Our Whirlwind trip to Ohio

We woke the kids up at 4:30 am Saturday morning to head to the airport. The rental car was jam packed with luggage but we made the 3 minute drive just fine. We really thought we were giving ourselves lots of extra time for our flight but as it turned out 2 1/2 hours was just the right amount of time. We got to the gate about 15 minutes before loading began.

It was quite the ordeal getting all the luggage and kiddos into the airport from the car. We all, including the kids, made an initial trip in with some luggage. We then had the kids sit in chairs by the luggage as we made a few more trips to get the remainder of the luggage. We then found a cart to put some of the luggage on while we headed to check our baggage. Let me tell you...it takes FOREVER to check in 11 pieces of luggage and 2 carseats. The kids had fun during the process watching the luggage go on the conveyor belt though. Mary put her backpack on the ground and layed her head on it and fell asleep while she was waiting. After getting our baggage checked we only had the kiddos, the puppy, 1 carseat, and backpacks for each child. Going through security was really quite easy. The kids did wonderfully and were so well behaved. It then took us a while to make the trek to the gate. Joshie decided he did not want to wear the backpack with the "leash" on it and promptly threw himself on the floor and started to cry. It was actually quite comical.


The first flight was great. Spring was scared and needed to hold my hand during take off. Other than that it was uneventful. Mary slept almost the entire flight. Thomas and Spring read books, wrote in their journals, and played games together. Sammy talked, talked, and talked some more. Joshie slept some and then just looked around a lot.

We landed in Dallas and had to take the Skyrail to another terminal. Sammy and Mary were in heaven that we were able to "ride on a train." We had just enough time for them all to go potty, take Scout potty, and grab some lunch for the kids before boarding our final flight. This time Spring informed me that she did not need to hold my hand anymore. Spring slept all the way through this flight as did Joshie. Mary sang songs almost the entire flight; some recognizable songs and some she made up herself. Thomas read books the whole flight. And, you may ask, what did Sammy do? Well, he talked, talked, and talked some more. When we began our descent into Cleveland Sammy kept saying, "YEA! We're in Ohio. I can't believe we're in Ohio!"

We then just had to get our luggage and then take a 7 minute shuttle ride to the rental car area. We got a rental car and headed to the hotel. Most of the kids fell asleep on the drive. Spring and I then went to the grocery store and ended up getting TV dinners for dinner that night. We were all so tired and didn't want to eat much. We ended up getting to bed around 11:30 Ohio time (8:30 CA time). It was a rude awakening this morning when we had to wake up all the kids for church at 4:00 CA time. They were all so tired that they didn't even eat breakfast. At church Spring, Mary, and even Sammy fell asleep in Sacrament Meeting. For the rest of the day we haven't done much. We are all really tired and suffering from jet lag. We are able to get into our home in the morning and it will be nice to not be in hotels anymore. I think I would prefer sleeping on the floor and having no furniture to living in hotels. The one downside is we will be without internet for a couple weeks.

We are grateful the kids did so well for us during the travleing. They were amazing and we couldn't have asked for any more from them. We will see how the next few weeks go.

Funny Times in the Hotel

Sammy and Mary were jumping from one bed to the other tonight in the hotel. Joshie decided he was a big kid too and wanted to join in on the fun. Lucky for us, Joel had the video camera rolling during the fun times!

Our Last Couple Days in Lemoore

Well, the movers came to pack and load the house on Wednesday and Thursday. The kids loved watching and asking a million questions. Mary was flirting "big time" with one of the movers and he played right along. She gave him capri suns, string cheese, and all other kinds of treats. He convinced her that his name was "Bob the Builder." The kids were in awe as they watched the car and van be driven onto the moving truck.

It has been an emotional few days for the family as the reality of the situation has hit. Joshie has been very whiny and clingy the last couple days. In fact today, as we were trying to get some pictures just before driving out Joshie refused to come. He layed down on the garage floor and just cried. It was so hard for me as I picked the kids up from school. They were both in tears and really struggling to say goodbye. The teachers were so sweet to them and came to the car to wish them farewell. I am so grateful for their teachers this year. They are wonderful examples to our children of honorable and noble men and women. Thomas and Spring have blossomed this year and we owe so much to their wonderful teachers. As I watched the kids crying tears filled my eyes and my heart went out to them. I know it will be difficult for them and yet I am so grateful they are being positive and looking for the bright side of things with this change. We are so blessed to have such wonderful children.

Before we left today Joel was able to help Leo ordain the Aaronic Priesthood upon Neone. That was a wonderful opportunity to be a part of and we were all touched so much by the Spirit. Afterwards Leo and Neone came to the house to spend a few more minutes with us before we headed out. We are really going to miss them.

We are so grateful for the many friends and relationships we have developed in our time in Lemoore. So many wonderful people have touched the lives of us and our children. We are grateful for technology that allows us to stay in touch with such ease. We are off to new adventures but, like Spring reminds me, we have many wonderful friends in Lemoore and we get to keep them and meet new people in Ohio. Thank you to all that have touched and blessed our family the last couple years. We love you all!

Spring's New Smile

Spring has been having a rough time with her front tooth the last few days because it is so loose. We drove to Fresno tonight and took the kids to dinner. She bit into a burrito and her tooth started to bleed. Joel convinced her to let him look at it and "clean it off." The next thing we knew Spring had a new smile! We think she looks very cute with her new smile!

Our Independent Child

Can you tell Joshie is a 5th child? He has already learned that sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and find a way to get things done.

Visit to Grandpa

We were so blessed and fortunate to be able to make the trip to see my grandpa yesterday. It has been about 2 years since I have seen him and the visit was wonderful. My grandpa is an amazing man and I am grateful for the example he is in my life and the influence he is in the lives of our children. It has been such a blessing for me to see him and my grandma, before she passed away, interact with our children and show them such love and attention.

When we arrived Grandpa, Joel, and Spring walked to the pizza parlor to get pizza for lunch. When they got there Grandpa told Joel he should order the pizza because he had never ordered pizza before. They brought the pizza back to the house. Grandpa was so cute as he was trying so hard to be the "host"...a role previously held and carried out so well by Grandma. I overheard him say, "I'm not quite sure what we need, but I think we'll need a spatula to serve the pizza!" He then said he figured we needed napkins. Then he looked to me and said, "Jen, would you mind serving it up? I'm not so good at that sort of thing." I was more than happy to help him and at the same time my heart went out to him. I could tell he missed Grandma so much. I can't imagine how difficult the little things in life must be once your spouse is no longer around. Grandma always took care of that sort of thing and I am sure over the years Grandpa has just forgotten what needs to be done.

We enjoyed eating and talking with each other. As Grandpa was sitting at the table with Mary on the chair across from him he said, "Wow Jen, you finally got one that looks like you!" It was fun to see Grandpa notice the resemblance. Speaking of Mary, she just warmed right up to Grandpa. She would walk over to him, stand at his knees and put her arms up with that sweet Mary smile that she thinks will get her anything in life. Grandpa would pick her up and she just cuddled in his lap sucking her thumb and enjoying being with him. At one point she turned to face him and started to unbutton his shirt. I warned him that she has a fascination with buttons and will unbutton and then button them back up over and over again. He looked down after she had about 4 unbuttoned and said, "Wow little one, you are really fast at that!" She just smiled up at him and kept going.

It was fun to hear Grandpa tell some stories. He told us of the girl that tried to scam him, of being "fired" from his volunteer job of delivering meals, and other fun experiences. I always love to hear Grandpa relate stories. There were many times he teared up and got choked up as he would talk of Grandma. I have never before seen my Grandpa cry and it hurt my heart for him. They loved each other so much and did everything for each other. He told us, "People say it takes a year to get over it. They're wrong. It takes forever." I didn't know quite what to say to him to ease his pain. I wished I could have taken away the pain. He is a wonderful man and an example to us all of loving and cherishing our spouse.

After a few hours it was time for us to head back home so we wouldn't get home too late. As we were giving him a hug goodbye he thanked us for coming and said he felt bad that he had not been able to come out to us but that he doesn't like being far from home anymore. I assured him we were happy to come and that it is easier for us to come anyway. He laughed at this and said, "I don't think so!" As we were loading the kids in the car and buckling them up Grandpa said to me, "This is easy? I would have already been 10 minutes down the road by now!" I just laughed and reminded him, "It may take us a few extra minutes to get started, but once we are on the road, it really isn't too hard!" I gave him another hug and told him to take care of himself to which he replied, "We will. "We" still comes out so naturally to me. I can't get used to saying just "I."

I am so grateful we could visit with Grandpa. It is an afternoon I will cherish and remember. I hope our children will remember the time too. We got home about 5 hours later and the kids were piling out of the car. Spring came running back to the van and announced, "Mary just threw up all over the place!" Luckily it was on the front porch before she got into the house. I guess all the time on the drive when she was telling us her tummy was hurting...it really was! I think it was just a little car sickness because we cleaned her off with the hose, got her in the bath, and then she was just fine.

Author's Night

Spring's teacher worked really hard to help her class complete a book entitled, "The Most Important People Book." Each student wrote a story about the most important person to them and illustrated a picture using a computer program, "Kid Pics." The books were then hardbound together. Thursday evening was Author's Night. We were able to receive the books they published and see their excitement. The book is wonderful and Spring loves to read it almost everyday. Spring wrote about her brother, Thomas. How wonderful it is as a parent to see times like this when our children express their love and appreciation for each other.

Random Happenings in the last few days

The last few days have been interesting. We feel we are in a state of limbo as we try to finish up things here and prepare to move next week. The kids are excited for all the new adventures...especially the airplane ride. I don't know how prepared I am for the plane ride, though. I know it will be fun and much better than driving. I just keep running different scenarios through my head. Can you just see us with 5 little kids, a puppy, carseats, and luggage getting through security at the airport! I am sure people will be amused and get a laugh out of it. It will be fun. It has been fun to listen to them ask questions and talk with each other about all our new adventures. They are also sad to leave their friends and teachers behind here.

Here are a few pictures and a video of some of our happenings. We were able to be at Neoni's baptism on Saturday. He had asked Joel to baptize him. We are so grateful he was baptized before we moved. Spring and Thomas mowed the lawn on Saturday and Joel thought Spring looked so cute with her pink hat on that he had to take a picture. Scout loves to "wrestle" with Sammy. By the time we got the video rolling they were about done so you don't get the full effect. Sammy had been giggling and rolling around on the floor as Scout was chewing on his ears and nose. It really was quite funny but the video doesn't do it justice. We are grateful for the time to have Joel home with us the next couple weeks as we prepare for our adventure.

Fun times with Grandma & Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa Biggs came to be with the kids while we were in Ohio last week finding a place to live. The kids had fun with them playing games, watching movies, going to a 3D movie, having ice cream at Superior Dairy, and other fun times. Grandma was able to go to school with Spring for her "Mother's Day Tea." I was really sad that I missed this but so happy that Grandma could be with her. Grandma even recorded the little poem the kids recited so I could hear it. We were so happy the kids were happy and had so much fun for the week.

Visit to Kirtland

We were able to spend the morning in Kirtland and visit the temple and other historical sites. It was an amazing experience.

Day 2 in Ohio

Hi Thomas, Spring, Sammy, Mary, and Joshie!

We have had fun today finding lots of new and exciting things. We are so excited to bring you all here and let you see all these things too. Here are some pictures to help you see what it will be like. We love you and miss you!

WATERPARK AT THE HOTEL: This is an indoor water area at the hotel we are staying in. We will stay at this hotel for the first couple nights after we move here so we thought you would love to see the fun you will be able to take part in when we are here.

ECHO HILLS ELEMENTARY: This will be your new school. It is Kindergarten through 4th grade. The school is all indoors and you get a locker in the hallway to keep your jackets, backpacks, lunch, and your winter clothing.

SKIP PLAYGROUND: This playground is HUGE and amazing. Sammy, you will love climbing all over and finding lots of hiding places at this park.

LIBRARY: We were in awe when we walked into this library. The entire second floor is the Children's section. There is storytime 3 days a week, craft programs, free typing classes for the children, weekly programs about science, crafts, and other subjects, and lots of other great things. There are so many great things to check out from the library...puppets, science experiment kits, hands on learning kits, audio books, and many more things. We will be spending lots of time together here!

ARBORETUM: This park is amazing. There are hiking trails that just go off into the woods for a long way...we went for a long time and still didn't come to the end of the trail. It is so peaceful and so beautiful. We could hear birds the entire time and that is about all we heard.

PLUM CREEK PARK: This park is close to Daddy's work. There is a creek that runs around the park. There are basketball courts, ballfields, playground, and lots of grassy fields.

We can't wait to bring you here. We know you are going to love it!

Love, Mom and Dad

Our New House

Here is our new home.

This park is a couple blocks from the house.

This is the building we will be attending church at.

Our First Day in Ohio

Joel and I flew all night, leaving Fresno at 8:00 pm Sunday night and landing in Ohio at 11:00 Monday morning. Then we immediately started looking at homes. We were exhausted by the time we finally came into the hotel at 9:00 last night. It was a great first day though and we think we have found the house we want to live in. We should be able to finalize that today. We found a really neat park yesterday as we were driving around. Actually there are beautiful parks everywhere. We just decided to get out of the car and take some pictures at this one. There is a cool waterpark (click on this link to see a video of the waterpark) there too in a different part of the park.

It is beautiful here. We keep talking about how much fun it is going to be to have the kids here to see all these beautiful places. We know they are going to love it here.