Unpacked

Well, we made it home from Redding safe and sound. The drive felt twelve times as long coming home than it did making our way out of town, but I'm sure that's the norm for most of us. Ellinor was a super baby during the drive - I swear, easiest kid ever. Those last few hours were met with some spare tears and a few whines but that was easily remedied. The final 45 minutes of the drive she resorted to licking her feet and crazy alien talk, but so did I in my own way. ;)

Redding was enjoyable! It was wonderful to get out of UT for awhile. It was nice and hot, sunny every day and just what you hope for when in CA (minus the beach). My in-laws are amazing hosts - our every need and whim was taken care of. They really are great to stay with. The grandparent/granddaughter bonding was in full swing and I'm grateful that Ellinor gets to have such a relationship with her grandparents on both sides. It's an amazing feeling to know that your child is loved so incredibly.

The Fosters have a pool at their current home and we frequented it about every day. Bry loves to swim, especially when it's just so HOT outside, and we guessed that Ellinor would love it also. We were not wrong. That girl is a FISH! All we had to do was say the word 'swim' and she was instantly excited. Running to the door that led to the backyard, ready to go. Her favorite thing to do in the pool was have Bry push her around while she was on her stomach - she literally made motor boat noises the entire time they were moving. Not sure where she picked that tid bit up, but it was adorable! I went in the pool a couple of times, but resorted to sitting on the edge with my feet in most of the days. It was a tad chilly in the water - and I'm not a fish at all. Water and I have a love/hate relationship, so we keep it superficial. Haha.

It was nice to hang out with Lexi for a few days before her big MTC report date. Lexi was absolutely ready to hit the road running and we couldn't be more excited for this adventure she is on. I know she will do a lot of good and meet plenty of great people. We are excited to send her packages and keep her in the loop of our little family.

It has been nice to come home and get all unpacked. There is something about having everything back in order that just calms my soul. Some may classify my habits as OCD-related, but my physical well-being is definitely linked to the state of my home and life. I have spent these last two days unpacking, cleaning and organizing. Bry laughs because the house was in great shape already when we got home (I made sure to clean before leaving town), but I notice the difference 100%. Having a week off from the work was wonderful, but it's part of me to clean and organize. It's true - maybe I'm a bit crazy.

Tonight Bry and I decided to move the TV out of our bedroom. The main reason being that we wanted a bigger TV for the upstairs living room and have no desire to spend the money on another one. So, now we are semi unplugged in our room. It's for the best. We don't need to be dependent on TVs all through the house - it's not the best thing for us to watch as much as we do anyhow. I'm predicting that we will sleep better without the distraction. Now I have to figure out another way to fill the empty wall in our room. Thinking some shelving and a large art piece of some sort.

Today felt a little like fall as it cooled down pretty quickly this evening. I'm so excited for fall and the holiday season this year. Not sure if it's because Ellinor is older and will be able to enjoy the experience more fully, or if I am extra festive this time around. Either way - bring on the festivities!