Field Full of Daffodils

We headed up to the Wye Mountain daffodil field again this year.  More daffodils were in bloom than last year and it was a beautiful, warm afternoon.  We picnicked there and the girls ran around exploring the whole field.  They liked dressing up in their spring dresses and Easter hats.

 

Cross Country Dog Travel

The original plan was to fly Anna, our 70lb pointer, to CA with us.  Buy her a kennel, put her on the plane as checked luggage and pick her up from the cargo area when we arrived.  It sounded simple.  But after looking into it a bit, that plan hit a few snags.   First, the small commuter plane to Dallas doesn't allow kennels in Anna's size.  Second, American Airlines won't fly animals in cargo when the forecasted temperature is above 85 degrees, which probably wouldn't work in southern CA at the end of April.  Third, besides being incredibly stressful to a pet, about one animal dies while flying every week across all the airlines.

So what to do with the dog?  We couldn't leave her here until June to drive back with my husband because of his work schedule and because he'll be using the space in the car to move other things.  So I searched online and found companies that drive animals cross country, which sounded really expensive even before I got a quote for $2,600.  Yikes!  I also put shipping her up for auction on the Ebay site Uship, where companies bid to ship a variety of things for you.

Before the day was out, I had a reasonable bid from a guy at Purrfect Pet Delivery Service, who would pick Anna up in two weeks and drop her off at my Mom's house about 3 days later.  All his reviews are good and after talking to him, he seems like a guy who really loves animals and his job.   He'll take her in his personal car (along with 1-2 other dogs he'll pick up along the way), walk her at rest stops, and sleep in the car with her too.  If all goes well, it should be a pleasant trip for her: safer, with more personal service and ultimately cheaper than flying her would have been. 

Preparing to Move

I took a hiatus from blogging toward the end of the pregnancy and in the first two months of Baby M's life.  Hopefully I'm back, even if it is only in short, sporadic posts.  Currently all three of my adorable girls are sleeping and I am able to try to post something again.  I have started two drafts over the last two months and neither of them made it past the first paragraph so we'll see how this one goes.

 

Yesterday we had a yard sale and our first showing to sell the house.  We are now without all except the most necessary furniture.  Both the living room and play room are bare.  The kitchen is more roomy where the smaller of our tables used to be and I now get to sit on the floor while reading the girls to bed instead of in the rocking chair.   We still have beds to sleep in and a table to eat at.  And it will mean less work for us when we move in month and a half.

 

It has been really freeing to organize and get rid of so many things.  The house feels so much larger and tidier.  The previous mass of toys in the play room is now confined to one bin.  My craft stash that had been taking over my walk-in closet is now either packed away or donated.  I also put everything away as soon as I can after we use it, so the house is tidy in case we need to show it.  It feels good to have a clean, organized home.  I wish I could keep it up when we move to a new house, but I suspect I will have a remission into chaos when the constant fear of a showing is not driving me. 

 

The girls are dealing with the changes pretty well.  They are a little more fussy and clingy sometimes but that is understandable considering the adjustments they've already had to make with the new baby and now the move.  They know we are moving to California. We talk about it and have a count down going so it won't catch them by surprise.  I think that our previous visits and the presence of our family there is a huge help in making it a positive experience for them.  Plus they have each other which has really made the transition with their new baby sister go much better and will probably help with the move as well.