We Made It…

We are all here in Seattle, 2 cats, 1 giant dog, Mike, Thomas and myself…We also found a few stragglers at the airport in Denver!

Sooo….here for the record books are how the move went down.  Mike flew in on Thursday night his brother picked him up and brought him “home.”  Once he got there we packed up the last stuff in the car and got ready for bed.  5:15 a.m. came sooner than we thought and after slowly getting up we packed up our “bed.”  Stella was anxious to get in the car and then they were off on their approximately 20 hours drive.

Thomas slept for another hour and I “tried” to sleep but kept thinking of everything I needed to remember.   Then Allison and Lilli arrived with some coffee and breakfast :-)  Soon after Deb and Brent were over to give Thomas, Itzy, Tucker and myself a ride to the airport.  After checking in we went to wait for my parents to arrive from Minneapolis!  Whew…so far so good both in travel and typing.

I am not going to lie, it was probably a bit comical to watch 3 adults wrangle a wiggly 1 year old and 2 cats through security.  After that it was smooth sailing until we landed in Seattle (thank God Thomas is such a good flier-Guess that is what 19 flights in 1 year does?)    In true Thomas fashion the car ride, which has been going better, was a disaster.  He was pretty unhappy for about 1/2 the ride to our house and along with me having no clue how to get there it was a little frantic.  We ended up getting to our new house and we were in….next step…let the cats go potty.  BUT…first you need to find litter in 192 boxes that were pretty randomly labeled.  More. Chaos.  

Which brings us to the next several days that were spent looking through boxes to find things and try to get stuff put away.  It is great to have people pack, but somewhere the labeling and room assignment was lost in translation. 

Mike and Stella arrived safely on Saturday about 1 p.m.  It was so nice to know my whole family was safe in Seattle.  I was a lot a bit nervous about Mike driving.

Mike and I were so thankful to have my parents here to help.  We utilized their “services” and put my dad on the construction work and my mom on cleaning detail.  When we allowed them breaks they got to spend time with Thomas :-)

We made many trips to the hardware store and although we felt like we didn’t get too much done the list is pretty long for 3 days with a 1 year old in tow…

1-new toilet, 2-tearing up all tacking from carpets that were on hardwoods, 3-cleaning, 4-putting temporary flooring down in the dining room, 5 organizing and put away kitchen and dining room, 6-assembling a couple Christmas toys for Thomas.  This was all done while making sure Thomas was playing, happy, and safe.  We also were able to make a Coke and Jack Daniels Ham and potatoes for Easter!

Huge thanks for all the help and WORK on your vacation Mom and Dad.       

Potty Chair?

After watching Thomas pee too many times on the floor before or after his diaper changes, showers, or bath we decided that we should see if he wanted to go on the potty chair. 

We didn’t get one before the move but on our first trip to target we splurged.  What do you know, he sat down and instantly peed….the next day….he pooped!  The first day/night he was 4/4.  Since then we are not as successful but we are going to “try” a few times a day unless he refuses.   

A Very Full Week with Lilli

Beware…there is an obsessive amount of pictures in this post  :-)

All week Allison and I have been fighting back tears as we hang out, watch our two bundles play together and enjoy every second that we can before “the move” happens.  We have gotten in a trip to the park, last Monday morning mama, a couple dinners, a trip to the Botanic Gardens and helping us off to the airport.  The week was filled with Al and Lilli and Thomas and I enjoyed every minute!  Tears and all…

I cannot thank Allison enough for stepping in to my life out here in Denver.   When I left Minnesota 6 years ago, there were so many tears wondering “if” I would ever find as good of friends as I had “back home.”   Thankfully, I have other friendships that have remained just as strong no matter the distance, but I am so sad that both Thomas and I will not have weekly “play dates.”

Not only is Allison a great friend she has been a great mother to have in my life.  She is one of the most compassionate and gentle mother’s I know.  She has been an excellent guide and friend in this ever questioning journey of uncertainty.  In a time of doing things a little differently than what people consider the norm, it is nice to have an companion who has similar ideas of mothering.  I guess over our years of working with families and children, in so many homes over the years, you see everything you want and don’t want to do as a parent.  Allison has this same background and we have been able to bounce thoughts and ideas back and forth effortlessly as we both try to be the best mothers we can.

There is really something unique about their friendship and watching the two of them play fills my heart with warmth and belly with laughter.  These pictures can hardly do their special friendship justice.  Thomas even gave Lilli her first (his to) bite :-(

Can’t wait for our next play date whether it is in Colorado, Washington, Minnesota or any other state!  We love you and miss you very much Bennet Family!

Zoo Trip with Zander and Leo

Thomas and I met up with Jess and her boys Zander and Leo for a quick trip to the zoo Friday afternoon.  We enjoyed walking and talking while the boys found and watched animals.  After Jess and her boys took off, Thomas and I went to the pachyderm house and bird world.  These are two areas that I some how always miss at the zoo.  I don’t think I have ever been in the bird exhibit.   It was fun to hang out with my little buddy and talk with him about what he was seeing.

Packed and Loaded Up

We had people packing our house up on Monday.  They were quick and efficient and EVERYTHING went into a box.  So there will be some sorting that needs to happen in Seattle.   When they left our house was in 192 boxes. 

Tuesday we had just one person over in the packing department to crate up our TV.   (several others in the moving department)

Then Wednesday came and the van packers were here.  There were 5 guys that arrived at 7:45 am and worked until 4:30 p.m. .  They worked to load all 192 boxes and then the other pieces of furniture and stuff. 

When they left my home was empty and we all were exhausted and a little sad.

341 articles boxes and items later our lives were on their way to  Seattle.      We are now camping out in what I am calling the “fort.”  What I have realized about moving is that my whole house feels like a giant “owie” for Thomas.   There were things all over the floors, outlets left without plugs, and stairs without gates.   Trying to distract him so I could rearrange was tricky.  It took 2 days and some creative strategies, but we are now ready physically to go to Seattle.  Emotionally, I am not going there YET!

Casa Bonita

Well we have been to Casa Bonita!  This place is an experience.  Apparently, it has been poked fun at on South Park and is notorious for the awful food (and gut rot)!

This article in the Westword describes the experience.  We were lucky and without asking got a great seat by the waterfall.  We were able to watch some pretty bad acting and the “cliff jumper" or a high school diver make several jumps.  All I can say is at least we can say we went!

Laugh Button

Thomas has found his belly button or what he thinks is a “laugh” button.

When he would find either Mike or I’s buttons we would both laugh partly because it does tickly and partly because it is funny.  Thomas would laugh then too.  Then I asked where his “button” was and realized that he thought if you touched it your suppose to laugh.  Too cute…at least we think so!

Zoo With Lilli

Playing with Fondant

While I was in Seattle for a week I got the idea that I would try to make a cake for Thomas’ birthday.  The main reason was because I was looking at amazing Safari themed cakes and they were so expensive that I couldn’t afford to buy them. 

So I thought, how hard could it be?  After searching for pictures and reading up on the difference between gum paste and fondant I decided that I should probably use fondant for the first attempt. 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t want to tackle making it, as I had no clue what it should feel like.  I then found that Duff, from Ace of Cakes, has a line of fondant tools and products at Michaels.  So I was off to the store and returned with 20 lbs of fondant, gel food coloring, a fondant rolling pin and circle cutters

I really enjoy creating things.  I love to play and see my ideas come to fruition.   Over the years I have had good ideas, making a cake, scrapbooking, and making stuff for our wedding.  I have also had some flops, I thought I could be an oil painter extraordinaire, I was extremely wrong!

It was a really easy to work with fondant.  After a few seconds in the microwave it was like playing with smooth clay.   The monkey was the most difficult for me.   After reviewing my creation with Mike we both determined that the first monkey was scary and it ended up in the trash.  The woman who made my wedding cake taught me a trick and I used it.   She said that she always  puts frosting on her cake and then puts the fondant on top of that.  I thought that this worked really well.  My creation worked and I had a lot of fun doing it.  The animals didn’t take too long and the great thing is that the fondant can sit in the fridge or freezer for a long time.  I still have the animals sitting in there because I don’t have the heart to throw them out.  

Thomas’ Birthday Party

On Saturday Mike and I hosted a party with all of our friends and we had a blast.  Thomas had a great time playing with Lillianne, her cousin Justice and Audrey. 

Mike and I had a blast watching Thomas and hanging out with our friends for one last celebration at our “Denver house.”