We Made It!

On New Year's Day, we drove to the Hilton at O'Hare to spend the night so we'd be nice and close for our morning flight the next day.  Took a while for the kids to settle in that night for bed, but we all got a decent night's sleep.

January 2nd, 2013 - Moving to Calgary day!!!  First of all, happy 3rd birthday to our little girl!  Sorry it's going to be such a long day of travel and such, but you did just have 5 Christmases and 1 big birthday party, so I hope we're forgiven. 

Flight time, and Ben was a pro!  He loved everything about the plane, and certainly loved when it was time to "turn on his electronic devices".  We surprised him with "Angry Birds Space", and he was set for the next 3+ hours.  Nathalie, on the other hand, was a little less than enthused to be strapped down in a seatbelt for 3 hours.  Really, I'd say that was the hardest part for her...she just didn't want than stinkin' belt!  Thank you, Jesus, for the gracious flight attendants who were kind and patient.  And thank you, candy, for being my new best friend.  It wasn't pretty folks...there were suckers upon granola bars upon fruit snacks upon Pez dispensers that occupied this little miss as best as possible.  We did color, read, and sing a bit too.  About 20 minutes before landing, it was time to fasten that darn seat belt again, and I started praying like a mad woman on how I was going to get this accomplished.  Answered prayer...Nathalie miraculously fell asleep in my lap.  I had never been so relieved in all my life!  We made it through flight time, but the day wasn't over yet...

We landed and made our way to the customs agent.  From there, we needed to proceed to Immigration, as the visa paperwork for me and the kids needed to be processed and approved.  That took nearly an hour and felt equally as painful as moments of the flight...as we now had two very hungry and antsy kiddos.  We managed to balance all the luggage and car seats on a cart and wheel off to get the rental car.  We loaded the car seats, squeezed 2 suitcases in the trunk with a couple of carry-ons, had one more suitcase at Nathalie's feet, and another one in between the kids on the back seat.  Oh my!!

From the airport, we headed straight for the Customs Office.  The moving truck had arrived with our stuff, and we needed to sign for it that day to be able to have it delivered the following day.  Greg went inside while we waited in the car.  He thought he was in good shape when he pulled #20, and they were already on #18.  No such luck.  He waited over an hour...mind you, the kids and I are still in the cramped car.  It was not pretty.  Thank goodness for the "I'm so hungry I could eat a ....." game.  And we really were so hungry we could have eaten just about anything!!  Greg finally emerged, and we headed off to find food and unwind at our new house!

Our first meal in our new home??  Wendy's.  We didn't really care what it was; we were starving!  The kids ate for a bit, but I think they were just relieved not to be strapped into a plane or car that they started running around like crazy chickens, exploring the new house, turning on all the lights, and just glad to be free!  We unloaded a bit, just bringing one suitcase with us to the hotel that night and leaving all else behind at the house. 

We made a quick run to Safeway to get a few essential groceries for the house, then packed up and headed to the hotel around 6:30 p.m. Calgary time.  It had been a long day!  Nathalie fell asleep in the car and was completely out until morning.  Poor thing, what a crazy birthday.  Ben was happy to relax a bit with his new Angry Birds game before we all called it a night.  Looking forward to getting all of our things tomorrow and starting the process of settling into our new home and new city.  Calgary, we made it!!

Preparations

OK, so we expected November and December would go by fast, but wow, they flew!  Between Greg traveling back and forth to Calgary, a week in Moscow, birthdays, doctor visits, Thanksgiving, packing a house, shipping a car, five Christmas celebrations, and more, we were actually ready to head to Canada just to relax!  :)  Here's the shortest recap I could muster given all that we crammed into those few months...

Greg made it back from Calgary in mid-November just in time to celebrate Ben's 6th birthday!  A friend had shared box seats to the Circus, and the kids loved their first Circus adventure.  However, we're pretty sure that we'll never be able to take them back given the way they were spoiled...free hot dogs, chips, popcorn, cookies, cotton candy, and more.  Kiddo heaven!

November 18th was Ben's CARS family birthday party, and he loved it!  Lots of great presents, lots of yummy cake, and lots of sweet family time.  Thanks everyone!

Greg and I attended some cultural training for our move on Tuesday, November 20th.  We almost said, "no thanks", given that we didn't think a move to Canada would require "training".  Goodness knows we just got thrown into Amsterdam, so Calgary should be a breeze to assimilate given that we speak the same language and share a border.  However, while it is true that our cultures are similar, there are some differences that we were thankful to learn about.  Greg got a bit of business coaching as well, and our trainer did a great job of just reminding us what a move like this can be like.  We set some goals and talked about what it would look like for this adventure to be deemed a 'success'.  Overall, a really helpful and worthwhile day!

Travelled to Dad and Sherry's house on Wednesday afternoon for Dad's birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  :)  Dad turned 67 on Thanksgiving Day...happy birthday Paw Paw!  We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with Sherry's family, did some crazy Black Friday shopping (Mom would have been proud!), and celebrated Shipley Christmas #1 with Maw Maw and Paw Paw.  You see, the movers were coming on December 20th and 21st, which meant that unless these gifts from grandparents would fit in suitcases (ha!), then we would need to have early Christmas.  Nathalie even got an early birthday present too...a Minnie Mouse tricycle, which she adores!  Thank you, Dad & Sherry, for being so thoughtful and generous!

We came back from our time in Towanda, put up the Christmas tree (all other decorations were staying in their boxes this year), and Greg headed out for one last week in Calgary before the big move.  Before he flew home on December 1st, he met our new landlord to get the house keys and do a quick 'walk-through' to make sure all was well.  He took loads of pictures, but rather than show you lots of pictures of empty rooms, I'll wait and post pictures of the house once we have moved, unpacked, and settled in.  Although I'm hoping it will warm up and brighten up between now and January...look at all that snow!    

That following week was BUSY!  Dentist appointments, eye doctor appointments, hair cuts, and even a fingerprinting.  To volunteer at Ben's new school, I needed to either wait a year and then have a Canadian background check, or have myself fingerprinted in the States and bring that with as evidence that I'm on the "up & up".  (In case you're wondering, I'm clear!)  :)  We also had some fun for the kids...new beds!!  Technically, I guess Ben is the one with the old bedding, but brand new big boy bed.  Nathalie, on the other hand, got her brother's hand me down toddler bed, but brand new big girl sheets! They were both so happy, and yet Mom was a little sad at the idea that we are officially out of the "crib" stage.  But, both kids slept like babies that night, so no complaints here!

Greg flew to Moscow for Part 1 of his New Leaders Training on December 7th.  The trip went really well, and Greg is so pleased with his work group.  He had just a little bit of time in the evenings to explore, so here are a few pictures...

Hotel view and room

Red Square - created as a market square beside the Kremlin in the late 15th century.  Today, the square is used for cultural events, concerts, and other public occasions.  Last picture in this bunch is the Corner Arsenal Tower, attached to the Arsenal itself.  The Arsenal was built to store weapons and other military supplies.  Now, it is the command post of the Kremlin guard and strictly off limits to visitors.

Can you guess what this is?  It's a subway station!  So beautiful! 

Mmmmm...nothing better on a bitterly cold Russian night than a latte from CTAPRAKC.   :)

One of 7 Gothic buildings Lenin had built.

St. Basil's Cathedral - probably Moscow's most famous sight.  Was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1552 to celebrate the capture of the Mongol stronghold of Kazan.  I found it interesting that originally, all the domes were helmet shaped and painted gold.  After a fire in 1583, the domes were replaced by these ribbed and faceted onion domes, and only since 1670 have they been painted so brightly. 

Before Greg returned home on December 16th, PeePaw came to spend time with Nathalie while I went to Ben's school for his Cultural Party, celebrated by all the dual language classes in his school.  SO MUCH FUN!  Each class sang a Christmas song in Spanish, then they all sang Feliz Navidad together.  After the singing, there was an enormous amount of homemade Mexican goodies...tamales, posole, sweets, and more.  I was in heaven!  (I think Ben had an Oreo.)  Anyways, then all the kids got a swing at the pinata, and there was candy everywhere!  A really special party...

As I said, Greg arrived in Chicago from Moscow at 1 p.m. on Sunday, December 16th.  Got home from the airport, showered, then we all jumped in the car for Zabikow Christmas #1.  So many fun things...Angry Bird pj's, construction gear, Bitty Baby goodies, books, and more.  Best thing by far was time with family...glad to be celebrating with the newlyweds and watching Brooklyn enjoy the treats and wrapping paper was so fun!  Thank you, Mom & Dad Z, for hosting such a special holiday evening!

The very next day, the movers came to get the car.  It was hard watching them drive away...that car feels like my second home at times.  Good luck Wagamama!  Stay safe, and we'll see you in Calgary!

That evening, we shared with Ben and Nathalie the long standing tradition that Santa has of doing "trial runs" to prepare for Christmas Eve.  Thankfully, we had been able to reach Santa and let him know we were moving, so he was happy to oblige and swing by with our presents early.  :)  So, we celebrated our own family Christmas in the morning on December 18th...just enough time to open presents and enjoy pancakes before sending Ben off to school.  Poor kid...nothing like being hopped on new toys, syrup, and candy canes to start the school day off right.  Actually, I guess I should be saying poor Ms. de la Cruz...

And finally, the day was here!  Thursday the 20th was "packing" day.  Four nice gentlemen spent the day with us, packing all our stuff into boxes.  I was impressed...they arrived around 8 a.m. and were finished before 2 p.m.  What a crazy day!  I admit that I was feeling a little sad at the end of the day.  All this time of preparing, I hadn't had much time to think about the fact that we were not just moving TO a new home, but we were moving OUT of a home.  Our first home.  When it was just Greg, me, and Peanut.  Wow, our life has changed so much!  Job changes, birth of Benjamin David, moving to Amsterdam, moving back, saying hello to Nathalie Susan, saying goodbye to Peanut.  So much laughter and so many tears in this home.  And now, saying goodbye to 21 Washington Court so that we can say yes to the next adventure God has in store for us.  We are trusting Him in all things.  So, while it is sad to say goodbye to a place that is so special for us, it is with joy and anticipation that we move forward...

Friday was another busy day.  We got a call early in the morning that our moving truck had broken down in Wisconsin and they were working on getting another truck and crew to come load the boxes.  It was noon by the time that new truck and crew were able to come, but we were so thankful that we were going to be able to move out today after all.  While Greg supervised the moving, I joined Ben for his last day of school at Hanover Countryside Elementary and to help with his holiday party.  What fun!  I will miss all the wonderful moms and sweet kiddos in Ben's class!  And, we will miss Ms. de la Cruz.  What a fantastic teacher! 

Ben and I got home from school, and the movers were just about finished.  We said "so long" to our stuff and watched them drive away.  Then, it was time for us to drive away to Towanda for Shipley Christmas #2.

For Christmas, all of Dad and Sherry's kids had decided a family photo was in order now that we've got some new babies in the clan.  So, on Saturday, December 22nd, we got all dressed up, took some pictures (with little help from Nathalie!), and enjoyed some pizza back at Dad and Sherry's house.  We loved spending time with everyone and getting to meet baby Tinley for the first time!  What a cutie pie! 

On Sunday, we had a delicious meal and then spent the rest of the afternoon opening gifts and relaxing together.  Nathalie loved that she got pj's that were just like Kara's.  :)  And, we loved getting more time with the babies... 

Since we were "homeless" for the next few weeks, GreeMa & PeePaw agreed to take us in.  :)  We went to Willow for Christmas Eve, and my friend, Betsy, joined us.  The kids were troopers given it was late in the day and we'd been on the road and on the run for about a week.  But, we couldn't miss this chance to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with those we love.

GreeMa & PeePaw had saved a few more goodies for the kids and each other for Christmas morning.  We had a really terrific day together...just eating, laughing, and relaxing after the madness that was November and December.

We had one more visit to 21 Washington Court to say goodbye and give her a deep cleaning.  The Zabikow boys had ripped up the old carpet...it was fun to find the first owners' signature on the steps.  A huge thank you to Mom & Dad Z for helping...best cleaning crew ever!

We spent the week doing some last minute errands and visiting a few friends to say goodbye.  On December 29th, we had an early 3rd birthday party for Nathalie.  This was also a chance for us to say goodbye to family before flying to Calgary on January 2nd.  Nathalie loved being with family, eating her Minnie Mouse cake, playing balloons with Brooklyn, and her new Cinderella dress.  Hard to believe she's already 3!

That about wraps things up as we prepared for the big move to Calgary.  Not sure I would make plans to move during the holiday season again if we can help it, but I think we made it - with loads of help and support from family and friends!  Whew!  We love you, we'll miss you. 

Calgary...ready or not, here we come!