Oden Adventures

August, you horrible, wonderful month.  You contained the ugliness that was the moving process and  the very great joy that was relocating to Sacramento.  This is yet another moment in which I'm so thankful for cameras because my first thought of August is UGH and then I look at the pictures and realize that somehow cuteness emerged in spite of all the yuck and I remember all that's good about life again. 

 This one I call "Odenette".  She's wearing the Odin wig that Daddy wore for Oliver's party...but she looks a bit more Marilyn than Odin...

I was glad that someone thought the boxes were fun...

 The sweet kids were largely unfazed by the whole moving chaos around them.  Dress up as usual!

 In the last couple weeks, we took some time out to say goodbye to our favorite places & people...the San Dimas library...

 

I believe this was Oliver's first goldfish crackers...#milestones #questionablegrammar

 An outdoor meal with the Odens, our last at this house...

 ...and a bit of backyard soccer afterwards where Vianne's beauty was shining like the sun so Mama just kept snapping & snapping...

 "Helping" us pack...

 Jesse & Joel's 3rd Birthday Party!

 Praying before the meal...awwwwwwwww

 Goodbye hug for Brian

 Everyday Cuteness (with boxes in the background)

 A treat for moving day.  I'm not even a donut person, but these ones, I dream about sometimes.

 I will allow one photo of the truck (ended up needed two) as a placeholder for four hellish days that I will not go into...

 More goodbyes on our last day in San Dimas.  Hard to leave our sweet neighbors & one of V's very favorite friends...

The second truck at the new house!

  Vianne taking a picture of me taking a picture of the new house :-)

 

The amazing park, our new "front yard"

After emptying & returning Truck #2, we took our peanut butter & jam sandwiches 

over to the park for lunch (not many groceries in the house yet)

 Spaghetti sauce beard! #boxesinthebackground

 "Helping" Daddy set up Vianne's bed in her new room

 The bathroom bandit...

 ...makes a quick escape!

 Vianne's Moving Chic

 Met our new neighbors

 They have two kids, too

 Oliver's first mail at the new house - birthday presents from the Hsiehs!

 Found this sweet little lady while playing our new backyard

Visit from Grandpa!

 Our first guest in our "guest room"

 Getting the hang of the sippy cup

 while lounging on our makeshift family room furniture

 Tried out the Big Box Outlet, not too impressed with prices, but we came home with a rug for the play area and a Cinderella dress :-)

 And finished up a very long & hard & ultimately wonderful month with some bike riding at the park

 Within just a week, this gutsy girl was braving the climbing wall!