We made it

It’s been a LONG weekend and we just wanted to let everyone know we made it safe and sound. Zoe has settled in just fine, she’s in heaven having her Nana all to herself. Zoe has a HUGE bedroom and more attention than she knows what to do with. I think the dogs may be a little more confused than Zoe is. HA! We are all beat and it’s going to take us a few days to recoup and get back on schedule but, everything went well and we are glad it’s over, for a while anyway!

Story Time

Tea Time

Train Time

Zoe & Biscuit Time

Argh...

What a day! We are hoping to get out of here tomorrow afternoon. We ran out of room in our PODS so, we decided to just order another one instead of putting it in the U-haul. So, they are coming in the morning to pick up the other two while we pack the third one. Once we’re done with the PODS, we will then pack the U-haul, finish cleaning, and do our walk thru. It’s been non-stop around here! This has been the worst move EVER in the history of us moving. Not only did we not have movers but the stairs were a killer. Three levels are dreadful, I don’t enjoy going up and down the stairs period, much less trying to get up/down them with large articles of furniture. Once we buy, WE WILL NEVER MOVE AGAIN! I am tired of moving, and we’ve done it too many times. This next house better be ‘THE ONE’.

We miss Zoe so much and just want to get to her as soon as possible. We talk about her all day. I will say to Shelli, “Remember when Zoe…..” and she’ll say, “Yeah, but remember when she……….” We could talk about her all day every day. She’s been very busy at Nana’s house, working in the yard all week and loving it. I look forward to checking my email in the evening to see the pictures and hear all about her day. When we call her she always has something going on and can’t wait to tell us all about it. Just hearing her voice makes everything a little more tolerable!

Here is what she had to say today, “Hi Mom & Mimi, We got up this morning and had our coffee outside on the steps and I just had to smell the beautiful flowers. When we finished our coffee we pulled weeds out of the flowerbeds so that the flowers could grow, especially my strawberries. I sneak one every time Nana's not looking. Soon it was naptime so I went in to take a short nap. After lunch I took Chesterfield outside and we played ball and ran around in the backyard for a while, it was pretty hot outside so we decided to go inside and play. After supper we went out and watered all the flowers and vegetables. I had a little mis-hap with the hose and got kind of wet and dirty so Nana put me in the sink for a bath. Not long after my bath I was sound asleep. I love you bunches!”

Zoe enjoying the outdoors

We sure will miss our first place in PA. We are looking forward to starting our home search at the end of the year. We are really going to miss all our new friends. We can't wait to get back and pick up where we left off.

Busy Bee

Shelli and I got a lot done today. We are glad it’s almost done; this has been a grueling process. Not only is moving not enjoyable but, we miss Zoe so much!

Zoe is having so much fun at her Nana’s house. Her email today says: “Mom & Mimi, We had another busy day! After breakfast we went outside and planted an upside down tomato and I planted my flowers all by myself. We found some earthworms and played with them for a while. It was fun watching them wiggle in my hands then we put them back in the ground so they could find their way home. It has been a hot day so we took a break, had lunch, a short nap and then we went outside to feed the birds and put water in the birdbath. Then for the serious stuff, we planted some fruits and vegetables. Nana dug the holes and I filled them with potting soil. When we finished planting them we watered all the flowers and vegetables and called it a day. While our supper was cooking we had fun watching the pretty birds from the kitchen window. After supper we watched Sponge Bob and I could hardly keep my eyes open. I am ready for bed. Love you and miss you.”

Gardening at Nana's

We took a break to watch American Idol tonight. It was extremely touching. Shelli and I are looking forward to the day Zoe is old enough to do some ‘mission’ work with us as a family. I have always been a big advocate for volunteering and I hope by exposing Zoe to it early that she too will learn to have compassion for those who are less fortunate. I’ve always enjoyed doing and giving to those less fortunate and I’m always looking for ways to help. I can remember being in Jr. High volunteering at the local children’s hospital with my cousin. Then at the holidays I would go to Camillus House to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless folks at the shelter. Every time I walk into a facility to volunteer, the first person I think about is my mom. I always wish she were right there with me. She enjoys volunteering as much as I do.

It’s late and I’m so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. I think I’m catching a cold. No time for getting sick, we’ve got another 2 days of packing and cleaning!

Moving Update

After 8 years of being together, I’ve come to the conclusion that Shelli and I are never going to see eye to eye when it comes to packing. I’m an awful packer and she likes things just right. We are both exhausted and I’m sure the neighbors love hearing us complain, “Shelli, slow down, it’s heavy”, “Lori, bend you knees when you pick things up”, “Ouch”, “Stop”, “I’m cold”, “It’s hot”, “I need a drink”, “Wait”, “Go”, of course it’s all out of love. I don’t think anything is more stressful than moving! We’ve been eating standing up and wearing the same clothes as many times as we can because EVERYTHING is packed. We are hoping to be on the road early Saturday morning.

We will never ever try this again without movers. When we moved up here, we had movers so we forgot just how awful it is to do it on your own. We are trying to get things done so we can get out of here and get to our daughter who we miss so much. The house is just too quiet without Zoe. Shelli and I will look at each other and say “Wow, it’s quiet”. It just doesn’t feel right not to be in mommy mode.

As this long day comes to an end, I crawl into bed to check my email, and in my inbox was an update from “Zoe”. It said: "Hi Mom & Mimi, We have busy bees all day today. We got up this morning and went to get Chesterfield. We stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things and then at Roses and got a few flowers to plant and then we came home and ate lunch and took a nap. When we got up, we started cleaning up the yard and watered all the plants and we played in the water a little bit and then we came in and had supper and then we took Chesterfield for a walk. The guy came and cut the grass so we had to check out the yard to see what all he had done to make sure he didn't cut down any flowers, but he did a good job and we liked it. I took a bath in Nana's sink and it felt so good I was ready for bed after a little bit of Sponge Bob, I just couldn't stay up any longer I was pooped. Tomorrow we are going to plant our flowers. Love you, see you soon.”

Zoe in Nana's sink

Words cannot describe what it means to me to be a parent. It’s the most gratifying job in the world. When I saw the picture of my baby in the sink, it reminded me how lucky Shelli and I are to share our lives with this precious child. We miss her so much!

Mexican Party

Today we took a break from packing to enjoy the Mexican fiesta at the clubhouse in our complex. They were having a Mexican themed party with all the fixings, complete with a juggler and fire-eater. They even had a bounce house and an arts & crafts room. It was so much fun! We got there just in time to see the juggler. Zoe throughly enjoyed herself, but Shelli must have thought it was pretty neat too because she stuck around for lessons at the end. HA!

Zoe.... Crafting

The finished product

Shelli's finished product... (ah, not so good, Mimi..ha)

Nana works on a flower

The finished flower

Bounce... Bounce.... Bounce

Tonight, we had Zoe's favorite meal..... PIZZA, and tomorrow, her and her Nana will hit the road early. Shelli & I are not far behind. We are so pooped out over here, it's been non-stop for the past couple weeks.

Life is good!

Fun at the park

What a beautiful weekend it’s turned out to be, a perfect spring day to have a play date with our new friends. We all met at the Starbucks in Doylestown and walked a few blocks to Burpee Park so the kids could run free and explore the playground. Zoe fit right in with the boys like she had known them for years. It was sweet to watch Kyle and Owen interact with Zoe, they immediately took the ‘big brother’ posture and were mindful of her being smaller. After an hour or so of playing, they all took a break from the action to share a quick swig of chocolate milk and some cheese crackers. Zoe had a good time and was completely exhausted.

I am not sure who enjoyed the day more, Shelli and I, or Zoe. It was so nice to spend some time getting to know Heather and Braydon, and sharing stories. They are wonderful people and we are so looking forward to our families spending more time together.

Kyle, Zoe, & Owen

Double Swing with Kyle


MOVING UPDATE:

Pat arrived Friday, a little after they delivered our “Door to Door” containers. We spent most of the day packing them up, and Zoe even helped. Nana will be taking Zoe back with her Monday morning and we will drive down Saturday. As busy as we will be, we will miss Zoe not being in the house. It’s just not the same without her here. We will be counting the days until we get there to see her. She's our baby and we will miss her tons!

Goodbye Sam

Today, Zoe and I went over to see Sam one last time before Nana comes to pick her up this weekend. On our way home, I said to Zoe, “Are you going to miss Sam?” She said, “Yes, Sam’s my friend”, “I will miss him much”, “Sam’s house is fun”, “Manda (Amanda) gave me a snack too.". When we got home, we had lunch and I put Zoe down for a nap. As I was walking out of her room, she looked over her crib and said, “Mom, see Sam soon right?” I said, “Yes, soon baby, soon”. They had a great time playing together like they always do and I know she will miss not seeing him as often. Sam was Zoe's first friend in Pennsylvania

This move has been harder on me than I thought it was going to be. I’m so grateful for the friends we have made and I have to thank Amanda for being there through the stress of moving and always being an open ear for me to talk to. I know we will all be in touch via email. We are excited about spending time with Nana but it’s hard leaving the few friends we've grown to love. When we get back, Sam will have a baby brother and we cannot wait to watch them all grow up together.

Here are a few pictures of Zoe & Sam....

Today -- Best Friends!

Oct. '06

Dec. '06 - Zoe's 2nd b-day

Easter '07

We are also looking forward to our playdate with Kyle & Owen. Zoe is lucky to have such great friends and so are we!

Whale Watching 101... Boston, MA

Words cannot describe how amazing this whale journey was and pictures could never do it justice.

We began our 3 1/2 hour tour leaving out of Boston Harbor this morning around 10:30. The temperature was about 50 degrees, but out on the water, once the boat got going, it was FREEZING, and I mean, FREEZING. We were up on the top deck for about 30 minutes when the first ‘blow’ was spotted. Everyone rushed up top, trying to get a glimpse, but we had already staked our spot and were ready for the resurface. We waited, and waited, for about 6 minutes (it seemed like longer because it was SO cold) until the guide decided to head out a little further to see what we could find. Zoe told Shelli she was cold so Shell and Zoe went ‘down under’ to the inside cabin to warm up, but I stayed to rough it out because I was not about to lose my spot (front and center of the boat, behind the guide). I was numb from head to toe and the wind was so strong that I could hardly stand up. But nevertheless, I was holding my ground. Not long after the first whale was spotted we started seeing them one after another. It was so exciting, and the people were going nuts to try to see what they could. It was turning into a ‘free for all’. I had elbows in my eye and people pushing me from behind trying to get pictures but I wasn’t about to budge. I was front row and was in it for the long haul. Frostbite and all!

The whales were all so beautiful. But by the time I could focus the camera, the whale had gone back under already. Of course I wanted to take it all in and not be behind the camera the whole time, so I once I’d had my fill visually, I started with the camera. It was overwhelming how beautiful these mammals are. I totally got caught up in the moment. Every now and then I would look around behind me to see if I could see Shelli and Zoe but, Shell had Zoe napping downstairs as she was taking in the sights in the warm cabin sipping hot chocolate.

Zoe enjoyed herself, although she had no idea what she was seeing in the water. She loved being on the boat and looking at all the other people and sights on the way out, birds, buoys, lighthouses, etc. I guess today was more of a Mommy day. Shelli let me enjoy the day while she kept Zoe busy. It was breath taking and something I have wanted to do. It was well worth fearing the cold and wind (and rowdy whale watchers) and I cannot wait to go back and do it again when Zoe is a little older. Here are a few pictures. It was hard to get them but I did the best I could with all the commotion going on around me.

Boston Harbor

Looking for boats, fish, and birds

It's been a LONG day. We had a fantastic trip and we and are looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow. We can't seem to get enough of Boston. We love it!

Plimoth Plantation, MA

Shelli got done with work this morning about 10am so, we started the day off at the New England Zoo, which was very small. It took us about 45 min. to go through the whole Zoo. Zoe had fun looking at all the animals and making the sounds that each animal makes. I guess to her, it doesn’t matter how big or small the place is, as long as she can see animals, she’s happy.

Look, an Owl!

Next stop, Plimoth Plantation( http://www.plimoth.org/ )
Being here brought back so many childhood memories. My parents took me to Plimoth Plantation when I was growing up and out of all the trips we took throughout the years, this was the one I would have to call my favorite. It was so great to re-live it with my two favorite girls.

We enjoyed a walk through all the villages. It was just like I remembered it as a kid. We walked through as they re-created a pre-colonial era. It was fun asking questions and seeing how they lived in the 1600’s. Zoe made friends with her Wampanoag Grandmother and sat on her lap as she explained to us about ‘a day in the life’.

Wampanoag Grandma

The Village

Cooking

After we finished up there, we headed over to the Mayflower II. Zoe saw it as we were coming up over the hill and said, “Look, Look at the boat”. And who can see the Mayflower without seeing Plymouth Rock, and tossing a penny in for good luck?

Mayflower II

The one, the only, Plymouth Rock

Shelli and I both love to travel and see the sights. It's always been our passion. We are so blessed to be able to share these things with our daughter. I knew having a child would be fun but it just gets better each and every day. Everyday brings a new experience, one we’re sure not to forget.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to go on the whale-watching cruise, and we’re hoping the weather holds up for us. We bought Zoe a toy bath whale and she’s been playing with it anxiously waiting to see the real thing. We will head home tomorrow afternoon after the cruise.

Way Sweeter than Chocolate
~She sure is!~

Here are also a few pictues of the second night we were here. We met Mimi for dinner in Newburyport. What a fantastic little city. Very quaint!
http://www.newburyportchamber.org/

Waiting for Mimi

Mimi!

Yes.... Ice cream

It's going to be an early night for us. We knew having only 2 days to fit everything in would be hard. We are beat and have to be up early in the morning to catch the boat. It's all worth it!!

More Later!