Another move

Packing up a house and moving is stressful, exhausting and basically the worst thing ever. 

And YET here Brooks and I go moving to our 13th house since we've been married.

There are only THREE pluses of moving:

1) getting rid of and throwing away TONS of stuff

2) Boxes are fun

 and 3) apparently moving trucks are fun too.

Brooks, Camden and Emerson drove the moving truck out to South Carolina to close on the house, unload and then come BACK for another load and all the rest of us. BUT when you have this many people you don't fit in the usual drive-yourself moving truck and it was cheaper this way (albeit ridiculous)

Getting OUT of our Arkansas home and trying to clean it spotless while 8 kids lived there was a nightmare that I shouldn't even document because then it is forever seared in my brain. Then again it's probably always lingering there anyway in my nightmares.

When we DID finally load up to get in the van I felt a HUGE relief. I had all the 6 quietest kids with me in the van. Just kidding, I had all the girls.

We stopped in Birmingham, AL to spend the night and then pressed onto our new place the next morning.

Look how pretty this rest area is in South Carolina!!!!! #wetravelinswimsuits

Brooks and I didn't tell the kids anything about our house we got. In fact if ANYTHING Brooks talked it REALLY down. Let's just say he basically had Iris thinking all the kids were going to be sharing two rooms and our home was one story and the size of a semi-truck.

When I pulled into our long driveway Iris was literally screaming. Screaming "IT'S A MANSION!" (It's not! But compared to what she was expecting I guess it would appear that way.)

Iris drew a picture of it right after we got there.

 We had a scheduling issue and the carpet people/painters weren't done yet, so the home looked like this when we walked in.

Yet everyone still unloaded everything so we could take the truck back.

We decided to go spend the night in a hotel the first night and enjoy one more restful sleep before the unpacking craziness begins.

And while the van's wheel came off while I was driving back from church (and needed to be towed and couldn't use it forever) and Aleeya falling through the ceiling in the attic,

I STILL will NOT complain! (Well, I did murmur at our lack of mailbox and no wifi possibilities for a few seconds.......)

THIS VIEW overlooking the front of our house brings me SO much peace!

 I don't think I will ever tire of it.

 AND the kids are thrilled to be here (except Aleeya who sometimes cries for Arkansas)

These two!!!!!!

 THERE!!!! The mat is in place. We've officially moved here.