A lot like childbirth!

I waited too long to write this post. Moving across the country with two cars, five children, a husband and a dog was a lot like being pregnant and going through labor. It quickly leaves your mind, so that maybe if you ever have to do it again, you won't remember the pain and agony that accompanied it. Am I being a little dramatic...well maybe, but just a little bit! I did have to ask my husband for a step by step account of our trip. I had pictures, so therefore I thought that I would remember. I make this mistake all of the time. I don't remember. Thank heavens for my husbands unbelievably good memory...now I can share it with all of you, and one day when the kids ask about it, I can just send them here and not ever have to talk about it again!

Saying goodbye to our good friends the Jenkins Family! 

I really am just kidding. We were truly blessed on our trip out to Ohio! I guess I will start from the beginning.

We had our summer turned upside down when shortly after it began, we got news that Tad was being promoted to VP of Sales and that it would require us to move to Ohio. After a lot of prayer, we decided that Ohio was to become our new home! The preparations began immediately and our house was turned upside down to put on the market ASAP!  In a few short weeks, we found someplace to live in Ohio, got the kids all signed up for school, made all of the preparations to run Whimsy from afar, and all of the dozen other things that we had to do to make such a big move! The kids were excited, scared,  and so very helpful! Moving weekend came and the packers went through our home like Tasmanian devils getting us all boxed up in one day! The weekend before we had spent an amazing weekend with my family and on the Saturday before we moved, Tad took the kids down to spend time with his family while I stayed behind...we had two weddings to shoot that day! The kids (and Tad and I) loved every minute that we spent with everyone. It was hard to say our goodbyes. I will have to do a post about our mini family reunions soon! On Monday the movers came. Grandma and Grandpa Tatum came up and we all went to lunch and tried to stay out of the way.  We spent our last night in Logan at a hotel! The kids were so excited to finally get on the road the next day! After about two hours in the car the "Are we there yet" started. I gave them all my evil eye and told them that they were going to get sick of asking that question really fast, as we had seven more days of travel!

1700 miles...I am sick of looking at the back of this truck!  (Just leaving Bear Lake!)

Tad had planned our trip out with a lot of wiggle room! We usually have our trips planned out knowing what hotels we are staying in, what we are doing for entertainment and where the best restaurants are...this situation was completely different. With two little girls under two, as many of you know, the car seat is not always your best friend. And when the screaming starts and there is no end in sight...the driving day is done! Our first day was great though! The kids were amazing and we made it to Laramie, Wyoming.

Tad's truck...the cool truck...everyone was always happy!

My van...one happy one!

Bright and early we were off to Lincoln, Nebraska!  When we arrived into town we were heading straight to the Hampton Inn and right next store there was a hotel that looked like a castle. The kids were of course freaking out wanting to stay in the cool castle hotel with the knight on a horse in front. They were in luck because this Hampton wouldn't accept pets. Ainslee was having a little bit of a rough time, it was late, she was tired and sick of her seat...you get the idea. Aurianna took her over to the knight while Tad was checking in. She thought that it was amazing and wouldn't stop talking about it all the way up to our rooms. We got two rooms every night and split the babies up just in case one of them woke in the middle night we wouldn't have a room full of screaming babes! Anyway, I was tucking Ainslee in and she was talking about the knight and as I was looking at her I could see her train of thought start to change as she talked about he knight being right downstairs. All of sudden she started looking around the room and every time there was a noise she started saying..."knight coming, knight coming". Tad had to take her back outside to the statue of the knight and show her that it was fake. She of course doesn't know what that means so he called it a toy. From that point on for the rest of our trip, every statue was called a toy...and we saw a lot of statues...I mean toys!

Okay...as I see the length of this post....and there aren't a whole lot of pictures to go with this post....time to make this a two parter! I will be back soon to post the second half!

Milana