FAMILY FUN CENTER

The kids have been bugging us to go to the Family Fun Center pretty much since we moved here. We pass by it nearly every day since it is right off of the main road to our house. It has bowling, mini golf, batting cages, laser tag, go karts, roller skating, and arcade games. It is pretty much the only thing to do here besides go to the movie theatre.

Nathan is off on Fridays so we decided to go right after we picked Cole up from school. We were pretty much the only ones there. I guess they don't open everything until certain times to save electicity or something...The kids did not like that at all. We just got to do the bowling and mini golf for one day, but it was definitely enough.

Brooke would barley push her ball and we would wait and wait for it to softly tap down a pin or two. Cole would chunk his ball like he was in a strong man competition or something. Somehow Brooke actually beat Cole by 3 points...Boy was he mad.
We went back on Saturday to do the Laser Tag and Roller Skating. Once again we were the only ones in both places for most of the time.
Brooke got scared and just stood there in Laser Tag. I was so aggrivated because that meant I had to kneel down beside her and get shot by everyone, too. Awesome...What a waste of money.

Roller skating is scary...I will be avoiding it from now on if possible. Nathan and I took the kids around one at a time and it was a miracle no one got hurt. Brooke would stand between us and squeal when we pulled her, but Cole would yell and move his feet as fast as he could. He wouldn't calm down and quit flinging his wheels in my path. He tripped me once and just about felt the wrath of my booty on his face...Yikes!

Brooke said she didn't need any help.

And Cole thought he was hot stuff on the carpet.

DOWN THE STREET

This is the dinky little neighborhood playground down the street from us. It's not much but it's more than we had before.

We can already tell that the kids are playing better together and more often....Which is really nice. Cole actually has been asking Brooke to play with him instead of always being a grumpy gus and snapping at her.
Brooke has been wanting a new hat that fits. She saw this one and loved it because it was pink. She calls it her "tennis hat like Grandma". She looks adorable in it...And so big!
She was a princess that kept calling out for the black knight to rescue her from the dragon. It was funny to watch...Until the rain came and put the dragon's fire out for good.

This is our front yard the next morning...Awesome.

MARCH 23rd - MOVING IN TO TENNESSEE DAY

The movers showed up early Monday and I was still at the hotel. Not a good start to the day. Maybe that's why they dropped the boxes like bombs in every room. Every box had a room label but they didn't all end up at the right destination. And the majority of the boxes are jam packed with who knows what and too heavy for me to move around...Very frustrating.

The head mover, Chad, was so nice to the kids. Brooke actually talked to him several times. She told him to be careful with her stuff and not to break her very old tea set. They loved playing on the boxes and running up and down the ramp. The movers played along when the kids would hide under the ramp and try to jump out and scare them...It was cute.

This is the tea set that Nathan's grandmother just passed down to Brooke. She said she had tea parties with this set with her grandmother when she was a little girl. It is all very beautiful and 70 years old...So special that Brooke has it now! The teapot even has a music box on the bottom. It was given to us about a week before the move. This picture was more of an inventory shot and definitely does not do it justice.
When they were almost done, Chad let them get in his cab to see in the inside and honk the horn a few times. I'm sure our new neighbors appreciated that.

The movers had little yellow stickers to put on every box/item that they were responsible for moving. There were 262 items! They would call off a number for everything they brought off the truck while I marked it off a "bingo" sheet. Here is just a glimpse of the boxes everywhere. The pictures didn't turn out too well from my camera phone but you get the idea.

I later found 7 more boxes inside the closet in the office...Unbelievable.

This is the master bathroom...Not such a good thing to have the toilet barricaded by boxes.

I took the pictures of the garage and kitchen before I went to get pizza for everybody. When I got back the open spaces were filled with even more boxes and no room to walk.

A couple of days later...

There is so much paper in the boxes...It's just excessive really. This picture is nothing compared to what it was. I actually threw half of the papers away the day before. It was completely covering the window. I bet the movers get a bonus for each roll of paper used. Cha-ching!

We'll probably get relocated again by the time I get done unpacking.

MARCH 28th - EASTER BOB

Nathan's work had a big Easter party at the warehouse that included lunch, 2 huge bounce houses, a tour of the building, baskets for all the kids, the Easter Bunny, and SpongeBob. That's right...Evidently SpongeBob is part of the celebration of Easter in Tennessee. He totally stole the Easter Bunny's thunder.

It was nice for the kids to get a break from all the boxes and actually socialize with other kids.

Nathan has been with Save A Lot for 9 years in 3 different buildings and I had never really seen the inside before. This picture is just a small section, but I thought it was neat to see. Of course, Nathan actually spends most of his time in his office upstairs.

MARCH 21st - BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST BON VOYAGE

My mom decided to do a huge send off breakfast for us and celebrate a couple of family birthdays as well before we left. So it became known as the "Birthday Breakfast Bon Voyage". My brothers' families and Nathan's parents came to eat a much needed breakfast and enjoy our last couple of hours together. Thanks Mom!

Why do boys do that?

Grandma makes the best ice cream sundaes!
I think Uncle Brent needs a Nintendo DS for Christmas.

...AND BON VOYAGE

Could there BE any more stuff in this car?

I'm not sure, but I think Dixie was less than thrilled about this....She looks humiliated.Quick check of the tires and a squirt of air for good measure.

Brent: Can you see me now?

And we're off to the land of Volunteers. Just look at that shiny car...Hadn't seen a sponge for months. My dad was so sweet to change the oil and scrub it down for his little girl...Thanks Daddy!

We stopped in Little Rock, AR and stayed at a really nice hotel that actually allowed pets. Better known as Embassy Suites but now known by Brooke as the "Hotel for Dogs".

UPDATE ON COLE'S "STITCH"

Hey Stitch...Where's Lilo?

Each day Cole's stitches are looking better. I'm sure it won't even be noticeable within the next couple of years as he grows.

He keeps saying, "Don't touch my stitch." Dude, it's stitch-ES! There are 3 stitches there. I don't know how many times we've said that so it's just really annoying to me . Brooke even chimes in on it now, too.

Love those "angel kisses" across his face. So cute!