Getting Settled...

Well it has been a few days now and we have most of our old house packed up/unpacked and moved into the new house. We didn't have the kiddos the first few days so we were able to bust out a lot and man are we exhausted. Moving is no simple task. The biggest priority for the move was to get the kiddos settled in their rooms and although I don't have any good 'after' pics I do have some during pics that I figured I could share with everyone.

In our first few days we have done the following:

Put together 1 bunk bed and tore it back down
Put together 2 other bunk beds and kept them up
Dragged 6 mattresses upstairs
Moved 3 dressers upstairs
Put 2 single beds together
Made 8 car trips between Napa and Suisun
Gone to sleep at 2am 5 nights in a row
Almost melted the TV
Left on 2 gas burners after our first family dinner
ATE family dinner together with ALL 8 of us
Already filled our garbage cans and gone through a garbage day
Let the kids walk to the local Bonfare
Had a kids friend over
Eaten fast food at least 7 times
Forgotten to eat for 1 whole day
Made an IKEA trip
Made 2 WalMart Trips
Made 1 Target Trip

I mean. All things considered that is a pretty hefty list! Our house of course hasn't all just magically come together but it is nice. We have a home and I am happy. I think our kids are happier than they actually thought they might be and I am glad to get to start our new life in our home with our little giant family.

So without boring you to much (or taking to much time away from work) I will leave you with some pics from the weekend...

Moving!!!

So the days of packing have finally started! I have a mix of emotions going on inside of me and I am sure that is 100% normal. I am excited and nervous and then excited again and then I find myself overthinking all things related to it, but, mostly I am excited.

Our kids. Well. I think the Luoma clan is stoked, it will be closer to their schools and make it easier for them to see their dad a bit more than they do with his ever changing schedule so that's great. Tyler is a little bummed that he no longer gets his own space but honestly I also think he is just excited to decorate a room! Yay. My kids on the otherhand. I think all are going to adjust fine but of course, my oldest is upset and frustrated at times then other times she smiles and is seemingly happy to make a home our home. Although that word "Our" doesn't roll off her tongue quite as easy.

Jared and I are not unaware of the fact that this is a huge change. That we are asking a lot of our kids to prepare and adjust to this whole new life of officially living together. We know that there will be good days and bad days. Ultimately we just know that we want to be together with them through all of it and we are hoping to make the most of it for all of our kids.

On that note. We have started packing. For real. We have two rooms (Laneya's Room and Rian/Alyssa/Aidan's room) all packed up and cleared out. Tylers room only had a dresser in it that we are taking so that is already packed up as well, but not entirely cleared out. Perhaps in an attempt to demonstrate power, Carina has yet to clear hers out. I don't blame her. In fact, although the pics are down in my room, I haven't made much forward progress either. Baby steps right? Sure!

We have everything getting ready to be turned on at our new house, electric, water/sewer, garbage and the one item that even Carina is excited about...INTERNET! We have been living with shotty DSL and everyone complains about it. Even my mom and she only uses it when she stops by to babysit. Now we will have super fast internet and hopefully it pleases everyone. We are going to have a mish mash of furniture and housewares and although I am so grateful for all the items people are handing down to us I am also excited to start to buy some of our own stuff. This is what it is to join houses together and no matter how small the purchase or the hand me down it all makes me smile.

My funniest yet most adored purchase so far has nothing to do with furniture or kitchen ware or bedrooms or anything and its simply been purchased to make me smile. I bought us Return Address labels for the house. Not that I mail out a ton but I wanted to do something I have never done before and this seemed like just the right thing. I got on Etsy and I went ahead and got them done and they are SO cute! I think it makes me look at us all for real like a whole and I want everyone who knows us well enough to get a card or cute little note in the mail to feel the same. We may not be your all American 'normal' family but these days, what is normal anyways! We embrace the crazy.

So now I unveil for the first time in public...the Crazy 8's Return Address Labels!

As we move I will keep you updated on pics and such but for now we are just gonna work on getting everything situated. Yay for new changes!

May the 4th be with you...

So we have survived another holiday here in the home of the Crazy 8. Honestly, it was quiet and chill and nothing like previous years which is both kind of sad but also exciting. New changes are good and this just paves the way for incredible traditions to begin. This year I just needed a break from the norm and that is what we got!

This year could potentially be the last year we get to celebrate the tradition of July 3rd at my parents house because next year they plan on putting it up for sale. This will for sure be an end of an era when that happens and although I know I am a big girl, I will have my own house with my own family...the traditions that will fade away will never be forgotten!

On that note.

We got to share this holiday with none of the normal people and although I was a little nostalgic it was also great to just be with my parents, our kids and each other. My dad had told me a while back that he had invited his ballet folklorico group over and I know how giant that crowd can be so I didn't really want to add to the amounts of people. Its been a while since my dad had a gathering of his own. So instead, since I had my kids and Jared was lucky enough to go in late on the 3rd we also had his kids down. We ate some grubbin' Mexican food that the dancers and their families brought and we sat around just relaxing. While of course the kids ran amuck and were hyper as can be making friends with strangers. Okay, not strangers, but you catch my drift.

The fireworks went off unusually late but as always it was great to watch from our backyard and knowing that this tradition may be coming to an end it was nice to share it with Jared and our kids. Glad he got to be a part of a tradition I hold so close to my heart.

The next day on the 4th I did something I don't normally do and I braved downtown Napa with Jared and only 2 of our kiddos, Laneya and Rian. We have in the past gone to certain business driveways or friends houses for the 4th but hey, with new people come new traditions. We were there a couple hours early so we took the kids to the bounce houses and such and then we left the chaos and the food trucks and headed to Don Perico (where we had our first date) and grubbed on some food, had some drinks and also some laughs.

Needless to say it will also probably be the last year I do downtown because man do people get rude! After we ate dinner Jared ran and grabbed the blanket and me and the kids staked out a spot on the bridge. We sat in our spot for about an hour with no one standing or getting to close to us. It was great. Then the first fireworks went off and BOOM, we had people standing in front of us left and right and if it weren't for my hand on his arm or perhaps the kids being present, I think Jared might have lost it on some folks. I mean. Seriously. What grown up stands in front of little kids after clearly SEEING they were right there. So lame. Either way the kids got to see the fireworks and so did we.

The weekend all in all was great and I am glad I got to share it with my love and the kids.

Let us not forget however that this holiday isn't just about bbq'ing, drinks and fireworks. Its about remembering those that serve our country and fight for our freedom. A huge thank you to each and every man and woman who have served time, continue to serve time or share a spouse or loved one who served time fighting for our freedoms.

A specially huge beaming smile came from me as I watched fireworks with the arm of my very own Air Force man wrapped tightly around me. I am so very proud of my USAF Man.

After the 4th Carina headed up to Reno to spend some time with her Nana while her and her hunny FINALLY tied the knot! Carina was given the honor of walking her Nana down the aisle and I am sure her Nana wouldn't have had it any other way.

The two little kids and I decided on an impromptu trip to NV as well to visit Rich and deliver his Fathers Day gift finally. He was out of town when we first put it together and so we were able to finally get it to him as he was having a 'down week' which is practically unheard of for him and Sherrie in the summers I guess! He had a rough week as he lost first, fell off a ladder trying to paint his house (don't worry...he was barely out a day when he was back up there...men!) and then later that week on the 4th he lost a person who was very near and dear to his heart. With all that going on the weekend couldn't have come at a better time to lift his spirits so me and ALL his kids and grandkids decided to come together and make a collage frame for him. We each took a pic and BOOM we had a great fathers day gift. Pinterest. I love you. By the time we left he was feeling a little better with a less heavy heart and I was proud to give him such a great present. We love you Rich!