'Tis the Season!!

...To be moving :(

There's nothing that quite brings about that holiday cheer than a good ole fashioned OCONUS PCS.   For all you civilians out there, that stands for Outside the Continental United States Permanet Change of Station, or more simply put, an overseas move.  Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to be moving to Germany.  But the actual MOVING part, yeah, I'd rather eat glass.

So sadly this year, no tree, no decorations, no homemade goodies for the neighbors, and no Christmas cards.  Just lots of movers (thank heavens for them!)  and work and mess and stress.  Oh, and let's not even mention Ben in the thick of finals coming home from the library every night at midnight.  Like I said, Tis the Season!  

In the past few weeks we've sold two cars, a couch, two kitchen tables, a washer and dryer, and a buttload of crap at the bargain fair (sorry for my lack of elevating vocab).  We've purchased a new dining set, a car, a bed, bedding, luggage, a curio cabinet, and a coffee table, not to mention the regular holiday shopping.

I'm all shopped out.  And broke.

I'm sorry Pat and Nancy, but it's true.  We sold the ole hide-a-bed, Ben's inheritance.  I just couldn't take the plaid anymore, nothing personal.   

What a lovely sight to see outside your front door, because it means that there's nothing more you can do to prep the house, the movers are there whether you're ready or not.  In my case, I'm never ready.  

In  an overseas move, you have three different shipments on three different days:  one for storage, another for your household goods by boat, and the last for a small shipment by plane.  Today our shipment by plane was picked up. Tomorrow Ben drives the car to the Oakland port to be shipped.   

Trusty Ben, always there to jump in and help 

 And our empty house.  I should have taken a picture of the kitchen in upheaval.  We still have a long ways to go before we can check out

 The girls have braved the storm pretty well.  Here they are happy as larks in a meadow watching Tinkerbell at the hotel.  Note C's frying pan.  She calls it her "satchel" from Tangled.  She's slightly confused.  But she's always asking people if she can bonk them on the head (if you've seen Tangled then you know where she gets it from). Hey, at least she asks. I told her she could bonk me as long as she was gentle.  Yeah, I've since learned my lesson.

 And took these pics tonight.  Got to love the elbow in the eye.  Have you noticed I'm slightly obsessed with taking pics of my kids sleeping?  Perhaps it's when I find them the most endearing.

And not joking, this was their position ten minutes later

So, don't hate me if you don't get a Christmas card from us this year.  It was all I could do to get this post up...

And it is all the more impressive with me being ten weeks pregnant!  

Expecting a little one in July is our glad tiding this holiday season.