Great Wolf Lodge

We spent our first night in Ohio at a hotel here in town, then we woke up the next morning and headed to a 3-night stay at Great Wolf Lodge. The lodge was a great way for a little down-time, while we were waiting for our truck to arrive from Colorado. They have a huge indoor waterpark, an arcade, a Kid's Club activity room, and a gigantic indoor waterpark. We spent time at the hotel playing each day, in between starting Reagan's school, closing on the house, my eye issue and beginning to get settled.

The girls loved the waterpark. Addison could ride everything alone, and she did! She is so brave. She loves speed!!! Reagan could ride almost everything in a double tube with one of us, and had a great time! Poor Gracyn was still sick and didn't really care where she was, as long as one of us was holding her. She took several naps poolside.

I didn't get a chance to explore the kid's club, but Tommy took them in to do some crafts while I was resting my hurt eye. They went back for more fun on the last morning at the hotel, while I was at the house with the movers.

The nightly storytime was a big favorite for my kids. The clocktower has several animated characters that come to life each night for a song and dance show. Then, a resort employee comes out with the Violet, the hotel mascott, and reads them a story. Even by poor sick baby enjoyed this part.

Addison and Violet

Reagan and Violet
Fun swim time...at least for 2 out of 3.

Fine if Mama just holds her.

Reagan in the wave pool. It was a big hit for the girls, probably their favorite part.

Daddy and the girls catching some waves.

Addison and Reagan loved holding on to the overhead ropes and crossing these lilypads.

Skinny-Minny Reagan's turn.

Lazy river time!

Addison grabbing a tube and heading to a slide.

Daddy having some fun!

Reagan and Mommy coming down the slide!

Addison coming down from the "toilet slide".

We can't wait to head back to Great Wolf.....anyone want to come visit??

Good-Bye Denver

This was our final fare-well to the Ranch. We went to sweet Lila's second birthday party Saturday morning and left straight from there to our one-way flights to Cincinnati. In hind sight, that may not have been the best idea, as we left all our friends at once, already tired and emotional, and we wrecked the end of poor Lila's party. There were lots of tears and sweet good-bye hugs. Thankfully the mood was lightened when we hit the parking lot and saw our rental car. Michele had carefully tied the cans from an entire case of Pepsi to the back of our car. That was her rebellion to Coke for taking us away. The kids thought it was hilarious and they would have loved to drive off with it. But, Tommy took one look at those Pepsi cans and ripped them off in a hurry!

Our trip to the airport was a sad one. I am still not sure my kids really understood that we were leaving forever, but they did know that everyone was crying. Reagan said a few times that she didn't want to move, but that is about all we heard from them. They were fine by the time we got to the airport. However, the remainder of the day was full of very uncharacteristic temper-tantrums and melt-downs, so I am sure that was their emotion coming out.

We fly fairly often with our crew, but each time I forget just how much work it is. We had so much stuff, we could barely make it through the airport with it all. Add to that big girls crying over various different things (everything but being sad, though I am sure that was the underlying cause) and Gracyn being just plain miserable with really high fever, and it was not one of our better trips. Addison and Reagan were fine on the plane. They sat in a row with Tommy and stayed busy with their backpacks full of books, coloring and movies. Gracyn and I sat in front of them, next to another passenger. Thank goodness she had her carseat, where she slept for about an hour. The remaining hour and a half she just cried. Poor girl was miserable and nothing could make her happy.

Thankfully we made it, exhausted and emotional, crammed everything into Tommy's new company car and headed for the hotel.

I can really honestly say that I don't think the full impact of the move has hit me yet. I keep waiting for the realization to hit. I am so busy. Taking care of my crew is a full-time job without adding in unpacking, setting up a house, adjusting to new schools and all the other details that come with a move. I know in a few weeks, as life settles down, I may have some hard moments. For now, I get little hints of sadness at the time of day we are used to playing with friends, when I want to just call someone....but everyone is so far away, when my girls ask why we don't have playdates, things like that. But, having done this moving thing a few times before, I know that, in time, God will provide new relationships and eventually this will be home. We can already see so many small blessings and provisions from him and are blessed that things are going as well as could possible be expected!

Moving Day

Yeah!!! Hooray for Internet connection and being able to blog again. Although, I am blogging from what is apparently my new office (at least until we figure out a computer situation), which happens to be the cold concrete floor in the unfinished basement. I can't get my laptop to upload pictures unless I am sitting next to the router down there. I am going way back, to Friday two weeks ago and blogging our adventures from the beginning.

We were blessed with incredible movers this time around. Ricardo Sr. and Ricardo Jr. were a father and son team from Houston they worked on both ends and drove the truck here, and they had an additional hired day helper on each end. It was nice to have our stuff in the hands of hard workers who took great care in doing their job well and were sweet to our girls! They worked fast and came in last Thursday to pack our entire house. Friday morning they were back to disassemble furniture and load the truck. I tried to keep the girls out as much as possible, as it was pretty hazardous for them, but they had a great time playing in boxes and exploring the truck while they were there.

Gracyn spent the week prior to our move and then 2 weeks after feeling bad. You can tell from most of the pictures that she just doesn't feel great. Add sickness to the overall confusion of having your entire home packed up and she had a tough time!

Addison and Reagan playing in thier room one last time.


That is one big truck. One other family was already loaded in. They left filled to the brim!

Little Explorers.

Big Sister helping Gracyn on the ramp. That is Ricardo Sr.

For some reason they were thrilled to get the rental car, after my car was picked up.

Taking a break on the Iphone.

Poor Gracyn, she napped on the floor after they had packed up her mattress.

We spent the afternoon at our neighbors house having a playdate. Tommy was worried we would be too sad, so he didn't even give us a chance to say good-bye to the house. We left our playdate (the last one Boo-hoo) to find the house locked-up and the car loaded and ready to go. We followed the truck off of the Circle for the last time and headed to spend the night with the Neufelds. We were excited for one last slumber party before we left. We ate dinner, let the girls play and then set up pallets for them in the theatre room.

Reagie and Ju-ju watching Little Mermaid.

Addison and Gracyn snuggled up. At one point during the day I thought the movers had accidently packed Gracyn's "Baby Lanie". I was headed out the door to American Girl for a replacent when we found her. There was no way she was going to make it a week without her.

Big girls tucked in.

Gracyn loved having this blow-up bed at the end of our bed. She thought she was so big! We got some precious video of her getting herself ready to sleep. Poor girl was feeling a little yucky when she went to bed and then woke up with 104.7 fever!

We woke up bright and early the next day, so we could get to our last Colorado birthday party and they could head out to ballet class.

Adventures from the Road

Our days have been full and exciting, exhausting and emotional. The good and the bad, I want to remember, so although I can't upload pictures yet, here are some thoughts from the last few days.



~We pulled out Saturday morning after saying good-bye to one set of friends who we had spent the night with. We then headed to a birthday party, which was bittersweet. The girls had a blast at the party, but knowing it was our last hour with all our neighborhood friends made it tough. There were many good-bye tears and we headed to the parking lot to find that, in their rebellion, they had tied a whole string of Pepsi cans to the back of our car. The kids would have loved driving away like that, but Tommy ripped them off quick!!!



~As usual, we were quite a site at the airport. Add in that we had to return a rental car, and take their shuttle to the gate and it was a handful.....literally. We had 3 fifty pound suitcases, 3 backpacks, a carry on bag, Tommy's briefcase, my giant over-stuffed purse. 3 carseats and a stroller. For the record, no child ever sat in the stroller, but it was good for holding stuff!



~Poor Gracyn is so sick. She has had really high fever since Saturday morning. Not a great day for her to travel, but we had no choice. Thank goodness Coke was paying the bill and she had her own seat on the plane. She slept for about an hour on the flight and cried in misery most of the rest of the time. Poor baby, she was just feeling really bad. She still isn't better, though we are praying she is on the mend.



~Tommy's company car was waiting at the airport in Cincinnati. We BARELY squeezed everything in. We were packed with stuff in our laps and under the girls carseats. At that point, we were exhausted and emotional. I think, if we hadn't fit that last suitcase in, we would have unloaded the contents in the floorboard and trashed the suitcase at the airport.

~The view of downtown Cincinnait at night is breathtaking. Beautiful downtown view at the bottom of a hill and then the Ohio river. It is really pretty.

~We arrived at the hotel the first night, with all 3 girls asleep in the car. We weren't sure how to get everyone in and up to the third floor without leaving anyone alone. Thankfully my rockstar husband carried both big girls at once. That is no small task when they are asleep and dead weight.

~We are having a tough time adjusting to the 2 hour time change. I thought wearing them out at a water park and then sleeping in a dark hotel room would do it, but no luck. Reagan and Gracyn are falling asleep at weird times during the day and Addison can't fall asleep until 10 at night (her usual Colorado time).

~Reagan is off to her first day at her new preschool tomorrow. Addison is getting registered.

~Gracyn just climbed out of her pack-n-play and came to find me in the other side of the hotel room! Not sure how she managed that!!!

~My car came!!! It only took them a few days to transport, that is a big blessing.

~Great Wolf Lodge is a blast! Addison is tall enough to ride everything and she is a major dare devil! She rode tube slides that scared me to death and then went back to ride them again and again. Reagan loves it to. She can ride most of the tube slides in a double tube with us. It was been a great "vacation" while we wait for our stuff.

~They have storytime by the clocktower every night at 8pm. The girls love it. They have also spent some time in the arcade and making crafts in the Cub Club.

~I had an issue with my contact....something from my toiletries bag got in my case and then on the contact. I noticed a little burning when I put it in, but rinsed it and it seemed okay. A few hours later my eye was on fire. I took the contacts out, but it didn't help. My vision was clouded and my eye hurt. The next morning it was really bad....bright red and pouring tears. I could barely keep it open. We had to make an emergency trip to the eye doctor on the way to closing. He said I had a chemical burn in my eye and gave me antibiotic and steroid drops to use hourly. After closing I spent the remainder of the day camping out in a dark hotel room, administering drops and avoiding the light. I am hoping it is completely healed soon, we will see at my recheck tomorrow.

~Closing went smooth! That is another big Thank you to God!!! Funny though, my eyes (and left nostril, which is strangely connected) poured the entire time. I looked like a wreck, and couldn't see anything I was signing.

~The girls were thrilled with the new house! There bedrooms are huge!! They had a great time staking their claims on the ones they wanted.

~They love the back yard and were excited to find rosebushes there.

~Tomorrow is our last day of "rest" before the movers deliver our goods on Wednesday. Then it will be lots and lots of unpacking. We are so thankful for God's provisions this far. I am thankful that for the most part, we keep good attitudes and perspectives through everything, and I am thankful that my husband is a constant rock.....keeping 4 girls intact is no easy task and he handles it with grace!!

We're All Even

Tonight we had an early birthday celebration for all 3 of my girls. Their birthday's will all come quickly after we move, so we celebrated here. It was a great way to have all our friends together one final time. We took over Monkey Bizness with 29 little ones and all their moms and dads for playtime, a pizza dinner and cake. My girls were so happy and it was good to just be with our great friends here. I am glad we decided to do it.

Precious girls willing to pose for just a moment before the party room doors open up!

Reagan is just sure that she is 4 now....doesn't quite get the early bday party!
Almost 6....I can't even think about it!

Baby girl was already on her way to the playplace and up the slide before I could catch her.

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

Reagan and one of her besties....Juju (Juliana).

Sarah, Gabriella, Gracyn and I

Addison making her way up the rock wall.

Gracyn on the slides with Mommy.

Making her way up.

Reagan is really to young for the rock wall, but they let her try. She is amazing! So strong for her tiny little body....she got twice as high as most of the big kids!

Gracyn is feed-up with me and my camera!

Leave me alone, let me play....no more pictures!

Big hugs from Lila! Poor Lila came straight to the party from the ER, after falling earlier in the day and needing stitches in her lip. It didn't slow her down any!

Cake and snacks.

We're all even this year.

My pretty girl.

They picked a Tangled cake, but someone took Rapunzel off before I got the picture.

Birthday aftermath at home. Funniest part of the night, as we were leaving the party and carrying everything out, Gracyn said, "Birf-day par-dy All done!". Cute girl. I am thankful for a great night.

Update

Life is a little crazy in the Guess household right now. Come to think of it, it always is, this is just an extra dose of the crazy!!! Our house finally sold!!! We had an offer last Tuesday, ironed out the details and came to final terms on Thursday. This was not a moment too soon, as we would have been accepting the company buyout offer on Friday. Praise the Lord for getting it sold. We are actually enjoying living in it now.....free from showings. It has been so nice to play and eat here, without worrying that it always look perfect. And, since 4 out of 5 of us had a stomach bug on Friday, we were extra thankful to be done with showings.

Tommy is mid-way through his FINAL week of travel. This one is a long way.....he left around 4:00am Monday and won't be home until around 11:00pm Friday, but we are glad it is the last. Next week we are squeezing in final doctors/dentists appointments, good-bye events with friends, an early birthday party for the girls and last days of school. The movers will be here packing on Thursday and loading on Friday. Friday night, we will spend the night with some friends, attend one final birthday party here Saturday morning and then fly out Saturday afternoon.

We are taking a break those first few days in Ohio, and taking the girls to Great Wolf Lodge for a day or two. We are excited about some water park fun. From there we are closing on our new house Monday with carpet cleaners, maid service and painters ready and waiting. We will be getting acquainted with the girls schools (can't decide if I should send them right away, or give them a week off to get settled???), looking for a church and preparing for our things to arrive. Wednesday or Thursday our goods should be delivered and the unpacking can begin. I am a little tired just thinking about it. Next week will be an emotional one, with all of our Colorado lasts, but we are definitely ready for our next chapter to begin and ready for some normalcy in our lives!!!

Gracyn Faith ~ Almost 23 monhts

Pretty girl dressed for church.
Sharing some Fro Yo with Mom and Dad.

If her sisters have goggles, then she shall have goggles too!

Since her birthday is March 30th, Gracyn doesn't really have a 23 month birthday. And, since I will be in the middle of moving to another state throughout the next two weeks, I am posting her update now. I can't even believe she is 23 months old. When my other 2 where this age I perceived them to be big girls. They were in big girl beds and were welcoming baby sisters. Funny how that changes with the last. We call her the baby, I have no intention of moving her out of her crib and, though she wouldn't agree, she is just our little one. She speaks in full sentences and makes us laugh all the time! Here are my favorite of her current phrases.

~"Where are you?" she calls when we are in another room.

~"I nee go pee-pee bad."

~"No worry, I got it!"

~"I no nee nap, see, I wake-up."

~"That my new ones!". Funny, girls recognize new clothes even before they are 2.

~"Daddy go O-HI-O!!!"

~"I go O-HI-O, too". Just hearing her say the word, pretty much makes moving worth it.

~"Sissy take-a my _______!" you can sub any of our names and whatever item we might have taken from her. She doesn't like when we mess with her stuff!

~"Mommy no spank me!"

~"One more, ka???" She says this every night when we are ready her bedtime stories.

~"Gha-ma like coffee!" She tells me that at the bagel shop.....everytime!

She has tons and tons of funny phrases, I can't remember them all. And, she ends almost every sentence with "Ka" or "huh". She turns everything into a question. Also, she recently shortened Addison from sissy to sis. It makes me laugh. Love this little girl......always my baby.

My Colorado Love List

~Sunshine....constant, bright and warm
~The Circle....I have the best neighborhood ever
~Cherry Hills
~Blue Skies
~Afternoon playdates
~Einstien Brothers Bagels
~Our back patio
~Walking Trails
~Red Tail Park and the Tot lot
~My master bathroom
~The rec centers
~Mountain views
~Daylight at 5am in the summer
~Afternoon walks to the bus stop
~Weekend trips to explore new places
~Summer....it is short but beautiful!!!
~The daylilies in our backyard
~Riding bikes around the gazebo
~Colors in the fall
~The Denver Zoo
~Winter Wonderlights
~The Stock Show

Snow Day Fun

I admit, when we woke-up Sunday morning to piles and piles of snow.....again.....my attitude stunk. The girls and I had already been home several days (alone) that week with freezing temps well below zero and snow. It really hasn't snowed a ton, just slow and steady all throughout the week, and just enough to keep us inside. Thankfully, with Daddy's encouragement, we all suited up and headed out to play in the slow. We ended up having a great time. And, hard to believe but after 3 years of living here, this was my first time to go out sledding. The past 3 winters, I have either had a little baby or been too pregnant for sledding. I have been missing out....it was fun times out there!

Gracyn was up to her knees in snow, but loving it anyway.

I have never bought any snow clothes....I am pieced together with Austin's (my 10 year old nephew) pants and boots. He has them here for his visits.
Can't really fit on the sled with her anymore.

We bought these skis when we first moved here, so the girls could practice in the drive-way. They have gotten really good, and can go most of the way down the hill behind our house, without falling. Addison DOES NOT in anyway still fit in these ski boots, but she CRAMS her feet in anyway. Tommy was their personal ski lift, carrying them back to the top of the hill each time. His legs were on FIRE that night!

Reagan, ready to go!

She crashed this time!

Pretty Girl.

Daddy and Gracyn sledding down.

Mommy and Reagan....I love that Addison is carrying Gracyn up the hill in the background.

Glad we made the best out of another day at home. And, glad I finally got to join the winter fun. I will be back out there soon!

Outdoors

I have no real pictures at this point, only Iphone pics that I don't know how to resize, but that is our new back patio. Your are looking at the deck that sealed the deal on our new house. It is a huge covered deck, with a beautiful wood ceiling and fan, and even a Mama bird and her baby in the rafters. I honestly can't remember a ton of details about the house we bought, but I do know we look forward to some great weekend time out there.

Snowboots and the Third

Poor Gracyn, the life of a third child truly is different than the life of a first. Not bad, just different.....character building, perhaps. Gracyn has been wearing evidence of her birth order most of the winter. You see, we have several large buckets of shoes in the back of her closet. They range in size from 5 to 12 and are hand-me-downs for her or Reagan. Any shoe that the girls have outgrown, is in decent enough shape to save, and doesn't currently fit someone is in the buckets.

Well, several months back, during one of our first winter storms, we were rushing out the door for something. I was helping the big girls get dressed and we were loading everyone in the car. I told Tommy that he could find snowboots for Gracyn in the buckets and off he went to search. Now, in his defense, he is generally not in charge of wardrobe for our children, and probably until that moment didn't' even know the shoe buckets existed. But, he headed upstairs with Gracyn, found her some snowboots and loaded her in the car.

The snow continued and Gracyn wore the boots several times throughout the week. I did notice that one continually feel off when I carried her, but I didn't think anything of it. Until, late in the week, after a playgroup, we were sorting through the piles of boots at the front door trying to match up boots to our 11 collective little girls. Target has basically sold two styles of snowboots for the last several seasons, which means we all have the same boots. After a few minutes we had boots matched to girls with the exception of Gracyn's bare feet and two boots. One a size 5 and one a size 8.

Poor girl, we have those boots in 3 different sizes and Tommy had grabbed a left foot 5 and a right foot 8. That size 8 was several inches to big and is the one that kept falling off. Funny though, when you held them side by side, you really couldn't tell.

Here is the where the 3rd child thing comes in. That was back in December that I discovered his mistake, and I didn't switch the boots until this week. I would always forget about it until we were in the need of the boots and rushing out the door. If it is snowing that much, I am usually carrying her anyway, so I just kept putting them on her. No harm done, I suppose, but finally as of this week, Gracyn has two size 5 boots that fit her well! The 8's are tucked away, back in the buckets and will reapper in a few seasons when her feet have grown.