Look Closely, Can You Find Someone That Climbed Out of Their Own Bed and Into Their Brothers'?

Think, Then Speak

On Monday we met with our realtor to see a few properties. We had worked with the same fellow during our house hunting trip a month ago. Bryan and I exchanged greetings with him as we prepared to enter the first house.

Cooper gave him an appraising look and announced, "You look older."

Cue two parents scrambling to apologize while simultaneously explaining to Cooper why that wasn't the coolest thing to say.

The Final Leg

The next two days had sooooo much driving. Really, it was only about twelve hours spread over two days, but we drove both cars, so there was no relief for either of us. We stopped in Lynchburg, Virginia on Thursday night after driving down a long, long, long country road to avoid driving up a scary mountain pass.

On Friday we drove out of Virginia, through a small tip of West Virginia, quickly in and out of a tiny corner of Maryland, then into Pennsylvania.

And then, after making it to our hotel on Friday night just in time for the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, we all slept until 10 in the morning on Saturday. I think we've almost recovered from the trip.

Broadway, Y'all

After sleeping in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday night, we were only a few hours from Nashville, Tennessee. Most of us had never been there, so we detoured and had a little adventure.

Walking down Broadway is fascinating. It's lined on both sides by honky-tonk bars. In nearly every bar was a live band. It was a swirling cacophony of country music, and it was pretty awesome.

Look! A stadium across the river where people engage in sports of some kind! Go sports! However, no one was sportsing when we took the photo.

What was that? You want me to stop taking pictures?

We drove by the Nashville Temple. It's beautiful. Maybe next time we'll actually get out of the car.

We Stop for Friends

One of Peter's good friends from first grade (whose dad was in the same MBA program as Bryan) now lives in Indiana. Peter has been asking to see Reed for the last three years, so we planned our route to include a detour for dinner and some fun at the park with Reed and his family.

My boys loved playing with their two boys and my girls loved playing with their four girls. Sophie was in heaven. Not only do they have a little girl about six months younger than her ("It's a baby!"), but they had more barbies and princesses than our girl had ever seen in one place.

I loved getting to catch up with my friend. The moms chatted while the kids played. It was a much needed break during a long day of driving.

Reed is a month older than Peter, just for comparison sake.

Sophie mothered Jane, much as she mothers the rest of us on a daily basis.

Six People at Six Flags

Bryan's company sponsors the Six Flags theme parks, which came with the perk of getting free tickets. As our time in Illinois drew to a close we realized we probably wouldn't be able to use those free tickets. Except, we discovered we had some unscheduled days. See, our lease in Chicagoland ended on July 31, but our hotel stay in Pennsylvania wasn't set to start until August 5. It's only a twelve hour drive from one location to the other, so we had some days to fill.

And that's why we went to Six Flags Great America last Monday.

We almost got everyone in the picture.

Bumper cars!

While Bryan took the three big kids on the Dark Knight

I took Sophie on a few rides perfect for a girl who's exactly three feet tall.

Then we all found some kiddie rides to enjoy together.

Sophie really liked this roller coaster, but not the next one. I don't have a picture of that one because I was busy holding Sophie and reassuring her that we were safe. When we finished that ride I asked what she thought. "It was crazy."

I really like the spinning rides. Bryan really likes Dramamine.

This one is for my brother Jordan. Look! It's the Hall of Justice! The line for this ride was two hours long! And even though it was a cool evening they still had fans spraying mist onto several areas of the line! It was not awesome!

We finished the night with a teacup-like ride for us and a tall-people-only roller coaster for Peter and Bryan.

It was a long, hot, fun day

In Between

Our road trip is done. We arrived at our temporary housing tonight. Now we begin the great game of "Ninja Walk" so the people below us don't complain to the management about the herd of elephants stomping around above them...

The Promise

Tonight, after a day of travel and adventure, I was snuggling with a pajama-clad Sophie. She put her hands on either side of my face and asked, "Does this make you happy?"

"Yes," I answered, "you make me so so happy."

She smiled sweetly and said, "That's cause you my mommy. And you my sister."

"No," I countered, "Phoebe is your sister. And you are her sister. You are my daughter and I am your mommy."

"And daddy my daddy."

"Yes, daddy is your daddy and you are his daughter, too."

"Why?"

I paused for a beat and breathed in as I thought of how to answer her question. "Because Heavenly Father sent you to us."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Better Than a Hotel

We had to be out of our house last Wednesday (when the packers turned our possessions into a jungle gym of boxes), which meant we planned to stay in a hotel starting that night. When the Relief Society president heard this she insisted that we stay at her house instead. It's the same place we stayed when we were locked out.

I was hesitant because we were sticking around for five more days and I was sure that would be too much. I was wrong. She and her husband loved having us there. Their kids are grown and only one lives nearby. I think they enjoyed having kids in the house again. And, bonus, they have three boys, so the normal cacophony that follows us didn't bother them at all.

It was a wonderful blessing to stay in their home.

A Few of the Goodbyes

Our last two weeks in IL were packed to the brim with play dates and goodbyes. These are just a few friends that we will miss greatly. Also, they're the only ones I thought to take pictures of.

I worked with Brittany in the Relief Society Presidency at church. She is the best secretary I have ever seen. I should know, because I was a lousy one a few years ago. I was also her visiting teacher, but she did far more service for me than I was ever able to do for her. And her daughter Lydia was Phoebe's good friend, which always strengthens mom friendships for me.

Allison and I met at story time at the library. Her daughter Annabel and Phoebe got along swimmingly and liked to play after the short story time session was over, so we started getting together outside the library as well. She and I bonded over our shared love of literature. I will truly miss my friend and our discussions.

I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a picture, but some women in my ward had a little get-together to send me off. We just met at Red Robin one night after bedtime, but it was so fun. In many ways, this move is extra hard because of all the wonderful friends I've made.