The Last Day

I knew it would be a hard day for me-- Claire's last day of Kindergarten. We have had such a great experience this year with Claire's schooling. She was in a wonderful class, with a WONDERFUL teacher, with great friends and it has been better than we ever expected, which makes it that much harder to say goodbye.

It is really the first big goodbye we have here in Virginia as we get ready to move, and I handled it like I always do. I cried. I tried to joke it off as I was crying but I ended up braying like a donkey. I just can't talk when I cry like that. Embarrassing. Especially since I was the only one crying. Claire gave hugs goodbye to everyone and handled everything with a smile, much better than I did. Geesh.

Claire did cry about it last week, one night as she was getting into bed. She started to cry that once we move away, she would never be able to see her friends again. And through her tears, she started naming her friends that she would never see again. That was hard to hear. After I left her room, I started crying, too, as I wondered what we are doing to our kids, moving them around, having them make friends and then moving them away from them. Over and over. But again, I think I am taking it harder than Claire. That is the only time she has cried about it. Most of the time she is excited and busy making plans of all the things we will do in Alabama.

For Claire's final day in Kindergarten, the kids put on a Patriotic program, where they sang songs like "Grand Ol' Flag", "My Country 'Tis of Thee", and "God Bless America". It has been fun listening to her practice at home for weeks. She had a speaking part, explaining what the Statue of Liberty is and she did such a great job. But it almost didn't happen. Last night Claire, as well as two other girls in her class, threw up. And they started throwing up at about the same time, so we think it was a bit of food poisoning from something they ate in class yesterday. So Claire missed her last day of class, as we stayed home to rest a little before we took her in time to join her class in the program.

{With her teacher, Miss Jamie.
She is such a great teacher. Claire loved her and we will miss her}

Blah, blah

Honestly, I don't know where time is flying to. It is going a little too fast for me. We are now down to counting weeks instead of months until we move. Wowsers. My to-do list is getting to be longer than I would like and that just gives me anxiety to think about it. So I try not to think about it and that just makes my to-do list longer. Anywho, I don't have anything to write about so I am just going to put up pictures of my kids. again.

{Williamsburg, with the oxen. They let Claire stand behind and plow the field.
She loved it.}

{at the beach}

{this is what Morgan does at the beach: build sandcastles out of the dry sand}

Sweet Home Alabama

As I got off the airplane in Alabama, I heard it, several different times from different people. "Sweet Home Alabama!" and I wondered to myself if Alabamans got sick of hearing that from people who come to visit.

"Oh, yeah, Sweet Home Alabama. Good one. We haven't ever heard that before," said the sarcastic Alabaman.

Or do Alabamans hold it as their anthem. I have no idea. But I found myself repeating another phrase over and over while I was there to Cody. "You ever been to Mobile? . . .That's where I'm from. Mobile, Alabama." Over and over again. Even though we weren't in Mobile, nor am I from there. In fact, our trip out there a few weeks ago was the first time I had ever laid eyes on the state of AL, or anything near it. What are my thoughts about it?

It is GORGEOUS. It has lots of lovely trees and rolling hills, and lots of really nice people. I am looking forward to our time there (just not looking forward to the actually moving part, yuck). We found a cute little place, in a really cute little neighborhood, where Claire can ride the school bus to school, Morgan can ride her tricycle outside, Luke can sit around being plump, and we can go on family walks down in the woods behind our house (plus the neighborhood has a swimming pool, holla').

We spent most of our time there looking at homes, but we did manage to squeeze in a very yummy dinner with my friend, Melanie's, sister, Melissa and her family. She is a yummy cook and her family was very nice company. Her husband is from Eastern Washington (Wenatchee), and of course, when you are in Alabama and you meet someone who is also from the same area of the state you grew up in, you play 'do-you-know' and guess what? He did! (He knew Josh and Don--just in case you were wondering, Liz). I love that game.

Anywho, while we were monkeying around in 'Bama (I don't know if that's what the natives call it, but that is what I call it because I am hip), my sister-in-law Tiffani had flown clear across the country with her sweet little babe to watch Claire and Morgan. It is hard to be clear across the country from the nearest family member, especially when we may need help for things like this, so I am so thankful that Tiffani was willing to turn her life upside down for a week to come out and help us. I know it wasn't easy, or really very fun for her, but it helped us out immensely. And my two girls are kind of in love with her now. All I hear is 'tiffani-this' and 'diffani-that'. Thank you, Tiffani, from all of us. And thanks Mom, for helping out with the Washington end. It was such a big help to us.

And I'd like to thank the writers of Maverick for supplying me with the line, "you ever been to Mobile?. . ." and Cody thanks you too.

{Eva and Luke. Cousins. Born three days apart}

{Tiffani. First time at the Atlantic Ocean}