Oh we packed, alright ... well, our suitcases

So what better way to prepare for a big family move than to escape reality completely. I stole the kids from Jay's horrific call schedule and my better judgement and headed down to Paradise Island to meet my parents at their timeshare villa for a week. It was tough being a single parent with no human snooze button for Oscar ("You get him." "No, it's your turn." "I'll pay you a million dollars." etc., etc.), but we made it and I learned the kids can actually share a room—and sleep in it to boot! Granbob, Annie and Oscar were all under the weather in some shape or form, but at least they got to be that way in 80 degree temperatures with a light southwest breeze. We had a blast and I'm pretty sure Annie's fingers and toes will be water logged until 2013. Any time you asked Annie for a suggestion as to what to do, she would always answer, nay, scream, "Go to the POOL!" And that we did, a plenty.

We also managed a couple of day visits. One was to the Atlantis to see their aquarium. The kids loved looking at all of the fishes, sharks, stingrays, and of course, the items in the gift shop. Then we went to the much cheaper and more interactive Adastra Gardens to watch the marching flamingos (seriously) and to feed the parrots and the goats. Oscar loved being among other wild yet slightly domesticated animals. His people! And Annie eventually came around to feeding a parrot. Granted she just handed me the apple and stood very close to me, but we'll just go ahead and count it.

Now, I'm in full move mode. I hit a little hiccup today when Annie came down with a truly awful stomach bug, but I'm hoping we'll all be back in working order soon. There are Goodwill donations to be made, utilities to cancel and mail to forward! More from Roanoke when we get there (knock knock knock).

Out with the old, in with the new

And by old, I do not mean to devalue "old" as an adjective; I am merely referencing, however obtusely, our "Old Kentucky Home." The Ferraras are on the move again, coming this March. Jay has taken a job with Carilion Clinic's partnership with Virginia Tech in Roanoke. He'll be joining the team as a neurologist and assistant professor at VTech's new medical school (thus the reference to "new," get it? Give me a break, it's late). It is a great opportunity and though we LOVE Louisville and all of the friends and roots we've made here, we couldn't pass this up. For those not familiar, Roanoke is a beautiful small city in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We think it will be a nice blend of small town and city life and a great place for the kids. Plus, we're only 4 hours away from Jay's sister now and her two children, whom Annie joined to her hip this past holiday. We'll also be within driving distance to Connecticut. Granted, it will be a very long, pit-stopped filled, perhaps two-day drive, but a drive, nonetheless.

Annie finally is not afraid of the Santa Fly-in Santa at Bowman Field

We had a great holiday, seeing Jay's family mostly for the first half (during which time at least three of us held chickens and bounced in a bouncy castle, not at the same time, of course) and then my family for the rest, after Nana and Granbob returned from visiting my sister and her boys. We also kept the tradition alive set many, many years ago of spending at least one day or night near Christmas with our beloved friends, Miranda, Ariel, Denise, Peter and all of their kin. Annie and Hastings didn't miss a beat, and it wasn't long before Annie was bossing Hastings around and Hastings was mimicking her every move. Just like me and Miranda when we were kids. Memories. Landry gave Oscar a run for his money too, literally. The girl can move, even at just over a year old. Hope he likes a girl who plays hard to get.

Oscar, on the other hand, remains skeptical.

Santa delivered for Annie, giving her the double doll stroller she had asked for in her letter. Oscar still isn't totally with the whole asking for presents thing yet (I'm sure he'll make it up in spades once it clicks), so Santa took an educated guess and got him a little tool bench, which he actually played with a lot! Go Santa! We also got to ring in the new year with Nana and Granbob before heading back home. Now I'm in Roanoke mode. Annie and I are going to go on a girls' trip there in a couple of weeks to scout out schools and housing. I would like to say she's excited to have a say in where we'll be living for the next year, but mostly she's just psyched that our hotel has a pool. Sometimes I forget she's 5 and I love that she reminds me.

Wish us luck as we do to all of you this new year (See! Another reference to "new," you pick). 

Three holidays and a turkey

 You could say I have a lot of catching up to do. Frankly, many people have. So here goes...

 

Halloween: Oscar was Annie's old costume of a monkey, but how fitting (literally and figuratively). He's constantly bouncing off of furniture and eats more than his fair share of bananas. Annie, keeping with her theme of family pets, was Roscoe, our cat. We went trick-or-treating with Annie's friend and our neighbor, Hayden, and even though Oscar did not nap that day, nothing could keep him from the excitement and sugar awaiting him down our street. Every time he came away from a house, he would look up at me, shocked, and say, "More tindy!!" (aka "candy"). It was so fun watching him try to keep up with the girls and stop to get candy at the same time. 

Birthdays: Oscar is now officially and terribly two. As a result, he's really quite excellent at saying, "no," hitting people, throwing plastic objects, and refusing to eat any and all foods presented to him, even if he asked for said foods. On the bright side, he has a great sense of humor, and his vocabulary has exploded over the past few weeks. I can actually understand at least 60% of what he says now. Annie is five, and despite never watching network TV, she still has an insatiable desire for anything Barbie. She takes after her mother, I'm sorry to say. I even feel myself getting secretly excited when she acquires a new accessory. They were both spoiled rotten for their respective days. Annie got to have a birthday party at a chocolate café and then celebrate her actual day with a cake made with a doll whose skirt was the cake. Oscar missed having a party (I wouldn't say he missed it, he still is excited at believing any occasion involving candles is one for which we sing Happy Birthday to You, even if they're just the ones on our dinner table), but made up for it by having his birthday cohort GranBob (who turned 71 the same day) and the lovely Nana present to help celebrate. He hadn't napped that day either (anyone noticing a pattern, here?), so he was a little out of it for the celebration, but I think he was pretty psyched given how much attention he paid to his icing. 

Thanksgiving: Grandparents Part II. Oma and Papa Joe were here to help us give thanks and to get an early start on our winter weight. Even though there were only four grown-ups present for the meal, we had enough food to feed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But it was great and afforded us plenty of leftovers (which is really the point of Thanksgiving, am I right?). We had a great time eating (except for Oscar; again, no nap and he's 2), but we took a break to do a few other activities as well: the Mad Cap puppet show at the museum (in which mom had a cameo role), trolley ride down Frankfurt Avenue (a small-business mecca), and some good old fashioned park play and walks to keep said winter weight in check. 

Now, we're gearing up for our trip for Christmas and New Year's. And if you're lucky, you'll get to hear about it sometime in February. I'm trying, people, really.