July...and the big move!

July seems like a total blur.  Probably because it was.  Mostly because we bought a house!  Yup, after over 2 years of searching and 6 months of negotiating, we finally bought a house in Westchester.

So what do you do the holiday weekend before you move...go away of course!  I wasn't planning on being in NH as much as I usually like over the summer so I insisted we go up for the holiday weekend.  Plus all of my cousins were going to be home and since one of them actually lives in Hong Kong, that is quite an effort.  On Thursday night we drove halfway up to my friend Jason's house and hung out with them for the evening. Unfortunately we pretty much hit all of the traffic that we were going to hit on the way from our house to his, but we eventually showed up and had a very nice dinner with him and his wife and our friend from med school that I haven't seen in ages, Nick.  The next morning we got up and hit the road bright and early to get up to the 'Shire.  It was another weekend full of family, friends and fun.  We had our friends Rob and Jill up for the weekend as our guests.

There were several highlights of the weekend.  One was hiking the mountain with Ellie.  This is something that is near and dear to my heart and my upbringing.  Mount Monadnock is just something that is embedded in my heart and mind.  Driving into Jaffrey and seeing it's outline is one of the most soothing things to me.  We used to hike it all the time as kids, and then my dad and I hiked it by ourselves on multiple occasions.  It was some of our best quality time.  Knowing that our friends were outdoorsy and that my niece Charlotte had already done it, I ventured out on a limb to get Ellie to do it.  The weather for the whole weekend was supposed to be gorgeous, so when we got up on the 4th and it was a little overcast, I didn't think much of it.  Figured it would burn off.  Not exactly what happened.  I had Zack in the carrier on my back the whole way and it started drizzling about 2/3rds of the way up.  Determined and encouraged by the kids at this point we forged on.  By the time we got to the top it was full on raining, and I was essentially scared s^&%less of the way down.  Somehow my memories were not remembering the difficulty of the trails.  Maybe it was because a.) I am older and therefore more afraid b.) Ellie was going solo and it was raining and the rocks were wet or c.) I had a 28 lb kid strapped to my back so my footing wasn't super secure (and it was raining and the rocks were wet) or d.) all of the above!  Either way, both Ellie and Charlotte made it the whole way, and for 5 + hours we hiked and they barely complained.  They were scraped and dirty and had slipped numerous times but they were TROOPERS!  And it was just such a special moment for me.

I promised the girls medals on the way down.   It may have taken me almost a month to make them, but I think they were worth the wait.

Another highlight included having my grandparents come down to my dad's house and hang out on the lake before we left.  In one of those completely unscripted moments, Zack was somehow naked except for his swimmies and was tooling around down by the lake and squirting his great grandparents with a water gun.  It was precious beyond words.

I will spare Zack the naked front and back full nudity photos.  This is him filling up the water soaker.

Grampy, Grammy and Dad by the water.

After that we got home and worked until it was moving day on Friday.  On Thursday I drove the kids halfway back to NH where they spent a long weekend back with family.  Mike and I had an interesting experience of actually being home without kids.  Usually when we pawn them off we are away on vacation.  Granted moving is no joke, but it was a fun time just the same.  Our movers were AWESOME.  Two trucks, 7 guys and the whole thing was done from 9-3.  Took me just as long to unpack the kitchen over the next couple of days.  Dad flew them back on Jack Air on Sunday to make it easy for us.  Of course by then Zack had gotten sick and vomited all over his house....

Simply moving you are simply the best

second truck

How do we have so much stuff!

Bye bye 14 Myrtle Place!

Ellie and Zack's new favorite spot at the new house

Time for the big boy bed!

The next couple of weekends were dates to furniture stores for Mike and I and other activities to keep the kids busy.  I honestly think I was so exhausted and searching online for furniture that I can't remember the rest.

Playdate with Robin, Sam and Nina at some playground along the Hudson river

Climbing trees