We're finally HOME! We could not possibly be happier with our new home and we are thrilled to be settled in and unpacked. Everyone keeps saying that they are amazed that I already have pictures hung on the wall and boxes unpacked. Well, it's me and that's how I do things. I can't stand to live in a place where I have to sidestep boxes and the walls are bare. I want it done so I can relax and enjoy my life.
The morning of the 21st, Rudy got up and took Caleb to Jan's in Ft. Smith. She kept him all weekend for us, which we greatly appreciate. We closed on the house at 2:00 and went straight home to start moving stuff. We moved the entire contents of the kitchen that night. On Saturday, we got up bright and early to get a head start on the moving truck. We hauled a couple of loads of stuff in our cars before the truck ever showed up. We had 2 guys helping us move and they were pretty good. They had all the right equipment to make even the heavy stuff easy to maneuver. They were gone by 4:00 and we were left with a big huge mess. At times, we looked around and had no idea where to even begin to work. But - we jumped in there and got it done. We made sure that Caleb's room was ready for him when he got home on Sunday. The basics were all done by the end of the weekend.
On Sunday, we met the Villines family for lunch in Fayetteville. Todd, Tammy and Elle brought Caleb to meet us. We enjoyed our time with the family. Jerry and Sherry, Rebecca and Derek and Tom came back with us to see the house after lunch. We were so proud to show it off, even though it wasn't finished yet.
On Christmas Eve, we spent the morning waiting for the cable guy and the delivery of our new dryer. (Our old one had almost caught fire and we didn't know it!) Once all of that was done, we went to Jan's in Ft. Smith. The Voise family had a wonderful dinner there and it was good to see everyone. The best part was watching Caleb and Elle play together.
Christmas Day (Rudy's 32nd birthday), we came back home. After Caleb's nap, he opened his Christmas presents from us and then we went over to the Voises for dinner and to visit some more. Jan and Chris came back to the house and spent the night. We were all exhausted when we got home! We had been on a whirlwind adventure for several days...and it was only just starting.
On the 26th, Mom came up to help me with decorating/unpacking and watching Caleb while I did those fun things. It was wonderful having her here. I don't know how I ever would've gotten all of those boxes unpacked without her! Rudy left for Fordyce (deer camp) on the afternoon of the 26th and met Mr. L. down there. Mom and I worked ourselves to the bone for 2 days and then packed up on the 28th and went to Hot Springs.
After Caleb's nap on the 28th, we went over to Aunt Harolyn's to see everyone. Becca, Jimmy and Maddox hadn't been there long and we were so glad to see them! Caleb and Maddox played and had a Goldfish cracker picnic in the floor with Aunt H. Caleb taught Maddox how to call the Hogs, which was almost enough to give Jimmy a stroke. Of course, all of the Arkansas fans in the group loved it! The two boys had a great time playing with cars and trucks, dancing and soaking up the spotlight. That evening, we went to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's house to see them and I helped Pepapa set up his new high-speed internet. It was quite an ordeal, but we got it done and got home just in time to put Caleb to bed.
On the 29th, Rudy and Mr. L. came back from Fordyce and Rudy had killed a deer. He was so excited! That afternoon, we went back over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's for our big family Christmas. We had a great time seeing everyone. It was a very special Christmas this year. We were so glad to have the little boys running around and playing. It was the first time we've had 2 little ones at Christmas in a very long time! In addition to that, we were all glad to be together for the first time since Kim's breast cancer diagnosis. It made the meaning of Christmas and the feeling of family a lot more important than usual. She is doing fantastic and I was so glad to see her smiling face! Please continue to pray for her and for Jimmy.
When we got back to Mom and Mr. L's after dinner, we went ahead and opened all of our Christmas gifts with them so that packing up the car would be an easier task the next morning. Not that it was easy with all of the stuff that we had to take home!
Caleb made a major haul on the Christmas gifts this year. He got a wagon, lots of Little People stuff, some movies, some books, a 3-in-1 tricycle/rocker, cars and trucks and even a Lightening McQueen car that he can ride on and make lots of noise! He loves it! I even cleaned out his toy box when we got home from Hot Springs to make room for the new things.
We spent the last couple of days of the year finishing up the house and getting our lives back in order after the move. We didn't do anything at all on New Year's Eve. In fact, we were sound asleep when the clock struck 12. We were completely disappointed in the Hogs' performance in the Cotton Bowl. I even managed to sleep through the entire 3rd quarter. It was THAT bad!
I had to go back to work on the 2nd, so Rudy took Caleb to school and came home to work on the remaining "to-do" list. On Friday night, Chris came up and spent the weekend with us. He and Rudy did some lawnwork for the Voises on Saturday, then went to see a movie Saturday night. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days, so we spent a lot of time outside playing. Rudy went back to work on the 7th and some sense of routine has returned to our lives. We're looking forward to the weekend. Mom and Mr. L. are coming up on Saturday morning. They are bringing some fantastic hand-me-down furniture and taking our old refrigerator back with them. They are looking forward to seeing the finished product of our new home...and looking forward to seeing Caleb too.
As for Caleb's milestones...I couldn't be more excited! He's talking so much now that I can't even keep up with all of his words. He has even started putting 2 words together occasionally. A couple of days ago, he said, "Hi, Daddy." He loves to play with his Little People and with anything that has wheels or plays music. He asks for Elmo, movies ("moobee") and TV ("teebee") more than I'd like for him to, but we monitor what he watches, so I guess it's okay. He loves Monsters, Inc. and Cars. He also loves Sesame Street and pretty much anything on Sprout. I was amazed a couple of days ago when I realized that he can identify a star...and says that word "star" anytime he sees one. He also says, "Wow!" when something really amazes him. Oh...and he dances. It is pretty much the funniest thing he's ever done. I've tried to catch him doing it on video, but he loves the camera, so when I get it out - that's all he focuses on. He will go to Rudy's clock-radio on his nightstand and press the button that turns on the radio. Then he starts grooving with his shoulders and turns around in circles. This lasts about 15 seconds before he turns off the music, then turns it back on and does it all over again. It never fails to make me laugh! His other favorite thing right now is opening and closing doors. This is enough to make me crazy sometimes, but I figure it's a passing phase. It'll get old after a while and we'll move on to something else that makes me nuts. Other than wanting to be "side" (outside) all the time and throwing a holy fit when he doesn't get to go, he's a pretty easy-going little man. He loves his school, his teachers and his mama and daddy. My favorite thing in the world is to walk into his classroom in the afternoons and hear, "Mama!" and see that smiling child come running towards me. What more could I ask for?
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