A Lot Going On

Wow, time sure is getting away from me lately!  The last month has been a whirlwind to say the least.  Trying to recap what we've been up to, I guess we can start with Claire and Breanne's birthday (January 27th).  The day started with going to school with cupcakes to share with the class.  After school, the girls came home to have lunch with Lance and open presents.  We took them to a pizza place for dinner (pizza seems to be their favorite food lately) and then to one of their favorite play areas called Lookout Ridge.  A few days later I joined my parents on a weekend trip to Devils Lake, ND to visit family.  I really enjoyed visiting with everyone, and it was great to see how well everyone seems to be doing.  Lance stayed home with the girls and waited for his parents to arrive for their visit.  Unfortunately we had a rough start of it.  By the end of that first weekend, everyone in the house had a nasty stomach bug (except me, but I would fall victim later in the week).  Even though everyone wasn't feeling 100 percent, we did manage to fit in a lot of fun while Nana and Papa Valiquette were here.  We went to a movie, went to the Mall of America for rides and lunch, went to a water park and children's museum in Eau Claire, and had an awesome birthday party at the local community center.  After our time with Lance's parents, we had to focus on getting the house ready to put on the market.  Pictures were taken on the 19th of February, and the house officially went on the market on Thursday, February 26th.  By the time that next weekend was over, we had completed about thirty showings and had multiple offers to consider.  We signed a purchase agreement that Tuesday and had the inspection on Wednesday. Closing is set for April 16th. Everything has been happening very fast!  I guess the whole process is going better than we could have ever hoped for, but it is very bittersweet.  Lance is set to start his new position in Woodburn, OR May 1st, so Lance and I will be heading out there on the 19th of March to try to get a place lined up.  We were hoping to rent so we could get comfortable with the area and take our time buying, but finding a place that will allow Reggie to stay with us is becoming quite the challenge.  Because of that, we are getting preapproved for a loan just in case we find something that we really want to buy.  I really don't like not knowing where we will be living in 8 weeks, so I hope we have a successful trip.  We have told the girls about the upcoming move, and they seem to be excited about it overall.   Other than the big move, we are staying busy with school, tumbling class, and playdates.  The weather is going to be warm all week (50s), so we are looking forward to spending as much time as possible outside.  We just got new rain boots, so there are some puddles out there with our names on it.  Spring is in the air!!!!!!