Moving Day, Part 1

We're finally moving. The movers are at the apartment packing up our stuff. Have been for two hours now and haven't even started to load the truck. I thought it would go a lot more quickly, especially since there are three guys! I guess I figured it would be faster since I probably just would have swept stuff into boxes. Of course, they're doing it all the right way -- wrapping every little plate and knife. Hopefully, they'll start loading up the truck soon.

I'm sitting here in the apartment bored — obviously I've kept the laptop and our modem — and kicking myself that I left our digital camera (with a month's worth of new photos) at our new home. Otherwise, I'd get going on posting some pics. Mikel took the children and Shreve to the new house soon after the movers arrived to help cut down on chaos. And I don't mind this end of the deal. A little peace and quiet for me. The movers are doing it all. He can play helicopter parent for a while! I've spent time the last three days painting bedrooms -- a pale ballerina pink for Anna, a pale blue for Alex and this sort of goldish/kakhi/mustardy/greenish/tannish kind of color for our room. Once we remove some cabinets from the dining area I just might paint that room and the kitchen a buttery color.

Anyway, today the movers will load and unload our apartment. Tomorrow, they'll load up everything else we own that has been sitting in a mini storage unit -- and there's a lot of stuff, as we've been trying to live as minimally as possibly here in our temporary quarters. Among other things there are outdoor furnitue, washer/dryer, stove & fridge (which we now don't need since we bought the ones in the home). Unfortunately, too much of it is garage sale items that we just should have thrown away. Also, many of the boxes have been ripped open and stepped on by me as we've needed stuff here and there during the past six months or so. At times I was up to the ceiling as I crawled and maneuvered my way in search of treasures.

On a non-moving note, we've enrolled Anna in a 6-week swimming course beginning Saturday. It's a class that requires a parent to be in the water with the child. We've taken the children down to the swimming pool a few times recently and they loved it! Anna, especially, seemed to instinctively know how to move her arms and legs and should learn quickly. We'll enroll Alexander the next time around. We're also looking at some other fun stuff for them to do this summer, including a 2-week tennis class that they can both take together; maybe a little month-long summer ballet class for her since she's been dancing around and calling herself a ballerina lately. Just stuff to expose them and see if anything sticks. And, of course, it all will help with their development and coordination, as well as their social skills.

More, More, More

Zoo, Acquarium Photo Ops

Glad To Meet Ya

Getting to view animals through their cage bars or thick glass isn't thaaat fun. The children were sure eager, if not a bit tentative, to pet a baby gator, goat and elephant at the zoo, and baby sharks and stingrays at the acquarium.

Creatures

Getting close to the end of our vacation stuff here -- and it's about time. We've been home nearly a month now, we closed on our home yesterday (whew!) and I've got tons of new photos to share. So, let's be done with the old stuff. Here are some New Orleans zoo and acquarium shots.

New Orleans Break

We spent the last two nights in New Orleans. Dad came with us to help watch the children so Mikel and I could have a couple of date nights. But during the days, we went to the zoo and acquarium, enjoyed beignets at Cafe du Monde, strolled along the Mississippi River, through Jackson Square and on the edge of the French Quarter, and, finally, rode around to see the devastation caused Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

Couldn't Resist

I just couldn't resist posting these cute photos of Alexander's tiger tail, a bit of LSU sports paraphernalia I purchased in Baton Rouge.

Busy Bodies

Anna and Alexander loved playing with their cousins. They not only shared toys but Doritos and ice cream. Our dream is for the children to be as close as we were with our cousins growing up. We only wish we all didn't live so far away, with hopes of seeing each other once or twice a year. Also shown here are Mikel giving the children a wagon ride and my mom giving Anna some love.

More Camp Photos

More photos from the camp:
* Mom and Kim with (from left) Anna; Brock or Baylor; Peyton; Brock or Baylor; and Alexander.
* Mom and Dad with all of their young grandchildren. Jayde is, what, sweet 16 now?
* Aunt Barbara with Alex and Anna.
* A snapshot of the frenzy.
* Daddy holds his boy out of the back porch.

And The Hewitts

Then we rented two cabins at Percy Quin State Park at Lake Tangipahoa on the outskirts of McComb, where we spent most of the next week. Here we enjoyed beautiful sunsets, fishing (well, a few of us did, anyway), at least five children under 3 years old running around at all times and, of course, lots of good eating thanks to Dad. This is where we greeted most of my mom's side of the family. My mom's brother, Jim, (shown here with me, my brother and sister) his wife, Tammy; as well as our Aunt Barbara and Kevin; and cousin Jamey and his wife, Beth, and their children, Rainey and Grayson, visited us on multiple nights. My Aunt Lou Ann (shown here with my brother) and her family, Chuck and daughters Beth and Katie, also drove down from Tupelo to visit us for a day.

More Dickeys

More fun from the family reunion: Here is my dad with his sister and brother, my Aunt Connie and Uncle Rodney; all of us cousins in order of age: Rhonda, Rodney Jr., Ronald Don, me, my brother Donny, my sister Kim, Susan and Chris. Larry, where were you?; Kim and her three children, Jayde and the twins (I don't know who's who!); Randall, my cousin Rhonda's husband, letting Anna ride a horse bareback; ... and, finally, all the excitement caught up with Anna and Alexander!

Meet The Dickeys

From the Siberian region of Russia to the countryside of southwest Mississippi filled with lots of Southern relatives -- including, of course, cousins. Talk about culture shock for Anna and Alex! But they loved it, as you can see. Here they are with the whole gang, including my dad and his brother and sister and all but one of us cousins (including two who drove in from Mobile and one who flew in from Georgia, or is it North Carolina now?... and most of our children). Anna and Alexander were tickled to meet my Uncle Rodney (I think at first glance, Anna thought he was her Paw Paw, my dad); Aunt Cynthia; Uncle Donny (my brother) and cousin Peyton, who is about a month older than Anna; and little Emily, the daughter of my cousin, Chris, and his wife, Holly.