Countdown to the move - Day 15

Only 14 days left until we move. Our closing meeting was scheduled today (we got the morning slot we were hoping for!) so it's feeling more real and very close. Eeks. Need to get back to packing like a crazy woman.

The painting continues here at home, so we relocated to Mima and Papa's house again today. We made breakfast, played in the basement, and I nursed a strong cup of Christmas Blend all morning, wondering when it would kick in.

Maddie got in a little carpet inspection. I love that little index finger that she rakes across the fibers ever so carefully until she traps whatever minuscule scrap she had her eye on. Such patience and precision.

Showing off her mid-crawl arabesque.

We were hanging out in the upstairs hall while Ellie settled in for a nap. She had a hard time getting comfortable - we're trying out the big girl bed (on the floor).

I laid with her and that was enough for her to drift off. Sweet girl.

The girls napped, and we all had lunch together when they woke up. By then it was really snowing and I decided to get the kids back to Wheaton before the roads got too bad.

It wasn't quite 4pm when we got to Wheaton so we stopped by to see Miss Kate at her store. We were the only ones there so we enjoyed catching up with her and passing the late afternoon. She is so sweet and gave the kids juice boxes, and since she reads the blog - Hi Kate!

She really is the best.

This girl and her hats...

"Whatcha doin', Elle?"

"I'm lookin' at the letters, Mommy." - how she explains trying to read.

We got home before the painter was done for the day, so we tried to stay out of his way. Everything was wet, and the kids needed dinner. So I grabbed the simplest meal that I could find in the kitchen while the kids played in the living room, and when I went to gather them up I found Ellie with a pair of Robbie's (clean) underpants from the laundry on over her jeans, just walking around like it was no big deal. I didn't even notice at first.

I decided that dinner would be a picnic... in the bathtub. You know, because we haven't had a meal there yet this week! It seemed easier than eating on the carpet somewhere, cleaning up the inevitable mess that would stress me out, and then bathing them.

So, 2 birds, one stone. They loved it.

Just as I was getting their pj's on, Maddie woke up from her late nap. I put the older 2 to bed early (6pm!) because they were both exhausted. Robbie fell asleep in minutes, Ellie needed a little more assistance but was asleep soon after.

Maddie seemed hungry so I fed her a tub of baby food - Chicken and Vegetables - on our bed.

I have yet to capture this hysterical face she makes all the time now, but this is the closest I've come so far:

It's like an "EEEKKK!" face - she shows her lower gums and tenses all her facial and neck muscles, and makes fists while her whole body trembles. She does it on command or when she's excited, and I just love it.

We hung out after her dinner and I put her back down, but she fussed and got a little worked up, so I got her back out of her crib and gave her half of a bottle.

Usually she's the first one down for the night, so it was nice to have a little extra time with my baby this evening. Rob was working late, and she was so thoughtful to keep me company!

So many sweet little moments throughout the day that I'm thankful for.