1 move down...1 to go!

It's been a while since we've posted, but I swear we have a good excuse! How does packing up & moving a family of 4 sound? We've made it into our two bedroom apartment, which is working out ok so far. We were more than a bit trepedatious about the boys sharing a room for the first time, but they have adapted very well. In fact, the first night we stayed in the apartment was interrupted by crying not from one of our children, but from our cat. Lincoln cried obnoxiously from about 4 am until about 5:30 or so. He's a punk. The crying has subsided somewhat, but the cats are still trying to make it clear that they do not think moving is a fun event. Little do they know that we'll be doing it all over again in about 6 weeks...

On that note, the new house is coming right along. Stu checked in on it yesterday, and the first coat of stucco is on the exterior. On the inside, the drywall is up, and the texture seems to be completed. It should be time for the trim work to get started! We can't wait to see our tile, cabinets, countertops, etc. It's really starting to sink in that we'll be living there soon! We closed on the sale of our old house on Monday, so we're ready to go. With any luck we won't have any major construction delays, and we should still be looking at a closing date in early June. We'll try to take some new pictures of the house and post them in the next few days.

Luckily, the weather has been lovely here, although we have had quite a bit of wind. With temperatures in the 70's and low 80's, it's been nice enough to spend time outside with the boys. We hear that some of our loved ones are still getting snow, so we do feel fortunate! New Mexico does have its perks! Sunshine and green chile are nothing to sneeze at. If you are still digging out of a snowdrift or two, keep your chins up! I'm sure it will be gone by June! :)

We hope you're finding ways to enjoy spring in your neck of the woods. Take care, and stay in touch!

Art Show

Bryce poses by some of his artwork.


Bryce's name practice displayed at the Art Show.

On Friday we attended the annual Art Show at Bryce's preschool. Many of you have heard me wax poetic about his preschool, especially his teachers, but this event really brings it home. The teachers and parents spent all of last week transforming the school building into a "gallery" where the students' art from throughout the year is displayed. Families are invited to come for the "gallery opening" and silent auction. It's truly amazing how much effort goes into the show! As a teacher myself, I can tell you that it is a hugely ambitious project. We had a great time, and really got a sense of the progression Bryce's work has made this year. He's not a huge fan of arts & crafts, as they usually involve sitting still for more than 30 seconds at a time, but he's come a long way this year. We're very proud of him!

Other than that, the weekend and beginning of this week have been comprised of PACKING. We tackled the garage on Saturday, and are now working hard on the inside of the house. Not fun, but necessary. The sale of the house is cruising right along...the inspection and appraisal are done, and now we should be setting up a closing. It's hard to believe that we'll soon be out of this house, since it's been really our only home in New Mexico.

We'll keep you all updated as we head out! Have a great week!

SOLD!!!

Well, we did it. Our first home has sold. After three months on the market, a dozen or so showings, one open house, and untold numbers of quotes from Becky such as, "Don't take the toys out of the toybox! I just picked them up!", and "Who sat on the couch after I fluffed the pillows?", it was time! Our poor boys were often stuck standing in the middle of the living room "not touching anything!" as Mommy finished prepping the house yet again. We're just thrilled that we never have to sell another house with a one year-old in residence!

The kicker (isn't there always one) is that we have to close on the sale on April 21st. That's right, we have to be out of here in about 2 weeks! As scary as that thought is, we're trying not to panic. We're in the process of finding movers, and we're planning to rent a furnished apartment until our house is ready in June. We have a walk-through with the builder at the new house tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get a more solid timeline then.

That's what's new here in ABQ. We're enjoying the spring weather...the trees are all blooming and leafing out, flowers are starting to pop up, and the sun has been shining quite a bit. For those of you still buried under the snow, you have our sympathies! Hang in there, it has to melt sometime!