6 weeks and 16 days

Today marks 6 weeks until Carol and Will come home! We cannot wait! I've dubbed it the Stoddard Summer '09 since it will pretty much be a party from late June through July. In 16 days we'll offically move into our new house, which is making me feel a bit overwhelmed since all we've done as far as packing goes is to unload our old stuff that was in the storage trailer:

We've been so focused on our new house, getting repairs taken care of, painting, floors, landscaping, etc., I forgot that our stuff won't magically appear there when it's all done. I'm going to need to start packing, but I don't know where to start. So, I'm going to procrastinate yet another day and think about what I'll miss at this gorgeous house.

#1 - The central vacuum system. I LOVE IT! I don't know what I'll do without it, but one day, I vow to have it again.
#2 - The basement. A room where the mess can build, but you don't see it and they can be as loud as they want, but you don't have to hear it - fabulous!
#3 - The laundry room. It's huge, maybe that's why I only did laundry about once a week, because I could just keep piling it in there.
#4 - The three fridges and four freezers. What will I do without my beverage fridge, breakfast fridge and lunch and dinner fridge? So sad.

And #5 - The neighborhood. The trees and birds are amazing down here. I love how lush it all is.

I know there's more that I'll realize as we move and live without, but I'm excited to move one and see what I love about our new house. I know one thing already - we only have three bathrooms instead of five to clean. Yippee!

Hallelujah!

Well, the day has finally come! We closed on our house today - we are officially first-time homeowners! After almost 5 months, we got the house I posted about a couple months ago, and I could not be happier. It is overwhelming and so exciting at the same time. If anyone has good references for painters, plumbers, flooring, and pool fence people, let me know. : )

Ladybug Hunt

Yesterday, we were playing in the backyard and we started to notice a lot of ladybugs in the grass. It was kind of like finding ants in your house. You see one, then two, then your peripheral vision kicks in and you see dozens. It was really cool. We all held a bunch, except for Elle who would think they were the cutest things in the world, but scream her head off when we put one on her foot (it was so funny we did it a few times). Mae had no fear and picked up one after another, but I had to stop her when she was pinching them to pick them up. Oops.

Girl's Trip!

I got to go away last weekend for our annual girls trip with my fantastic friends, Dana and Megan. About 6 years ago while living in Phoenix, our husbands surprised us for Mother's Day and sent us to Sedona for the weekend. We've continued the tradition pretty much every year since and it's so rejuvinating! Especially this year since I didn't have Mae, and no one was pregnant (bring on the jacuzzi). We basically just ate and vegged for 2 days straight. It was wonderful! I'm so grateful to Bud for watching our four crazy kids this weekend with no complaints. And I'm sure there was plenty to complain about, especially during three hours of church. : ) I'm grateful for great friends in my life too. It's nice to get away and just be a girl for a weekend.