{belated birthday boys}

Our poor boys  This is the second year that we have postponed their birthday celebration. I hope this is the last year we have to do it, because I think they'll start to catch on soon!  Their actual birthday fell right as the movers were coming, and packing our house, and we moved to a hotel. Rick and Ryan were both gone, and I knew that it wouldn't be much of a celebration. So...we decided to wait until we got to New York to celebrate.  

It worked out really well that way--we were able to enjoy it, and have a wonderful day celebrating our two darling boys!!! 

They woke up to streamers hanging from the door and balloons piled high (per tradition), ate cinnamon toast for breakfast (their favorite), and after everyone was ready for the day, we piled into the car for a day of fun!  They wanted to eat at Red Robin, and after we ate, we headed to Niagara Falls for the afternoon.  We had such a great time!

We parked a little ways a way, and as we were walking there, we came across a cute little street that was blocked off. It was full of construction and other big vehicles--with lines of kids waiting to look at them! We had stumbled upon a "touch-a-truck-day", which was like the boys' birthday dream come true!!  Fire trucks, police cars, a trolley, dump trucks, and more lined the street, and we spent quite awhile looking around there. The rest of the afternoon we spent at the falls, enjoying the incredibly spectacular view.  The kids were in awe, and didn't want to leave.  Since we live only 20 minutes away, I'm pretty sure we'll be back.  :)

When we got home, we had their requested spaghetti dinner, then cake (chocolate with vanilla buttercream) and ice cream (cookie dough).  I usually make a layer cake, but before I could stack them, they requested having their own cakes.  I just kept the layers separate, and it turned out perfectly.  They were thrilled!!  

They went to bed happy, and so did I. What a great day!!!

These boys keep life in our home, and certainly adventure.  It is NEVER boring, and I have to be on my toes at all times to keep up with them.  Henry is smart, curious, active, and loves to eat, play outside, play soccer, ride his bike & scooter, and pretty much anything that keeps him moving. He's a great helper in the kitchen! Jack is such a funny boy--I love his sense of humor. He loves his blanket, trucks, playing with legos, playing outside, riding his bike, and helping me with anything. He has the cutest way of saying certain words, and I LOVE it.  We also call him "the sheriff", because he knows the rules, and expects them to be followed.  He keeps us all in line! :) Between the two, they know how to get into trouble.  Whether it's dumping out 25 pounds of flour, or climbing on the roof, the two of them are buddies in their crimes.  Having a smaller place to live has been nice in that respect--I'm much closer to them all of the time! They are so sweet though, and they love to sing.  It cracks me up to hear Henry sing The Proclaimers, and Jack Imagine Dragons at the top of their voices.  They are both HUGE snugglers, and one or both of them visit our bed just about every night.   

We LOVE these boys.  They are the BEST! How lucky we are they are in our family!!

{new york or bust}

I was actually looking forward to this road trip from Texas to New York.  Not only were we traveling to our new home, but we were going to add to our "states visited" list as a family.  Even our little boys have been to over 25 states!  We didn't have a lot of time, because the moving truck wasn't going to take very long to get there. I originally wanted to take a few more days and stop along the way, but we were on a schedule!!

The kids did so well.  They're seasoned car travelers by now, and it was really smooth sailing.  Miss Caroline struggled, though.  It's hard to be 1 year old and have to sit for that long!  She is also totally obsessed with iPhones, iPads, and anything electronic, so if we were using them, we had to hide them.  :)

We stopped each day for a picnic lunch, but on the third day, it was especially nice.  We were in Pennsylvania, and found a beautiful, enormous park.  We stepped out of the car, and immediately could feel the temperature change.  I had been waiting for that, and it felt like heaven!!  We also celebrated about the REAL grass, and sat right down on it to eat--no blanket.  It was fabulous!  

We arrived in New York late the last night, and crashed into bed.  Rick was up super early to meet the movers while I entertained the kids and got them all breakfast.  I wanted to get their food from the breakfast bar and just bring it back to the room (which is MUCH easier when you have five little kids on your own), but I saw that they had real glass dishes and silverware, so that was out.  Thankfully I have two girls that are super helpers, and with their help, we made it through with no broken dishes or spilled food, and maintained relative quietness.  It was kind of a miracle.

When we checked out, we headed back to the duplex we're renting, and split up the kids. I took three of them with me to get things for the house, and Rick stayed at the house with the other two to guide the movers.  They dropped off most of our things at a huge storage unit, and the rest came to the house.  I had labeled everything for the people that packed up our Texas house, and I was just hoping they got everything, because there was no way we would find anything in that storage unit--it was packed from floor to ceiling (15 feet high).  We have a lot of stuff, lol.

I headed to Target for a mile high list, and after being there for two hours, wasn't even close to done, and I was running out of space in the two carts I already had.  Rick was finished at the house, so he brought the other kids so he could help. In the end, we had four completely full carts, and spent a personal record.  Totally ridiculous, lol.  

We ate dinner at a yummy restaurant when we were finished, and headed back to sleep for the first night in our new place!  I was extremely disappointed to see that it was dirty. I mean REALLY dirty. Now I realize I might have a slightly different expectation when it comes to cleanliness, but it really was not clean.  I was so tired, but I couldn't rest until I scrubbed the kitchen and all the bathrooms, so I could not only go to sleep, but be ready to unpack. We ended up finishing the kitchen and family room before going to bed, and within two days, we were totally done.  It was a lot of work, and we stayed up super late (technically super early), but it was so worth it.  Living in chaos makes me a crazy person, especially in a small space with lots of people.  

I fell into bed that night, totally exhausted after a week of packing, moving, traveling, and unpacking, but it was a happy exhaustion.  

We were home.

{on our way}

{miss caroline}

{the iPad obsession}

{the pennsylvania park}

 {the hotel is always the favorite part!}

{we made it!}

{target...still one of my favorite places!}

{goodbye texas}

I feel like we ended up saying goodbye very quickly.  Rick started his job the beginning of June, only two weeks after accepting the position.  We were on our own for two months, and I thought we would be there even longer.  After a lot of back and forth, different decided to go ahead and make the move, but it was a week and a half before the movers came.  

From that point, everything moved very quickly, and I found myself trying to say goodbye while completely being engulfed in moving details, all with both Rick and Ryan gone. To put it lightly, it was kind of insane. Rick arrived two days before we left, and then it was even busier.

So...any spare time we had, we spent with our good friends--a family that we have been very lucky to get to know, and have come into our lives.  Our kids LOVE each other.  Our backyards touched, and they were always trying to communicate and get together to play, whether it was signaling through playroom windows, riding bikes to each other's houses, or climbing the fence.  We joked that we should have cut a hole in the fence, and if we had lived there longer, we might have just done it! 

We also spent time at the pool--as much as we could--because we knew it wouldn't be the same in New York. We definitely wouldn't have our own pool just a minute away!  There was a super fun dive-in movie at the clubhouse that we went to, and it was a definite highlight.  I got the kids in swimming lessons the last two weeks we were there, which was kind of crazy on my part, but I really wanted them to do it if we could.

One of the things we'll miss the MOST?  Mexican food!  Seriously, I crave it just thinking about it.  I won't tell you how many times we went out to eat, but we did visit every one of our favorites in the last couple of weeks.  And some more than once.  :)

There were a lot of good things about The Woodlands, and best of all, my darling Caroline was born there, so it will always be a special place because of that.  I learned how strong I really was, and although it was two of the hardest years of my life, I can truly say that I grew as a person more than I thought possible.  I'm grateful for that.  

In the end, it was very strange to drive away, knowing that we will never be back.  

These park pictures were taken the night before we left.  We went to dinner at Lupe's with our friends, then we all headed to our favorite park to let the kids play.  The weather was gorgeous---a perfect 70 degrees, with a slight breeze and no humidity.  It couldn't have been more perfect, and I considered it a goodbye gift from Texas.

The movers came in the midst of all of it...

 We went to Market Street one last time, and ate a yummy dinner at another favorite restaurant. It was a relaxing evening amongst all the craziness, and it was wonderful to have Rick home! 

Oh, Pappasitos, how I'll miss you.

Our last Sunday at church!  Our ward split again just a couple of weeks before, and so our last times at church were very different...and busy.  

The dive-in movie was SO fun!  It was another late night, and the kids were loving it. I took the boys and baby home early, and the girls got to stay out super late with their friends.  It was at the clubhouse, and they served dinner, provided all the supplies to make cardboard box cars, and put on a great evening.  The kids swam, ate, watched, played, and had a fabulous time!

I think it's hysterical that Jack got the box box, and Henry got the small one.  They should have traded.  :)

This weather I will not miss. AT ALL.

The girls started diving at swimming lessons this year, and I can't believe how much they improved in just a couple of weeks. Miss Lori is an awesome teacher, and with small classes (3-5) it means they learn so much faster.  The boys also did really well, and learned the freestyle stroke and backstroke. It was SO cute to watch. So glad we could squeeze lessons in!!

We did so many other things that I didn't get pictures of, but we were able to check just about everything off our list. It was a whirlwind, but worth it!

Goodbye, Texas. It's been good to know you.

{a date with my little boys}

Before we left Texas, I really wanted to take my kids out on one last date.  We were quickly running out of time, so  I took the boys together, and the girls together, which worked out very well.  My little boys and I had a marathon date...it turned into about a 7 hour day!  It's always an adventure with these boys, and this day was no exception.

We started out the day with a movie...the new Planes, Fire & Rescue.  We had been seeing previews for weeks, and they were so excited, it seemed like months we had to wait to see it. The boys could hardly stand it!  Needless to say, they loved it...and I loved it.  I even cried.  Popcorn and Icees are one of the best parts for them, and it's always a treat!!

We headed to lunch, and I'm a lucky girl---one of their favorite places is Panera, which happens to be one of my favorites too.  :)

Next up? A little shopping!  I needed to get some things for Ryan before he left for EFY, so we headed to the mall.  Yes, I know.  The mall.  But...they promised they would be good.  :) They actually did pretty well, and I only had to stop and chase them down a couple of times.  We did stop in the Lego store, the play place, and a few other stores they love, so it greatly boosted their interest level.  We ended up having a great time, and were there for quite awhile. 

They helped me go grocery shopping, and do a few last minute errands, then we stopped for treats.  

Of course.

Finally...we made it home.

It was fabulous day with my darling boys!

{efy}

Ryan made plans with his friend Chance last summer to come out to Utah for EFY this summer.  Once we found out we were moving, we weren't sure if it would work, but fortunately, the timing turned out to be perfect.  

He left the week before we moved, and we had him stay an extra week to make sure we arrived in New York before he got there.  He flew from Houston to SLC, then from SLC to Buffalo.  It was also his very first time flying solo, and I'm not sure who was more nervous, him or me!!  Since Rick was gone, I hired a babysitter to stay with the other kids so I could take him alone, and help him navigate the airport.  Since he wears an insulin pump, and carries syringes and medication with him, going through security is always a little different for him, and I needed to make sure that it was okay.  Since he's a minor, I was able to get a gate pass and go with him all the way to his gate, which made us both feel a lot better.  He ended up being on the same plane as a boy his age from seminary, which helped his nervousness, and mine too. 

My parents picked him up from the airport, and he stayed with them the first night.  They dropped him off the next morning at Chance's house, and he was with them until EFY started a few days later. Talk about party central!  They are a super fun family with mostly older kids, so he was able to escape the little kid situation for a little while!  They love to play games, and he just fits into their family really well.  Monday morning he headed to EFY, and I will never forget the first text I got from him that first day...

"Mom.  I need to come home.  I can't take it.  Too much singing and happiness". 

LOL.

He ended up having a great time, and by the end of the week was really glad he went.  He also told me he wasn't going to dance at any of the dances, but at both of them, he was asked to dance every single dance. Ha!  It was like 18 girls, or something like that! Funny boy. Julie was wonderful, and sent me updates every single night on what they said in the car, and how he did.  It made me feel as if I was there!  On the last day, he sent me this super cute picture of him and a girl he met. He banned me from showing even one more person, but I finally convinced him to let me post it here.  :)

After EFY, he headed back to my parents' house for a few days before coming home. They pretty much spoiled him rotten.  :) That's what grandparents do, right?  They ate yummy food, went to see cool places, attended the Ogden Temple open house, and took Chance & Alex to do some Family History.  

It was quite the trip for him, and I'm so glad he was able to go! A huge thanks to my parents and to the Jensen family, for making it so wonderful!