What's been going on with our family!

Hi Everyone!

There's been a lot going on since I wrote last...


September
Josh got a job offer with Intel in Cali and we made the decision to move back! We put our house on the market and hoped for the best! We also made a visit up to my parents where I attended my 15 year class reunion which was fun. I also took the kids to dewey to visit with the carrolls which is always a blast. Josh left for Cali mid Sept and I was on my own! I survived thank god!

October
Fall arrived in Middletown and the weather for the most part was very nice! I took the kids to a couple pumpkin patches and wish Josh could have been there too. Keegan wasn't too fond of the pumpkins though and kept pushing them away when I tried to get a pic with it and him. :) The kids did love Halloween and trick or treating with Nana, Pop Pop, my mom, me and Josh who flew home for the weekend after being gone for over a month.



November
After 22 buyers looked at our house, we finally got an offer and sold our house around Nov. 14th! We were excited yet not to thrilled with what we sold it for. The market definitely still stinks! We also got to visit with Patsy and Bella who flew in a week before Thanksgiving to stay with us and to celebrate Turkey Day with the Carrolls at their place in Dewey. My parents, Linda and Paulie also came down and we had a lot of fun!





December
We got ready for Christmas and bought our Christmas tree the day before Josh left to go back to Cali on Dec. 5th. The kids and I decorated it which they loved! We also enjoyed decorating the house, visiting with Santa and making cookies! I got to enjoy a night out thanks to my wonderful in-laws and went to a Moms Club holiday party at a nearby bar/restaurant. It is always good to have time away! :) Josh flew back from Cali a few days before Christmas and shoveled us out of the 2 feet of snow that was on our driveway. We got hit with a huge snowstorm a few days before Josh arrived home and I really did not have a chance to shovel us out since I was gone for the weekend to visit my parents. Some melted by the time Josh got home but it was still a pain to shovel!




Christmas was a blast as celebrated Christmas Eve with Josh's parents, Grandmother, Aunt and Uncle at our house which was so nice. The kids had a blast and loved leaving carrots for Rudolph and cookies and milk for Santa! They woke up Christmas morning so excited and eager to open up their presents! Plus Nana and Pop Pop were there which they loved too! Later on that day we headed up to my parents and spent Christmas night there opening up a ton more gifts which Mia and Keegan enjoyed so much! We also got to see my grandmother and numerousssss cousins and aunts and uncles that night. It was definitely a great Christmas to say the least!






For New Year's Eve, Josh and I spent some time in Dewey with his parents and their friends. It was fun catching up and hanging out since it was going to be a while until we'd see them again. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and some yummy drinks as we brought in the New Year together!



January 2010
Josh and I spent the first week packing up clothes (luckily we had REAL movers do the dirty work!), cleaning out closets etc etc and getting ready for our big move to Cali once again! It was a pain but we did it and glad it is behind us since it was a lot to do. Thanks to Marti and Tom for watching the kids for us while we did the packing etc...they had a blast with you! We also enjoyed a pizza dinner a few days before left with some good friends and their kids. We had 11 adults and 8 kids and it was really awesome! Finally, I got to have a night out with some girlfriends a week before we left which was a lot of fun! I seriously have some awesome friends back east, ones that are hard to come by and ones that I miss a lot. I can't wait to see you girls again and miss you tons!



Our trip to Cali was pretty smooth thank the lord! The kids did awesome on the flights despite keegan trying to kick off the seat in front of him a few times. Luckily distraction worked well! Keegan sat in his car seat both legs and slept for an hour only sucking his thumb while rubbing his nipple (don't ask!). Mia did well also despite us having no battery in the DVD player (ran out which we knew it would and we couldn't find the cord for the backup) and kept busy with snacks and Rudolph/Unicorn. She watched the DVD player for about an hour I think before it cut out. Keegan watched a video on Josh's ibook thing I think and did well too. We had a layover in Denver for about 2 hours which worked out so well b/c we got to eat dinner and do potty breaks. The last leg of the flight went well with me sitting with the kids and Josh sitting across from us. Keegan didn't sleep but did well with playing with Mia and some of their toys we brought with us. They got to meet a nice flight attendant that came by to talk to the kids and Mia actually fell asleep during the last 20 mins of the flight! We woke up her right when we got off (last b/c we were in the back) and she was like a deer in headlights! She did fine though she was a bit cranky. We then got our bags after waiting for like 10 mins or so and then our ride came after another 10 mins.

The kids got cranky on the way home b/c I didn't have snacks and I felt badly b/c our friend's baby was in b/t of them. It was a bit loud with them being whiney but we made it to our apartment and they were so excited! It was cute! They had some OJ and cheese sticks (thanks to our RE agent!) and ran around the apt. You would not have thought it was 1am EST! They hit the sack a bit later on after we got our rented beds made etc and were out like a light! Thank you God for letting them do so well flying and for making our move here a reality! :)

Cali has been treating us well and the weather has been pretty nice compared to DE! We do like it here but miss our family and friends a ton! Thank god for Skype and email! :)





Josh and I finally bought a house on Feb. 10th and can't wait to move in! We looked at 42 homes since we arrived on Jan. 8th, kind of crazy! We close on March 10th and should be moving in by the 15th! We lucked out with the asking price and are very thankful we did not settle for something we weren't happy with. I know the kids will be very excited to have all their toys back and a playroom of their own! I will be very happy too to be finally settled. :) Hope you are all doing well and stay tuned for more of my bi-monthly (or so!) updates!



Love,

The Carrolls