Adventures in WA

Well, we made it to Ephrata. We are pretty much all moved in and unpacked. We got here last Sat. and got the truck unloaded thanks to Chris's family and some friendly passerbys. My parents and the kids got here on Sunday night then Chris and my dad and nephew left to head back to Vegas on Monday morning. My mom has been here for the last week helping me unpack and get everyone settled, thank goodness. I think we would have been a wreck without her. The boys have their own rooms which they are very happy about. Poor Cade doesn't have any furniture yet, it should be delivered next week. But he was determined to stay in his own room so he is currently on a mattress on the floor and living out of rubbermaids. Youth sports are huge here. Cade is going to be playing tackle football and had camp all last week. His season will start next week. I was a little nervous about him playing but he is very excited about it. It took him a few days to get used to the pads and helmet. Carter is playing soccer and has his first game this Saturday. He loves his team and has a great coach. Both boys start school on Thursday. They will be at separate schools since elementary school here is K-4th. 5th and 6th grades have their own school. Carter has already met a few kids from church and soccer that will be at his school so he is excited. Cade was happy to discover most of the boys his age at church will be playing football with him and his Sunday school teacher is one of the coaches. They get to take the bus to school and we think it will pick them up right out in front of our house. They have never been on a real school bus before so they think that is going to be really cool. (Dawson used to charter tour buses for field trips.) We had to go shopping for school clothes and supplies which is something we have never had to do before being in private school. Cami starts preschool after labor day. Currently she isn't signed up for any sports or activities. I tried to get her to do soccer or gymnastics but she only wants to do bowling. I think she's out of luck here.
The kids are loving being about to play outside and have so much room to roam. They can ride their bikes up and down the street and don't have to worry about cars, there really is no traffic. Cami is still amazed every time we drive down the street and see the neighbors horses.
Small town life has taken some getting used to. We had to wait a week to get our satellite tv hooked up and 9 days to get Internet and phone service. But people are very friendly here. No body is in any kind of a hurry to do anything. I am sad to say I have become a frequent Walmart shopper, going almost everyday to something we need for the house. Walmart and a Safeway grocery store are the only stores here for about 17 miles. I am however very proud to say I haven't gotten lost yet. We will see if my luck continues. Tomorrow we are venturing to Wenatchee, about 40 minutes away where Costco, Target, Old Navy, and some other bigger stores are to get some last minute school things. Pretty much everything here closes by 9pm and is closed on Sundays.
Last week was the county fair. Chris's family was all going, some of the cousins had entered animals so my mom and I took the kids. We went on the hottest day of the week and about melted. I think we showed our true "city-ness." When we first got there we walked by some cows who were laying in pens. Cami asked what those big black things were. Grandma Cox got quite a kick out of that. We went and checked out some of the animals, with Cami dry heaving in the goat barn. (She thought everything was so stinky and walked around with her nose plugged.) Then the kids rode all the carnival rides with their cousins. They had a great time, despite the heat. There was one ride that was a big dome that spun around really fast. I think it was called Space Orbiter. Apparently Carter went on it with Cade and their cousin Austin and freaked out so bad that they had to stop the ride and let him off. Well, that turned out to be Cami's favorite ride. She rode it over and over again. I guess you stand up inside the dome and it spins so fast it pins you against the wall. She is quite the little dare devil.
Chris is still in Vegas waiting for his WA state license to come. The kids all really miss him. Cade was mortified that I didn't know how to put all his football gear on him and had to ask one of the coaches where the straps went. Cami found a framed picture of her as a baby and Chris and carries it all over the house with her. She has adopted Chris's blanket and pillow and sleeps with them every night. I don't think he will be getting those back. I am definitely not loving the single parent life at all. Dads just do some things better. Hopefully he gets his license soon and we all live through this. The kids are loving living by their cousins and have gotten to play several times so far. They are excited to start school and make some new friends.

Cami and cousins at the fair

A Zonkey - part donkey part zebra

Cami with her trusty picture of her daddy