MAY recap

April 30- MOVING DAY and SNOW

YES Snow! Are you kidding me!

I wish I was better about documenting the move. All I can say is no matter how prepared you think you are your NOT! So many last minute items to pack. In our case whatever was NOT boxed was not going- we only had so much room in our car. When you move across country there are "rules" of what you can pack and can't.

NO: paints, gas, nail polish, aerosol, liquids, wine etc. Bottom line anything Flammable

SO....

We donated, dumped and packed some.
2 kids + 2 parents + one yellow lab+ 2 weeks worth of cloths + 2 cases of wine all in a Subaru =
MUST get roof rack!

Ryan has said "It is all going to fit. We do not need a roof rack.

Bridget has said: "Do you know HOW much stuff we have- even with just the basics?"

Ryan: " I am the master packer... it will all fit"

Bridget: "We need a roof rack"

Ryan: "Watch it will all fit"

So it is midnight, YES midnight the night before we leave a start this crazy adventure. Everything is in a pile on the family room floor at my parents in Truckee because we are now homeless.

Ryan looks at it ALL and says: "I think we need a roof rack."

Moving Day

It was a GREAT house

All packed and ready to load the truckGarage #1 all neat and ready to be loaded

(We are going to miss all that storage!)

William directing where the boxes should go

May 1:

We hit the road MUCH later than expected.

(Ryan had to cruise into Reno for the roof rack and back to Truckee)
We hit the road just after lunch and were to headed to Vegas but not before stopping in Hawthonre (AKA the middle of NOwhere .... somewhere between Reno and Las Vegas)

What road trip is complete without stops to a park for the kids and dog?
VEGAS

"HELLO"

I love this picture- Ryan walking in downtown Vegas, kid on shoulders, dog on leash and 2 sippy in his back pocket!

He is SO HOT!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Leaving Vegas and headed to:

Hover Dam

From Arizona we headed to the:

It is early May and it is FREEZING here! Luckily having just left Nevada in a snow storm just days before I still had the kids snow hats and mittens in the car.

Beautiful Canyon

Can I say COLD! We did very little hiking due to the cold and ended up taking the tour bus just to get warm. It rained and snowed on us. It was such a bummer because you really could not see the beauty around you. The stores ran out of sweatshirts, windbreakers and long sleeves as this cold front caught everyone off guard.

William trying to stay warm. Luckily the kids had hats and mittens and Ryan and I had our wind gear. Best we could do was layer with t-shirts.

Trying to enjoy the beauty. But lets be honest when you are cold and the kids are fussy it is hard to take it all in. But on our final day the weather warmed up and it was BEAUTIFUL! I guess we are going to have to go back.

NEXT Stop:

Annabel was left to her own for a whole 30 seconds and had fun with the tissue box.

She was so proud of her mound!
Man this girl keeps us on our toes. Carlsbad Caverns-

Best way to beat the heat- go 1/4 mile under ground here.

Lunch time: Annabel is insistent on feeding herself= One BIG mess

And Finally:

BIG State and YES

everything is BIGGER here

Welcome Home

The moving truck arrived one day later than expected. :(

The truck is late so we are playing in the sink with bubbles

My Happy girl!

First weekend:

Planting pumpkins

The kids have been so eager to have their own pumpkin patch that we thought we would give it a whirl. My hope is just 2 pumpkins anything else is icing on top! (not looking so good currently:( )
FYI- see the Subaru in the back... very few Subaru's seen here in SA and NO roof racks. They were such in norm in NV.

William's first movie night! He was fascinated with the air popper.

TOP 10 Surivial Tips

Headed on our 2200 mile road trip across country-

a Mom, a Dad, 2 kids, and a dog all piled into a Subaru Outback with a roof rack.

California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and

TEXAS

me driving in the middle of no where!

Ryan taking a driving break. Thanks babe for driving 95% of the time!

Sticker books- oh how we love you!

"I have had enough of the car!"

Top 10 Survival Tips when traveling with young children:

When traveling with young children in the car for hours remember:
(no particular order)

10. Pack summer AND winter hats. Mittens are also a good idea

9. 1-800 phone number for Pet friendly accommodations

8. Books on tape for the kids

7. GPS (ours is named Veronica)

6. pack lots of snacks

5. Watch your gas gauge; you never know you when you will see a gas station or food again

4. Items that open and close (sun glass case, make up bag, plastic eggs, Tupperware)

3. Large plastic Easter egg for hiding treats in

2. Roof rack

1. Cheetos

A lovely time in the Grand Canyon. In our 2 1/2 days there we had snow, wind, rain, AND blue skies as we left. We will have to go back when it is warmer and really appreciate its beauty. Texas here we come!