Adios Texas!

Ok- promise this is my last 'goodbye Texas' post!

I can't believe I almost forgot to post this!  Our last couple weeks in Texas we had many final dinners/playdates with good friends.  This night was with the Fimmen family!  When we moved here Matt was younger than Lucy and I only had Cooper!  Cooper has adored these kids since day 1 - he has had some of his biggest tantrums leaving the Fimmens' house!  I can't blame the kid, they are great people and their house is always full of fun, we sure are going to miss them! 

The week of our move the weather finally took a turn for the better…it was a long, cold winter in Texas!  You can only spend so many hours packing boxes with an infant before you just have to get out of the house.  So me and my little lady hit Southlake Town Square for one last shopping trip at our favorite place in the 70 degree weather.

This was the day before we moved.  I was beginning to wonder what we were thinking, especially since KC was forecasted for snow in just a few days!

Moving Day!  We packed everything up and then had movers come and transport it all into the moving truck that Adam would be driving.  

This was our upstairs bonus room/toy room.  This is what was left after all the furniture was gone.  This just cracks me up because it is soooo us to always have stuff under the furniture and I found a few toy parts we have been missing for a loooong time!

After a tearful goodbye to our old home, we hit the road around 3pm on Wednesday, February 20.  Piper, Lola and I were in my car and Adam drove this beast!  It was originally just to be the UHaul truck and then halfway thru the packing process - we realized we would definitely need more room!  A huge shoutout to Adam for having the ability to drive this ride!  Besides Piper projectile vomiting on me at a stop to feed her (gotta love being soaked in baby puke the first hour of a 8 hour drive!), the drive was pretty uneventful and we got back to my parents around 12:30-1am.

We were closing on our new KC home the next morning at 9am!

Goodbyes - kids last days in Texas

I hate goodbyes and really thought we would have more time to hit up our favorite spots one last time and knock a few more items off our Texas bucket list.  But the house sold so fast and the next few weeks were like living in a tornado.  So we didn't do everything I wanted to but I did sneak in a few simple things.

 One day this boy skipped nap so we went on a walk while Dad stayed home with the girls.  I told him that when we moved into this house he was our only kid, he couldn't believe it!  

 One last walk around the block that we have walked hundreds of times.  This is where Cooper learned how to ride his bike, where we lost (and found) Lola twice thanks to good samaritans, and Laney strolled her babies just like I used to stroll her.  

Love, love, love this sweet boy of mine!

 We came to Texas as a family of 3 1/2 (Laney Faith was a bun in my oven) and left as a family of 5!  It was a busy 3 years.  We made the best memories in this home, the best being bringing home our 2 girls here.  

Yep, this home was really good to us which made it hard to say goodbye!

The real craziness began on the Sunday before we were moving (that following Wednesday).  Adam packed up a load including 2 of our most prized possessions and headed to KC.  He was going to do our final walk thru at the new house and flying out from there for a meeting in Miami.  The kids tagged along to stay at Grandma and Grandpas so that I could finish packing.  I quickly realized it was going to be next to impossible to do with these 2 unpacking just about the same pace I was packing.  So they left on Sunday morning and I had 3 whole days to pack up the rest of the house with just Piper.  Did you hear that???  3 whole days to myself with just my baby!  Yes, I had so much to do and was totally overwhelmed but it was so awesome!  And I am so thankful for my parents taking on these 2 kids for several days -they aren't exactly easy!

Last Day of Preschool

This was probably the #1 reason I was sad to leave Texas (besides the stellar weather!).  I have wrote many times before about how much I adored the kids' preschool.  No doubt that once my last kid was there that I would apply for a job.  It was the most warm, loving school environment!  We made great friends during Cooper's (almost) 3 years there.  

 Coop got to celebrate his 1/2 birthday before he left.  I love that the girls are all right there ready to sing and the boys are in the background playing superheroes ;).

 They all sang to him, so sweet.  He requested I make cupcakes and he picked it all out at the grocery store with me.

 Cooper with Ms. Amy and Ms. Celina.  We were lucky enough to have Ms. Celina for 2 years!  She was also Coop's teacher his first year in the Ladybugs room.

 Laney wasn't sure about school but totally warmed up to her teachers and gave them big hugs on the last day!

These teachers were the best!  I never thought twice leaving my kids in their care, they were so loving and taught them so much!!!


On the car ride home from preschool, I told Cooper and Laney I was so happy they go to such a great preschool and I was really going to miss it.  I asked Cooper if he was sad, he said, "I am excited to move to Kansas Mom but I am going to miss them a whole bunch."  I mean, heart melter!!!!!

Then he asked if all his friends could come over the next to play one last time.  We compromised and invited as many as we could get a hold of to join us at the Trampoline Park.  I can't believe I didn't get any pictures!

Final Days at home in Keller

These pics are all from the week before we moved.  Just a random bunch - but memories of certain spots in our house that I want the kids (and me!) to remember.

When we first moved in, we joked about how many toys would be launched from the railing down to the floor below.  Surprisingly not that many!  Cooper did think it was a great spot to line up all his Super Heros.  He had my phone taking a picture himself.

Cooper's picture.  I just love his imagination right now!

Closets were all cleaned out so I converted the one under the stairs to a fort.  One the weakest forts ever but Coop and Laney thought it was incredible.  No lie, they spent hours the last week in our house playing in here.  They even ate a couple meals there too!  Laney would wake up from nap, grab a stack of books and go in their fort to read - it was definitely her favorite place to be!

Unless it was a school day, these kids spent much of the beginning of 2014 in their pjs.  It was so, so cold outside, we had a new baby and a house to pack so no reason to get dressed!

We had one last fire on a chilly February night.

The kids found How the Grinch Stole Christmas under the couch so that became a popular read again ;).

Need to blog about this girl's love for her Bob Books.

One last project at the kitchen table!  So easy and so entertaining for kids (thanks again Pinterest!).  That's baking soda in the pan and food coloring mixed with vinegar in the bowls.  With droppers they drop the liquid into the baking soda and it bubbles up and colors it.  

This is what the house looked like the last week…who am I kidding this is basically what this room looked like 90% of the 3 years we lived there, minus the box springs ;).  This was the view from my kitchen sink and where I spent what felt like 80% of my time. 

Piper's favorite spot

Back in Texas, Piper definitely had a favorite spot in our house in the short 2 months she spent there.

 sweet sleeping baby

No joke, she would just stare and stare at that sign.  So much so that we would intentionally lay her down so she could see it.

Happy Heart Day!!!

Nothing like a Valentine's Day post in March!

 We covered the kids doors in hearts with things we love about each one of them.

 Cooper said this was his favorite. 

This was my favorite on Cooper's door.

When I went up to get Laney out of her crib, this is what I found.  Not sure how long he was in there with her.  They weren't ready for the flash yet ;).

They loved the hearts on their doors!

 Laney and her sweet teachers created this adorable Valentine's Day banner!  Those teachers are so great!!!  I forgot to take a pic of Coop's creation, it was equally as cute.

Couldn't love it more!  

 And the fun of trying to get a pic of all 3 of them ;).

 Our sweet Valentines 

 Love Laney's happiness-even if it's blurry.

As always, they requested a funny face picture.

 And a special Happy 1st Valentine's Day to this sweet babe!

I just can't get enough of this girl!

And because I like to torture my heart, you can see past Valentine's Day here, 2012, 2011, and 2013.

Valentine's with Cooper

Cooper was so excited this year to go to Target and pick out Valentines.  And this year I didn't have the energy to care for anything more than those little cards that make him happy.  It was a tough decision but in the end, Power Rangers won out.  

Laney was equally excited and chose Dora.  She carried them all over the house for a couple days and then was over it.  I filled out her cards and then found them in her backpack after the Valentine's Party so not sure why she didn't hand them out??

 He had some cards leftover after filling out for his class.  He decided to send some to family members. He chose who, wrote it all, stamped and I just addressed the envelope.

 He did so well writing his name on all the cards with no complaining!

 A close up of those awesome Power Ranger cards!

 Yes, that is a pajama shirt and green jeans…love this kid's style.