Moving Out, Moving In

My oldest younger brother arrived at mom's house of nearly 20 years a day early to help get her ready for her quickly approaching closing. I got a text that night saying, "She's not ready." So, Buck and Caelan took an impromptu day off of work, we kicked our schoolbooks to the curb, and away we went to see what we could do to help. 

It's amazing how many things you don't think about needing to move actually need to be moved when you move! Gabby, Graysen and I went around the outside of the house collecting lawn art, and Buck took down the Christmas lights. Caelan helped box up my mom's room, and we all cheered for my middle younger brother to complete packing up his room. Also, he got to carry lots of heavy things :) I got to sit on the kitchen floor with my nephew. While he ate his chicken nuggets and french fries, we kept track of where all the helpers were . . . in the basement packing up the very heaviest of things to move, in the garage filling my oldest younger brother's impromptu U-haul (which was 100% brilliant), or running upstairs to grab boxes to bring down to the front room. We were like ants in a hive--wait, no, ants in a hill, bees in a hive, buzzing, scurrying busy. But by the end of the day, we felt what was left could be wrapped up with the help of the movers by 11 a.m. the next morning . . . of course, we didn't know water would start dripping through the bathroom ceiling or that my oldest younger brother would hit a patch of ice and experience his first motorcycle crash trying to get my mom's bike to the new location. Ugh. I think he ended up in better shape than the ceiling through which the water continued to run for the rest of the day--even though new owners were moving their things into the space. Eeek!

But by that time, we were back at home having the busiest of all days! Our original plan had been to go up for the weekend to be the unpacking team. Sometimes plans change and we do what we need to do to help where we can :) But, the kids and I did pack ourselves up again Saturday morning to try to find the new house. It was tricky because it's not on maps I can access yet. My brother had sent a pic of it once on his maps and I studied it well enough to guess my way to the new development. First try!

The new house is spacious and pretty. Mom was exhausted. My brother was sore, and the other one needed a shower :) Also, another grandma showed up to give Mr. M his Christmas gifts. We were quite the move-in party! Well, unpacking party, everything was already inside someplace or another.

After getting the basement partially set up, we even had enough storage space to move most of the boxes in the garage into the house and downstairs. Idk if my mom has ever had a car in her garage since she's had a garage, but my brother and I utilized teamwork to make it happen . . . still a very tight fit! They both agreed, separately, that removing the unused tow hitch was a shin saver for everyone :)

Mr. M found a nice nook for his bed in the spacious guestroom downstairs. How he slept through all our moving noise is beyond me! When he woke up I got lots of snuggles while his dad went on a Coke Zero run. We were cracking up taking selfies together! I think we've improved a little :)

We decided to build the last of my mom's four kitchen chairs. Apparently a couple years ago, mom and my two youngest brothers each put together one chair and it was so challenging that no one wanted to do the fourth :) So, it has been boxed in the garage ever since. We thought, "We've accomplished most of what we hoped to help with, and here it is still the first day. We can build the last chair and still head home a day early." Oh contraire! Caelan started the process, she put the front legs on the back of the chair. Gabby took them off, then got the front legs on the front of the chair . . . but inside out and backwards. My oldest younger brother tried to find tools in the garage to make the process smoother. The three-year-old got on his knees above the instruction paper, and while pointing authoritatively repeated, "You have to put the bolts on. Next you put the bolts on. Right here, the bolts on." Gabby was about to lose her mind, and I couldn't stop laughing at the little project boss (he later gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said something along the lines of, "You got it, girrrrrl!" which made up for any hard feelings from earlier, ha!) In the end, we did not finish the chair. After two-ish hours of trying, we told my middle younger brother to see what he could do about wrapping up that project after we'd left. We still may need to finish the chair the next time we stop by, but here's to hoping it's done when we get there!! 

The boys completely rearranged the furniture in order to set up a video game station downstairs. They worked hard in general, so earned a break (but this set up was not approved by me, boys!). Mom ordered us sub sandwiches and yummy cookies for dinner, and then we decided there wasn't much more for us to do that trip, and we headed home to let mom rest. Next time maybe she'll be up for wall décor and we'll see if she needs help loading in her room-sized closets (the girls might be a bit jealous, the main bedroom closet is seriously bigger than their entire bedroom!)

It's a great new house, good new memories and giggles already made, a bit of stern life coaching applied from older brother to younger, and we look forward to visiting again soon :)