Genius!

Today was the day the movers packed the container that would set sail to Singapore and hopefully get there the same time that we arrive.

The girls and I arrived at the house after dropping Graham off at school and waited patiently for the movers to arrive. We had to borrow a chair from our neighbors so that we had at least a chair to sit in. The wood floors got pretty hard after a few minutes. The container was curb side by 8:30 am and the guys were ready to start loading it up. They will fill it from top to bottom and front to back and as tightly as possible to prevent any movement or shifting of the items while floating across the vast ocean.

As they started to bring everything out and load the truck I began to have a slight anxiety attack. It looked like not everything would fit. I had to make a pile of things to separate of things that would stay behind just in case. They kept telling me it would all fit but that it would be VERY close. So, of course, I went into panic mode and freaked out the girls would not get their doll house, table and chairs, pink rocking chairs and Graham would miss his book shelf and video rocking chairs. There were other things I pulled to the side but I was willing to let all my stuff go so the kids could have theirs. As it got fuller and fuller, I thought no way is it all going to fit but what do I know...I am no professional!

At the end of it all, EVERYTHING fit. Genius, I tell you! It was like shifting boxes here and there like a puzzle. I could not believe it. If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that the mattress is on the very edge of the container. The container was packed tight! They did tell me I even had room for more if it was the right size and shape! I was just happy that all the stuff I intended to go to Singapore made it on for shipment.

So we said good bye to our things and and we will see them on the other side of the world.

Living the Life of Leisure

Hotel life for the next 35 days...I think I could get use to this.
I just hope Graham, Bryce and Layne keep doing this every night!

getting ready...

This has been a busy week in the Doffing Household. We have been getting ready for lots of events. The big one for Graham has been the Spring Fling at his school. He has talked about this for weeks. Apparently he has been practicing different dances during PE because once we got to the gym Friday night he instantly began to bust a move. It was so cute. He wasn't shy at all. I was very surprised that he just jumped right in and danced the night away. And by that I mean about an hour because once he started to sweat he was ready to go home.

This picture is kind of hard to see him but he had a "spotlight' dance to Eye of the Tiger. He showed it to me at home and he had the entire dance down perfectly. He takes his choreography very seriously.

I, on the other hand, have been getting ready for the big move to Singapore. On Saturday, the packers came and packed and wrapped up all of our things that we are taking with us. It was an all day affair. The days and weeks leading up to this day have been very stressful but the actual day was quite easy.

Graham spent the entire day with his football coach's family and the girls spent the day with the their bff, Ella. Having them with their friends made the day so much easier....so a big thank you the the Barnes and Crawfords for all your help!

The packers were very professional and handled everything wonderfully. So come Monday morning, the movers will bring the container that will store our things and be shipped by boat to Singapore. We are hoping that everything will arrive there just in time for our arrival in early June.

The girls, of course, have been getting ready to play and play and play. Life as an almost 4 yr old seems so good to me right now!

Bryce and Layne enjoy hanging out with all the other little kids at Graham's football games.

Here is Graham in his final huddle as an Allen Eagle! He LOVES football! I sure hope he can find something in Singapore that he loves just as much. He did tell me that if Singapore does not have football then he would settle for baseball. But come on, we are from Texas...football rules!

The past, present and future

The Past:
As I prepare for our big move to Singapore, I have been going through closets, boxes and drawers. In the midst of it all I found my old football jersey from high school. I am assuming it is from my senior year but I can't really place why we got these jerseys. However, I am glad I saved it because now Graham can enjoy wearing it.

The present:

Graham went to his first hockey game this weekend and he insisted on wearing his hair in a mohawk! I think it looks pretty good. He just needs some tattoos and he can be a tough guy.

The Future:

This week I found out the best news of all...Eclipse will open in Singpore on July 1 which is June 30 back in the States with the time difference and all. I am beyond ecstatic that I will get to see it when everyone here gets to as well.

As for the rest of the the future we are 2 short weeks away before the movers come. Still lots to do but I am sure it will all get done.

Check out how the date is written. I am going to have to get use to the date and month being reversed among other things of course.

Weekend

The weekend started off with a surprise visit from Brian's brother, Uncle Kevin. The kids were extremely excited to have him for a visit. They were able to have quality time with him a few hours each day. The rest of the weekend was full of neighborhood fun and football.

Friday night we decided to go to dinner with some of our neighbors and all the kids. I was a little hestitant at first since I would be solo but I figured the worst that could happen is that we would have to leave. I was pleasantly surprised and how well we all did. After all we went to IHOP so I knew all my kids would be able to find something to eat. Fortunately for the parents kids eat free! That made it even more enjoyable.

Here are all 8 kids as we waited for the servers to get our table ready. IHOP was smart and put us in our own little "room" in the back.

Saturday, Graham had a football game and he was pumped that he was able to play center this game. The Eagles were short a few players this game so Graham had to play both offense and defense. He did not get a break at all. I was SURPRISED at the end of the game when he told me that he loved playing the entire game. The Eagles lost but Graham still loves playing .

Here is Uncle Kevin entertaining the girls at the football game. Bryce eventually feel asleep is his arms by the end of the game.

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As for Singapore, Brian will be over there later in the week and get our keys to our new house. We will officially have a Singapore address soon. I am still working on sorting and organizing the house for the movers at the end of the month. The clock is ticking and I still have tons to do but hope to get it all done in time and still remain sane.

25 days plus 37 days equals Singapore

As of this morning, we have 25 days left here in our Allen home. It is hard to believe that the time has gone as quickly as it has. We are all excited about our adventure to Singapore for the next 3 years. However, the excitement does not come without hesitation as well. Most days the kids are thrilled about the move but on occasion they will question about seeing their friends and missing their house. I try to reassure them that they will make new friends and ALWAYS tell them that they will be able to swim almost everyday as long as it is not raining. That usually makes them happy. Our calendar is jam packed with getting ready for the movers on May 1st as well as daily life so the next 25 days will be a whirlwind.


We will then stay at an extended stay hotel until move day to Singapore on June 6th. So that is 37 days in a hotel. I sure hope I can survive the small quarters with 3 kids. I hope to pack the calendar in May with lots of playdates for the girls since Graham will be in school.


Lots of people have been asking what our place will look like in Singapore so I thought I would post a few pictures. It is a brand new place which made it alot more appealing to me. The bathrooms are what sealed the deal for me. Just look at some of them...

This is the shower for the kids! Look at how big it is...it is heavenly. Of course they could care less but still...it is heavenly.
This is the master bathroom. I think I could stay in there all day long!


This is the view of the front of the townhouse. It has 4 bedrooms so there will be plenty of space for visitors. Since Singapore is a small island everything is built up instead of out. The unfortunate part of our new place is that there are ALOT of stairs, 3 sets to be exact. I figured that just means more exercise for everyone.



Here is our teeny tiny kitchen but all the kitchens we saw were all small. There isn't even a dishwasher. But I am sure I will manage without one.

This is our front entry. There is no traditional door. All the glass doors open so if we wanted a breeze through the house we could just open it up.

The kids' rooms are on the top floor. They also have a wall of sliding glass doors that lead out to a balcony. This is the view from their balcony.

I have pictures of the rest of the rooms in the house but it is pretty boring, since the rooms are all empty. As soon as I get there and get furniture in the new place I will post more pictures.

Easter

The Easter weekend was full of activities for the kids as well as the adults. We colored eggs, went on a few egg hunts, hung out with awesome neighbors and friends and of course celebrated Jesus!

This time of year is often hard on the kids religiously speaking...Explaining the death of Jesus is very hard for young ones to grasp. As we were driving home from dinner on Good Friday we were discussing the death of Jesus...Bryce went into major meltdown because she did not want Jesus to die and she did not want to die either. There was just no consoling her about it so we quickly tried to change the subject.

Graham, Bryce and Layne loved coloring eggs this year. We just did a dozen eggs since none of the kids eat hard boiled eggs. After coloring the kids started playing with the eggs and 2 of Bryce's did not make it through the fall so the Easter bunny had to only hide 10 eggs.

Graham received his annual buzz haircut on Friday. He looks so different when it is cut this way. I like it long and shaggy but now that it gets hot it is just much easier to take care of. Graham had his 6 yr check up and all checked out well. He weighed 48 lbs (60 %) and 46 inches (75%).


We also had our annual Easter Egg hunt for our cul de sac. The weather was absolutely perfect. We stayed out from 10 am until 6:00 pm. We are definitely going to miss all our neighbors when we move to Singapore.

Bryce also had her check up with her Endocrinologist this week. She is doing great. She weighed 27 lbs 14 ounces and is FINALLY on the charts at the 3rd percentile. Her height was in the 25th percentile at 38.3 inches tall. SO it looks like everything we are doing medically is showing positive results and could not be happier.

Lately, Layne has had an aversion to the camera. Everytime I want to take a picture she looks away or makes a terrible face. So the pictures I do get of her are often candid. I happen to LOVE this one. She looks so peaceful.

Easter morning the kids congregated in my room before discovering their Easter bastes. The bunny often leaves small presents as all the Easter egg hunts they go on leave them with way too much candy.

Of course, I could not get a picture of Layne's face but thought this picture was precious. She is doing her HAPPY dance after she discovered all her goodies in her basket.

Hope everyone has had a peaceful Easter!