Another Big Move

Well, the kids and I left Virginia Beach for the final time on July 17th while Patrick stayed back to man the moving process. He then joined us that Saturday, July 20th and it was good to be a family back together again. This move was our hardest yet for so many reasons. I think I was in denial that we were really leaving yet another place because it didn't hit me that we were really leaving until the morning that we left. As I went to hug Patrick goodbye I broke down crying so hard that I had to take a few minutes to catch my breath and get myself pulled together enough to make the drive safely. There were some very special people that have meant so much to us there over the past couple of years and that is something that I can't put a value on. My friends that were there for me during Patrick's deployment to help me out, bring me meals, just be a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on have such a special place in my heart and I am thankful that God allowed me to have them in my life for the short time I did. The girls also had a preschool teacher there, Mrs. Betty Lou, who they became very attached to and so did I. She was like a grandmother to them and treated them so well. Right before we left she had a little tea party for the children and I at her house and we all had a great time drinking lemonade, eating adorable and yummy finger foods, playing with bubbles, playing with her puppy, and swimming in her pool. She came over the night before we left around 11pm to say goodbye and that's when it began to hit me because she was crying and it made me cry too.
The week that we left all 3 kids came down with strep throat...ugghhhhh! Charlotte woke up with 104.3 fever the morning that we left for Nashville so 16 hours in the car with 3 sick kids and 1 feverish kid did not make for a fun drive. Charlotte continued to run fevers for the next couple of days so I took her to the doctor who sent us for a chest x-ray due to the continued cough she also had. Diagnosis: Bronchitis! Hers was confirmed but the other 2 developed the same symptoms right after that so I'm pretty sure HK and Micah had it too.
We did end up getting to celebrate Micah's first birthday (a month late) while in Nashville though and it turned out to be great despite all of the illnesses. A lot of people weren't able to come due to the bronchitis going around and didn't want their children to be exposed, but I was still able to get together with everyone at different times during our stay there so it worked out. Micah's party had a nautical theme and instead of a cake I made him a little tower of oreos. He LOVES oreos!


Packing up the Virginia Beach House

Birthday party outfits by Nana

My Bestie, Amanda and I with HK

Amanda's kids, Will and Caroline, with Colgan

Attempt at getting all 6 of our kids to take a picture. Left to right: Rob, Will, Micah, Caroline, Hannah Kate, Charlotte

Granny with the birthday boy.

After the party we all went outside for pictures and there was a double rainbow!

Aunt Catie with Char (L), HK (middle), Colgan (R)

Attempt at a picture with all of the kids ;)

My sweet friend Sarah Samuel with Micah