It has been a crazy week. Last Wednesday movers came to start packing our house. It's been stressful and emotional. :'( Our family is moving to Utah this summer - Scott has accepted a job transfer from his company's Sunnyvale office to their Salt Lake office. I am sad to leave California and our little house, but trying to stay positive. Scott spruced up our back yard a little before moving out. Our peach tree is full of baby peaches and our grape vine is going crazy with teensy grapes. I'm sad we won't be around to enjoy those fruits of our labors. Our yard is looking nice.
Baby Concord grapes. Things grow so well here.
After one day of packing. Boxes, boxes everywhere. The nice part of being transferred is your company pays for the move.
The kids found little treasures unearthed around the house in the midst of the boxes. We were still staying in the house during all the packing. Once everything was out and loaded on the truck we planned to move into a hotel for the last two weeks of school.
Day two of packing
Grant came down with some kind of flu in the night. Medicine had already been packed so Scott ran to the store for a new thermometer and children's Tylenol. Grant sat in this couch in the corner resting for the last two days of packing. The couches we were planning to leave here and take to the dump but one of the movers wanted them and we were happy to let them go. They loaded the couch last so Grant could lay on it. He was pretty sick - high fever that just kept coming back when the Tylenol wears off and vomiting. It lasted about 48 hours. And Grant had to miss his school 1st grade play that he was a part of. I was sad about that but Grant took it in stride. Over the next week three more kids would get the flu while staying in the hotel. First Grant, then Emma, John and now Anna. We're trying to keep Matthew safe and germ free. He's the lone survivor.
On the last day of moving the kids had a short day at school, ahead of Memorial Day weekend. We tried to stay away from the house and spent a long time in Target. John and Emma told me this mannequin looked like me. :) Is it the blank expression or the pale skin? I'm sure its just the gym clothes.
Anna fell in love with all the Target brand American Girl stuff.
Matthew and I messing around in Target
When we went back to the house they were just about done loading up. Soon enough all our stuff was on the truck and off they went. The boys headed off that night for a church fathers and sons campout at Mt. Madonna. It's a campground in the Santra Cruz mountains only about 8 miles away from us. So easy to get to. Grant was feeling a little better by then (48 hours into his sickness) so he went too. The girls and I packed up a few things at the house and went out for a little girls night.
Here's Anna saying goodbye to some of her friends from the street
First stop on our girls trip, nails!
We all had fun getting our nails painted
Then we went out to dinner
This sign was up in the restaurant. We'll miss our town.
At dinner
Showing off our nails
At dinner Emma started to show signs of being sick. She didn't even want dessert.
After dinner we went to the hotel and she was really feeling sick by then. Poor Emma! This was a crazy day for me - running around with sick kids, doing house stuff and keeping kids away from the house. I ran in the morning and didn't get a shower - that's why I look like a crazy person all day. And actually I've looked and felt like a crazy person every day since. Survival mode. Just got to make it until the end of school. Almost there!!
Meanwhile at Mt. Madonna (at the fathers and sons campout) - Grant had really rallied. Here he is with his church buddy and John climbing on the redwood stumps
Matthew and some of his church friends
The boys even found a banana slug. Can you see it in this picture? The boys had fun on their campout.
And speaking of nature...the kids have two pet silk worms they've been taking care of. And of course, the week we packed up the house they both spun their cocoons. So now we have two silk worm cocoons in our hotel room with us. I'm hoping they come out of their cocoons before we have to leave town.
The next day we had to go back to the house to take care of some odds and ends. The kids had fun playing with these blue foam squares. We've had these since Okinawa (9 years). They became way more interesting once there were no other toys in the house.
Awww, our tiny yard. I'll miss it.
Getting the last of our things out of the house. We have a cleaning company coming to clean, a fix it guy to repair some wall scratches and marks and a carpet cleaner coming. Still so many loose ends to take care of. Ahhh!! Stressed!
Back at the hotel...the kids are bummed 'cause the hotel pool is down for repairs. We did find this basketball court.
As Emma was getting better, John succumbed to the sickness. They were both sick over the long weekend. The kids had Monday and Tuesday off school but we had sick people during those days. Poor Johnny. We tried to keep the well kids away from the sick ones. But in the the small hotel room that was hard.
Trying to eat dinner around the table in our hotel room.
On Monday Scott had work off so we tried to venture out. John seemed alright in the morning so we went to a trampoline place. John jumped for about 30 seconds before he wanted to lay down. He rested off in a corner with one of us parents (we traded off) while the other kids jumped. Poor Johnny. Saturday and Sunday we mostly stayed in the hotel room all day and it was not pleasant, so it was nice to be able to get out.
The other kids had fun and got lots of their energy out.
John resting at the trampoline place.
We went to quickly get some lunch after jumping and then took John back to rest. Look at this poor kid!
Anna and I at Sonic before she got sick
So Grant was sick Thursday, Friday
Emma was sick Saturday, Sunday
John was sick Monday, Tuesday
Anna was sick Wednesday (today) and its not looking good for tomorrow
Matthew is still standing!! Stay strong Matthew!!
And Scott and I haven't gotten sick either (fingers crossed) although we have both been running around like crazy getting things ready to move and sell the house. I can't wait for school to get out so we can leave this hotel room!! About 9 days to go!!
