Sunday Synopsis: The Move, Best and Worst

I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf with the move, a regular blog post each Sunday, called my Sunday Synopsis. I will try my best. This week's Sunday Synopsis isn't of the most recent week, but I hope to move in that direction. My topic, The MOVE:

Top 10 WORST things about our move: 

1. Ed, our HORRIBLE loan officer, who lost documents, persistently wrote incorrect information, encouraged us to sign contracts with errors because "we were getting into the house so cheaply anyway," who delayed our closing once and almost cost us closing all together, who made us sit for four hours at closing while the title company corrected all of his errors (which we had corrected weeks before), and who asked for our email address the day before closing, after near-daily email communication for 30 days.
2. The truck breaking down in Denver and the requisite "drug screen" for our loan application, which necessitated Andrew driving 24 hours straight from Denver to St. Louis, consuming approximately 100 oz of Dr. Pepper, and staying awake for 40 hours prior to our closing and moving in.

3. Getting lost in a torrential rain storm while racing to set up a bank account (something Ed told me about over the phone while I was driving somewhere in Wyoming), and stuck a block away, due to traffic signals that lost power in the storm.
4. Washing machine drain popping off and spraying a full-sized load of water into our brand new basement.
5. Permanent "Emma," proudly written on our mailbox, front door, brick, and flower pots the morning after we moved in.
6. DMV run around with 2 kids, 2 days, for 2 hours

 7. Realizing that our moving truck was not quite as big as we may have needed, resulting in a massive tetris operation, where we dismantled much of our stuff (some of which won't go back together now), and thus, leaving behind my jogging stroller :(

8. Calling the police in a panic when Emma disappeared for nearly 45 minutes. After three officers showed up (including the sergeant), all the neighbors walked the streets calling her name, and the head officer offered to call a helicopter, a nice policeman found Emma "asleep" under the crib where she was hiding after being offended by James. (By the way, we did search the house thoroughly 3 times calling her name constantly before calling the police. Welcome to the neighborhood! :) very embarrassing . . . )

9. Car theft at Walmart parking lot. While Andrew was sitting in the moving truck just after arriving in St. Louis, a sedan screeched out of the Walmart parking lot, followed by two police cars. The occupants jumped from the vehicle and ran, officers drew guns, and tackled the individuals who were subsequently surrounded by other police vehicles with flashing lights. Welcome to St. Louis!!!

10. Having to jump Andrew's car numerous times just to get it out of the hospital parking garage (his third day of work), and subsequently jumping it to get it from repair shop to repair shop to get the best deal in parts and labor. Thank goodness we towed it from Utah!!

Top 10 BEST things about our move:

1. Having an amazing husband who has worked incredibly hard through the entire move, making sure the truck made it here, the house closed, going to work while completely exhausted from all the craziness, coming home and being the family favorite around here, and, SUPER cute. Take a look:

2. Driving across the beautiful Midwest plain states and two of the worlds best kids in the car!

3. Visiting family and friends along the way who were so generous, so welcoming, and whose kids were a wonderful release for ours after being cooped up in a car all day.

4. Being greeted by "fairies" glowing and dancing about in our yard, making our first night (and every night here) magical.
5. Squirrels and trains. Emma and James LOVE to watch the trains pass our house and the squirrels scamper across the yard.

6. Unpacking my kitchen dishes to find NOTHING broken, and everything fits into beautiful cupboards that seem to have never been used before (plus room for my china, vases, extra flower pots, pretty much everything!)
7. Regina and Julie, who bypassed Ed's errors, and got us our $500 in the contract, and closed on time!
8. My flower pot making it all the way across the country.

9. Walking distance to Grant's trail, the library, and a playground, all from my front door, a yard for my kids to run and play in, and Daddy's amazing tire swing!!

10. Being blessed daily by the help of others, be it a meal, advice, a game for relief, packing and cleaning help, watching my kids, a comfortable bed to sleep in while ours is packed in the truck, loading and unloading help, flowers from a new friend in the ward, chocolate at my door the morning after I moved in because someone knows moving is stressful, welcoming neighbors who happen to knock just after my washing machine floods and have a fan to loan for the carpet to dry out, and on and on.


We love you and are so grateful for all you have done to help us on this wonderful (and sometimes crazy) adventure!! :)

Family Photos

Thanks to Ashley Leishman for some beautiful photos! Favorites??

"Hat hat"

Daily Quotes

Our little Emma is so darling, and she often says things that I just can't go without writing down. Recently, it's been so many cute things in just a matter of minutes. James is quite a chatterbox, too, so here are some gems to enjoy:

Andrew and I were discussing Emma's long beautiful hair. He asked if she needs a trim (we'd never done anything to it). I said I could do it, or take her somewhere, but we'd have to pay. "No, I don't want to pay for it. I never want to cut my hair!"

Later, when I gave her her first trim, I said, "Emma you need to hold really still so I can cut your hair straight."
Emma, starting to cry, said: "No, Mom! I don't want it straight! I like it curly!!"

Talking about autumn, I explained how the leaves are changing colors, and will all fall off the trees. She immediately replied: "But, the birds have to live somewhere in the winter!"

One night, I had asked Emma if she could stay little for ever, marveling at how time flies. The the next breakfast, I made some comment about James eating and growing. Emma, remembering our discussion the night prior, asked,
"Why don't you want James to grow big?"

"I do," I said.

"Just me, then? You don't want me to grow big?"

"I do," I confessed, accepting the inevitable.

"Then why did you say you want me to be little?"

I tried to explain the sentimentality, how my children are precious, and the phase while they are little is so sweet, so short. Emma had quite the response:

"Don't worry, Mom. If you want a little baby, we can get a baby in your tummy."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Mom. You can pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to help you get another kid."

(FYI sorry to disappoint, but I'm not pregnant for those of you who, upon reading this, are now wondering, and there hasn't even been discussion of it, she honestly just pulled that out of nowhere!) 

James: "Nuh no!" as he drops something he knows he's not supposed to be getting into, and makes a mad dash away from me.

"Maybe when we move we can get a puppy named Clifford." (Emma)

"Emma, puppies are pretty expensive." (me)

"Yeah, I know, but maybe if somebody doesn't want their dog, they can give it to us!"

I was driving  when she said this and couldn't write it down, so I held down the button on my iPhone, and told Siri to send me an email. For those of you who don't know, Siri asks "What's the subject of your email?" "What would you like your email to say?" "Here's your message, ready to send it?" "OK. Megan, I'll send it." I then emailed myself what Emma just said. When Siri completed the email, she said "Okay, I'll email it." Emma heard all of this, and then said, 

"Mom, she's so nice to you." :)

"Doh, doh!!" (James request/demand for his binkie, "doh" of course!)

I put Emma to bed one night, and she came out. I expected it to be some cunning request to delay the bedtime. When I met her coming out of her door, she said:

"I love you, too, Mom, and I hope you have good dreams tonight."

James: "NO!" while swinging his elbow at some unwanted food, in true Karl Malone fashion.

(Tonight, instead of eating his grapes or peas at dinner, he took great pleasure pressing his index finger into them, one by one, giving them a good squish!)

"Emma, who made you so cute?!"

"Heavenly Father did."

"Bapa, Bapa, Bapa" (James, upon seeing Grandpa Kelly at Costco, upon arriving at Grandpa Kelly's house even without getting out of the car, and James, looking at the missionary picture of Grandpa Bruce on our desktop.)

Emma: "Hmm, . . . I wonder what I'll dream about tonight?"

We just took the binkie away about a week ago, and Andrew swore he heard James walking around, lamenting:

"Bu bye doh." :(

"You're the mom in the world." (meaning, You're the best mom in the world!) followed by a big Emma hug. :)

Tonight, James was beside himself and cried to sleep. I tried to encourage Emma to be really quiet when we went in to put her to bed. We quickly knelt down for bedtime prayer. I often ask her, "what are you thankful for," before we pray. She usually just says "my blankie," and anything else in sight on her bed. :) Tonight, I quickly asked the question, and she of course, said, "My blankie," without thinking, and even without the blankie in sight. I began praying, and expressed in the prayer that Emma is thankful for her blankie. In an urgent, whispered tone, she cut me off, pointed a finger at me while looking straight into my eyes, and exclaimed:

"Pause the prayer! I need to go get my blankie!!"

Counting My Blessings Day 20

I am thankful for James!! What a doll, this little guy is so cute, smiley, and ACTIVE! He loves to unload all the pans under the oven, pull out the crock pot from the cupboard, drag the blender base around by pulling on the chord, and push the spring button found in the bottom inside of the rice cooker--all of this done in about three minutes. Next, he will find his way to the computer desk and dump out all our chords and blank cds.
He LOVE to wrestle with Daddy on the bed and can never walk past it without extending his hands and saying "ehh ehh!"begging to be tossed aboard. He will stand with his head to the ground (like a triangle) as long as it takes for you to clue in that he wants to play sommersault (where you flip him over). He climbs up on the tv stand and knows exactly how to turn it on, and more recently he's been experimenting with the dvd player while Emma is watching a show. It's so adorable when he walks around with Emma's headbands about his neck and carries my paddle brush.
He will smile and laugh so readily for you and is always hoping you will come play with him. He loves to be in the middle of all the action, I just love it! He says "uh oh" all the time, and has learned from Emma to say "ow" when he's hurt, but most of the time he uses it to express that you have hurt his feelings (like when I say "No! James"). We love this little guy SO much.

Counting My Blessings Day 19

There are few things so fantastic as a glowing sunset. Tonight's was especially beautiful. Wow! I am thankful for the beauty of the earth and for the beauty of the sky. I love the see the artwork of God. I am privileged to have panoramic west-facing windows that allow me to capture a beautiful sunset almost without even thinking about it, practically every day. I love it!

Counting My Blessings Day 18

I am thankful I have been taught the value of hard work. I am grateful to have the ability to work, and I enjoy the satisfaction that comes from my labors. I have a great job at my apartment complex taking care of the hot tub, pool, and club house. I've been able to learn about the ph and chlorine levels, and better understand what makes for a clean hot tub. Daily, I am challenged to get out of bed and go unlock the club house rain or snow. Such a challenge helps me choose what kind of person I want to be, and I am striving to be someone who is hard working, honest, and reliable. I have also been blessed with a paycheck from this job, every other Friday. It is such a convenient job and has been a blessing for our family as Andrew has pursued his medical training.