Right at the beginning of April, we got some really exciting/sad/adventurous/scary news.
Blake got a new job.
Two states away.
Like any pregnant couple, we didn't announce our move until we were safely into the second trimester.
That included the kids.
Kayli and Bryce were fairly excited about it because it meant being close to grandparents and cousins. And aunts and uncles, too.
And, honestly, I don't think the reality of this move has yet to fully sink in for Trey. He
has finally stopped talking about 'when we go back to our old house'. And he did explain to me why his best friend can't move here--because his house isn't old enough yet. So, maybe he's beginning to get it.
And Lanaya was really irate about the whole thing. We thought we were going to have to call it all off.
But then she found out she could still wear her favorite boots where we were headed and all was right in the world again.
What does the text of this post have to do with the pictures?
This was the last time they all got to play at this park together. Today's pictures featured the game "Monster". Too complex for me to explain here. But the kids love it. Blake and I have also been privileged to enjoy many meals and treats here, comprised exclusively of very local ingredients. Mostly wood chips, accompanied by the occasional dried leaf.
We once met a family here with four children the same ages as ours, named either the exact same name, or eerily similar. So weird.
I watched three of my toddlers make sand mountains using their bodies as a retaining wall, resulting in sandy diapers.
Once we saw two turtles heading up the hill and postulated for a while on how/why they had wandered so far from the creek. And then I think Blake reminded me there was a pond near by.
And one time I saw a guy lean over while pushing his daughter on a swing only to reveal the gun he was packing in his jeans.
We'll miss you, Little Park.
That wasn't the only thing we were about to miss.
No, the answer is not chocolate.
Especially because I didn't even ask a question.
Regardless of questions asked, or not, Blake was the answer. At my insistence, the kids and I were going to stay behind to finish up school and a specialized behavior program Trey was doing. While Blake started his new job. Four weeks before we would join him.
Four weeks to sell a house, pack it up, and coordinate a move. All while being a single mom and preparing myself to say good bye to so much that I love.
(Since I'm the author of this blog, we're not mentioning Blake being out on his own (although living with a kind and generous brother--he's just not
me), starting a new job, meeting a new boss, new coworkers, missing the rest of his family desperately, and having to go to a Nickel Creek Concert.)
