I really don't love change. I'm always up for a new adventure but even when everyone is on board and you know it's what you're supposed to do, it's still hard. Unpacking, organizing, furnishing, decorating, buying, finding new doctors, dentists, address changes, registering cars, new drivers license, new church, new school, new friends, new surroundings and trying to keep up with the day to day with kids is enough to make my head explode. But, we are making progress over here. There still isn't anything on the walls and we still don't have dining room chairs BUT everything is unpacked. Most closets are organized and last week I created a new cleaning schedule and stuck with it! My kids are happy and when I look back at these pictures from September, I realize that everything is going to work out and that we have a pretty awesome life!

We spent the first half of October in the rental while Joe was in Seattle.

Thanks to technology, we were able to have daddy read some of our favorite bedtime stories from Seattle.

We found a really cool park with tons of nets for climbing.

Naomi, Maxwell and I went to the Pumpkin Patch with my sister and her family.

I'm so excited that these three cousins get to grow up together.

"Look, I'm Mommy!"

Covered in dirt and still gorgeous.

At the rental, we found this pond in the woods that we could walk to. We loved playing, exploring, and watching the ducks.

Maxwell and Naomi got haircuts.

~Moved to the new house~

Mia's star of the week poster that she made all by herself.

Mia started at our neighborhood school on Oct. 24. Here is her first day picture. Hah.

The girls in their disguises dropping off Halloween treats for the neighbors.

We also went to the zoo with Grandma, my sister and her kids, and my cousin and her kids. It was a super fun time.

We love our short walk to school. This path is right is across the street from our front door.

Naomi has been an amazing home school student. This time with her amidst the chaos of moving has been so important for both of us. Trust me, there are several days where I'd rather spend this hour and half (when Maxwell is napping) cleaning/decorating/organizing but this is what we decided and so far, it has been one of my favorite decisions. She is learning so much and I LOVE being her teacher.

Naomi also started dance this month. She is in the same class as our neighbor. It has been so fun watching her thrive in this environment.

I am so proud of the amazing little lady that Mia has become. 5 was a great year for her and I have a feeling 6 is going to be even better! She is still feisty but much more poised than her toddler/preschool self. ; ) Mia has just matured so much in the past year and is a great big sister to Naomi and Maxwell. She is a rule follower, makes friends easily, loves coloring, and remembers everything!

Instead of a party this year (being that the 2 folding chairs you see in this picture are the only chairs that we currently have), we decided to get Mia an American girl doll and have a fun, family day at Mall of America.

This was the perfect decision because it gave us a chance to have some quality family time and Mia got what she wanted most... an American Girl doll.

Her dolly, which was a gift from the Goetze family when she turned 4 tagged along for the all of the festivities. Mia was very adamant that her doll had to be involved in picking her new sister.

Maxwell, who only likes things that are blue, was less than impressed with the American Girl store.

Picking the perfect doll was such a big decision.

We wanted to wait until Mia truly understood the value of these dolls before getting her one. She has been reading the catalog for the past year and would sometimes choose it as her bedtime story! Even though the store was full of so many appealing things, she didn't ask for anything else to go with her doll because she knew what a big gift it was. It was a proud mommy moment. 

After we got Mia's doll, we went to the Crayola Experience. This was so much for fun for the whole family. We played, explored, and created for hours!

Naomi designing her own crayon label.

Maxwell painting with crayon wax.

Mia creating with model magic dough.

Three cuties with some fun spin art.

Maxwell watching the truck that he created.

Naomi with her fashion design

Mia's fashion design.

Mia with her new doll. One happy little girl!

When we got home, Mia opened the presents she received in the mail and she even had a present from Uncle Jake waiting for her on the doorstep. 

I heard, "this is the best day of my life" several times so I'll call it a birthday win!