On the Road, Again...Finally!

I am happy to report that we have arrived safely in MI!

It took us longer than we had hoped to get out the door, of course. We didn't get on the road until after 11, which meant my car didn't make it in until 1130pm. But Judah was SO good in the car. Barely knew he was there. Plus, Bryan and Jonah (and Selah and Micah) had everything uploaded by the time we got in. That was a nice start. (The neighbor livid at the noise at 1130, was not such a nice start. Hope that isn't an issue for the next 3 months.)

Lots of help with Judah in the morning trying to leave. I have the best helpers!

Elijah is a semi-professional photo bomber. (And don't worry, I fixed that leg after I took the picture. Really hoping to make it until his appointment next week without needing to take the cast off!)

Missed the Pure Michigan sign. I guess because it was dark? But here us our first Michigan picture. Bathroom stop at Kroger because the gas station bathrooms are closed due to COVID (?!?!)

Body work by Jonah- if y'all need a cheap fix, he's your man! (They couldn't get it finished before we left VA and I wasn't coming back for it. It'll get fixed in MI.)

He finally fell asleep a half hour out. 

This guy slept pretty much the whole day. I was terrified it would be a rough night, but it was actually a great one. He yawned as soon as he woke and was happy to hit the hay again asap.

Early Morning Smiles

Well, they were elusive for the camera, but it's hard to mind the early wakeups when you get sweet smiles and coos. 

Of course, one of us gets to make up for the early morning. When we are supposed to be eating. 

So Mom quit trying and put me back to bed. Look at that cute foot peeking out. 

That only lasted 8 minutes. Then I hung out with Dad a bit. lots of intersting things to see on these shelves now that the baskets are packed.

Everybody's Favorite

He's gotta beat them off with a stick from sun-up to sun-down. There no peace for cute babies around here. 

We also said goodbye to my favorite van. We bought her brand new in 2010. She had well over 200k miles and was struggling. But she had all the amenities and I miss the heated seats the most. She'll missed as much as Scarlet is. 

Tuesday Morning Smiles

We had a 5 am party again this morning. But it was a good time. We had quite the conversation and I got lots of smiles with the coos. I even kinda caught one.

Oh, and the sun is up in the 6 o'clock hour once again, thank heavens! 

I know it's not yet in Michigan (I checked. Today's sunrise in MI was at 7:19) but we're moving that way! 

Mr Judah has been quite clingy. Pretty much only to mama. I'm not getting much done around here but thankfully Bryan's been able to help. This evening Jonah was successful in getting him back to sleep and keeping him asleep for a good hour and a half. I finally got a few things done. And when I decided it was time to get this guy fed for bed, he was so peaceful asleep I hated to wake him. 

In other news, Jonah has hat hair here because he actually left the house today! He took his written FAA ground school test. He has spent the last week doing an online ground school and then studying and I am happy to say he passed the test. He was hoping this was the last item to qualify for a CAP scholarship to obtain his private pilots license, but it turns out he has to have already soloed. That should have happened in CO but between COVID,  the move, and his instructor's schedule it didn't happen before the move. He'll try to finish that up in the next few weeks in MI. 

Please pray for God's Will and clear direction for him. He's still torn between flying and med school.

Calling GG

Well, I didn't take any pictures today. But Elijah took a screenshot for me to use. 

He video called with his Great-Grandma this morning. And figured out how to change his background to a picture of Judah sleeping. And how to screenshot while on the call. Kids these days. They have all the skills-at least when related to technology. 

Backstory- I asked if he wanted to call and say hi. He replied, "Sure, but only if we can video call!" So we figured it out.  

Steps to a Smile

And look who actually took a nap not being held! They rarely last.more than 15 minutes but this one was longer than that! It's so funny howbabies sleep with their hands or feet in the air. How is that comfortable?!

Jude the Dude

Elijah would hold Judah all day, if Judah would let him. He is obsessed with being a big brother. He has given him the nickname "Jude the Dude" to go with his own self-given nickname of "EJ the DJ." 

Here he is,  just soaking it all in. 

It's rather difficult to get him to sleep with his foot elevated. Finally successful. 

There's nothing more precious than a sleeping baby. 

When we found out about the club foot and I did a bunch of research, I was so upset about not getting to enjoy those little baby feet. I'm obsessed with baby feet, it's not a secret. 

And one of my favorite things about babies is that they tuck their little feet up and make a little ball on your chest. 

For these 2 reasons, I enjoyed having those 4 weeks without a cast. And I am trying to enjoy the one foot while I can. Plus, in only 3 more months, we should get to see those feet when he is awake, at least. 

But they're still pretty cute these days. 

His little hands are also precious. 

As is him sleeping. 

A little more love for Jude-the-Dude by EJ-the-DJ.

This poor child is constantly feeling.... worried, confused, overwhelmed... it's rough being the youngest.  Especially when you're number 6 and the youngest by 8 years. Everyone things you're their personal toy doll. 

I kinda caught a smile! Just missed half his face in the rush. 

Almost got one here. 

Micah and Judah having some quiet time rocking. 

It was our last family game night in VA. Catan was the pick. 

Teens. 

They can't just smile at the camera.  Or anyone. Ever. (Or so it seems.)

Judah didn't like being left out of family night. Jonah was happy to include him.  

Perhaps only the second picture of all 6 kids.  Can't wait for the weather to improve so we can go outside and take some nice pictures!

Counting Down!

We've a mere 8 days left here.  The kids are amazed at how short the chain has become!

I apparently never took a picture of the chain when we made it. We had 81 days to go then.  It was long enough to act as garlands on our tree. (You can see it starts at the top and is dangling down at the bottom by the couch.)

 We're so close!

On a cuter note, Judah loves his little play gym (as long as he isn't in there more than 5 minutes.)