The Move: Driving Day Two

After enjoying the continental breakfast at the hotel, we were on the road again this morning by 8:30am. Today's lunch included: pb&j sandwiches, Gogurt, string cheese, chips, and grapes. We serve van meals in plastic tubs (old wipe containers minus their lids). This acts as a tray to keep things from falling all over. The wipe containers are just the right size for little laps to hold. Any leftovers (and crumbs) get dumped into a trash bag and then I wipe them out with baby wipes so they are ready for the next meal.

We took our favorite short cut on US Highway 54 which means we were in and out of both Oklahoma and Texas quickly. Just the way we like it! A little past Tucumcari, New Mexico we had to turn on the AC! We stopped to feed the baby and the boys got out to stretch their legs. They quickly discovered it was down right hot out!

Here's the shadow of the van pulling the trailer full of irreplaceables!

We ended up following this (out of service) brand new Pierce Fire Truck. We guessed it came from Appleton following the same route we had. It was headed to California.

It was about this time that the boys finally started to get a bit squirrelly and started asking "are we there yet?" type of questions. Thankfully, we didn't have nearly as far to go today as we did yesterday and before they got too grouchy we were rolling into Grants, New Mexico for the night.

By the time we stopped in Grants over half the states on our little game board were flipped over!

We stayed at the Quality Inn. This time the gerbils (coming through a side door not the lobby) joined us in the room. We went to Denny's for dinner. They boys have always enjoyed eating at Denny's but they were a bit sad to give up the yearly tradition of going to Chuck E. Cheese on October 31st. We told them we'd take them to Peter Piper Pizza once we were in Arizona to make it up to them.

After dinner it was time for swimming. Then the boys got a special surprise! Grandma LaVerne had sent along little envelopes for the boys to open today. The boys were so excited to find $2 in their envelopes. They were even more excited when we told them they could use $1 to buy something out of the vending machine for a bedtime snack at the hotel!

They made careful selections and this is what they ended up with:
Wesley: Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
Eli and Justus: Jalapeño Cheetos
Hayden: Bugles
JD: Pretzel M&Ms

And they still have a dollar each burning a hole in their pockets!

The Move: Driving Day One

At 12:45am we crossed Mississippi River and left Wisconsin behind. For me, that was the last big hurdle.

At 1:00am we stopped at a very busy BP for a gas and potty stop. I also fed the baby who had, thankfully, slept great up to that point. Jerry did a quick walk around the van and U-Haul trailer to make sure everything was okay and found a surprise on the bumper of the van. One of my dad's screwdrivers had stayed on the bumper all the way from Oconto! If you've ever driven on Wisconsin roads you'll know they are not know for being smooth... yet somehow that screwdriver didn't fall off. We got a good chuckle out of that.

As we were getting settled back in the van we saw Muammar Gaddafi or a guy dressed like him. At first we thought it was kind of strange, but then realized he must have been in a costume for a Halloween party or something.

We were back on the road again until 6:00am when we stopped for another gas, potty, and feed-the-baby break at the Kum and Go about 114 miles before Kansas City. [Am I the only who doesn't like that name for a gas station? Whose idea was that anyway?] Shortly after that we broke out the breakfast goodies... donuts, bananas, hardboiled eggs, and juice boxes.

Around 11:00am or so I drove a bit so Jerry could drive. Thankfully, there was no crazy fog like the last time I was driving in Kansas. I didn't drive long though because Jerry wasn't able to sleep. I don't know how he can stay awake that long! Lunch on the road was bologna and cream cheese roll-ups, Go-gurt, Goldfish crackers, string cheese, and Caprisuns to drink. And good news: we made it through Kansas without a speeding ticket this time!

When we looked out the windows, we saw a lot of this:

 And when we looked back in the van, we saw a lot of this:

Before our last trip to AZ, we invested in a dual screen DVD player. It was worth every penny. Only one problem... the kids in the back can't see the screen when they are hooked to the front seats. So, if you look carefully, you can see we have a little hack going on there in the middle of the van. It's a board (from our old set of bunk beds) cut to fit across the width of the van. It is hung with a piece of wire coat hanger from the hook on one side of the van and the door latch on the other. I screwed a piece of scrap wood to the long board so I could attach the screen. I even tapped in a few nails so it wouldn't slide off accidentally. It worked perfectly! We are definitely saving it for future trips!

Today's inflight in-drive movie was Despicable Me. We bought several new movies and didn't let the kids watch them until we were on the road which is more entertaining than movies they've already seen a hundred times.

Our travel policy is to always stop at hotels with swimming pools and continental breakfasts. The boys are able to get out a little energy in the pool after dinner and if we are lucky enough (and this time we were!) the driver can relax a bit in a hot tub before crashing for the night. Tonight we stopped in Liberal, Kansas. After unloading the van and a failed attempt* to sneak the gerbils into our room we drove over to Pizza Hut for dinner.

[*Jerry tried to carry the gerbils into the hotel under a blanket but the front desk lady saw us and, while she didn't demand to see what was under the blanket, she did ask. Since we also carried the computers into the room under blankets that is what we told her was under there. Jerry was overcome with guilt, and we figured she'd check the room while we were out to dinner, so we decided it was warm enough for the gerbils to spend the night in the van. Note to self: Don't carry concealed gerbils through the lobby even if it's the shortest route to the room.]

It was early to bed for us all because we'll be back on the road tomorrow! We covered over 1,000 miles the first 24 hours and plan to go another 500 tomorrow.

The Move: Last Day in WI

Once again the boys were up early. Their last day waking up in Wisconsin! We hung out with Roz, Grandma, and Pa. Roz made a pie. I prepped the food for the trip. We are doing the same thing that we did when we drove down to Arizona on vacation, eating breakfast and lunch in the car and only stopping to get out and eat for dinner. It worked well the last time, so we're hoping it will work well again.

When I packed our bags I used a Duggar Family tip. I put all the boy's clothes and pajamas for each day in a bag. That way I just grabbed a bag out each morning without having to find everyone's individual items. When we travel we also dress everyone alike. It helps others see which children belong to us and if someone happened to get lost we'd be able to show others exactly what they were wearing.

One other little thing we do for peace of mind is write our cell number on each child with a Sharpie permanent marker. We usually do this on their back just below the waste line (so it doesn't show while they are swimming). That way if they get separated from us they have our phone number with them at all times.

Knowing he was going to be up driving all night, Jerry laid down and took a bit of nap in the afternoon. Wesley went on an adventure to Marinette with Pa.

 

Abby, John, and the kids came up for one last family dinner together before we hit the road. We had a delicious dinner of roast, green beans (for Jer), tomato bake and creamed spinach. Of course, we had Roz's apple pie for dessert!

We said our good-byes to Abby and family when they left after dinner. Then a few minutes later we said good-bye to Roz, Grandma, and Pa. Yes, there were tears. Lots of tears. I think "sob" might have been a better description for my behavior. It was hard. Harder even than leaving Arizona to move to Wisconsin. At the same time, it didn't really feel real, it was like were just leaving to go on vacation. It was real though, and at 8:30pm we pulled out of the driveway.

By 9:09pm (I looked at the clock) all the boys and the baby were sound asleep. The car was silent as Jerry concentrated on driving and I was lost in my own thoughts about the days (and years) ahead.

Wedding Fun

Whenever we stay at Grandma's the boys wake up early. Today was no exception, the boys were up at 5am. After everyone was fed and dressed, Jerry spent a little time organizing the van and U-Haul trailer and I did laundry.

After lunch we all got dressed in our best for my cousin's wedding. As long as we were all together (and dressed nice!) we took some family photos.

We then headed down to DePere for the 3pm wedding. The boys were good during the cermony, but I did have to get up and walk around with the baby a little.

We had a bit of time between the ceremony and reception so we tried to run a quick errand. AT&T told me the modem we had been using was "leased" despite the fact I thought I bought it when we signed up with them. They told me to take it to any UPS Store and they would ship it back free otherwise we would not receive the credit due to us (since you pay ahead). The UPS store wouldn't take it, saying that model was on a list to NOT be returned (like I originally thought!). As we drove to the reception I called AT&T.  Anyone who has ever dealt with AT&T won't be surprised to hear they weren't very helpful in the matter. After a very confusing and frustrating conversation (during which the boys whined and complained in the van) I had to hang up and get into the reception. [We ended up moving the darn thing to Arizona where the UPS Store here told us the same thing! We packaged it up and sent it ourselves and eventually got the credit, although I am certain it was never "leased" to start out with.]

The reception was a TON of fun! The boys enjoyed goodie bags that were made up for all the little ones. They were full of snacks, crayons, and (best of all!) glow sticks. They boys also appreciated the "kiddie menu" and their plates with chicken fingers and fries. The grown ups got fried chicken and beef tips with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and slaw. Yum!

After dinner, JD enjoyed the empty dance floor. Having never been to a wedding before, Wesley enjoyed the grand march and first dance. Annabeth was awake the whole time and didn't fuss too much. She was held by lots of different people and got a bit overtired at the end. With bedtime approaching and a long(ish) drive home to my parents it was time to leave. We made our good-bye rounds and tried not to cry not wanting to take away from Josh and Samantha's special day.

Four Generations!

The baby had saved up her fussiness and decided to let it out during the ride home. Once back at mom's, we got boys to bed and watched the World Series while we chatting with Roz. We had to the house to ourselves since my parents stayed at the hotel where the reception took place. And knowing the next day would be a long one, we headed to bed.

The Move: Loading Day

Today was loading day! The movers and the HUGE semi-truck got here around 8am. The packers had packed up everything except the beds and bedding so we could sleep here one last night. We slept with boxes everywhere and the whole house smelled like cardboard!

We had one last round of Uncle Mike's donuts for breakfast. Then we told the boys to stay out of the way while the guys carried every single one of our possessions out to the truck.

The driver (Mark) inventoried everything by putting little green stickers on every single item or box. Mark was also the disassembler. He took apart any furniture he could so it would fit tighter in the truck. Mark was a very nice guy. We were glad we like him since he is the one who will actually be driving our stuff across the country. He would be one of the last people to see us in Wisconsin and one of the first to see us in Arizona!

As the guys moved things Jerry and I followed behind them cleaning.

The boys were actually really good. The neighborhood kids are off school for October break so that helped keep them busy. We did have one incident with one of the neighbor boys saying something rude to the movers. We sent him home and never saw him again.

Another neighbor boy wanted to exchanged addresses so we could write each other letters. Justus suggested that he not send anything until next Tuesday. :)

Today was a bit more difficult because the doors were almost constantly open. It got pretty cold in here. Not too bad for those of us working, but a bit rough for the kids. The boys just kept their jackets on and we kept the baby covered with a thick blanket when she was asleep (which was a good portion of the day).

Moving is hard work. JD ended up falling asleep on the floor in the living room. He was out cold! He actually fell asleep sitting up and we gently laid him down so his neck didn't get sore.

We all stopped what we were doing to wave good-bye to Mark, the truck, and our stuff. Then it was back to cleaning.

The movers ended up being a bit slower than we expected so we left the house later than we had planned. Then I delayed us further by taking a quick video tour of the house for the memory box. (Actually, I had made one previously, but it was accidentally erased in The Great Delete of 2011).

On the way out of town we stopped to visit Grandma Vern. We didn't stay long though because we knew Roz (and dinner) was already waiting for us at Grandma and Pa's in Oconto.  We got to Oconto around 7pm and ate a later dinner of my mom's chicken enchiladas. We visited and watched the World Series awhile before collapsing into bed.

The Move: Packing

Today was the official start of our move. The packers were here all day. I don't mean our favorite team, I mean literal box packers. There were 3 guys and they packed over 130 boxes. And I thought we got rid of a bunch of stuff at the garage sale!

This is our first move where we didn't do the packing and moving ourselves. It is kind of strange to let complete strangers go through your stuff. Being the control freak I am, I can't say I really like it much. But, honestly, I can't imagine doing it myself right now either. We did our best to just stay out of their way while they worked. Even though they did the majority of the work, we still had quite a pile of stuff we needed to pack in the van and trailer.

Our pile

JD surfs the web surrounded by boxes

 Knowing the kitchen was going to be packed I planned ahead and made our "last supper" (haha) of chicken hot dish in an aluminum foil pan. I also kept out some paper plates and plastic utensils to use. We'll be eating out enough in the coming weeks so we didn't want to go out. It was kind of fun to eat surrounded by all the boxes.

After dinner we had our last "campfire" here at our house on Trotter Court. [If you don't know what that means you can read about it here.] So everyone would have time to think of a story, I gave a warning earlier in the week that at this campfire everyone would share a story about living in this house or in Wisconsin.

Here is what each person shared:

Wesley shared a story about finding all kinds of weird items in the bushes today when looking for the neighbor girl's camera.

Eli told us that on a snowy day last winter he got cold and went into Anker's house with him and ate Ramen noodles. (This was the first Jer or I heard about that little adventure!)

Justus couldn't think of story so he shared that he will miss Bay Beach. When we prayed at bedtime a few minutes later he also said a very nice prayer thanking God for a "nice life in Wisconsin" and "good times coming up in Arizona".

Hayden shared a story about roasting marshmallows on the 4th of July. His marshmallow fell off the stick and rolled under his chair, but he ate in anyway.

We really couldn't get the gist of JD's story, but he tried. Mom pointed out that he learned to walk and talk while living here. He also said a very nice prayer before bed.

Wesley asked Annabeth to share what it was like in Mommy's tummy for her story. Justus, ever the joker, cracked everyone up by answering for her, saying: "wet, very wet".

The story I shared was about the time the twins got stuck in their bedroom when the door knob broke. If you want to read it... click here!

Jerry told two stories. One about the Buick getting stuck in the snow at the end of our driveway. You can read about that fun adventure here. The other was about the time our gutters got clogged. He went up on the ladder to unclog them and found one of our plastic play food chicken legs. Why the boys were tossing plastic food up onto the roof or into the gutters remains a mystery.

Annabeth didn't share a story, but she was very good all day. She napped and ate on & off. Then just to make sure we were on our toes, ended the day with an up-the-back diaper blowout.

We'll have to figure out a way to do "campfire" when we get to Arizona. It is a fun family tradition and we'd all miss it if we gave it up!

Then it was time for one last sleep at Trotter...

Annabeth wasn't ready for bed though, she still had some packing to do...