First things first...

So before I give another Georgia report I want to share a picture with you that I took before we left Utah...this is what happens when you try to take a shower leaving a 3 year old to take care of himself...

Yes that is in fact a potty seat.  And yes he was very much stuck!  He was pretty upset when I got out of the shower.  I asked him if I could take his picture before I helped him out of his predicament.  At this point the tears stopped and he smiled and said "Yeah!"  Come on you know you are all glad I grabbed the camera this is too classic and oh so Van!!!

Ok now onto the next Georgia report...

We met with a realtor yesterday.  Over all it was good.  We were hoping to see some amazing deals, although the housing market is more affordable here than it is in Utah we are not going to be getting a amazing deal.  We did find quite a few houses that were newer and that would work well for our family.  We also saw some not so great houses.  But we saw enough good ones that we feel confident that if we move out here housing wont be too difficult to figure out.  Ben is meeting with faculty and students from the program today so check his blog for the details about that. 

Georgia on my mind

So we got to Georgia last night.  We flew into Atlanta then rented a car to drive the rest of the way to Athens which is about an hour and a half away.  From the time we pulled into town I loved it!!  It is so cute and quaint.  It has such a small town college-y feel.  It has a lot of the stores that we are used to having, those that are noteworthy include, Walmart, Target, TJmaxx, Hobby Lobby and Payless.  There are also some that we are not used to like Publix, Piggly wiggley, Kroger and a bunch of others.  So it is a good mix familiar and new.  There are trees EVERYWHERE, which I love but Ben is still getting used to.  The trees remind me of Oregon.  Especially the ones that are in full white bloom.  They are not exactly like the pear trees in Oregon but similar and very beautiful.  I wish I had made room for my camera.  But all we brought was the crappy point and shoot.  So sorry no awesome pictures for you.  We are meeting with a realtor tomorrow to get a feel for the housing market.  I can honestly say I can see us living here.  Arizona and Michigan have a lot to live up to and it is going to be tough for either of them to out do Georgia. 

Just a side note: although I hate to admit it a GPS is awesome and totally worth having.  When Ben brought up the idea I thought he was just trying to get a new toy out of this trip, which lets be honest he probably was.  But it has been soooo nice to have and because we have it I was able to venture out on my own today while Ben was at his conference. 

That is my report so far on Georgia.  I will write more after we talk to the Realtor and see some houses.

And then there were three

It's official.  Ben has been accepted to all 3 schools he applied to; ASU, GUA, and MSU.  So now comes a whirlwind of trips and lots and lots of decisions.  This is all on top of our already hectic and crazy lives.  So this should be an interesting couple of weeks for us.  Wish us luck!!

Finally!!

We finally heard from ASU!  Ben has been accepted, Yay.  For those of you keeping track he has been accepted to Arizona State University and Michigan State University and we are still waiting to hear from University of Georgia (of course my first choice is taking their sweet time).  Looks like we can start planning visits and making decisions.  This is an exciting and scary time, but we are all excited for the adventure which surely lies ahead.  If you would like to add your 2 cents about where we should go visit Ben's nerd blog professional blog to vote.  It is not the first entry so scroll down a bit.

I know that for some of you it is hard to think about us leaving (that sounded totally self centered, sorry not my intention).  I only know this because you have told me.  Anyway, we really appreciate your love and support despite this being difficult.  Some of you hoped (myself included) that this would all blow over.  That in the end we would stay right here, but I can assure the chances of that happening are dwindling daily.  This is happening and I am happy we can start making decisions instead of being in limbo.  And I really am getting excited about the adventure our little family is about to take.

This is what made me laugh till I cried today

Joseph (to Lillie):  Spell pizza
Lillie: p-l-a-z-z-y
Me: audible laughter
Joseph: audible laughter
Joseph: No spell pizza
Lillie laughing: p-l-a-z-z-y
Me and Joseph: hysterical laughter
Me between sobs and tears: Lillie there is no l and no a in pizza
Joseph (puzzled): Mom there is an a
Me: realization
All of us: more laughter and tears

Just when you think being a mom is the hardest job in the world someone spells pizza with a y and and someone else forgets the a.  Thank goodness motherhood is sprinkled with hysterical belly laughs!  Because the hardest jobs are always the ones most worth doing.