Scott's LAST time to drive to Fort Worth...alone!

There were some really dark moments over the past FOUR months where I didn't know if I would survive Scott's time away, where I doubted if we would ever be together on a daily basis again.  

As we've experienced every Sunday for the past 4 months, Scott packed his bags, loaded up his car and then said goodbye by giving hugs and kisses to everyone.  Today was bittersweet because we were all sad that Scott was leaving (again) but it were also uplifted because we know he returns on Tuesday so we can pack up the LAST POD and move to Southlake where we get to FINALLY be together again as a family, on a daily basis.  

I'm having a hard time not tearing up writing this.  Not because I'm sad...but because we survived this crazy time and I cannot wait to see Scott's face every single day.  He is an amazing father and partner and our family is significantly happier when he's around.

Drive safe, Scott.  We cannot wait to pick you at the airport on Tuesday.  There are good things heading our way!

Our new playroom

Who needs a playroom when you have a POD?  The kids have enjoyed running around and playing inside the POD since the last one was delivered on Friday.  I'm seriously considering buying one to use as an outdoor playroom in our new house!

We love you, Sandra

Last night was Sandra's last night to babysit the kids.  It has been a true honor to have her in our house for the next two years.  She has been my calm spot since we brought the twins home from the hospital.  We will never meet anyone like her again.  We love you, Sandra!

Popsicles

Nothing makes our kids happier than enjoying popsicles in the afternoon.

Love

Rainy Day at the Zoo

We have an empty house with very few toys.  So, hanging out at the house all week isn't really an option.  When everyone started going a little stir crazy inside, we decided to load up and head to the zoo...even if it meant we got wet.  The big bonus was that we had the entire train and zoo to ourselves. The kids loved every minute of it, and I wasn't as stressed out trying to watch 4 kids in a big crowd.  And even though we ended up with very wet clothes and shoes...I would say it was a perfect way to spend a rainy morning!

Fun morning on the train..notice the lack of riders.  

The boys being flamingos.

Thank goodness we brought umbrellas because it poured on us a few times!

Purses & Legos

Grace and Graham are obsessed with two things right now...purses & legos!  Grace is obsessed with dressing up and Graham loves to carry his football around in his "man bag".  Graham is also becoming quite the builder with legos.  It's so fun to watch him manipulate the plastic pieces into different sculptures.  Our babies are definitely growing up!

An Empty House

With a week until we move, the house is becoming more empty by the day.  The kids LOVE the empty house!  

POD 2 of 3 arrives!

This morning, POD #2 (of 3) arrived.  The kids were so excited to see the driver unload it into our driveway.  Thirty minutes later, the movers came to move 70% of our stuff into the POD.  After 3 hours of precision packing, the POD was full and the house is empty.  It will be interesting to live here for the next 2 weeks without  couches, tables, a refrigerator in the garage, etc.  We've had a lot of wonderful memories in this house.  But as more of our belongings head to Southlake, we want to go too.  Come on POD #3!

July 4th...in Austin!

Sam and Ben are celebrating the 4th of July with Mimi and Pop in Austin.  I am missing them a ton today, so I was so excited when I received these adorable pictures just now.  Pat said that the boys rode their pedal car (Sam) and tractor (Ben) from their house to the Park at City Hall and back.  That's impressive!  Happy 4th of July sweet boys!

July 4th Celebration

It was kind of weird to get ready for the 4th of the July parade and celebration without 3 of my favorite people (Scott in Fort Worth...Sam & Ben in Austin).  But we met up with the Anthonys and got to watch Amelia and Oliver in the parade.  After cheering on the parade, we headed to Mark Twain for the festivities.  Pony rides, petting zoos, train rides, watermelon and the best of the best, Pepper Lindsey cupcake and cupcake toppers.  Grace and Graham were OBSESSED with the petting zoo.  I finally had to bribe them to get them to leave.  It was such a fun morning.

Awesome time up North

This past weekend, the kids and I drove FIVE hours to see Scott in Southlake.  I was most nervous for the car time, but everyone was on their best behavior.  

The second most stressful part was figuring out about the hotel room situation.  A friend in the area recommended the Embassy Suites so that's where we decided to stay.  As we were walking up the first time to check-in...Ben asks (very, very excitedly), "We get to stay HERE?!?"  I had not thought about the fact that he had not stayed in a hotel in 2 years.  

The first night, we all stayed in one room.  We had a suite but all of the beds were in the same room.  Grace & Graham were in their Pak n Plays and the big boys in their bed.  About 4am, Grace was so excited to see everyone and decided it was time to get up and play.  She never went back to sleep.  The next night, we tried a different approach.  The babies in one room and the rest of us in another.  The boys were beyond thrilled to sleep on the floor and everyone slept soundly for the next 2 nights.

On Saturday, we headed to TCU as the boys had been begging to go.  It was beyond hot...but we all had a great time exploring the campus.

On Sunday, we wanted to FINALLY show Sam his new school, Rockenbaugh Elementary.  It's a beautiful campus and the school has an amazing reputation.  The kids had a great time running around their playground (the school also offers Pre-K).

Living out of a hotel is never easy (wow Scott...I don't know how you've done it for 4 months), but it was awesome to have everyone together in our new town.  The pace life is much slower and the open green spaces are amazing.  We have a lot to accomplish over the next few weeks, but are excited beyond words to move to Southlake permanently!