Overheard

Princess N: "Mama, I would like to get a pet."

Me: "You mean your sisters aren't enough?"

Princess N: (gives me a look) "I said a pet, not a PEST!"

wild, wild week!

Last week was Spring Break! Time off school to hang out with the kiddos & Michael's parents. We were very busy. I think the only days we didn't go, go, go were Sunday and Tuesday.

Monday, we visited the Lone Star Flight Museum. It was pretty interesting. Especially the conversation I had with the cashier. According to her, the museum recently aquired a plane that was similar to one a pilot had flown in WWII. The pilot called his plane "Galveston Gal". Well, the museum had the plane painted in similar colors and put the name "Galveston Gal" on the plane. On the day it was due to be delivered to the museum, the casiher said that a car came screaming into the parking lot. The man got out and asked if the plane had arrived yet. It was the pilot of the original "Galveston Gal." He wanted to be there when his plane arrived. You can read a little about it here.

On Tuesday, we took the morning off but went to the Museum of Natural Science later in the afternoon. We enjoyed to Butterfly Center, but the rest of the museum was crowded and there were many staff members and caterers setting up for a banquet that was to be held later in the evening. We'd like to go back to visit, but Michael insists it will NOT be during Spring Break. Of course, later I found out that the livestock show & rodeo was still in its last week.

Wednesday was quiet. We did some shopping. On Tuesday, while at the museum, one of the wheels broke off of Miss E's stroller. It was a critical failure as it was one of the single back wheels instead of one of the double front wheels. We found a nice little umbrella stroller that has handles high enough to push comfortably, even for Michael. As an aside, I put the stroller out with the trash on Friday and about 5 minutes later, a man pulled up and asked if he could have the stroller. I told him the wheel was broken, but he took it anyway. Back to Wednesday... Michael & his dad found a nice little music store with some amazing guitars. Or so they tell me.

Thursday, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts. Free admission. It was great! Well, the traffic wasn't so great, but we all agreed that we'd need to send Laura by herself one day and then the rest of us could go later. But we did modify that to having Laura & me & maybe some of the kiddos go along. There were some amazing works of art, but I really enjoyed a photography exhibit down in the basement of the museum.

Friday, we were tired of Houston traffic. Plus Michael's mom had wanted to go to a place called George Ranch. The original plan had been to go to the zoo, but Michael's parents received a phone call about an appointment they needed to be back for on Tuesday. So, instead of leaving Sunday, they needed to leave on Saturday. The decision was made to head to Richmond instead of Houston. It was so much fun. Until we had to deal with sunburns later that night. :/ We had the opportunity to learn how to rope cattle, we watched a demonstration that included an overview of what the equipment the cowboy carried was used for. We got to see a 6 year old Longhorn. (picture to come) All in all, we had a really good time. The workers clearly had a passion for what they were doing. They took time to answer any questions we had.

Saturday, we said goodbye to Michael's parents. It was a little sad because it did not feel as though a week had passed. It was a good week and we can't wait for them to come back for another visit!

Pictures to come! I need to download them from my camera.

Update on our family

I just wanted to give all of you a quick update on us.

Michael is finally well. A bit sore from some new workouts, but not sick anymore.

Princess N and Lady A are both well.

Miss A is on her 2nd round of antibiotics for a double ear infection. She has not had fever for any of this but she has a cough that is making her miserable.

I have not yet heard back from my doctor to know if I am cleared for surgery. I currently have an appointment with a GI doctor in April. But, I am hoping that the issues I have been having are related to my gall bladder. My doctor looked up specific symptoms and the symptoms I am having can be related to either disease I have been diagnosed with.

I have had a difficult time with this. When we talked to the surgeon, we were ready to get things taken care of and back to as normal as possible. Instead, we have waited and waited and waited. I have cried and prayed and told God and anyone who would listen that I am so tired of being sick. We know there is a way to take care of the pain, but we can't take that step. Yet. So, we wait.

Is 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

postponed

The stomach bug I had back in January has turned into something a little more serious.

My surgery has been postponed until I am cleared by my regular doctor.

Michael is still not back to his normal self. He is still having some stomach issues as well.

Please pray for healing for my family.

Also, would you pray that I can keep up with my school work while all of this is going on?

surgery it is...

My appointment with the surgeon went well. I will be having surgery to remove my gallbladder on the 22nd. (not sure yet what time)

Please pray that my girls will do well and that my school work will not be too difficult to make up.

And also, would you pray that I'd find out if I have endo? The surgeon said he has seen it in previous surgeries though he doesn't remove it. It is something my doc suggested that we look at because of my periods. I didn't want to do too much invasive testing without cause, so this is actually a blessing.

Thanks!

Birthdays and anniversaries

Well, one of each at any rate.

Happy birthday to my big, and only, brother!

And Happy Anniversary to my brother & his beautiful wife!

Hope today is blessed!

He needs a theme song...

Stealth-Man that is... 

Maye something along the lines of Bond.  James Bond. 

What do you think?

Or Batman...

Hmmm...

Either way, the Double Mint gum commercials would work too.

Cause, ya know, he just turned double digits!

Double -man, double-man...  Nah.

Happy Birthday!  Hope it was a great day!

But wait... there's more!

"More?" you ask. 

More.

My sweet, caring husband was up last night around one in the morning.  Throwing up.  He has fever this morning.

And we need to go to the grocery store if the girls want to eat lunch...

Oh the joys!

Oh the gall!

You read that right.  Gall.  As in gallstones.  In my gallbladder.  And the referral to the surgeon is in the works.  Unless things get really bad over the weekend.  Then I call Rachel to get the girls and Michael to take me to the ER.

But the good news is N's bloodwork results came back today.  Everything is good there.  As they said, she is normal.  Though with our family, that is quite an accomplishment! (kidding!)

So, will keep you updated as I can.

it begins

We took N in for a consult yesterday to see if we could figure out what may be causing her issues with focusing and being easily distracted.

We should get the results of the bloodwork in about a week.

Please pray with us about where we go from there.

Another Birthday!

Mr McQ, who has been a wonderful part of our lives, has a birthday today.  Last time we discussed birthdays, I believe he was turning 47.  Not sure what number it will be today. 

So many of my good childhood memories include the McQs.  From boating to borrowing an absolutely amazing camera to just stopping by to chat.  They have been and continue to be great friends.

I am so blessed to have them as a part of my life AND that my children also know, and love, them as well. 

So, happy birthday Mr McQ and a belated happy birthday to Mrs McQ.  We love you very much!

She might be Mrs. Jenkins

At least that was my very first thought when I walked into my math class this morning.

We will see how it goes.

Miss E did well when I dropped her off at day care this morning.  But she started crying hysterically when she saw me this afternoon.  A 30 minute nap might have had something to do with that.

Happy Birthday!!

Double digits!  Can you believe it??  My oldest nephew is 10!

Happy Birthday David!

Please pray for one of our Coast Guard family

One of the families stationed at a nearby unit had their 3 month old baby die on Tuesday night.

Please pray for this family as they grieve.

Happy 2011!  Hope it is a blessed year for you and yours!

Wednesday

On the agenda for Wednesday:

Grocery shopping
Bake Pumpkin Bread
Bake Mint Brownies
Bake cupcakes - ice cupcakes
Polar Express Party at the school
Pizza for dinner...
Church

How does your Wednesday look?

Error: Giraffe not found

Called & visited Walmart.  Still no giraffe.

I've been pretty sad about it, but God reminded me that it was not mine (or ours) to begin with.

We lost a giraffe

I know this isn't major in the grand scheme of things, but we lost a giraffe toy in Walmart.
It was something we bought for Miss A when she was 2, right around the time Michael was overseas for a year.
It is not something I can just replace. Miss A slept with it practically every night when Michael was gone. It was one of our last family times before he left.
In my heart I know it is just a toy, but it was a special toy to me.
Please pray that someone finds it and turns it in.

Games

David wanted to watch the game.  Andrew suggested the radio.  Rachel tried getting the game on my computer.  (largest screen)  Eventually, David, who was totally against the radio idea suggested listening on the radio.

David is not anywhere near the radio any more...

Overheard

A: "Alex can spell 'what'! W-H-...what??"

Overheard

A: "N, you're so bossy!" said in a snotty tone of voice.

N: "Well, you are too!" said in an equally snotty tone.

test went well

Maxed out the score on the reading portion, but that isn't surprising.

Math, on the other hand, was quite a bit more difficult.  I stared at the fractions and drew a total blank.  Though I did get a few of them right.  The test switched from elementary algebra to arithmetic.  And it was still tough.

But registration begins on the 30th.  I just need to speak with an advisor and see where to go from there.

25 pounds

I am now officially 25 pound lighter than I was in May of this year.

I am able to squeeze into my size 16 jeans.  Which is a very good thing considering my other 2 pairs had either too many holes to wear modestly OR one hole in a very critical place.

Quite a few more to go before I am where I think I will be comfortable.

Guess I'd better get back into the swing of things with monitoring my eating again & exercising more than just walking girls to school & back.

Happy Birthday!

To all of our beloved Marines:

Happy 235th Birthday!

Semper Fi!

Hanging out, Miss E's new trick, Girls & Miss A's birthday

The week of water...

Has hopefully ended!

Last night Miss A called me to come to the bathroom.  The tub had overflowed because a washcloth was strategically placed over the drain.  Out came the towels that had previously been used to clean up the water from the dishwasher, sat in the remaining 3 inches of water in the washer after the garage flooded, and had finally been dried and were waiting to be re-washed.  Yep.  Those towels.

And in other news, not one but two of our church members were involved in vehicle accidents this week.  Tony and his wife served as missionaries for 30 some years before they retired and moved back to the US.  Tony was walking along the sidewalk of the assisted living facility where they live when he started across a driveway.  He had headphones on and did not see or hear the garbage truck that hit him.  PRAISE GOD THAT THIS MORNING TONY WAS WALKING NORMALLY!  He did not have any broken bones, concussion, anything.  Just some nasty looking bruises.

The other accident involved our pastor's wife.  I am not sure of all the details, but the damage to her car was more than what the car was worth.  She also walked away from the accident.  PRAISE GOD FOR HIS PROTECTION!

So, our little church is getting a bit of a shaking and a reminder that we have prayed that we will learn to be dependent on God for everything.  It is tough, but kinda fun to see how God is working in each of our lives as we learn more about having a radical commitment to God.

A dishwasher, a washing machine and rain part 1

Alternately titled: Water, water everywhere.  And not a drop you'd want to drink!

Tuesday we awoke to the sounds of rain, thunder, and lightning.  It was about 3:20 in the morning.  Michael & I laid in bed and listened to the sounds and watched the light show.  I wondered if our house was going to be hit since a couple of times it appeared that the lightning was striking within a block or less of our house.  The strongest part of the storm finally passed about 4:45.  Michael & I were both still awake.  Michael's alarm rang at 5 am.  Time to get moving for the day.  We gathered everything we had laid out the night before and fixed Michael's breakfast and coffee.  He had a PT test that morning so he needed to take the truck.  I kissed him goodbye, promising that I would call a fellow mom if it was still lightning when it was time to leave for school.

About 6:30, I got the girls out of bed and going for the day.  N was recently selected to participate on the safety patrol at school.  She assists with opening & closing car doors as the children are dropped off at school.  So, this meant we needed to be at school earlier than what we had been getting there.  I asked the girls to pick out something they wanted to wear to school and give it to me.  Then they were to dress in an alternate outfit.  I placed the girl's clothing and backpacks in plastic bags and sealed them.  Just before we walked out the door, the rain started again.  By the time we got to school, the girls were soaked from the knees down.  Their jackets did well with keeping the top half dry.  But our sidewalks flood in heavy rains.  In some places it was over their ankles.

Once we arrived at the school, I had Miss A change into dry clothes and sent her off to class.  I went to tell Miss N's teacher that she was going to change clothing after she was off duty.  N's teacher asked if I was still planning to come take pictures for the yearbook that morning.  I knew I had something going on but I had not been able to remember what it was.  Well, I was supposed to take pictures... 

I walked home and grabbed my camera.  I sealed it in another plastic bag to keep it dry and walked back to the school.  As I was coming home, I noticed our truck was in the driveway.  Michael ended up getting off work early because they lost power.  Not a bad thing as I still had 2 more trips to make to the school before the day was over. 

In between the 2nd and 3rd trip, I made cookie dough.  I was taking cookies in for Miss A's birthday.  Between the 3rd & 4th trips, I baked the cookies. 

Miss A was very excited to see her daddy walk into the classroom too.  The kids were not so excited about cookies though.  I had one ask me if they were getting cupcakes too. 

The rain has definitely been a blessing.  We have not had any rain in several weeks.  But, it made for an interesting day.

A dishwasher, a washing machine and rain part 2

Tuesday night I began to clear any extra dishes off the counters.  I was making pancakes for Miss A's birthday dinner.  After I unloaded the diswasher, I noticed there was a bit of standing water in the bottom.  I dismissed it at first.  That is, I dismissed it until I noticed the puddle of water steadily growing on the floor.

I quickly called for towels and Michael & I sopped up some of the water.  I decided that before we called our landlord I would quickly see if there was an online owner's manual for our particular model.  Sure enough there was.  I found the troubleshooting guide and followed their instructions for draining the tub.  It took several times of repeating the instructions, as the guide suggested it might, before the tub of the dishwasher was emptied of water.  We are not sure what caused the backup of water, but I am thankful that we were able to clean it quickly AND figure out how to fix the problem. 

Miss A's birthday dinner went well, though it was a bit later than expected.  I was glad that we had decided to open a few presents before I went to start dinner!

A dishwasher, a washing machine and rain part 3

We have finally unpacked most of the remaining boxes in our garage.  Not the way we had planned, but they are unpacked.   And I might be able to park the truck in the garage soon!

Miss A was home with a fever yesterday.  So, Michael took Miss N & our next door neighbor's boy to church last night.

In an effort to catch up on all the laundry created by the dishwasher fiasco, I was washing the towels used to clean up on Tuesday night.,

Our washer & dryer are in the garage.  I was listening to the washer fill with water and realized that very soon I would need to switch the towels into the dryer.  Easy, right?

After about 10 or 15 minutes, I realized that I was still hearing the washer fill with water.  Suspicious, I went to check things out.  I turned on the light in the garage and was shocked to see water all over the floor of the garage!  I hurried over to the washer and turned it off.  Still water gushed out.  I realized that the hose that connects to the drain had become disconnected from the back of the washer.  Oh no!!  I slid it on and the water stopped coming out.

I took a look around.  The two boxes closest to the washer were soaked.  As I emptied them, I discovered they both had almost an inch of standing water.  Fortunately, the only things in them that were waterlogged were the hubcap covers for the extra set of rims we have.

In all, I think that about 8-10 boxes were affected.  Not to mention all of Michael's uniforms that he had pulled out and tossed on the floor.  More laundry.  Great. 

I had called Michael to let him know what had happened and he & Miss N helped out when they got home.  It was the end, I hope, of a wet week.

standing on the promises!

Miss E standing on Daddy's Bible!

Enjoying her treasures. Or rather, enjoying destruction... She ripped up a paper towel and was trying to tear the granola bar wrapper up as well. They were left on the dining table just within the reach of little hands.

Such a happy girl! And proud of herself too it looks like.

If you read this today...

Please pray for Madison. She is the niece of one of my friends. Madison is 13 years old and having brain surgery today.

You can read more about it over at Allison's blog A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae.

UPDATE: AFTER OVER 10 HOURS, THEY ARE FINALLY FINISHING THE SURGERY. I WILL UPDATE AGAIN WHEN MY FRIEND UPDATES EVERYONE.

Allison's update:
Dr thinks he got 75-95% of tumor. She did good. Dr feels positive about it, but there's a chance her eyesight will be compromised. Mom, Dad & Grandma are with her now. They won't know about her vision until she wakes up.

Praise God!!

3 days

Miss E's 12 month well check

Miss E is following in Miss A's footsteps.

She has gained just under 3 pounds since May and only an inch an a quarter in length. But her doctor in North Carolina, and the new doctor here, agree that with her mobility increasing steadily, she is burning the calories more and more quickly.

Miss E's doctor in North Carolina also heard a heart murmur at her last well check. Both he & another doctor were concerned. But, the doctor here took a good long listen and said she did not hear anything! Praise God!

I really like the doctor here. She did a through exam and answered all of my questions without making me feel rushed. She even anticipated some of my questions and gave me the answers before I could ask.

Otherwise, Miss E is still pulling up on the furniture and walking quite well as long as she has a good grip on things. She hasn't decided to let go quite yet. She is talking more every day. She knows her mama (me), her da (Daddy), and her ba (bottle/cup). She also responds with yeah and hey. And she is also learning manners. I gave her some Cheerios yesterday. As she took them out of my hand it sounded as though she said, "Thank you." Another time, I gave her some of a sandwich and told her not to make a mess. Her response? "Ok."

Our little girl is growing up so quickly. Once I get the pictures off the camera and onto the computer, I will post some more pictures of the girls.

Wiggly girl = Tired Mama

Miss E decided that last night was a party night!

Well, let me back up to an event earlier in the evening.

One of the ladies at church, Jessica, came up to me after the activities were done. While Miss E was with the kids, she got ahold of a sugar cookie. When the Jessica noticed, she asked our big girls if we let Miss E have cookies. The girls said that she has had a cupcake and that is it. So, Jessica took as much of the cookie away as she could. But Miss E still had a few bites.

Now, I don't have a problem with a little sweet now and then, but I don't think an almost 14 month old needs soda and cookies on a regular basis.

Fast forward to 10 pm. I settle down in bed and begin the nightly journey of attempting to go to sleep in a reasonable amount of time.

10:45 pm. Miss A starts whimpering. She needs to go to the bathroom, but she isn't awake enough to really remember that she needs to get out of bed to go. I help her to the bathroom, but she is almost completely disoriented. 15 minutes later both of us are back in bed.

About 11:15, Michael turns off his computer and we both settle in. A few minutes later Miss E starts fussing. I decide to let her fuss for a little while to see if she will go back to sleep.

11:30pm. I get up because it has gone from fussing to full blown screaming. I sit with her in a chair in the living room. She wiggles and squirms in my lap. I try to doze, but her movements keep me awake. I finally decide to put her back in bed. It has only been about 20 minutes. She fusses but I think she is going to settle.

Midnight. The fussing continues and I realize that Michael is awake because of it. I get up again. Same chair, more wiggling and squirming. At least she is quiet. I drift in and out of sleep. Each time I look at her, she turns those big eyes toward my face.

Finally, I wake from dozing realizing that her squirming has stopped and she is sweating all over my arm. I gently stand up and walk to her room. I place her quietly in her crib, hold my breath and tiptoe away. I make it to my bedroom door before the fussing starts again. This time it is over quickly. I lay down and sigh. Maybe, just maybe, she will sleep.

I roll over. It is 2:30 am.

5:30 am. Time to get up and start the day. Miss E is already moving around in her crib and fussing for someone to come pick her up.

Boys, girls, and baseball games

Miguel was crushed that his mom would buy Daivd a drink but she would not buy him anything to eat. Of course, David was the one on the field sweating...

Miss A, playing with Miguel in the bleachers.

Miss N, just before she saw the camera and smiled. I like the candid shots.

Miss E did well at the games. She enjoyed going from one person to another. She was VERY tired though.

David during a break. He sat out an inning after playing catcher for the several innings before. His team was behind by 3 points when we arrived and slid 2 more points behind shortly after we arrived. But, they ended up winning by one point! I think the score was 8 to 7.

Alex, before his game. He and Miss A had a good time playing together.

Miguel again. He was saying something, but I couldn't understand. This may have been the time he was singing or it could have been when he was complaining that his mom wouldn't get him anything to eat.

David at the catcher's position. Look at that posture! Any ballet teacher would be proud!

Alex with a pretty good swing to my untrained eye! He missed, but that is okay.

N & A

I must confess. It is difficult when 2 of your favorite subjects are not available when you want them. That is why there are only one picture of each of the big girls & 4 of Miss E. I think I'm gonna have to fix that this weekend!

Miss E

Logic

A & I were talking in the truck this morning. She was reading a book that Mom had gotten for Miss E. She got the page with the hunting kitty. She asked me if cats hunt. I told her they do.

Using a lion as an example, I mentioned that cats hunt differently from the way people hunt.

A's reply... "People go hunting at comissaries... at Krogers... going out to eat at restaurants..."

Prayer Request

Please pray for my friend K.

She found out last week that she is pregnant.

According to the bloodwork done on Monday & Wednesday this week, she is miscarrying.

She is understandably heartbroken.

Overheard

Last night I went for a walk with the big girls and left the baby girl at home with Michael.

As we were walking A told me that she wanted to go to the park. I told her that was exactly where we were headed.

She ran down the sidewalk with her hands in fists above her head.

As she ran, she screamed, "VICTORYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"

overheard

A: "Mommy. The reason I like you so much is cause... [long pause]... you're my mommy."

Labor Day

We had a great plan! Swimming at Laddie's. Chili cooking in the crockpot while we swam and ready for lunch without any trouble.

Problem was, I got a phone call from Rachel. She was running late. No big deal, I still had a few things to finish prepping. We left the house around 10am instead of 8:30am. By the time we arrived, it was time for lunch and the chili had not yet made it to the crockpot. Plus I still needed to make a quick run to the grocery store for some snack items I had planned to bring.

We decided to skip the crockpot and cook the chili on the stove. I got it put together and made the quick trip to the store. I arrived back at Laddie's just in time to serve the chili. It had just needed to be heated up.

The adults began serving themselves since all the children were upstairs playing Wii. As soon as we were ready to sit down to eat, 4 children came downstairs and proclaimed they were ready to eat or swim. Because of thunder, we asked that they wait and because we wanted a peaceful meal, we told them we'd serve their bowls when we were finished eating.

After the kids ate, they jumped into the pool. About 15-20 minutes later I heard Michael call me. He asked me to take Miss E because it was getting ready to storm again. And sure enough, kids were jumping out of the water left and right. Pool toys went flying onto the side of the pool and adults herded everyone inside.

Poor Miguel was standing in the dining area with his arms out from his sides dripping water all over the floor. In the rush to get inside, he wasn't given a towel. In his parent's defense, they were getting toys and floats out of the pool.

We decided to call it a day. It rained pretty hard several times while we were at Laddie's house. So our great plan was drastically revised.

No pictures though. I realized about halfway to Laddie's that I had forgotten to bring the camera.

At any rate, it was fun to hang out with family, even if things didn't go according to plan.

Silly girl

So this morning as we are getting into the truck, A asks me, "Mama, will you walk me in today?"

Funny. We walk to school and she wants to go in by herself. The one day I need to drive them because of all the errands I have to do and she wants me to walk her in.

Silly girl!

Of Girls, Grownups, and Get togethers

N decided that Miss E needed to be a present for her birthday! N set the bag up very carefully, filled the bottom with paper and placed Miss E inside. Here Miss E is working her way out of the bag.
N opening her gift from Grammy. Her first question was if she could use the backpack for school. She was disappointed when I told her no.

Miss E dug into her carrot cake. She didn't care much for the icing, but the cake was gone in no time!

Who can resist a face like this one?? I think somebody was ready for CAKE!

Getting in on the action! Just look at that grin!

The kids got to have a water balloon fight because N wanted party games and I only know girly party games... Besides, who doesn't love a good water balloon fight?

The kids did get a little bit wet while I was filling the water balloons. But most of that is from balloons being pitched.

First Day of Kindergarten!! I don't think she was too excited. Now though, she asks me if she can walk to her class all by herself. I let her because I want her to be excited about going instead of having a screaming fit because I want to walk with her.

4th grade already! Where has the time gone?? My baby is 10 and my newborn is 1. She has really enjoyed the school here. Most especially the fact that they do not change classes.

Miss Bri & Miss E before we moved. Miss Bri is a very sweet young lady who loved our children and they loved her back!

Miss Jenny & Miss Jessie. (Jenny is on the right) These 2 are the daughters of my friend Cathy who died in April. These are also 2 special gals!

I hope you have enjoyed these as I wade through the backlog of photos.

Of Butterflies and Beautiful Flowers

N had this butterfly land on her finger when we visited the Airlie Gardens with my youngest sister, Sarah. The girls enjoyed the visit to the gardens almost as much as they enjoyed being able to hang out with Aunt Sarah!

One of the African Daisies that N grew in a container in our driveway.

And the Zinnias that she had in the same container after we thinned them out. They grew to be about 3 feet tall. If you look closely, you will see the daisies in the lower corner of the container.

A close-up of one of N's zinnias.

And finally a magnolia at the Airlie Gardens.

Of Mulching, Moving, and Motorcycles

We had cleaned out the old mulch because first it was thin and second I kept getting splinters under my fingernails. But, to make things look pretty, we filled the back of the truck with mulch and shoveled it off into the beds.

The girl's room after it was packed.

This stack dwindled as the day went on.

And this truck was filled in just a few short hours.

But before we left, N drew a picture of her & Michael taking a motorcycle ride together.