Moving Metcalfs

This past weekend, Brad and I headed up to Illinois with Chester in tow to help my brother and his family move into their new house. We already had planned to take Friday off work (for an intended anniversary weekend before TJ's closing date got moved up), so we headed north Thursday evening. I was so anxious to see my favorite niece and nephew! Look at Rachel "Cheese-ing" for the camera. Love her!

With the arrival of their newest family member, some more living space became necessary. TJ and Jennie upgraded from a 2 bedroom / 1 bathroom home to a 4 bedroom / 3 bathroom house that they can comfortably grow into over the years. Rachel not only loved the idea of having her very own (pink) room, but she also loves their new pool! -And the excuse to constantly wear her Princess swimming suit.

Too bad we didn't get any time this weekend to relax in it. Don't worry; we'll definitely be back for that activity soon. However, this weekend was dedicated to moving in. All of their belongings were crammed into their garage (yes, everything from their previous house fit into the garage of their new house), awaiting placement until we got the house ready.

We spent three solid days cleaning, painting, and purchasing. While the boys painted the entire ceiling, Jennie and I ran to Walmart with creative freedom to buy curtains, rugs, bathroom decor, etc - and lots of colorful paint!

Rachel was very expressive that she wanted a pink "princess" room. We chose baby blue for Clinton's room to match his Sesame Street theme. We had a pillow from TJ and Jennie's new bedding to match the beige color with, and Jennie had liked the khaki color that they chose for their old living room well enough to stick with it. The kitchen / dining room color, however, was up for grabs. The final decision came down to either red, orange, or green. A light sage green won Jennie's heart, and we headed home excited to get started.

Whew! I can't believe we got it all done in one weeked! The entire ceiling; 3 bedrooms; living room / stairway; kitchen / dining room, and not to mention steam cleaning all of the carpet! Now, where was that pool?? I'm ready to relax!

All the pictures from the weekend