Hello Strangers!!

Well we certainly aren't in Sicily anymore, but I will keep the same blog address so I don't have to change everything over. Look for a new picture soon lol :)

We are moved in, but without internet access so I am just now writing an update to you all from a library computer. Our express shipment arrives on Monday so I should be back on track after that and we will be better about communicating to you all!

The move over was very smooth. Our flights went well, the kids were absolutely wonderfully behaved, and the dogs made the flight. They must have let them out somewhere because they were dry when we got to Chicago (my worst fear.. driving home with dogs in the car that had "dirty" cages). A man threw a fit because he didn't want to sit next to my kids on the plane (it was five seats across) and I found it hilarious that he moved several rows up, right in front of a kid who kicked his seat and threw tantrums the entire time. My children are used to this flight, and watched movies or colored the entire time. priceless.

We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) for several days as we were living out of two suitcases. The kids were so excited to be *home*!! We probably ate at 50 restaurants and the kids were happy just to ride the carosel at the mall or go somewhere that had crayons and a kids' menu. We decided to go ahead and move in to our home early so we could get a lot of painting done and some minor repairs before our big furniture shipment arrived. Sleeping on an air mattress for about a week wasn't so horrible but I am glad to have my bed back!! Our furniture arrived a few days ago, but our car won't be here for atleast another month. We did end up having to buy a 2nd car which Derrick can use for work.

Our home is absolutely beautiful. It has such potential and so far we have painted 90% of the first level. The rest will have to wait for a later date, when I'm not almost 7 months pregnant! I will post photos soon, when we have our own computer, and when more boxes are unpacked! Our house backs up to a marshy area and in the mornings we watch Canadian geese fly and at night you can hear the frogs croacking as we sit and watch television. There have been a couple pitfalls. The previous owners/renters must have absolutely not cleaned for the time they were there (the house was built in '04 so you'd expect it to be somewhat decent). I pulled the oven out to paint behind it and there were dirty plates with food on them, spaghetti sauce poured down the sides of the oven that took hours to remove, and rat poop on the ground. Our dishwasher is missing the wheels to the rack as well as the silverware basket and we can't use it. The pipes were complely blocked solid to our kitchen drain and had to be actually cut out in the basement and replaced. ACK! However, with some paint and scrubbing it's turning into -home- for us and we are liking it.

On a sad note, Norman, our 7 year old basset hound, ran away several days ago. He was not happy in TX or Italy and was just so ecstatic here in IL. He's definitely a midwest dog who loves the woods and the cooler weather. We were so glad to see him happy again as it has quite honestly become a pain to have a dog such as Norman over the last couple years. The direct tv guy came to remove some satellites (there were 4 on the house when we moved in.. seriously?!) and left the gate to our fenced in back yard open. We had no idea since it's on the side of the house and didn't realize it until several hours later, at almost midnight that Norman was missing. Thankfully Kilah, our little "toto" was at the neighbor's house but they said Norman took off like a bullet. ugh!!!! We've contacted the shelter, police, etc. but no sign of him yet. Say a prayer for poor Normie. Valerie is having a hard time with it. Yesterday she asked if we could get a new dog who really wanted us. :( too hard!!

The area around here is hilly, full of forest preserves and beautiful. We live in a very small town and love it, with all the major stores/restaurants within a 20 minute drive to our home. There is a metra stop to Chicago about one mile from our home also. Feel free to visit although we will need a little time to unpack and this summer, settle in with our new baby girl! :)

Will update soon, should be back online next week. Ciao for now friends and family!!