited. We really feel it is the right place for him and the fact that they have an opening is amazing. The only problem is that he needs to be completely potty trained. That should be interesting to accomplish over the next 4 weeks! We're so close...yet so far away...

I hosted a very fun Girls' Night Out at my house on Tuesday night for our Sunday School class. We did a cookie swap and I came away with 6+ dozen cookies! Needless to say, I don't need that many cookies in my house! I was able to take a big tray to a friend today to brighten her holiday and it was so nice to see all the variety in one place and to know it was going to someones family who will enjoy it all! I have also eaten cookies for many meals over the past 2 days. I'm in desperate need of a well-rounded meal at this point!

Saturday is the Christmas celebration with my dad's side of the family. Everyone is coming down from southwest Virginia/northeast Tennessee to have lunch and play at my parent's house. I think there are 37 planning to be there. It should be chaos but fun! The kids draw names and do a gift exchange so it will be Drew and Allen's first Christmas presents of the season. I'm excited to see how they react!

Patrick is in Scottsdale for an extra day this week and it sure does make a difference! Drew really misses him and is ready for him to be home. So am I!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is Grandma's birthday and I forgot to have the boys call her. Some daughter-in-law I am! Sorry Grandma! I'll have them call tomorrow.
Regardless, Happy Birthday! We hope you had a great day!

Sick Boy...Again...

Allen is sick again, only this time we don't know why. When I picked him up from preschool yesterday he had a fever of 102.5. It went up to 103.5 during the night - sleep did not come easy for him and we were up most of the night. It has been at least 103 all day and goes down to 101 with Tylenol but goes right back up when it wears off. We went to the pediatrician and they did blood and urine tests and nothing came back "remarkable" so it is assumed to be a virus. For now I just treat the fever and if it is still high on Friday we go back in.
Of course, Patrick is in Scottsdale this week and not home until late Friday night since he doesn't travel next week. It's times like this that having Daddy at home comes in handy. Mommy is exhausted!