...Hello Virginia!

After a whirlwind of preparations, we were finally ready to hit the road for Virginia! My parents were able to join us on our cross-country travel, which was a HUGE help. I planned and packed a ton of road trip snacks and activities for the kiddos, all in an effort to keep everyone entertained and happy on our 20-hour trek. Grandma and Papa drove the SUV we rented {for storage, really; for our stuff from the past week + the days on the road trip + the stuff we couldn't pack in a POD}. And our little family of 5, and Sasha, drove in the Babymobile. 

The first day, we headed out just after 7am {after a very sweet surprise send-off from Granny, Grumpz, Uncle Bryan, and Aunt Lindsay!}, and drove through Arkansas and Tennessee. The kiddos did great, since the excitement of being with Grandma and Papa and actually heading to Virginia was running pretty high. We only had to stop for meals and a few potty breaks in between, but overall we made really good time. We stayed at an Airbnb in Jackson, TN for the night to rest up for another long leg of the trip.

The second day, we got up bright and early again, this time driving through the rest of Tennessee to Blacksburg, Virginia. We had the perfect traveling weather, no traffic, and the most beautiful views. We basically had tree-lined roads the whole way, and then we had tree-lined roads through the hills. It was definitely fun to drive through such a beautiful part of the country.

If you look closely, you can see evidence of the M&M's the Grandma snuck to her :)

We made it!!

Since we had 2 long days of travel, we decided to stay 2 nights in Blacksburg to give the kids a little break before making the push to our final destination in Northern Virginia. We stayed up in the hills of Blacksburg, at the Wandering Goat Lodge, and we were blown away by the gorgeous view. We arrived just in time for sunset, and the colors were spectacular. Of course, the kiddos were all too happy to just run and move after being stuck in the car for 2 days :)

I'll share more about our stay at the Wandering Goat Lodge in another post, but we were grateful for a little rest and fun in the middle of our road trip. Aside from birthday fun, we had plenty of time for reading books, watching the deer, and running around, getting out all that pent up energy.

After a full day of rest and birthday celebrations, we were ready to make the final trek in our journey. On the fourth day, we didn't have to leave quite as early, so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and then we traveled the last few hours to Chantilly. We got checked in at the extended stay, where we will be for the next couple of months, and we were all grateful to be off the road. It was a long trip, for sure. But we are so thankful for the good travel, with little to no hiccups along the way.

We made it. Hello, Virginia!

Goodbye Texas...

This post isn't super exciting, and I don't have any pictures {sorry}, but I just wanted to have a record of our crazy whirlwind of packing and moving! We officially accepted the offer for Mike's job in Virginia on September 3rd, and since then, we have been packing and purging and repairing and painting and organizing and selling and planning and preparing. It's not the easiest of tasks to pack up your house, sell it, and move across the country with a family of 5, plus a dog...in 2 months :)

But the Lord has been gracious and good, providing in only the ways that He can, all along the way. We spent most of September packing and getting the house ready to put on the market. We purged as much as we could, then packed  and stored everything else we knew we wouldn't need for 2 months. We decided that PODS would be our best option, and I cannot tell you how thankful I am that that's the route we chose from the beginning. With all of the unknowns, last minutes decisions and changes, PODS made it SO easy to make the necessary adjustments along the way. Highly recommend. 

We put the house on the market on October 2nd, and we made the decision to leave for the weekend while it showed. Also a brilliant suggestion from some neighbors down the street, who had recently sold their house. So we got an Airbnb in Denison, and watched as text after text came in for showings. Another gracious provision from the Lord is the state of the current housing market. We had 18 showings that weekend, with 5 offers by the end of it. It was a HUGE provision from the Lord that we were able to sell it so quickly. Both from a logistics/financial standpoint, but also a sanity-saver for me. It would have been so hard to have to get the house ready for a showing with 3 toddlers and a dog. So I am so thankful that we didn't have to worry about that. 

The rest of October was spent finishing packing and preparing for our move to Virginia. We made the decision to rent in Virginia, so that we could learn the area before buying again. Plus, with our timeframe {and COVID}, it was going to be less stressful to find a rental than actually buy a house from across the country. Because of the nature of the rental market right now, we didn't actually go look for a place to live in Virginia until 2 weeks before we actually moved to Virginia. Not going to lie, I just had to put it out of my mind so my Type-A brain wouldn't freak out. Mike and I flew to Virginia in the middle of October to find a place to live. At the beginning of the week, there were 5 or 6 rental options; by the time we actually arrived in Virginia that weekend, there were only 2 options. We looked at both of them, and even put an application in on one of them. While it would have been fine, and we would have made it work, the Lord already had a plan in the works for something that would better fit our needs.

A military family in the church had recently received orders for a transfer to California, and they had wanted to rent their house while they were gone. The senior pastor connected our families, and we were able to look at the house while we were in Virginia. Their house has more space, a better arrangement for Sasha {she can't go up/down stairs anymore, and everything is multi-level in Virginia}, and is closer to the church. It turned out to be a win/win, since they didn't have to go through the process of advertising it for rent. The Lord was truly providing for both of our families, and we are amazed at how the Lord has yet again provided for our housing needs.

The only catch is that they are not leaving until January. So we had to find an interim solution for the remainder of 2020. Enter the Lord's provision through another family in the church... again the senior pastor connected us with another member in the church who manages an extended stay. He was able to find us a place at a reasonable rate for our first 2 months in Virginia. So while we will be in a little bit of tight quarters for a couple of months, we are in awe of how the Lord orchestrated ALL of the details. 

So we headed back to Texas after a whirlwind weekend of seeing God provide again and again :)

We finished packing our PODS and had them shipped to Virginia. They actually left a week before we did, so we camped out in an empty house for a week. Our kiddos quickly discovered the joys of a tiled house with no furniture...and all the echoes that ensue haha! But again, the whole PODS situation was perfect because we are basically just storing those PODS for the next 2 months while we are waiting to get into the rental house. 

In the midst of all the packing and details of moving, we were also saying goodbye to sweet friends and family. We had multiple driveway/car meet-ups and zoom calls, trying to see/talk with people before we left. Our short time frame, my nagging health issues, and COVID made saying goodbye a little tricky. And I know we weren't able to see everyone that we had hoped. But we are so thankful for all of the family and friends who sent texts, Facebook messages, emails of encouragement and support. While goodbyes are not always easy, we realize the incredible blessing of having the love and support of our Texas community behind us as we venture off to Virginia.

Texas is the only home I have ever known. It's a little scary and strange to be leaving it behind for something new and unknown. But we know that the Lord has good things for us in Virginia, too. So we say goodbye to Texas with love and fondness and excitement in our hearts for what's ahead. 

{Too cheesy and sentimental? I can't help it. I'm excited for what's waiting for us in Virginia. But... #TexasForever}  :)

Eli & Maddie's Family Birthday Celebration

Eli and Maddie got to kick off their birthday celebrations with a fun family birthday! We wanted to get together with family one more time before we left Texas, so we gathered for a driveway lunch, which doubled as a fun family party for Eli and Maddie {and Aiden too, since we didn't have an official party for him this year #becauseCOVID}.

They got some really fun presents from everyone- GREAT road trip activities from Granny and Grumpz, sticker books that have lasted for HOURS from Uncle Bryan and Aunt Christa, and the most perfect Disney jackets from Uncle Ben and Aunt Lindsay. These kiddos were showered with love, and had such a fun time!

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

Aunt Lindsay made some really fun Halloween cookies, complete with ghost versions of Mickey, Minnie, and Pooh Bear! I wasn't able to get photos of the whole cookies...my kiddos bit into them too quickly :)

Aunt Lindsay also arranged for one of her photographer friends to come capture family photos for us. We had taken family photos last fall, but baby Joshua hadn't joined us yet, so Granny wanted photos with all the grandkids. Of course, we had to try to maintain some semblance of social distancing, but I think we got some pretty precious photos. These are going to be a sweet memory for years to come. Excuse our outfits though...the photos were a surprise, so we were clearly not prepared to take photos :)

Goodbyes are not always easy, but we are thankful for supportive and loving family as we make the transition to our new lives in Virginia. It's good to know that we always have a place to call "home" with family.

Eli + Maddie :: 4 Years

How are you already 4 years old?? I blinked, and all of a sudden, you aren't toddlers anymore. You are tiny people with opinions, and personalities, and senses of humor. I am amazed at how much you have grown and matured this past year, and I am excited for the new adventures we have planned. This birthday looked a little different, since we were moving to our new home in Virginia. But I think we made the best of it with lots of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and goats  {more to come on that}  :)

Eli and Maddie, we love you so much and are so proud of the amazing little people you are becoming! Happy Birthday, my baby loves!

ELIJAH WINN

STATS :: 38 pounds, 41 inches tall

MADELINE GRACE

STATS :: 46 pounds, 43.5 inches tall

{iPhone Rewind} :: October

Can't he just stay little forever?

When all the furniture is out of the house and you have endless boxes with which to play...

Playing in the fields/hills of Herman Baker Park! We had to be out of the house when the house went on the market, so we got an Airbnb for the weekend and got to enjoy this fun park in Sherman.

Reading with Daddy

"Working" Haha- he really wanted to work like Daddy

We headed to Granny's to play outside while the inspector came to the house. Eli and Maddie LOVED the sand box!

Aiden was super serious about sliding

Cute girlie :)

Eli and Grandpa :)

Maddie and Grandpa :)

While we were looking at rental properties in Virginia, we definitely saw a place with a bathroom in the kitchen. The toilet was right next to the fridge...

Those darn cows were running around Melissa again...

Basically our life the last few weeks...boxes and Legos.

He's so relaxed haha.

"I want to snuggle with you, Mama." Absolutely, Baby Girl.

We got to see another hot air balloon!

Awwww.....

Vacuuming. And looking good doing it.