The Big Move In!

 We have been talking about my parents moving to Arizona for years now. It is absolutely life changing now that it has finally happened! 

Here's the picture they took as they left the house in McLean for the last time. I had an exceptionally good childhood in that house. 

We had a very fun time checking out the new house before they moved in! We were able to be there for the home inspection and some other stuff before the move. They closed on the house a few weeks before moving out here. 

We definitely tested out the pool for them. The previous owner left lots of pool toys in the giant garage!

They decided to send one pod and both of their cars a week in advance, and then cram a second pod until the last minute. The buyer is a developer who is going to tear down the house, so they negotiated into their contract that they are allowed to leave all the stuff they wanted behind. They even left some dirty dishes in the sink! It has been funny helping them unpack- some deep storage things like a whole box of paper plates and cups made it into the first pod, but there wasn't enough space by the end for them to fit their toaster and blender. 

The actual move date was Oct 8, which was conveniently during the kid's fall break. We pretty much spent the whole week hanging out and exploring the new house. We went swimming and hot tubbing every day. Hanging out with my dad in the hot tub brings up so many fond memories of Myrtle Beach trips growing up, and it warms my heart to see my mom embracing her new ward and neighborhood. Naturally, she's immediately involved with the stake choir, stake creche festival committee, and hosted the second empty nesters dinner that she attended. She's hitting the ground running! I'm in love with their yard for both the pool and the beautifully landscaped acre lot. 

They keep saying that they are pinching themselves, unable to believe that they are living the dream of finally living out here so close to the grandkids. I feel the same! I play volleyball with my Dad twice a week, and he goes to play with the competitive group on Saturday mornings as well. We signed Elliot and Annie up for cub scouts with the plan that Mimi and Grumpa will take them. Mimi will frequently take the kids to the library or have them over. It is still very new and exciting, and I feel like I'm on vacation whenever I'm over there.

There was a neighborhood yardsale a couple weeks after they moved in. The previous owner left a lot behind, so we decided to put out whatever Breezy hadn't managed to sell on FB marketplace. 

The yardsale was a hit! Annie was majorly hustling. The boys were less dedicated, but luckily Mimi had the best activity ever- a magic potions kit. They spent ours outside working on the potions while manning the yardsale. 

When life couldn't get any better, the kids discovered that sleepovers at Mimi and Grumpa's house are an option!

Isaac loves helping Mimi cook while wearing the apron from my cooking birthday party when I was a wee lass. 

Blake flew down to celebrate his birthday. We are going to see all the family more often now that we are living in the gathering place! 

It's hard to overstate how life-changing this is. My kids have always had a good relationship with my parents, but now that relationship will be deeply engrained. Felix and possibly Isaac won't remember a time before their Mimi and Grumpa lived 10 minutes away. We will see each other every week instead of a few times a year. Let the good times roll!