Back to School, Birthdays, etc., etc., etc.

These past two weeks have been a blur!  I think the last time I had posted, we had just completed the garage sale and were on schedule for the September 1 listing of our house.  I was a wreck trying to figure out where the three of us would live, when the house DID sell.  Awhile back, I signed up for emails when a property fitting my specifications came up, and last Saturday morning, (the 16th) I got a notification that sounded perfect.  By 11:00, (with the help of Carrie's friend and Realtor, Stephanie, we had not only looked, but made an offer on a townhouse!  Short version, we have 60 days to sell our house....Yikes!
Since that day, we have made some pretty

big strides in getting things done.  It was recommended that we "spruce up" the yard, so Brad has been busy weeding and spreading mulch (along with the help of Spencer and Curt) to give it some "curbside appeal".  It will go (sadly) on the market Monday, and then a new phase of stress will begin.  I mentioned to Stephanie that Gramma doesn't close doors (bathroom or bedroom) and because she doesn't hear, I am somewhat concerned about perspective buyers catching her "in the act", if you know what I mean.  And, I've told Brad that he will most likely have to give up his afternoon naps.  I got a look of bewilderment about that!
School finally began for all 6 kids with, if you can believe it, 6 different start dates.  Rory started Aug. 13, Sophie on the 14th, Emma on the 18th, Elijah the 19th, Gabi the 20th and Corbin the 21st!

 No wonder I couldn't keep the dates straight!
Everyone is liking their new year so far with Rory and Emma starting high school (freshmen), Elijah starting middle school (6th grade) Sophie in 3rd, Gabi in 2nd and Corbin in all day kindergarten.  Grayson is the only remaining preschooler!
We've celebrated 3 birthdays since my last post: Brad's on the 8th, Amie's on the 22nd (along with Spencer and Carrie's 10th anniversary) and Carrie's on the 25th.  I think Amie wins for best celebration this year as she ran the Hood to Coast Relay over this past weekend, and then was joined by Curt, Heather and Matt to have a few days vacation in the Portland area.

This week also marked the beginning of Gabi's ballet class.  They came by for dinner before class, and Corbin had to try on her ballet shoes. Pretty sure his Dad would've choked on that one!
She had to show off her flexibility....and Rory, Sophie and Grayson also stopped by.

 

Yesterday, we celebrated Carrie's birthday (they had a family day at the pool) by bringing "Roma's" carolis and pizza to their house.  Meredith baked peanut butter filled chocolate cupcakes (yummy) and brought ice cream.  We played Mexican Train Dominoes while the kids took an excursion to the park.

Corbin suffered a boo-boo when he misjudged the height on the monkey bars and tried to ride underneath them.

Corbin working on a selfie

 So here's a little" Gramma-ism" for you today.  Saturday, Meredith took her to her "shampoo-set" appointment and Gramma revealed her worry about the move was that it was going to be too far from her hairdresser (it WILL be and extra mile or so!).  Ahh....the concerns of the elderly.....I overheard her yesterday talking to someone on the phone and she says, "Well, why don't we just cancel that.  We're pretty busy around here.  You know we are moving."  Not sure what part of the WE she is involved in!

 I just want to thank my amazing family for all of the help and support we've received getting ready for this move.  We honestly couldn't have done it without you!  I am so grateful.