Here we go!

So, what does the Maxwell house look like in the midst of a move? Messy, Busy, Disorganized, and Chaotic? You betcha!  We are finally to the point of being "ready" to move.  Emotionally, I'm still very sad to be leaving, but after a month+ of having our family living in two places and over 4 months of knowing about this move, I'm just ready to get it over with.  Scott has been working in Portland since the start of January.  The kids and I have done remarkably well on our own - not to say that there haven't been some ugly moments when mom's stress level clashes with kids' behavior! - but it hasn't been the daily stress that I expected.  I think we've all found our groove, but we're ready to be back together next week.

This extra time has given us a good opportunity for quality, honest goodbyes with our friends.  We have been so eager to accept any dinner invitation and any group outing over the last few months and it has been great fun to really embrace the great friends we have here.  My girlfriends surprised me TWICE with amazing gifts.  I'm wearing a beautiful necklace and matching earrings that they pooled to buy me along with a framed picture of everyone from our Christmas Party.  And at our soup swap in Early January, I went home with a MASSIVE photo album with hearfelt notes, pictures of each family, and dozens of pages chronically all our adventures over the last 4 years. Such an amazing gift!  After weeks spent wracking my brain to find an appropriate gift in return, I finally decided that heartfelt cards were better than anything else.  It's hard to put into words what these ladies have meant to me (we have walked together through newborn struggles, toddler tantrums, playgroups, field trips, group adventures, ladies nights, bike rides, soup swaps, mom's weekends, family parties, and camping weekends), but I did my best in one very, very late night.

This is the picture from last year's Christmas Party (we've added two babies and two pregnant bellies since then!), but my pic from this year is framed and packed.

We had a wonderful "House Cooling Party" to celebrate our amazing community in Bend.  I had the camera out front and center, intending to take pictures, but when I just couldn't bring myself to use it.  Taking pictures would have felt too final, and everyone keeps reminding us that this is not goodbye, only "see you later." We have amazing friends. Just for my memory, I wanted to list everyone that stopped by.

Shannon, Kaden
Luke, Tara, Ian, Gabriel
Kate, Tyler, Evan
Kevin, Julie, Hazel
Jen, Sean, Max
Shannon, Ben
Rob, Sunny, Ryder
Dave, Michelle, Piper, Calvin, Jet
Dustin, Jen, Brynn, Gavin
Alisha, Neil, Lily, Miles
Leslie
Jessica, Madeline
Brad
Phil, Max
Stephanie, David, Elijah, Caleb
Scott, Kari, CJ
Nick, Diana, Penelope, Winston

Rhonda, Peyton
Dan, Joseph, Luci

We have purged, purged, purged since October, and yet my car is again full with ONE MORE load to take to the thrift store.  The packing boxes are starting to stack up and I have a L-O-N-G list of everything that needs to be accomplished each day. This week, we are finishing packing, enjoying some last dinners with friends and getting ready to send out our "new address" cards (yes, email is probably more efficient, but I need the cards for closure).  Scott's mom is joining us on Thursday to manage the final packing and on Monday, we'll drive over the pass for the official start to our family life in Portland. Here we go!!!!