Movin’ On Up!

This summer has been jam packed FULL of big life events for our family!!

And to add one more to the list…Walker, Eli, and Brynne moved out on July 20th and got an apartment together!

But Eli was actually still in Colorado. LOL!

We’d gone with the kids on a couple of weekends before Eli left to check out several places. It came down to two. One was a half mile down the street from us, a little smaller, but brand new essentially. And the other was in Mesa, larger, and a little older. Both were great really. It just boiled down to personal preference.

In the end, they chose the one closer to us. And Jared and I aren’t complaining. 🙂

These are the only shots I got of the apartment apparently. These are in the model. This is the layout of their place too. It’s a 2 bedroom 2 bath and has a HUUUGGEE kitchen!

But before they got settled in there, there was a lot of this first….

The house was a disaster for weeks as they packed up their things. You wouldn’t think 2 bedrooms could hold so much stuff!! It was amazing how much they had stashed in their! Hahaha!!

Since Eli was gone, Brynne, and the rest of us tackled Eli’s room taking turns over the course of those weeks. He has the smallest room but somehow has THE MOST STUFF!

Moving day came and of course we are still having record high temperatures. Which made things extra sweaty!

Brynne’s family came, Tanner showed up with a truck, and everyone pitched in to help. We really could have used Eli’s muscles moving that beast of an armoire. But the guys managed to hoist it up to the 2nd floor using some good ‘ol fashion engineering. That thing was HEAVY!!

It took them a bit to unpack and get things just how they wanted them.

Jared is showing Walker how to hang curtains. So many fun new things that go along with having your own place. You get to learn home improvement tips, meal planning & cooking for yourself, laundry, setting up a budget, paying your bills on time, and so much more! It’s exciting stuff! Ha! 😆

I made this little cookbook full of our family’s favorite recipes so they could have a little bit of home in their new home. ❤️

I need to get some pics now that they’re completely moved in and unpacked. They did such a nice job. Their apartment looks so good!

And this is what our house looks like being partial empty nesters.

Walker’s room is a spare bedroom. We should probably repaint this room. It was the nursery and we haven’t had a baby in almost 18 years! Hahaha!!!

Eli’s Room is Jared’s office. He’d been sharing Alayna’s room as his home office. She was glad to evict her “roommate”.

Jared has actually rearranged it since this photo was taken but it’s just flipped with his desk on the right side. And all that stuff on the table and walls is gone now.

And the front room is not longer a computer/gaming room.

It’s so true what they say…”The days are long but the years are short.”

Our kids have grown in a blink if feels like. They’re out in the world adulting and thriving and we’re so incredibly proud of them!!

The house is much quieter with just Alayna, Jared and me. It’s taken a bit to adjust to but the boys don’t live far and they come by at least once a week for Sunday dinner and sometimes more often.

It’s been so fun to see already how they are flourishing. They love to tell us all the fun new recipes and cooking tips they’ve tried and learned. And of course, I’m all ears to listen to whatever they want to share!

I’m very proud of them and I will always leave the door open for them. They know we’re here if they ever need to come home for whatever the reason. ❤️

Congratulations guys!!!