Our family entered March with much anticipation. We were so excited to be in California now and enjoyed having everyone in one place. Throughout this month we learned what apartment living is really like with three young, energetic, always on the move kiddos and one stressed out Mama ;) It was much harder than we had anticipated. To keep everyone a small place while awaiting the sale of our Texas home brought a little anxiety to Pres and I.
We had bare minimum as far as things from our Texas house, and I was running out of creative ways to keep the kids from disturbing the neighbors below. We had been in the apartment about a week when we got a gentle yet firm request to keep the noise down from the family living below. The mom was a stay at home mom like me and had a 6 and 2 year old. She homeschooled her 6 year old which meant they were always home. It was so much harder to keep those little bodies from running, walking hard, laughing loudly, yelling, etc. Pres and I exhausted ourselves with "shhhh"and "guys, the neighbors". I started finding new places to take the kids just about everyday so they could run, jump, play and be out of the constant nagging of "you've got to be quieter." We enjoyed book readings at the local library, a jumping place, parks and a huge indoor play place not too far from home. This month ended up being the wettest that CA has seen in a long time. It was a welcoming rain each time but it made apartment life that much harder. We couldn't play outside as much as I had hoped to.
Rockin' Jump
The boys had so much fun!
Beckham was in heaven!! This kid needed this place more than anyone else I think ;)
Two brothers just hangin out!
Excited to be out of the house and enjoying some exercise.
Keeping Preschool alive!
Building blocks and making towers.
Jack was so proud of his tower! :)
There is a really cool play place not to far from us. It has a huge play area and an all you can play arcade area. The boys were introduced to PacMan and now talk about it all the time. They love playing PacMan!
Movie night with Mom while Dad worked late!
One of the benefits of the rain was that it forced us to get creative and explore the areas around us. We found some really cool spots to play and had loads of fun. Also super grateful for the friends I have been able to make during play dates.
The following weekend we decided to take a trip to San Fransisco. A much needed break from apartment life. We were eagerly looking forward to seeing the sea lions on Pier 39, grabbing some Ghirardelli chocolates, eating clam chowder out of a bread bowl and visiting the farmers market.
On the drive to San Fransisco I could not get over how green the mountains were. Absolutely gorgeous!
Such a beautiful area!
Coming over the bridge I took a couple pics of the city.
The long blue building is where the farmers market is. It is huge and a ton of fun to walk through.
Once we parked we headed to the market and looked at the water. The boys were excited to watch the boats coming in and out of the harbor.
Alcatraz from the market.
Farmers Market
We bought some delicious bread, lavender that smelled heavenly and smoked salmon jerky (so delicious).
We took a bus from the market to Pier 39. These three loved watching the people pass by us and were always eager to see when it'd be our stop.
A lonely sea lion sun bathing welcomed us to the Pier. You could hear the sea lions from quite a distance. They are quite loud when speaking to each other. I'm not sure if he was shunned or the smartest one of the group...haha.
Rough life for these guys...haha :) They sure enjoyed the sun.
There is a lock bridge right by the sea lions. The kids were fascinated by all of the locks on the chain link fence.
The harbor.
Alcatraz in all its glory.
Another shot of Alcatraz. We will have to visit the next time we come.
Golden Gate Bridge
Family pic ;)
Watching the sea lions swim out and in from the bay.
I took my camera to practice a little photography. This was one of my favorites.
Lunch time!
I had fish and chips, Jack had a delicious brat, Q and B had chicken strips and fries and Pres went for the chowder. It was all super good.
After a delicious lunch we needed something sweet. Ghirardelli here we come!
Ghirardelli Square
Shot of the bay from Ghirardelli Square :) There were even swimmers doing laps in the bay!
Shot of the three musketeers on our way back to the car. We stopped at a nice playground and let each of them play hard for a while. They enjoyed climbing, sliding and swinging. I didn't realize I dressed them all in blue until this very moment, haha.
Hi Quinnie Bear
We ended up heading to Lands End from there to see the ocean and take a walk in nature.
The ocean did not disappoint. It was such a gorgeous day!
Sailboat in the distance.
Waves crashing onto the land.
Fun pic of the surroundings.
When we got to the top we could see dolphins playing in the water. It was so cool to see them jumping and swimming with each other. I tried to get a pic but I didn't have my telephoto lens with me. Pres even saw a whale breach and then go back down.
People walking along the beach. It was very peaceful.
There were super cool trees along the path.
Check out this tree!
Pres went ahead of me with the kids so I could take some pics. I really enjoyed playing around with different settings and seeing the world through a lens. It was a beautiful walk and a ton of fun to be out in nature.
Golden Gate from the other side.
We got a glimpse of the Oakland temple on our way home. So excited for the open house coming up.
More pics of the mountains on our way home. I love this drive!
Look at that green!
Every time we saw windmills the kids thought we were close to Grandma and Pops house :)
Build me a house right there with all the land and I'd stay forever!
It was time to officially move to the great state of CA! After our much needed break, I flew out to El Paso, TX the following week. Pres and I decided that it'd be best if I go out to pack up and load the truck. I thought that this weekend would be like a mini vacation for me but I was sorely mistaken, haha. It was a ton of work and extremely tiring. I flew in on a Wednesday super late at night. I got back to our home at 1am the following day. I crashed hard! The alarm went off at 7am so that I could get ready for the packers coming at 8am. I started dusting all of the furniture since we hadn't been there in months and moved from room to room cleaning surfaces. The packers arrived and were finished around 3pm. I quickly ran to grab lunch before meeting the electronic guys. They came to disassemble and pack all of our electronics. I ended up getting to my hotel around 4pm. I crashed on the bed until 6pm and then showered thinking I would go grab dinner, instead I decided to go back to bed feeling completely exhausted still. I was meeting the movers in the morning at 7:30am so sleep beat out anything else I had in mind.
Leaving Sacramento there was a beautiful sunset.
Packing up the house.
Me trying to be ok with the realization of this move...sadness. I'm going to miss that house!
Bedrooms are packed and ready to go.
Movers arrived with a semi at 7:30am! They pulled up to the house and started to disassemble beds, and everything that could be taken apart. They started loading boxes on to the truck and I started cleaning each room once it was empty. I touched up paint in areas, cleaned the windows and floors and the house was set. We finished at 4:30pm. I closed the door saying one last goodbye to a home we had grown to love over the past year and a half. I honestly didn't think it would be that hard to say good bye but it was. We had built a life in El Paso. We had the privilege of living there for a little over 4 years. It hits ya in the heart when you say good bye.
I got to back to the hotel and showered quickly so I could get a much needed pedicure before meeting my friends for dinner. My pedi took longer than anticipated and I missed the "new" exit since leaving town. These two things put me way behind for dinner. I felt so bad but the girls were super understanding. It was such a treat to see and talk with Anna, Toni and Sarah for a couple of hours. We talked on and on and caught up on life. I think we ended up leaving the restaurant later than anticipated but the time spent was well worth it. I was then on a flight back to our new home the following morning at 8am.
Goodbye El Paso! You have been great to us!
It was such a fast, exhausting trip but we are so grateful to have all of our belongings with us. When I came down the escalator from the Sacramento airport I was surprised to see four smiling faces looking up at me with signs that read "Welcome Home Mom!" My heart about burst. Tears filled my eyes as I hugged and kissed each one of those excited faces. I knew I was home! We moved into our new house on March 26th with time to spare! We are so, so happy to have the space and room to run and be ourselves.
That following Sunday, Preston and I spoke in church. We have been so welcomed into our new ward and it was a great way for the members to get to know a little bit about us. I spoke on the wounded soul and how we can overcome trials, hardships and difficult times in our lives. (Sound familiar from my month, haha). The Lord knows His children. Preston spoke on the desires of our hearts.
It always amazes me at how the Lord is preparing us for things to come. If we just listen to that still small voice that shows us the way we will be directed on the right path. He is a constant and will always be there to help through times of need. I may have thought I had a great idea on where to live and where we should be, but His ideas and thoughts are much better than I ever could imagine. I am so grateful to have His constant guidance in my life.
May April bring a little less stress, more relaxation and a lot more fun!
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