Thursday, August 11, 2011

CLOSING DAY-FRIDAY!














WE ARE MOVING INTO A HOUSE!!!! If you are reading this we probably already closed since we are doing it bright and early Friday morning. We are excited can you tell?!?!? Here is a rundown on our new digs in Edwards/Dunlap Illinois.



  • We are in one of the best school districts in the state

  • We live 1.8 miles from the Shops at Grand Prairie

  • There is still a brand new library really close

  • We feel like we are in the country (horses, cows and barns right around the corner)

  • There are TONS of young families in the subdivision

  • We have a great size yard with a vegetable garden

  • We will have bedroom doors to shut again!!!!!!!!!!! BEST PART

  • We already have Clayton signed up for preschool, 2 days a week for a couple of hours.

I can hardly wait to get there. I have found so much for the kids to do. We only wish we could transplant Bob and Donna with us. :)


I am guessing my posting won't improve much until we have settled in. I have lots of projects, etc planned. Plus we owe about a million people dinner and drinks for the last 10 months so I will hopefully be entertaining a lot! Hope everyone enjoys the last days of summer.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Oh My Son

So Clayton got a book from his Mimi from our vacation to the beach in North Carolina. It is about loggerhead turtles and how they come to the beaches in North Carolina to lay their eggs. It is written like a journal from a women who is on the "Turtle Team" that helps to protect the nests, etc. So he has insisted that we read this book every day for nap and night, even if we read another book first the turtle book must be read. I love the book, but twice a day everyday is a bit much. So today I was tired and thought I could do some mommy editing to make it just a little bit shorter. HA I am reading along and he says "Mommy, you missed the part where they talk about the Star fish being able to regrow his legs". Seriously? He knew exactly where it should have been in the story. So much for editing. :) I love how he loves to read! Thanks Mimi, he is for sure your little Scientist!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Can We Go Back

After a long week and a half. I think most of us wish we were back at the beach. I was looking at pictures trying to pretend I was there again and wanted to share some more. If you need an explanation of why we love this vacation so much or how wonderful a family we have, look at this first picture. Every night we all sat down at one table for dinner and enjoyed every minute. Yes, all 14 adults and 2 children! Also had to include a pic of Clayton and his very expensive swimming instructor. :) Last but not least a pic that shows how much my kids LOVE the ocean! Happy Thursday!

























Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Saying Goodbye to St. Peters














So, I am really behind on posts. I don't know where to start and then the fact that my camera is a goner doesn't help. Thankfully my memory card was salvaged, I just haven't gotten an adapter to load from that to my computer. So, I thought it was long over due (2 months) that I did our say goodbye to St. Peters post.

I lived in STL for 8 years, Justin for 5 years, Clayton 3 and Maddie about 6-12 months depending if you count living there 1 week a month for 6 months. :)

I am much better at lists so we will do a list.

Here are a few things we will miss about the STL!


  • Friends! We met and became friends with some wonderful people who supported us through some horrible times. We can never thank them enough. We will always stay in touch!



  • Grandma Diane, I mean she even loved Keely! :)



  • Sue Sue, when the kids went to a babysitter it was SueSue. They love her tons and of course Bruiser Bear the dog.



  • The library was 1 min away, that was awesome.



  • The zoo, the parks, the museums, all the great things to do that you don't necessarily get in a small community



  • The Cardinals! Who would have thought I would be at the World Series game that yes the Cardinals lost, but Boston broke the curse. We sat in awesome seats my company gave us, took both kids to their first games.



  • Our house, it wasn't the biggest or the greatest, but we had fun there! Clayton said it was his favorite. :)



  • Shopping :) Oh I miss my PotteryBarn



  • Cheap gas



  • Low Sales taxes



  • Voting in a Republican State



  • The Arch



  • 25 cent sodas when the Cardinals scored 6 runs



  • St. Louis Childrens Hospital (Yes, I will still be calling them)

What I won't miss!



  • It was 108 there regular temp yesterday. (My theory I can always add clothing when it is cold, but I can only take off so much and not get arrested) I HATE the summers there. I know it sounds crazy but there can easily be a 15 degree or more difference between Peoria and there.



  • I do not care nor will I ever care where you went to highschool. I went to University of Illinois and if you ask me where I went to school that will be the answer.



  • Personal Property Taxes



  • Being far from so many friends and family! We have been able to spend so much more time in Galena with my parents and grandparents!



  • Sunshine Slowdown (Seriously, people cant drive when the sun is out?)



  • Traffic

I am sure I missed a million things, I am tired, but wanted to get this on. So we closed on our house on June 7. It had been a long 8 months. The wonderful BNSF paid movers packed and moved all of our stuff into storage that week. Wow, all I know is my parents had already said they wouldn't move me again so the movers were a blessing. (Side note in the 8 years I lived there I was in 4 different apartments and a house. All of these moves seemed to happen in the STL summer heat. I was crazy!) I don't think I can ever move without movers again! Stay tuned to our stuff coming out of storage soon!