Way too much to catch up on!

This is what happens when I move, I guess. My blog moves down from it's pedestal to the bottom of my priority list.

Anyway, just in case no one knew, ADAM GRADUATED!!! I always knew he would but it always felt so far away. It was a beautiful day outside and the ceremony, although a bit long for Olivia (and me!) wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be. We are so proud of Adam and all his hard work. He really put all his passion into dental school and we know he will be a great dentist! My awesome sisters watched Jack and Madelynn while Olivia and I went to the dental luncheon and then the ceremony. Olivia was funny, she told me "Daddy looks silly" when he came out in his cap and gown.

Olivia and Adam doing their "Uncle Rico" poses. I think it's way cute!Bren Dixon, Adam and Damon Pope. Friends since Day 1! The Church of the Covenant where Adam graduated. It was huge!Me, Miriam and Elise (and baby Ezra!) with Olivia in the back, waiting for graduation to start.
It's official! You can now call him Dr. Adam Poyfair!What a rowdy crowd! Shawn Lee, Brian Francis, Ryan Jensen, Adam, Matt Beecroft and Tyler Burningham.

Both of my sisters came out before we moved to have one last "girls weekend" which actually turned out to be a "help Carissa move" weekend. Sorry ladies! We did fit in a whole day at Cedar Point with dinner out at Olive Garden to finish it off. We didn't get any pictures at Cedar Point, but let me tell you, there were a few times I thought I would never see my kids again. On the Dragster and the Power Tower (the one that slooooowly brings you way too high in the air and then drops you). Seriously, I would yell "What was I thinking?!" as I thought I was falling to my death. My kids got big hugs from me when we got home. It was a lot of fun and I remember now why I love amusement parks (heck, my honeymoon was at Disneyland!). We also went to the outlet mall and let the kiddos spend some time at the playground there.

We brought the kids home some cotton candy from Cedar Point. Obviously Jack loves it so much that he is saving some for later!Cole loved Madelynn. He was very soft with her and I think he needs to teach this concept to Jack.
Olivia and Hayden playing at the playground at the Aurora outlets.Olivia loved loved loved her preschool. She was sad to have to leave early. She learned so much and we will miss her class! Here she is with her friend Caroline and her teacher Mrs. K. I teared up as I took these pictures!

Olivia and Rylynn. These two were like best friends and sisters all at once. They loved playing together but also fought like sisters sometimes. Their dramatics always made Rachel and I laugh. Every day since we've left Olivia has said "I miss Rylynn and Emma and Jack misses Carter and Jaxson." I know! I do too!Olivia and her cousin Hayden. We all hope to see you guys sooner than later!

Sisters! Celeste, Kelli and I. This was taken right before the tears started (although my tears had started when Summer came to say goodbye and never really stopped).My cute little pregant neighbor Rachel. I have so many memories of Rachel and her family. They lived above us for the last three years and it was a perfect fit. Our husbands got along great, our kids were the same age and played together (not always great but they still like each other so that's all that matters) and Rachel and I had so much in common. She taught me so much, like how to bake bread, navigate Trader Joe's and make her delicious cinnamon rolls. We made bows together and went to jewelry parties together and went shopping together. I really will miss living so close to such a great friend. I hope to see Rachel and her family in September for the Puyallup Fair!

By the way, moving sucks. Not that I ever thought I liked moving, but I can definitely say for sure now, that it sucks. I love the idea of a new start, but I hated packing things in boxes and wondering if they were going to break or get lost somehow. We packed up Wednesday and Thursday of last week and then headed out after lunch on Thursday. My sister Celeste and her 18-month-old Cole drove back with us, and my dad flew in on the red-eye Thursday morning to help us drive back. We stayed in Hamptons all the way home, which was my dad's idea but I LOVE their beds. So soft! And one of the hotels even had a water slide. Olivia loved it until I lost balance with her on my lap at the end and we ended up going under water at the bottom. Jack was kind of forced to go down (yeah, I'm that kind of Mom) and loved it until we hit the bottom and the water was too cold. The drive was long and my kids and my sister and nephew were exhausted and sore. By the second day of the four day trip, my nephew Cole would just cry at the site of the van or his car seat. All of us had sore necks and shoulders and backs from driving 12-14 hours a day too. But we made it. We pulled into my parent's house Sunday night around 5:30pm and unloaded the moving truck the next day. Celeste and I had some fun on our trip. On the first day at least. That's when we took this picture, when we still had a sense of humor. We kept wondering what this guy was hauling...
Jack did NOT like the pool. The water was cold and he couldn't reach the floor, like he could at the kiddie pool in Shaker Heights.As you can see, Olivia also did NOT like the pool. Well, she liked it, up until the part where she was plunged underwater when she was not expecting it. Sorry about that!Jack in the big truck. He was a little bored in the truck, but he has his binky, blanket and Swedish Fish so he was good. He always fell asleep in the truck too. Something about the boredom plus the loud noise... Olivia loved the truck and begged to go all the time. I never got a picture of her in it, but she was so cute sitting up in that huge yellow beast.

Memorial Day was full of things to do. We went to my parent's ward pancake breakfast and then ran to Target to get some essentials. After unloading the van into the storage unit (and finding Olivia's bows but NOT my library book!) I ran some errands with my mom and sister and then ran to the farmer's market with my dad. We had a BBQ at the house and then celebrated my brother-in-law Bryan's birthday and my nephew Bryce's birthday with cake and ice cream.

The kids loved sitting outside with their dinner.

It has been such a whirwind the past couple of weeks. It feels like I left Ohio a long time ago, but I know it hasn't even been a week yet. I was broken hearted when I moved to Ohio and now I am broken hearted to leave. I miss Ohio and my cute little tree lined street. I miss my cute house and all my friends. I miss jewelry making parties and bow making parties. I miss the Relief Society girl's night outs. I miss playing outside with my kids on the neighbor's play set. I miss all my favorite stores and hang outs. I miss Kirtland and the musical that I wanted to be in again this year. I felt like I was a part of something in Cleveland, whether it be a group of friends or part of Kirtland's history or part of the church or dental school there. I am unsure of my place here in Lakewood, Washington. I don't know what is missing, maybe a house of my own or a job for Adam or just to have my daily routine back. We'll see. I'm still in denial that the end of my time in Ohio has passed, but I am excited to start this new chapter in my life and live near my sister Celeste and my parents. I am going to dearly miss living near my other sister Kelli. She is in Toledo for one more year and I loved being able to jump in the car and be at her house in 2 hours. We spend a lot of holidays and weekends together and I might not see her until Christmas and it makes me really sad to think about that. Miss you Kel!