Country Livin'

It's been over a month now since we moved.  It's been a while since I've blogged which is because we don't have internet.  That's right we live off the grid.  Map quest can't get you  here and internet can't find us.  We are getting settled in.  We have our good days and our bad days.  Adam is in the middle of transitioning to new birds which means long days and usually 6 day weeks which makes finding friends difficult.  He's supervising up to 10 other guys.  There are lots of frustrations but I think he will soon have the hang of it.  He seems to really enjoy riding the tractor all over the 40 acre farm. 

Elias and I are getting settled too. Adam's long days make for long days for us as well, filled often with frustration on mommy's part.  It's rough getting used to 12 hour days with a toddler.  I am really enjoying it much more than I thought I would.  I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to do it and that I wouldn't like it but with the responsibilities of work gone my new "job" is presenting with new and fun challenges of it's own.  It was just about this time last year when I had to go back to work after Elias was born.  It crushed my heart to leave my precious baby.  After being in the work force full time for a year I couldn't imagine not working and spending endless hours with a tiring baby that never runs out of energy.  I'm getting to cook a lot more, usually with a screaming toddler at my feet, and actually don't mind play "house wife" as much as I thought I would.  I never saw myself as taking on the role of good little house wife with dinner ready at 5 and the kids in bed by 7 but it's those things that now bring routine to my life.  I long for girlfriends and time of my own.  Thankfully my parents love having Elias for sleep overs which offers some sanity to my life.  Otherwise I am with him 24/7.  We eat together, pee together, play together, shop together, go to the Doctor together, etc.  After sharing with Adam about what grocery shopping is like with a 1 year old he kindly reminded me that I am now one of those moms I used to walk past and think "Can't they keep their kid under control".  Things like flying food from the cart and screaming down the aisle make shopping really fun.  The last month as brought more changes than I can share in one post.  All in all staying home fits my personality for the time being.  I'm a home body so I am getting plenty of "home" time and enjoy being out on the weekends with my family when it used to be very stressful to me.  I will however, go back to work someday. 

Adam and I try our best to spend time together at least once a week.  Usually it's to run the errands that are difficult to do with Elias.  Like picking out counter top or buying things for the house.   We have visited several churches and are really enjoying fall in the Shenandoah valley.  We are looking forward to several visitors in October.  We would love to see you so plan to stop if you are driving through. 

It has been a week since the moving truck unpacked all of our things so I thought I would do a top 10 list of likes and dislikes so far.

1. It's so nice to be near family
2. I love waking up to quiet mornings with a cool breeze
3. There is a really good ice cream shop in town that Baby #2 has convinced me stop at multiple times.
4. I love being able to rock my baby every day and meet his needs in a way no one else can. I love hearing his sweet little voice in the next room rabbering away. I was missing so much of him I didnt even realize.
5. I love not feeling rushed everyday. Getting to take care of my home and family and not feeling the pressure to meet anyone else's needs.
6. We are 20 min from the edge of town with a 1/2 mile long driveway with hills and gravel. A far cry from our previous drive that barley fit two car links and it took us about 5 min to get to almost anything we wanted.
7. There are a lot of bugs here!! I mean a lot and weird ones. I was sitting on the couch last light when I looked down to see a cricket on my leg. Really? In my house?? I never thought of myself as a city girl but the bugs and weird animals are a little much for me.
8. I dont have a diahwasher. Enough said.
9. I miss my friends (work friends included) Especially having really good ones two doors down. I needed brown sugar last night and there was no one to call. I also wanted to rip my hair out earlier which was able to be resolved with a text but still I miss u!!
10. I dont like boxes. Our upstairs is completly unpacked. Granted most of them are in the basement as planned to be out of the way. But I cant find what I need and being 22 weeks pregnant with a baby the size of a large squash in my belly limits what I can do. Plus I have the most amazing little helper that reorganizes my recipe box, puts tape in the toilet, gets splinters, hits the dog, empties the snack cabinet, and so much more for me. I love every second (ok not every second but must) of those little blue eyes and blond hair and that precious little voice.

Today has been difficult as the excitment of moving is wearing off and the reality of it sets in more deeply. Adam starts work tomorrow and I'll spend my first day alone at the house. Elias is overtired and grumpy as we shuffle back and forth between mom and dad's house and our new house. I feel guilty for the time I'm not spending with him and he demands. Soon enough we will be back into a routine and find familiar things in a place that seems so strange.

Events of the last week

Sunday Dad, Elias, Riley and I left for VA.  We arrived and settled in leaving Adam to take care of the movers.  We tried to avoid saying bye to people. This has been and will be a difficult transition.  Sunday night I woke up throwing up and continued to be sick for about 24 hours.  In addition I had an infection and no Doctor to treat me.  Thankfully my previous OB agreed to prescribe some antibiotics.  Monday the movers were at our house packing all of our belongings.  Tuesday was my first official day as a stay at home mom.  Granted we are staying at my parents.  Wednesday I woke up and mom and dad had been up all night throwing up.  They took two days off as they just returned from Honduras and finished recovering from the bug they got there.  The movers were at home loading all of our belongings into the truck and Adam's parents arrived to help in MD.  Thursday the movers arrived in VA to unload.  Why do we have enough stuff to fit into a semi?  We are gonna have to have a yard sale!  Adam's parents helped us all day Thursday and Friday unpacking boxes and cleaning.  My parents barley felt well enough to make it to work but manged to get back into the swing of things.  Friday night we took a break and enjoyed some fun at the County Fair.  We rode the Ferris wheel with Elias for the first time, played fair games, ate fried Twinkies, saw all the cows, sheep, pigs, goats, etc. and an acrobats show which Elias loved!  An introduction into the new life as farmers! 

Our house is 15 min from the edge of town 20 min from a grocery store, and 30 minutes from mom and dad's.  The property is beautiful and the house is coming together.  But for now we are still at mom and dad's while we unpack more and try to settle in.  Riley's not sure what to think of her new yard.  Elias seems to like playing amongst boxes and paper.  The whole upstairs is unboxed except for the new babies room and the guest room is coming together so plan a time to come visit.  I'll post some pictures in a few minutes.  It's been hard leaving behind all of friends and the familiarity of a town we've lived in for a long time.  But it's refreshing to feel the cool morning breeze and remember how perfectly this came together.

Moving

We are just days away from moving.  The movers will be arriving on Monday to pack us and will load transport and unload everything!  I have know idea how we would have ever done this on our own.  Moving is so stressful even when someone else is doing the work.  I can't imagine the wreck I would be if we were doing this ourselves.  Elias and I will head to VA with my dad on Monday.  Adam will stay behind an finish up with the movers and his parents will come over with him on Wednesday.  So excited about his adventure but nervous and sad to leave behind good friends and a job I have loved.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels and that this would be an easy transition for us.