Behind on picture updates

So I know I'm pretty behind on pictures, so I'll be selective on what I put up from the last two months.
I spent an hour of the kids' naptime shoveling snow, so Josh doesn't have to spend too much time doing it tomorrow.  He's been gone all week and I'd rather spend the weekend with him than watching him shovel.  I didn't get done.  This pregnant body couldn't handle much more than an hour and I was to the hard stuff from the plow at the end of the driveway.  It shouldn't take him too long to finish though.
Anyway....
Here are some pictures of the last two weeks before we moved.  Most of the toys and all nonessentials were already packed, so we had to be creative with our time.

Jeremiah just after getting dressed in the morning

Lu playing with Play Dough

Lu Lu and Jerry playing at the table

Josh and Johnny playing football in the house

Josh studying for the PE

Josh finished work at the DOT a week before the PE, so he could have time to study and help us finish packing.  I think he did more studying and less packing until he actually took the test that Friday.  He got tired of clearing his study books off the table for every meal, so he eventually set up a card table in the dining room and studied there.  I have fond memories of this week when Josh was home with us.  His preparing for the PE was stressful for all of us, but it was very reassuring to have him home right before the big move.

Johnny and Lu Lu read this library book and decided to do everything that the little girl (named Lu Lu) in the book did.  Here was the tower that they built like the one in the book

Being creative with few toys to play with...Making a huge fort

Like I said before, most of the toys were packed up.  The last month or so before the move was interesting to keep the kids busy.  This was one of the ways we did it.

Daddy hung John's teddy bear on a nail.  We didn't think he'd crawl up there to get it.

Josh's new study table

Josh took the PE on Friday October 25th.  We spent that Saturday packing up everything else in the house.  On Sunday we got the U-haul and loaded it up.  Monday we closed on the house in New Salem and spent a homeless night at Jake and Ruth's house.  Tuesday we closed on the house in Valley City and moved in.  We spent the rest of that week unpacking before Josh started at KLJ the following Monday.

packing up the dining room table

This is the dining room with all of the furniture from the kids' rooms in it.

Johnny and Lu spent two nights in their old room without beds

Once we got everything out of the basement on Sunday morning, Josh vacuumed and cleaned down there.  While he was doing that, John and Lu occupied their time jumping on a mattress.

Lu Lu

Johnny

Johnny and Lu Lu

Here is the pile of boxes, etc that Josh brought up from the basement all ready to be packed into the Uhaul.

Me and Jerry finishing up lunch on Sunday

Jerry with a mouthful

Jerry's first time on Mater

While Josh went to get the U-haul, John and Lu took a nap.  Jerry and I had nothing to do in the house since everything was packed, so we spent some time out in the cold windy sunny day.

The packing begins.

Roger, Sue and Josiah came to help us move.  Jared and Stacie also came to help us get packed up.  Jake and Ruth and Mom and Dad helped us with the unpacking at Valley City.  THANK YOU to everyone who helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The packing was stressful.  We also had some issues come up with our buyer during the whole process so that didn't help.  The Uhaul and everyone's vehicles were packed to the absolute maximum.  Even Jared and Stacie had to take a few things home with them that we didn't have room for.  The only thing we left was the dog house.  By the time we finished it was very dark and we were all very hungry.

Watching the Sunday Night Vikings game in an empty house.  The TV was on the floor and we didn't even have any chairs to sit on.

Watching the big boys come back from duck hunting

Josh, Jake, and Cy went duck hunting Monday evening.  Here Addy, Lu Lu, Susanna, Roger, and Johnny are watching them pull into the driveway.  I don't think they shot any, but had a good time anyway.  It was a nice relief for Josh after a HUGE weekend.

Unloading the Uhaul

We got the biggest Uhaul truck and it was still packed to the absolute maximum.  We had already taken many loads to Mom and Dad's and Jake and Ruth's.  In fact we had taken a last minute load to Jake and Ruth's just the weekend before.  We were very grateful that we did.  Since that would have been a truckload of things that couldn't have come.  We're still working on getting all of our stuff from Mom and Dad's and Jake a Ruth's houses.

Roger, John and Cy

Unloading was a lot less stressful than the packing!

What is this and where does it go?

I was in the house the whole time making phone calls and getting things set up like the electricity, water, and Internet.  I didn't realize these guys were having so much fun unloading.

Playing football in the new house.

In this last picture everything is still packed.  I still have some boxes to go through in the basement and am still looking for somethings that I know I didn't throw away.  I suppose I'll get to them eventually.  Some day I'll have to take some pictures of the house now that we're all set up.  Maybe after we get our Christmas trees set up.  But I suppose I need to get caught up posting the rest of the pictures I already have.:)