New pictures

I have yet to figure out how to get these things in here in order, so they're a little haphazard. Hope you enjoy them anyway!



Kate at her first day of 2nd Grade

Posing with Grammie and the new dog, Cindy

(short for Cinderella, poor girl!)

Kate and Cinderella

All dressed and ready to go!

Our purple bedroom. Love it!

The kitchen with OUR stuff in it!

Living room (front door is just to the left)

Living room - what you see when you walk in

Living room, back toward the front door

Our little clown at the Klickitat County Fair

Justin, Tyler, and Kate were in the parade!

Home Sweet Home

Currently, there are four children in my daughter's closet. The oldest, my nephew, Justin, is telling his little brother, Tyler, his cousin, Kate, and the new neighborhood friend, Brock, a terrifying story. Kate has come screaming from the room several times already. We have been to the library, Target, and Burger King today.

The move went beautifully really. We had lots of help on both sides, and we actually had the moving van for only about 30 hours. Considering we had to drive 6.5 hours and sleep during that time, I figure we did okay! Dad Nygaard and Mom Herreid drove over to Kuna to help us on Thursday. We loaded on Friday with our wonderful friends (never mind you stinky ones :), and we drove over Friday afternoon. Uncle Ron, Uncle Denny and Jim were all here to help us unload. My dad spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday fixing and organizing stuff and went home to Goldendale on Sunday. Den headed back hom on Monday after he and his mom did LOTS of small repair projects in the house. Mom Nygaard was here for a few days to help me unpack, and then Carrie came up yesterday to bring me the old china cabinet. She stayed a while to help me hang pictures, so I can say the house is officially all put together now.

I kept Justin and Tyler for last night and tonight until we go down to G-dale for the fair tomorrow. This was the last opportunity for a visit before school started, so we decided to take advantage of it. I had enough toothbrushes for them, but boys underwear is hard to come by at my house, so I'm doing covert laundry during the night!

We're doing the best we can with the house. It's got character and is cute in areas. It has a great living room and kitchen. Unfortunately, it's been cheaply patched up over the years, and there are a lot of small problems that add up. We have a year lease, and we're not sure what we'll do at that point. We'll see, I guess! I'm certainly not looking forward to this moving thing again!

We've already met some of our new neighbors. The ones just next door are amazing, and they have an only child who's seven and in Kate's class!!! His name is Brock, and he is a great kid. We've been spending lots of time with him lately, and I feel good that Kate will already have a good buddy at school.

Lame post, I know, but the kids want to watch the rest of the Pokemon movie, and I am too worn out to resist. How do people parent boys? I simply haven't figured it out. They are cute, but they are loud and energetic and cause extreme adult fatigue!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Insanity

These are the days when I wonder if God knows what He's doing. Really. He says He won't give us more than we can handle, but He's pushing the limit. Den says I'm only focused so obsessively on the ligistics of moving so I won't have to deal with the part of leaving that I CAN'T control, the fact that I am moving away from my very best friends. I haven't cried much. Can't really. If I start, I'm not exactly sure if I could stop before I created Lake Mandytears and drowned in my own compounded drops of grief. Therefore, I sit here typing a silly blog and loading pictures instead of thinking.

Our lives have been quite the whirlwind for the last week or so. We're getting the final stuff done at the house, but we've also had lots of opportunity to spend time with the people we love so much. Heather and the girls came out and spent Friday and Friday night with us. Then, they threw us a fantastic going away party and gave us beautiful gifts that we will love forever. She says it's so we don't forget them. Fat chance of that, gifts or no.

Den took Kate on a "date" on Sunday afternoon. When he first asked her, she declined, saying, "Daddy, we can't go on a date, because you're my dad!" After he explained that there are several kinds of dates, and Mommy would not be upset in the least, she happily accepted. They went to a movie, fed ducks off a paddle boat in the lagoon at Julia Davis, and then went to Starbucks, where Kate insisted she needed a "cone." Fortunately, patient baristas searched everywhere until Dennis finally spotted the "scones" way up high in the case, and everyone ended up happy. She's still talking about it!

We threw Kate a little going away pool party of her own yesterday. It was a huge success, and lots of little people came to eat hot dogs and pretend they don't pee in the pool. Kate felt loved and encouraged, so it was worth it!

The house has been a little toasty, since the silly air conditioner decided to die the end of last week, but at least it was cooler than it has been, in the 70s instead of the hellish, nasty sweat-inducing, can't breathe type of heat we've been having. Sunday and Monday were the only days of real heat, and Den got the stupid thing fixed Monday night (."thank you, thank you, thank you" say my exhausted sweat glands!)

So today, I have packed the Wii, taken down our bed, put most of our kitchen into Family Dollar boxes, and even taken Kate and the Sanchez boys to Roaring Springs for a few hours. I'm feeling productive, exhausted, exhilarated, and sad. I like it here in podunk Kuna, Idaho. I like our little house and our big backyard and the dairy down the street. I like that there were lawnmower races down Main Street for Kuna Days on Saturday. I love that I have so many amazing friends here. I won't replace you, I promise. May make some new ones, but I won't replace you. So buy Animal Crossing with WiiSpeak for your Wii, get a web cam, or pick up the phone occasionally. I promise to still be here. Love ya'll.




Hera, Kate and Valerie at Kate's pool party

Kate and Hera

Opening gifts from amazing friends at

our going away party

Mandy and most of the Sutton Fam

Mandy and her nutty friends!! Love you guys!

YEA, Kate is riding a two-wheeler (finally)