Katje's Corner: Before Moving Overseas

Life was hectic in June and July. We were in the last scramble of getting everything in order for our move to Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia. Tom and I were both working full time. Lexi was in day care for eight hours a day, and seemed to thrive on the human interaction despite the continuous illnesses that befell her. Tom, Lexi and I had all gone through a series of medical check-ups, shots, passport and visa photos, and clothes shopping. I bought $500 worth of non-perishable groceries I thought we might not be able to find for the next two years: peanut butter, Texas Pete tobasco, minced garlic and ginger in jars, Starbucks coffee, etc. We sold our Chevy Tahoe for a smaller 4-wheel-drive V8 Toyota 4Runner with clearance enough to drive over any pot-holed road we thought we come across in Georgia. We went through all our personal possessions and had to decide what we could live without and what we had to have with us. I stocked up on toys, books, and arts and craft supplies to keep Lexi busy as she gets older and develops new skills.

Suddenly July 18^th was upon us and the shippers were in our house furiously packing up all our belongings. It all happened so fast we had no idea what had gotten packed and what we might have missed. The next day our house was empty and my head was spinning. At some point the movers had packed up our entire office and loaded it on the truck before we even realized it. We only wanted our desk and computer, but now we had several bookshelves and a couple of file cabinets to find room for. Oh well. With no bed to sleep on in our home in Virginia, no toys to play with and no food to eat, Lexi and I jumped on a plane and headed to Minnesota. Tom stayed behind to process the Toyota for shipping, finish some paperwork, spend an extra week with his son Collin, and turn our house over to the new occupant. On July 26th, Tom went directly to Tbilisi, carting my two cats with him.

Summer Vacation

Back in Minnesota, Lexi and I spent our summer vacation visiting great-grandmothers, aunts and uncles, and playing with cousins Ryan, Jakey, Cecilia and Jazmin. We stayed at Grandma Sharon’s and Grandpa Bryce’s house.

You'd think Cecilia and Lexi were sisters.

Cecilia and Lexi sharing a cuddle spot and swapping luvies.

Quiet time at the cabin. Lexi and Jakey were playing games on the iPad together.

Is Great-grandma teaching Lexi the alphabet or is Lexi teaching Great-grandma how to use the iPad?

Now this is teamwork...

Lexi wanted to swing, but I was busy talking so Jakey tried to lift her into the swing, but couldn't quite lift her high enough. So Ryan hefted her up there while Jakey steadied the swing. Then they shared in pushing her. Sweet!