Westward Ho!

Well we did it. We said goodbye to our Indiana home and relocated to the Phoenix area. I have such mixed emotions about our move, because I loved West Lafayette and all my friends there, but it was time to take the next step in our lives (aka employment). The last few weeks before we left I would suddenly find myself overcome with emotion in the most random of places. Like when I was at the library for the last time. Here I am returning all of our books, and the tears start flowing because who knows what the libraries are like in Arizona, and the librarians will probably hate my loud children, and they will all probably have LATE FEES! Then another time I'm putting Koy down for a nap in the crib that I used for all three of my children, in the house that I brought all my newborn babies home to, and I lose it all over again. Indiana really had become my home. So last week when Alaina started urinating on random surfaces (on beach towels, in tupperware ???) after being fully potty trained for 3 years, I had more patience than normal. Change is hard, kiddo.
 We received a very warm welcome when we arrived. Like very warm. I'm talking 125 degrees warm. Our kids have really struggled with the heat, and tell me all the time that they want to go back home. Thankfully my MIL came out for a few days to watch kids while we looked for a house, but also provide some sort of normalcy for my poor uprooted children. It's been 7 days and we've already bought a car and put in an offer on an adorable house in North Mesa. Caleb isn't so convinced on the house, though. Maybe it's because I call it the "cutesy", and most men probably don't want to live in a life-size dollhouse. But all the women in his life gave it a double thumbs up. Pictures to come when we close next month!

We're currently in a 2 bedroom hotel suite until our short-term rental is available. I thought I'd go stir crazy in a 400 sq foot place, but let me tell you: two weeks of no cleaning, free breakfast every day, and a pool just around the corner convinced me. Let's not forget that I can keep the thermostat at 73 without paying a $700 electricity bill. Talk about living the suite life! It's also been nice to have friends/family in the area reach out and invite us over, so we're no cooped up every day. All in all, the transition hasn't been so terrible, and I'm excited to start making a home in the desert. Just no cactus, please. The kids are terrified of them. Literally cry every time they see one, which is obviously a lot. I'm just bracing for the day when they learn about scorpions.