The Day After the Storm

Granna got to come to Miami to help us unpack and to spend some time with Kyle. The tropical storm got in the way of our plans to swim in the Atlantic, but we did drive out to the beach the day after the storm came through. We thought it would be better to at least see the waves and get our feet in the sand than to miss it completely.


It wasn't the best day for a visit to the beach. There were high winds, dark skies, and red flags everywhere. The sea was angry that day, my friends. (Stephen, however, loved the winds and high waves and wished he had brought his swim suit!) At least Granna got to put her feet in and feel the warmth of the water and the sand between her toes. We all think Kyle's gonna be a beach baby, too!

Overboard!

We've been hard at work, trying to get things unpacked and settled, so our place starts to feel more like home. In the process, we've accumulated a plethora of boxes. They were starting to get stacked up all over the house because we don't have a dumpster close-by. (We DO have curb-side valet trash pick-up every night, though.)

The night Tropical Storm Fay passed through, we had a plan to get rid of the boxes. There is a trash compactor in the parking lot of the apartments next to our buildings, but the entrance is usually blocked off by a gate. The electronic gates were left open during the tropical storm, so we wouldn't be trapped in, in case of a power outage. This opened up an opportunity for us to dump the boxes. Yes, in the rain and during the storm! (We're crazy, I know!)

Since we were already acting like crazy people, we figured, why not just get the boxes down the easy way and throw them off the balcony into the back of the truck? That's exactly what we did! Then we drove over to the other parking lot, threw the boxes up into the trash compactor, and got completely soaked in the process. It was a fun way to spend the night. We felt like kids again!

Aggie in Miami

Even in South Florida, we're keeping the "Spirit of Aggieland" alive. Kyle still has his A&M binky and clip and NOW he's got some stylin' maroon shoes! We've already had several conversations about Texas because people know we're Aggies!

Surviving Fay

We had a wonderful welcome to Miami: Tropical Storm Fay decided to get us acquainted to the weather of South Florida right away. Basically, it has just been raining ALL DAY, and at about 5:00, there was a big surge of downpour and wind in our area...(see the video.) That's about it. We did got get some canned food and water and planned to stay indoors, so we were prepared in case Fay had been worse than expected. I'm glad our first tropical storm experience wasn't too bad. It's still getting in the way of our trips to the beach!

Bienvenidos a Miami

We're here!!!! We made it, in mostly one piece. After a LONG, rainy drive from Houston to Tallahassee, and then on to Miami, we arrived at our new home. Kyle was amazingly wonderful! The PODS container and our stuff made it. Our movers were able to get everything in and up the stairs, with the exception of the couch, and with only a few spots that need some touch-up paint! (They had to climb up on top of the POD and bring the couch in through our balcony!)

We've been running around, getting stuff for the house, getting registered to vote, getting a computer, becoming Florida citizens with our new driver's licenses, and trying to get everything you have to do when you move to a new state done. There's just a few more things on our list of errands. Now comes the long process of organizing and placing furniture and decorating. I am looking forward to it, but there's so much to get done and it's slow-going with Kyle. We are excited to be here, glad to be here safely, and ready to get settled and find out what there is to do.

Here's our front yard:

And, here's our backyard:

So, come to Miami! We'll be waiting for ya!

Brobee

If you don't know about "Yo, Gabba Gabba!" or "Party in My Tummy," you should look on youtube before continuing your reading of this post.

Today Kyle got one of the coolest gifts ever! Julia came home from a day of shopping and pulled out a toy version of Brobee, the little green one, from the only thing Kyle will watch on TV. He sings "Party in My Tummy" while having multiple "seizures." It's FUNNY! Kyle had a good time kicking him around and throwing him down the stairs. Thanks, Uncle Bando and Aunt Gummies!

Swimming and Digging

Yesterday, Kyle went swimming with Grandma. About halfway through his water adventures, they came back inside, laughing. It seems that Kyle wanted to take a break from swimming to dig around under the grill. Maybe he was looking for scraps left over from when we made hamburgers, the night before.

Whatever he found obviously didn't taste very well, judging from this reaction:

New Tricks

Kyle's recent educational advancements:

• He can find his ears and his mouth. (see above picture)
  
• He can give "high-fives"
• He claps when we cheer him on (or when the Wheel of Fortune TV audience claps.)
• He plays "pat-a-cake."
• He gives kisses.
• He's figured out how to use my cell phone to call people.
• He goes up and down stairs on his own.
• He likes to "ride a little horsey." (This is an action song Kyle learned from Aunt Julia. He will even start to bounce up and down on his own when we start singing it!)
• When we say "do the Hulk," he flexes his arms and clenches his teeth and makes a grunting sound. It's hilarious! (The picture doesn't do it justice, but I will try to get a video and post it soon.)
  

THE HULK

Two-Thirds to Go

After a few bumps in the road during the first-third of our move, we made it to Houston! On Thursday morning, our movers showed up 30 minutes early. This would have been a great thing, but the PODS guy wasn't there because we told him to come 30 minutes later since our movers didn't start until 9:00.

We lucked out with the loading company. They said we would get "four guys." In actuality we had seven: four loaders, two packers (the "tetris guys") and one boss man. They did an amazing job. My only complaint: about half-way through, they all kept telling us, "it's not gonna fit. You're gonna have to get a U-haul." I kept looking at all the stuff we still had to pack in the POD and assessing the amount of available space. The result? I started to get a little (okay, A LOT) panicked. As fate would have it, right around the same time, my vacuum quit working AND my aunt showed up for a visit. That moment was pretty chaotic and stressful, full of frustration and anxiety and thoughts of what we might be able to leave behind. I kept kicking myself for not selling more stuff at the garage sale. Stephen kept telling me to "have faith." We kept having to tell the movers to keep taking stuff down, even though it may not fit in the POD. (I think they mentally gave up on moving once they thought it wouldn't all go. They kept looking for things that they could avoid taking down, but it ALL had to go THAT DAY.) My husband is a wonderful example of remaining calm and optimisic amidst adversity. He does have great faith. And the "tetris guys" came through! They saved us from having to leave our belongings by the dumpster. They were able to pack (almost) everything into the PODS container. What didn't fit? Our elliptical, a rocking chair, a fan, one box, the vacuum cleaner, and our barbeque grill. Not too bad.

Our movers left and we got busy cleaning. Stephen made several loads out to the garbage, I finished the bathroom and the kitchen. Even though our vacuum couldn't finish the job, our friend Jae saved the day by bringing hers over. (Thanks, Jae!) We got it all done and turned in the keys to the place that has been home for the past six years. (Our apartment manager couldn't believe how clean the apartment was, and we got ALL of our deposit back!)

At Grama Sue's house, we had to UNLOAD the misfit stuff out of the truck. The elliptical was too high to fit in the driveway. Once you moved the elliptical, everything else had to move, too. We were glad to be done with the moving and packing, though. It was nice to spend one more evening with family.

We planned to get on the road the next morning, "as soon as Kyle woke up." Kyle woke up at 3:00 a.m. We tried to get him back to sleep, but by about 4:30, realized this wasn't happening. Stephen found a flashlight, pulled the truck out of the garage, and we started tying things down for the trip. We were quite a sight, or would have been if anyone was awake at that hour to see us. There we were: me, holding Kyle in one arm and a flashlight in the other, Stephen, working and sweating at 5:00 a.m. to get everything secure. We got it packed, left Midland, and closed that chapter in our life. It was pretty funny to make it all the way to Houston by 2:00 in the afternoon. We're usually pulling in after midnight! Instead of going to bed, we were able to jump right into the pool. Kyle was SUCH a good boy and slept ALL night! Mom and dad are very grateful to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

It's nice to spend time with more family before we move so far away. Kyle is having a great time being the center of attention. Here's a couple of pictures with Uncle Bando. The phrase you normally hear is "it's like taking candy from a baby." Kyle switched it up and proved that sometimes it's the baby that takes the candy!

Three Amigos

As part of our farewell to Midland, we had a "last supper" with the Hellers. It was hard to say goodbye to some of our dearest friends, especially since our boys are JUST getting to the ages when they'll play together. We will keep in touch and see you again soon! We love you.

Here's Kyle and Rex, saying "CHEESE!"

Kyle was really interested in playing with Rex and Charlie...well, mostly with their toys. (Kids always seem to be so much more excited about other kids' toys than their own.)

Before we left, Rex gave Kyle a big hug!

So long, Hellers!