January: Pack, Party, & Paint!

Now that I finally finished updating my blog on 2011, it is time to catch up on 2012! 

January was a crazy month for us. As soon as we got back from vacationing with the Riggs we started to pack and look for a new house to rent... and by the end of the month we were living in a new home!

The whole process was really kind of nuts! We didn't know where we were going to live, just that we had to be out of our townhouse by the end of the month. During each day of the week I would pack up the non-essentials until the girls went down for a nap. Once they were down I would search the internet for listings of houses to rent. And as soon as Kevin came home at night we would head out to view different places.

We saw some REALLY ghetto homes but with the help of an AMAZING realtor, we found a place to rent with 2 weeks to spare! During those 2 weeks we were frantically packing everything else up and getting utilities and all that jazz switched over to the new place.

At first I felt bad that the girls got neglected of "mommy time" while I was packing... but then they started making forts and castles in the box maze that was our living room, and Brooklyn started making some pretty interesting art out of the boxes and other little things she found laying around!

Not only did the girls find ways to entertain themselves, but Grandma Hanks came out to help with the move and she threw Brooklyn an awesome little princess party amidst the chaos. Grandma managed to avoid our cameras (mostly with threats) but she is the one presenting Brooklyn with the cake in this picture.

Brooklyn didn't seem to mind that her birthday was right in the middle of our big move. She was convinced that we got her a new house for her present and that Grandma came out JUST for her birthday party. Plus, she got everything she asked for, including a "princess" dress, a rock painting kit, and a new umbrella!

But the partying couldn't last forever! Soon all the big kids had to get back to work. There were several things that we needed to fix at the new place and we also painted and cleaned it since the landlord and/or previous tenant neglected to do so. But it was fun painting in good company and great to have the extra help from Kevin's mom.

On a more random note, right before we moved in we did some last minute shopping to get an area rug, some curtain rods, and a new sofa for the living room. Kevin took this picture of Lily when we were picking out the sofa and I thought it was so cute I just had to post it!

Anyway, when moving day came everything went off without a hitch. We had the first batch of helpers from the Elder's Quorum show up at 9am to pack our things in the truck and drive to the new place, and had arranged to have the second batch show up at our new place 3 hours later to unpack. But by the time the second batch showed up we were already moved in! So instead, we enjoyed each other's company and a little pizza before sending them home with our thanks and appreciation.

It was a very busy month for the Hanks family but we are now happily unpacked and enjoying our new place. We are very grateful for ALL the help we received from family and friends and feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Also, a special shout out goes to Mom Hanks for flying out here JUST to help us move! It was so much easier with your help. We will post more pictures of the house as it comes together, as well as some pictures of the fun stuff we've been doing in February. Until then... PEACE!