We made it to Hampton!
Last Tuesday, just a day after my last post, my dad and I decided at 5pm to get a uhaul truck and move on Wednesday morning. I had some great family and friends ready to come help as soon as I called, and we had the storage shed where the majority of our belongings had been stashed packed into the truck within a hour or two. I was glad to have my dad manage the loading, as I had no idea how was best to fit everything into the truck and tie it down. Early Wednesday morning we recruited my brother-in-law and his girlfriend, and took the drive down to the apartment. Everything was unloaded within an hour, we reassembled the furniture that needed it, and were back home by bedtime.
Thursday I had an all-day trip to Ikea, after the first store I went two didn't have the bed I wanted for the little one, so I had to drive an hour to another Ikea, and got stuck in rush-hour traffic on the way home. I love Ikea, I really do, but just like Target I can't get out of there without spending all of my money.
Last Saturday, I got to pick up my husband at the airport after eight whole weeks away. Luckily, his flight arrived a little ahead of schedule so I didn't have to wait in the "cell phone lot" very long. What a sad place - a bunch of people sitting in their cars, anxiously looking around and peering at their phones, waiting for their arrivals to call. With each car engine that started everyone would jump, like "maybe mine will be next!" Anyway, it's very nice to have him back again.
After a very brief visit with family we packed up the cars with what we could fit (in the last minute rush on Tuesday night I didn't get to / forgot to pack up some of the things that could have actually gone then) and went down to the apartment for good this time. I wish I had kept count on the odometer how many miles I drove in that week. My butt was tired of sitting.
The rest of the week has been primarily composed of unpacking boxes, washing everything, and putting things away. The living room is mostly done, except it is large enough that we can 'float' the couch away from the wall and make a little arts and crafts area behind it. The dining area is done except pictures on the wall. The bedrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms are done. The kids decided to share a bedroom (with just beds and book shelves in it) so the third room could be a playroom. That is the last remaining room to finish. I just don't know how to tackle the piles of toys and games, so for now they are just that - piles.
Kid's bathroom - They picked the shower curtain themselves! I promise the colors match more in real life.
Kid's bedroom - The Big One has Super Mario themed things, the Little One has My Little Pony and Tangled
I've taken the kids out for a few adventures. The first nice day we had I told them we could go to the park, which to them means a playground of course. So, I looked up a park on my phone. It was called "Carosel Park", how could I go wrong? Well, it was just that, a Carosel, which was closed for the season. They cried and I scurried to look up another park nearby. This one was called "River Walk Park", and again the name was quite literal. It was a walkway by the river. Again they cried, and again I scurried to look something else up. Finally, we ended up less than 2 miles from our apartment at "Bluebird Gap Farm". I finally did it!
Bluebird Gap Farm is somewhat like a petting zoo, except the animals stay in their enclosures, so unless they come to the fence, which I'm sure they will if you buy the feed, you can't really pet them. They have a variety of fowl including a gorgeous male peacock, horses, pigs, cows, llamas, goats, a deer, and other animals. We didn't go to the rabbit house. They also have a lovely garden and, to the kid's delight, a playground! Best of all for me, it's free admission. Though at that point I would have been willing to pay to avoid continued tears.
Yesterday we tried again to find somewhere to go. This time we only had to make one stop - I made sure I researched the playground aspect beforehand. We went to Huntington Park, which is right on the James River. It has tennis courts, a fishing area, a War Museum, a boat launch (is that what you call it?), a beach, and Fort Fun. Fort Fun is a large playground area on a little bluff right along the water. It's really neat how they laid it out, and was very clean and well maintained. There is section that had fake trees and rocks and a 'fort' area to play in, two big playground ships, and an area for younger kids that was similarly themed. Plus things like swings, and something I haven't seen at a public park in awhile - a tire swing.
The kids enjoyed playing there for a good hour, despite the cold wind that was hurting my ears. The Little One wanted to go walk on the sand of the beach. On the way out of the parking lot I decided "I know where I'm going", and did not turn on the GPS. I turned the wrong direction right away and ended up going over the James River Bridge. The kids were not happy about that. They have no sense of adventure.
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