On the Road

So it must be late, and I must have been up very late the past few nights because I posted these pictures in reverse order . . . So in order for this story to make sense, you'll have to go to the bottom picture first and read the captions UNDER the pictures and work your way up.

It's quite crazy to think that everything you own is traveling down the freeway in this one big truck. We've had quite the busy past 4 days, and it's not over yet. We're headed back down to Galveston tomorrow for a ward party and graduation on Sat. I had more pictures of the house and such, that I will post as soon as I get a chance.

I had to capture this. Both older boys wanted to ride with Daddy in the truck. How can you deny them that experience? We had three walkie talkies. Jason had one in the truck with the boys, his dad in our Buick and I had one with his mom and Gaven in the van. We had them all tuned in together to have 3 way conversations. There were a few times when I radioed his dad and asked him if his car was as peaceful and quiet as ours!!

Jason's dad while he was still smiling. I post this picture only to explain a little of the story. We loaded the truck in Galveston and drove 4 1/2 hours to Belton. On the way, we stopped and picked up some new furniture we had bought. We also had to go to Lowe's when we got in to pick up a few things that wouldn't have fit in our van. By the time we got all our doings done, it was 9pm. We started unloading the truck then and finished at 1:30 in the morning. Needless to say, the next day, we worked from morning until night, moving furniture, boxes, putting up blinds, etc. On Wednesday, Papa Kim literally dropped! We were afraid we had worked him into the ground. It might have been partly that, but it was also partly thanks to a bug that he picked up. We love you Papa Kim, we couldn't have done it without you!

Monday morning came, and we couldn't have done it without the help of our friends. Thanks guys! We appreciate all your hard work and help! Hot, humid and 2 hours later, the truck was loaded and ready to go. Everything fit . . .barely! This picture is a bit foggy because it was cold inside the apartment and very warm outside!

The happiness and joy left our house in a hurry. It was time for bed to prepare for a long day ahead. This is when I realized that Grandma and Papa reprogrammed Braeden but failed to send him back with an owners manual on how to work the thing! He had been SOOO used to doing what HE wanted and the way that HE wanted it done!! Besides the fact that it was a 2 hour time change. Let's just say we had our struggles, most of them frustrating: "I want to sleep in a room by myself!!!" Mommy's response: "Braeden, let's count the people in our little 2 bedroom apartment, Daddy - 1, Mommy - 2, Braeden - 3, Carsen - 4, Gaven - 5, Nanu - 6, and Papa - 7. There is not enough room in here for you to sleep in your own room unless you want to sleep in the kitchen or the bathtub, and I don't think you want to sleep in the bathtub!" "I don't want to sleep in the kitchen either." Reasoning wasn't working, so there were plenty of tears and frustration on everyone's part.

When he was getting ready for bed, he went in to use the bathroom. He had been in there a bit, and when I went in, he was done but just standing there with red watery eyes. I asked him what was wrong and he told me his eyes were just watering a bit. I asked him why and he said maybe it was because of flying on the plane and all the traveling he'd done. Then I asked him if he was sad . . . his bottom lip quivered and he started to cry a bit and said, "YES!" It broke my heart because as much as he was being a stinker, he was very sad to move and didn't know how to show those emotions very well. He eventually went to bed, even in the same bed as his brother.

Braeden tackled and tickled him and Carsen's response was, "Braeden was so happy to see me, he knocked me over!!" I guess next time Carsen tackles me when I'm not looking, it's just a reminder that he loves me!

Our adventure began Sunday night when Braeden returned home from his 4 weeks in Washington. We were SOOOO happy to see him!! Jason and I drove to the airport to pick him up while Jason's mom stayed with Gaven and Carsen. Carsen begged to stay up until Braeden got home, how could we say no? We left the island in plenty of time to get to Hobby airport, but we didn't account for it being Memorial weekend and everyone and their mother trying to get off the island, too. It took us longer than expected, so Jason pulled into baggage claim and I met Braeden and Kim there. Kim saw me, but Braeden didn't until I was squatting next to him and said, "Hi Baboo!" He turned with the biggest smile on his face hardly able to catch his breath and said, "Hi Mommy!!" His reaction was the same to see Daddy, he could hardly contain himself. When he was in the car, Jason asked him, "So Braeden, were you more excited to see Grandma and Papa when you went to WA, or to see Mommy and Daddy when you got back?" He said, "YOU GUYS!!" He sure knows how to please the audience he's with because just that morning, his response was the opposite . . . he didn't want to leave WA.

When he got home, he rushed in the door to give Carsen a hug. They were both VERY excited to see each other. Braeden showed it a little more outwardly than Carsen.