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DAY ONE:   We were lucky enough to have Zach’s new job pay for a moving company to pack and move our belongings.  I think if not for that I really would have lost my sanity.  They came at 8:00 AM and worked until 7:00 PM packing and loading our things onto a gigantic semi-truck.  The beginning of the day went well, Grandma Cochran took Nicole and Isaac went to school so I just had Charlotte with me and Zach’s Aunt Neta who had come down to help.  We sat on the couch and talked as they worked through the morning. 

About mid-day they started loading up the truck which meant the front door was left wide open.  This would have been fine, except for a cold spell that hit that morning bringing snow flurries and freezing temperatures.  At first the kids wanted to sit outside and watch them load the truck, but quickly felt too cold and came in to watch from a window.  By the end of the day the house was very cold and for the last few hours I had all three kids home with me.  My head was throbbing from the cold and keeping all the kids out of the way and happy with no toys and no TV became challenging.  

By the time the movers left for the night, my energy and patience were spent, and my head ached.  They left the beds and bedding for the night so I pushed the kids beds together, thinking that this would turn an empty room into an adventure.  It may not have been my best idea because the kids were all wound up from everything that was going on and did not go to sleep quickly. 

DAY TWO:   The movers came back around 9:00 AM and worked until 5:30 PM.  The door was once again left open and the temperature in the house dropped again.  Despite the challenges presented by not having access to most of our things (as you can see in the picture where Nicole is eating her first breakfast on the only chair not packed in a truck), the day went better.  I took the kids over to grandma’s for breakfast, leaving Bryan to greet the movers.  After breakfast, Isaac went to school and the girls stayed with Grandma.  Since my room was cleared of all but my bed, I was able to spend most of the second day in there with the door closed to keep in the heat.  I borrowed some toys from grandma to keep in my room for entertaining children.  After picking up Isaac from school, we ate some lunch on paper plates then I rested on my bed as he played with blocks next to the bed.  The day progressed much more quickly and before too long, my mother arrived with a rental van.  We spent the evening over at mom and dad Cochran’s house and brought home a collection of things such as air mattresses, sleeping bags and chairs to use in our completely empty house. 

At bedtime the kids slept on sleeping bags in their room and thrilled to be “camping” inside.  They were once again all wound up from the new experiences and all the changes, but I found myself better rested and able to deal with them better.

DAY THREE:   We spent day 3 cleaning and running a few last errands.  We were grateful to have borrowed a several things from mom and dad Cochran that made life a little easier.  Nicole seemed happy with her booster chair attached to a lawn chair configuration for first breakfast.  The kids were more than happy to get up and go to grandma’s house again for breakfast before Isaac headed off to school.  After sending him to school, we returned to the house to clean.  Our cleaning lasted until about noon and went much quicker because of the assistance of friends from the ward.  After everyone left, Bryan, mom and I ran errands which included closing bank accounts, canceling our gym membership, and returning our cable modem.  We did stop back at Mom and Dad Cochran’s house to print boarding passes, but the rest of our errands took us until dinner time.  With all the packing and cleaning done, we were able to enjoy a nice dinner with family before another night of “camping” in our house.

DAY FOUR:   Was our final day in Utah.  We had a nice breakfast with mom and dad Cochran, after which Isaac dressed in his Halloween costume for his last day of school  in Utah.  He wanted to make signs for the Halloween parade that they were having at school.  He made a sign that said “Isaac’s last day of school in Utah” on one side and “I miss my dad” on the other side.  Charlotte also made a sign for the parade that said “walk” on one side and “stop” on the other.  After dropping Isaac off at school, we came back to mom and dad Cochran’s house  where I painted Charlotte’s fingernails and enjoyed visiting with family.  At 10:15 we drove back to the school for the Halloween parade.  After the parade, we headed back to mom and dad’s for our last time.  We picked up Isaac at 11:15 and headed straight for the airport.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .