Brave Explorers

     We put aside lingering chores and allowed ourselves to enjoy the day.  Part of it anyway.  There was still vacuuming and box breakdown going on...  The kids enjoyed a solid hour of lizard study.  Fiona has a calling.  No one sees the little things, and she squats down and comes up with a small friend.  After they explored the neighborhood on their bikes with their new friend Eliot, we decided to explore as a family.  Ahhhh... Another moment I had envisioned for the last few weeks, finally come to pass.  We stopped at the duck pond, and a few playgrounds.  Also a nice picnic/fishing spot!

Little acoustic by the fire.

More lizard love.

He has smiled non-stop and is acting like a puppy! 

Little "Ferris Beuler" no?

Catch and release fishing area.

Brrr.... Cold here.

     So the kids and I were out delivering thank you notes to all the kind neighbors who brought flowers, cake, free child care and great advice...as we were headed to one couples home, they were walking towards us.  Both had on hats, gloves, winter coats and scarves!  The kids and I had no extra layers!  We were enjoying the sun and commenting on the temperature!  50's today.  Down right cold if you are a native Texan.
     I MUST WARN YOU.  IF YOU SCROLL THROUGH THE PICTURES THERE IS ONE PARTICULARLY OFFENSIVE SHOT.  IT INVOLVES SCOTT, VERY FOCUSED ON A TASK AT HAND, AND NOT SO FOCUSED ON OTHER THINGS...

Ethan is still getting used to the palm tree outside his bedroom window.

Found this oldy but goody in a box.  Kids wanted to know who the little boy was!  Mom, remember where we had this taken?

Fiona origamied her blankets.

And origamied a towel...into a hat?

We love the peanut butter choc. chip cookies from Gammie!

And the peppermint pattie brownies from Auntie!

Ethan, you little devil!

I WARNED YOU! Guess EVERYTHING'S bigger in Texas.

What day is today?

     I keep having to ask what day it is.  We are in some strange time warp... One day feels like three.  The weather has me all messed up, thinking it is late spring...  Tomorrow will be day five of unpacking.  I am so over it!  Want to be finished this time tomorrow so that we can start getting into a routine by Monday.
      Kids have been marvelous with keeping busy with out T.V.  and letting Scott and I get things done.  Fiona spent the better part of the day "quilling".  Something Meagan and I used to do as kids.  She wanted me to mention that she got the idea with Gammy the time they were making homemade lavender neck warmers.  Fiona nailed it!  Ethan spends his time building insane bock towers that continue to defy gravity, and scootering around town like a madman.

Coming together.

Fiona reading to Ethan before bed.

This is quilling.  

She glue-gunned the paper leaves to the branch.  Love it!!

Happy Birthday Meagan!

     My sister doesn't look a day over 45.  Hope I can stay forever young too.  Nice having someone sooo much older to ask for advice.  She has aaaalllllll those years of life to look back on.  What a valuable resource Meagan is to me.  For those of you with a MUCH older sibling, you know what I'm talking about.  Right?
     Anyway, today was just ten more hours of unpacking.  The highlight was a family dip in the hot tub.  Ahhhhh!  More neighbors came over to say hello.  That's three families so far.  We have had bundt cake delivered, the kids taken to someone else's house to play, and an offer by an older couple to come over for drinks.  Extremely friendly neighborhood!  We have yet to take a walk around the town...but keep saying we will.  Maybe tomorrow...  Fiona and Ethan are enjoying the fact that I have yet to find their schooling things, so their vacation goes on.  Today they tracked and captured a lizard. We named him Ernie Boch Junior.  He seemed pretty comfortable in their grip.

Ahhhhh...

Lizard love.

Coffee by the pool anyone?

Even the flowers are patriotic!

Home Sweet Home! At last...

     What luck!  The movers arrived with our stuff Monday morning at 8 am as well as our car!  We were totally expecting to have to camp out on the floor and have no transportation.  Then, Scott found a beautiful fridge advertised in the local classifieds and was able to pick it up that same night.  What?  Too smooth you say?  Well, there was one problem.  The water heater died while we were on our way, so we had no hot water yesterday, or last night.  I was so looking forward to a hot shower.  We literally boiled water in a pot and stood in the tub.  Washed "Little House" style.
     Today the plumbers were here all day, and now we have a new water heater.  Kids rooms are all set up, and the kitchen.  Scott is headed back out tonight.  He found a washer and dryer in the classifieds and is renting a truck from Home Depot and grabbing the goods.  I can't wait to get a jump on the mountain of dirty laundry. (Not really though).

There is a fireplace somewhere behind those boxes.

Phew!  So tiring watching mom and dad unpack!

This dog LOVES the carpeting.

Getting water ready for my luxurious shower.

Aaahhh.  A real home cooked meal. (banana, choc. chip pancakes)

Working hard this morning.

O.K.  no lie.  I put 50 cents into toy machine because it showed cute rubber duckies...this came out.  What?  How did the machine in Philly know I was headed to Texas? It even loads and clicks.

They were in here for hours...we had to force them out!

We Made It!!

This has been an amazing, tiring, exciting, nail-biting, eye-opening, scary, fun, goofy, growing experience for the Jason's.  It is not the kind of journey that has one particularly great moment that stands out... We have been talking about what our favorite places were, and find that there is not just one.  These last few days we have covered nearly 2000 miles.  But more importantly, we have spent every waking second together, and survived.  Even thrived.  The kids have had to share a bed each night...no bigger than a double.  Yeah, there was some kicking, whining, pushing and shoving (between Scott and I too)...but in the end all woke up smiling and snuggling.  We have some tough chaotic times ahead, but if we made it through more than 30 hours of driving, we can get through the next few weeks of settling in.

Fiona's room!

Ethan's room!

This house is so perfect for tag...

And hide and go seek!

Zevon love, love, loves the carpeting.

"Grandpa" and "Froggy" are looking forward to their new digs.

New Orleans...and I am soo happy!

This was the stop I have been waiting for, and it did not disappoint.  I keep having to pinch myself.  Not only have we made it to the last stop before Texas, but I am in one of the places I have always wanted to go, and it is only perfect because I am with my family.  The drive was free of traffic, and the landscape was awesome.  Especially when we were approaching New Orleans.  Lake Pontchatrain is so massive, and we could see bridge after bridge running horizontal to us.  Where we are staying is just outside the French Quarter, and soo beautiful.  Our room is perfect.  We just returned from a very entertaining drive down Bourbon and Canal street, and then a delicious dinner at an Irish Pub.  Fiona and Ethan were told that under no circumstance were they ever to return to these two streets without their parents.  They witnessed young girls in skimpy dresses on the verge of making some big life mistakes, adults dressed in ridiculous costumes acting way to young and drunk, interesting theme shops, and lots of interesting language.  I think they got the point, and will only go to bars, or drink with Scott and I when they are of age.....riiiiiight?
     Tomorrow afternoon we are hoping to get into the new home.  Hope the road of life cooperates.

While Scott was filling the "Red Sled",  I picked up another Fiona.  She's in the way back.

That warm sun feels so good!

Our approach to New Orleans.

Way to go Fiona.

The architecture here is amazing.  What a dream of a walk.

This one is for you Mom.

These were collected on someones front fence.

Creepy, cool, beautiful.

Super cute laboradoodle named Bijou.  Owner let us pat her...

Crazy Canal Street.  My daughter will NEVER go here.  EVER.