Fun Times around the Fourth

Back again!

Sorry it has taken me a bit, but I'm working on a little surprise for you (and me). :)

Anyway, just wanted to check in for a minute and post another little random catch-up post for you. This one will have some random cute pics of my kiddos and also some pics from some of what we did in the early afternoon of July 4th.

So, off we go!

Who doesn't love a sleeping baby?!

Bathtime with Big Brother & cousins

My boy! Sitting by his mama at a family & friends July 4th pickin' & swimmin' annual event. Love him!

Two adventurers sharing a Coke together just a few weeks before one of the biggest adventures of our life!

Baby Girl (on the left) with my mom's lifelong best friend's granddaughter. They are about a month apart in age if I remember correctly. The other little girl is older than my little girl. My Baby Girl was just getting on her knees, but not yet crawling. The other little girl was crawling and cruising everywhere.

They had such fun together! 

Baby chat. While my daughter is doing a plank. Wish I had her core strength!

My mom (a.k.a. Marmie, from Little Women) on the left with my Baby Girl. Her best friend since childhood on the right with her granddaughter. :)

Even though I was home during the evening 4th festivities that my son and my in-laws went to, they sent me a pic of him playing with a sparkler. They had fun. I was home removing my stitches while Baby Girl slept. It was actually a pretty peaceful, quiet evening...once the stitches were out.

I think that's a good little update for this post. More to come...

***UPDATE!!!*** I forgot while reviewing my Dropbox pics that Baby Girl and I also did something fun together on the 4th before coming home and settling in for the evening. We met up with some of my FIFTH GRADE classmates and one of our teachers for a mini-ELEMENTARY reunion! What unexpected fun! A couple of us even got together one more time before we moved overseas and I even brought my son along that time. So, anyway, here are a couple of pics from that reunion on the 4th.

Can you guess which one was one of our teachers?! Didn't think so! ;) Hint...she's wearing black...and white...oh, okay, she's the pretty one. Oh, okay, well none of that sets her apart for you...she's the shortest one in the pic (other than the babies). You would have never guessed... 

Until next time...

From the South to the North

Though we had been on the South Louisiana to North Louisiana road trip countless times before, this time was quite different. This time was our mini-move in preparation for our BIG move. As I mentioned before, we left South Louisiana prior to moving overseas so that we could hang out in North Louisiana with family and friends for a couple of months. 

I wish I had gotten more pictures of this road trip...but I didn't. So, I'll share what I did get and describe a tiny bit of what I didn't. 

After working feverishly on packing up and moving out of our rent house until literally the wee hours of the morning...and sustaining a few injuries I forgot about until now...

I had a pretty mean fall coming down the short stairs on the side of our house carrying one of the many heavy boxes to my car in the wee hours of the morning. (The ground was slippery, because of course it rained while I was trying to pack my car.) This pic I took reminded me of it. I think I may have stopped and cried for a minute when this happened. Kind of the straw that broke the camel's back...almost literally! But I kept going...and going...and going. Couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. Little Mama had to get the job done. BTW, this is the back side of my right forearm where I think I hit/scraped really hard on the stair railing. Left a pretty nasty bruise with a little bit of broken skin. All better now!

...we spent a few hours sleeping in a local hotel then swimming in their pool. As you can imagine, that was some much-needed rest, relaxation, and fun after our long night and before our long (>5 hour) drive north. Of course, just as we got in the pool to swim, it started to rain! It was just a heavy shower, no lightning or thunder, so we stuck through it. No stopping us from having fun!

After our R&R, we finally got on the road headed north. 

Reminder of how we were traveling:

2 vehicles (a mid-size SUV and a minivan) packed to the hilt with our things

2 children (a 9-year-old and a 6-month-old) packed into the minivan with my sweet mother

2 adults (one driving each vehicle)

Prior to pulling out of town, we got a small to-go brunch for us at a drive-thru. About an hour into our drive, we stopped in Baton Rouge at a Picadilly and had a real lunch together. It was a nice, enjoyable, bonding and refueling time for all of us. A nice man that worked there specially cooked some fried shrimp for my son since they didn't have any on the buffet line. Our waitress was extremely nice and caring. She also shared with us a situation she got a phone call about while waiting on us in which a young child she knew was being put in the hospital with a very bad sudden illness. She asked us to pray for him. We did. My son was very concerned for the child and was so glad to be able to pray for him.

Anyway, that little stop was really the only time I got pics of our trip. We thought it was cute that Baby Girl tried some of her first solid food (other than a little baby food) while we were there. She had some yummy carrot souffle and LOVED it! :) 

Mmm!!!

Big Brother wanted pictures taken of him eating, too! :)

That's a piece of his shrimp hanging out of his mouth. Silly boy!

 Once we finally arrived at our destination (around midnight, if I remember correctly), we crashed into our comfy beds at my parents-in-law's house. Those same beds in that same room would become our temporary little home for the next three months. 

The next morning I took a few pics of how my car looked prior to doing the final unpacking of it. Remember, this is just my car. My mom's had just as much in it! Whew!

Those big, colorful duffel bags are the ones we used to actually move overseas as well. We ended up buying one more and buying a large, hard-case suitcase as well in order to do our final move.

And here is our little "mini-apartment" (a.k.a. guest room) in my in-laws' house that became the cozy home to the three of us for the next three months.

2 full-size beds, a night-stand and baby pack-n-play in between.

Somebody wanted to be part of the pics! 

The pack-n-play complete with the diaper-changing station set-up.

Rocking chair (and cute kiddo) amid all of our bags and such. Oh, and the beautiful armoire. It is full of my mother-in-law's things, so our bags were our storage. I intended to go through all of our stuff so much sooner than the last few days before our big move. It didn't happen...until the last few days...of course. Oh well. We survived.

A better pic of the rocking chair corner

The view from the rocking chair side of the room. I do love that restful, cozy room. It's a beautiful room. And that boy, oh, that boy! I do love him, too. The fingers in pictures thing is cracking me up!

And this is that beautiful room once my little family vacated it. Told you it is a peaceful, cozy place. :)

Okay, so that's all I've got for this post. Hope you enjoy!

Until next time...

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs

This will be a brief post but just wanted to share a few signs that always interested me in our former hometown area of South Louisiana.

We came to know and love St. Tammany Parish throughout the last several years we spent in the area. That being said, it's no wonder that there are actually streets named after us down there!

Really! See?!

The Intersection of Pellegrin and Heard

My maiden name...

Our family name

 I challenge our St. Tammany friends to find the 2 above streets.

Now the next one should be pretty easy for those folks to locate. I still always liked how the spelling included our name. :)

Theard Street (I assume pronounced "3rd")

Come on, St. Tammany...you know where this is!

Yep, you see the water tower?! You gotta know now!

Now switching gears a little, but not much...I just had to get a pic of this. 

May not look like much to you, but this was special to me. We lived in our last neighborhood for almost 4 years. The longest we have lived in any neighborhood or home since we were married 11 years ago. When we first moved into this neighborhood, a business occupied the building and lot directly across the small highway from the entrance to our neighborhood. Not long after we moved in, that business closed and took their signs down. They, however, left the metal sign pole which is cemented in the ground. One other business has been there since then, but it closed down a year or two after it opened. 

Still the sign pole remained. 

And every time I drove into and out of my neighborhood, I couldn't help but look at that sign pole and see a cross. Such a wonderful reminder of God's love and provision and faithfulness for me throughout the ups and downs of my daily life. I think I will miss that cross. Glad I got a pic. ;)

And one last pic. 

No that's not our Uhaul. But it IS at our storage facility. You might not think much of seeing a Louisiana-themed Uhaul in Louisiana, but really I usually see ones themed with other states. I guess it was a nice little goodbye as I pulled away from the storage facility that day. 

That's it for this post. Sorry if it was a bit boring. Just really wanted to share these pics and thought it would be a quick one to put together for you.

I thought wrong. 

You can't even imagine how long this post took me to put together. 

Literally all day!

That's the life of a mom & wife. 

Type a little, clean a lot, type some more, feed a lot more, type a little more, try to get the baby to sleep (for the 3rd fighting, unsuccessful attempt), finally give up and finish the post via my cell phone. #thestruggleisreal #thankfulforphoneapps 

Until next time...

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Yes, I know you are dying to see and hear (read) all about our life in Doha, Qatar. And I am dying to share it! (Trust me...I have TONS of pics waiting for you!)

BUT, I truly do need to finish sharing our summer recap (for myself as much as for family and friends who need/want to see pics of what all we did). So, without further adieu...now, where did we leave off?

Oh yeah...

More Wrapping Up Our Time on the Louisiana Northshore 

(in Southeast Louisiana...our home-away-from-home for several years)

Packing the house we have lived in for over 3 years! Longest we have ever lived in a place and had to pack it up to move. Never an easy task. I say it's like having a baby...you forget how excruciating the moving process is and embrace the joys of new places, new people, and new expeditions.

I cannot move on from the above pic without telling you how unbelievably selfless, helpful, loving, and amazing my mother is! Y'all...she did probably the majority of the packing of my house while I was away at work every day. She did this WHILE she was caring for my less than 6-month-old baby AND helping me get my 9-year-old son to and from school.

She is an angel! 

I wish I could repay her even slightly in comparison to what all she has given me and others in her life.

Baby Girl hanging out with Mommy after work one of the last days of my work before moving.

The things you come across and ponder while packing to move... Our son made this in preschool in New Orleans (actually River Ridge) the first time we moved from South Louisiana to Shreveport (North Louisiana). Doing it again...this time only temporarily before moving across the globe.

Found this. Just had to share some pics from it. :) This was from the year between Kindergarten and First, which in St. Tammany Parish Louisiana School System is called Transitional First Grade. Anyway, it's adorable! ;)

What?!

Not sure who the HUGE one is...

Still his fave...

Baby Girl sleeping in her makeshift floor pallet/play area in one of the empty rooms while we continue packing.

Just too cute...

Really. Does it get any cuter?!

Our bunny friend in our front yard telling us bye.

And a beetle friend even came to tell us bye.

Our 10x15 storage room in South Louisiana after our main (and first BIG) load went in. This was done with MAJOR help from some wonderful friends of mine - The Romage Family! Major props to them!!! They were a BIG answer to prayer! One of the many in this moving process. Thank you so much for your help! I miss y'all sooo much!

Believe it or not, after that load above we still had a TON to do at the house--both in packing and cleaning. By the way, I gave away and threw away a TON of stuff! Sold a couple of things, too. I know it doesn't look like it, but we probably would have needed 2 of these if I had kept everything. No joke!

Now for another HUGE thank you and answer to prayer. 

Picture this. 

It's nearly midnight on the last night we have the house. My mom, myself, and my children are supposed to be driving away in just a few hours (in two STUFFED vehicles that aren't even nearly packed yet) headed for North Louisiana. Instead of being ready to plop in the bed and get some rest at the hotel in town I booked at the last minute (when I realized we would still be in town through the night), I am looking around at the piles of things that are still yet to be taken to "the giveaway place" (a.k.a. Habitat ReStore), taken down to the curb as trash, packed into the last few things to take to storage, packed into the car after we get back from the giveaway place and separately the storage facility, then cleaned (with hopes of getting back our deposit for this multi-year rental).

At this point I am completely at a loss. 

Completely overwhelmed. Can't throw in the towel, but want to. Can't imagine how I (and my mom and young children) are going to get this done and get through this. So, I just keep working. Crying a little, but working. Can't stop. Won't stop. Nose to the grindstone. One foot in front of the other. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

All the while, I am praying...and praying...and praying.

Then, a bit freakily, in the middle of the pitch-black night, my son starts yelling to me from the front of the house that somebody is coming up our driveway...our long driveway surrounded by trees. SCARY! I come up front and look outside only to realize that this is a young teenage boy that we know from church. (My husband also used to train him for football before my husband moved overseas.) The young man and his friend were coming by in his friend's pick-up truck to take the lawnmower and a few other outdoor things we told him he could have. (He used to mow our yard, also.) I had been wondering if he forgot all day. He didn't forget. God planned for him to come now. The young man probably didn't expect us to still be in town, much less there at the house. But we were. 

Who knew?! God knew.

So, thanks to my mom's wonderful quick thinking since my brain was far past fried, I offered them a little money if they would help us load up the stuff for the giveaway place and take it there then more money if they would also after that help us load up the rest of the stuff for storage and take it there.

Not only did they kindly oblige, they even brought back one of my young friend's younger brothers to help. This is all now past midnight at the point that they came back from dropping off their load at their house so they could help us. Let me just say that the next hour or two that they helped us, I kept thinking how amazing this answer to prayer was. I still do. I made a point to use this as a major teaching moment for our son about the power of prayer and God's love for us in all things at all times. I also made sure he saw what kind servants these boys were being, not complaining for a minute. He was helping right along side them as well. I was very proud! And very thankful for these wonderful real-life role models for him. 

Another awesome answer to prayer was that, once again, eveything that still needed to go in storage did fit! And the friend that my young friend brought along had quite the Tetris-like brain for putting the last of our things in the storage unit. He took charge and we were done in no time. Here are the final pictures to prove it. :) Whew! 

Thank you boys!!! (and your parents!!!) 

And thank you and praise you, LORD!!! 

Yes, there IS a God!

And yes, He does love us in BIG and small ways...in ALL ways!

Now, even after all of that help, which finished around 2am, I still had to load my car for our move to Shreveport and ultimately Qatar (with a pile that didn't look like it could possibly fit) AND I had to do the final full-house cleaning. All while Mom did her best to keep Baby Girl happy. (Except when I had to stop to nurse her, of course. Oh yes. That too.) By the way, Mom had already loaded her own car all by herself while I was working in the house. 

She is amazing! 

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I did not plan to take 2 car loads of stuff to Qatar...EVER! BUT, I had no mental capacity to make the final adjustments there in that house that night when I knew I still had at least 3 months before the actual flight out. Also, I did need to bring some things to use in Shreveport while we were there that I would ultimately give away, throw away, or maybe somehow store somewhere (but as little as possible for that one).

Our short mailbox that was a victim of mailbox tipping right after we moved in that house.

All that said, we pulled away from that house for the last time at 5:30 AM and headed to that local hotel I mentioned earlier!!! Thankfully I am a Rewards Member at the hotel chain we stayed in so I got a discount as well as a late checkout. After we got some good, quick sleep we even got to swim in the swimming pool before we pulled out of town. That was definitely a much-needed time of relaxation and fun together. Another answer to prayer!

Are you tired with me now? Whew! It stresses me just to think back on this, but it also encourages me to remember the goodness of the LORD as has been so often shown to us in real life through precious family and friends! 

How about you?

One last cute baby pic of her sporting her New Orleans Pelicans onesie. :) You better believe that is here with us in Qatar!

So again, there you have it! Until next time...