Due to transition crisis…

… we are headed out of town. Last night at church (oh yeah, I’m back in Young Womens) Little E punched another kid. Fantastic. Now of course, he was quickly remorseful and full of sorrow and self-flagellation(because that’s how Little E rolls) and he very soon dissolved into tears. We ended up discussing how he feels that he’s meeting new people too quickly and how he wished he could just meet new people only a handful at a time and not all at once. Then he ended by telling me that he really just wants to see his cousins. Now, for that comment about the cousins to make sense, you have to understand that Sylvia’s kids have been my children's constants through all the moves. My children’s lifelong friends. And every time I move somewhere new, I crave the comfort of old friends- and understandably, so does Little Ernie. Which explains why we are getting in the car on Monday morning and driving to Atlanta for the week. We will stay at Sylvia’s new house, have a blast swimming in her pool, and celebrate Nigel’s 9th birthday 2 1/2 weeks early- so he can have a party with his cousins. (A birthday party here would be a bit of a downer, given that we don’t know anyone to invite besides ourselves). It sounds like fun to me!

Here’s a snippet of the conversation I had with Emmaline tonight:

Emmaline: I can’t believe that the people who lived here before us were in this house for 10 years! That’s a long time!

Me: I know. We sure have lived in a lot of houses, haven’t we?

Emmaline: We have. Mom, I think that we are a Traveling Family.

I like it. We’re a Traveling Family. (Who hopefully won’t be moving again anytime soon.)

A Few Thoughts on the Big Move

We’re here in Medina, TN. Whew! Let’s all take a big sigh of relief that the old house is empty, clean and waiting for a buyer and- while the new house might be full of boxes- they’re our boxes, full of our stuff. I survived the 6 1/2 hour drive north with a car filled to maximum capacity with all the stuff the movers wouldn’t put on the truck, 4 kids, 1 dog, and a frazzled mom.

We went to church on Sunday and honestly, by next week I expect we’ll have met everyone there is to meet. The Branch has an average weekly attendance of 60 people, and our arrival doubled the primary. People are very nice and the 1st counselor in the bishopric very frankly told us that they are excited to have us speak this Sunday since they don’t often have new speakers. Everyone has been extremely kind and welcoming and I get that feeling that this small unit of the church functions very much like a family.

A few thoughts on the move:

• I COULD NOT have managed everything in Hattiesburg without all the amazing love and support I got from my dear friends there. The ladies who took my kids, brought meals, and helped me clean. Ernie did not come home for this move, so this move was on me alone and I was not alone.
• Max is the most stressed of all the kids. He has been exceptionally clingy and whiny. It’s been a few days and we’re getting the stuff unpacked and he seems to be adjusting now.
• Bogart, our faithful dog, is also having a really hard time. He’s 8 years old and for the first 2 days in the new house he seemed to be highly stressed. He too is starting to settle down.
• A week of eating out for every meal, coupled with an entire summer of not going to the gym, has really wreaked havoc on my waistline. I am a stress eater. There, I admitted it. I will admit that it’s going to be a month or so before I start to feel settled so there will not be any dieting anytime soon.
• There are more churches here than restaurants.
• Ernie and I have managed to handle the stress of this move pretty well. One or two days of not feeling the love- but that’s it! Not bad, in my opinion. We get better at communicating each time we move. We’re better at anticipating the stressful situations that are common with moving and we now have some coping skills that we didn’t have when we started this nomadic lifestyle of ours.
• I hate trying to figure out the best way to set up a new kitchen. I mean, really. It takes a while to get the cupboards perfect and to have the flow down for cooking and cleaning. Arghh. I just know that half of what I’ve unpacked is going to be moved in the next 3 months to a better, more efficient location. (And I’m already annoyed about it).
• The yard takes the girl next door 3 1/2 hours to mow and we are paying her $120 per mow. And that’s the cheapest price we found! Since it is now being mowed once a week, I am praying that the fall gets here soon so the grass will stop growing. (We will be purchasing a mower of our own in the spring, but can’t spend the $4500 right now needed to buy the commercial mower that our 5 acres requires.)
• Ernie likes his job. That is a big deal.
• We opened a local bank account today inside the bank. It felt so novel, and antiquated. I don’t think I’ve opened a bank account inside of a bank since 1995. Our new bank account is with the Bank of Milan, in case you’re wondering. And yes, when I say it’s a local bank, I mean local as in Milan, TN. Hence the name: Bank of Milan. (pronounced MY-len, not mi-LAHN).

So overall, life is grand. Life is good. We’re in a new place and we’ll root ourselves as best we can and trust in the Lord to take care of the rest.

Last Sunday

Today was our last Sunday of church here in Mississippi. Hand’s down, the best part of the day was teaching my little Sunbeams. I sure love those little people! And just like he knew that I needed it today, Adam Blaylock snuggled in to my side while we sat and listened to the talks and scripture reading at the beginning of primary. By the middle of singing time, Adam had managed to work his way all the way into my lap and he faced me with his arms wrapped tightly around my neck and his head buried in my shoulder. He stayed that way until the Sunbeams all announced that they needed to go to the bathroom. It was sweet and tender and such a nice way to say good-bye.

Who’s up for another move? Anyone?

Hello Medina, Tennessee! Good-bye Hattiesburg, Mississippi (*sob*). And we’re off again on another Smith Team Adventure.

The kids are taking it well enough, I suppose. Let me illustrate:

• Max sat next to me this morning while I repaired a piece of hardwood flooring and then after 15 minutes he quietly announced to me that he had just pooped his pants. (really??? this child never pooped his pants when he was potty training, not even once!)
• And Emmaline only has one volume: Banshee. Because if she isn’t silent, she’s screeching.
• And Nigel can’t figure out where his shoes are, ever. (Oh wait, that has nothing to do with moving- that’s just normal.)
• And Ernie has been overheard yelling at Max, when he is normally patient.

And I am certainly more quick-tempered than I usually am.

However, despite all the stress of being uprooted one.more.time.- the kids are happy. They are excited about our new house- which is on 5 acres!

And the neighbors are really nice and the schools are close. (No school uniforms! Hooray!) And My Ernie is really happy at work, which is vitally important.

I have grieved long and hard about this move- which is a new thing for me. In the past I’ve jumped in with both feet and never really looked back- but this time I feel like maybe I might be looking back a little too much and I’ll be turned into a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife. I don’t know yet why exactly this move is harder for me, because I’ve always loved all the places I’ve lived and every time I’ve been sad to leave all the wonderful people that I’ve met. But just the same, I’ll jump in as best I can when I get to our new home and I’ll follow my time-tested rules for moving to a new location:

1. Move to a new place
2. Meet the neighbors, who may or may not be pleased that 4 small children just moved in next door.
3. Go to church.
4. Realize that your only friend for the next few months will be Ernie.
5. Show up to EVERYTHING. From the primary activity to the Relief Society activity that you're not at all interested in, to the Elder's Quorum service project.
6. Accept every playdate and girl's night invite.
7. Always smile and pretend like you're happy, even if you're not. No one wants to be friends with a sad sack.
8. Gradually introduce people to your sense of humor and view of the world.
9.Know that the people who's faces all blend together will become some of your best friends in the world.
10. Feel gratitude for old friends. The ones who know everything already and who understand everything without needing an explanation.

The movers will be here on Tuesday to pack up the house- which is still a wonder to me as it all takes place. This will be our 5th move and it is still incredible to me to watch my entire house be disassembled in the span of 8 or 9 hours. I will probably cry a few more times and then I will get over it and be happy because Ernie and I will be together again and life is always beautiful when he and I are together.