Our Moving Adventure

This month has been INSANE to say the very least! The week before we were supposed to move, Travis threw his back out. The Chiropractor said he had some sort of sprain (Travis could probably tell you the legit name) and spasms. We were really counting on his last full paycheck to live on incase he didn't find a job right away. Unfortunately Travis worked less than 2 days that week. 

Luckily, after visiting the chiropractor 6 times that week, Travis felt good enough to walk around and could lift some boxes. Little did we know that was just the start of our crazy adventure. 

Travis and I packed up our entire apartment in 4 days and drove over 500 miles (with a baby and a cat), only to arrive at our home (which we had toured via Skype) to find it in shambles. When we skyped the previous tenants, it was obvious that they were a little messy and had too much stuff in a small house. They mentioned something about not watering their yard due to their tight budget, but didn't make it seem like it was very bad. Little did I know that all the stuff in their house was really covering up water damage and when they said their yard was dead that really meant 3 foot tall weeds were growing EVERYWHERE. 

So here we are, completely exhausted from the drive, but running on adrenaline because we are SO excited to not live in an apartment any more and put our own touch on this cute, old house--only to be heart broken and panicked. When we looked at the house it seemed perfect.  It was only a few houses down from a little park and two blocks from campus. It had that charm that most old homes have, but when we arrived this is what we found.

This was our front yard. Just to put it in perspective, that's my stepdad and he is about 6ft tall. The weeds next to and in front of him were up to his waist.

Those are just a few of the pics that we took. The previous tenants also left garbage, food, and all the nails in the walls where they had decorations hanging from. They also left their baby's crib outside in the driveway. The garage had been completely taken over by these huge, nasty beetles. If you know me, you know I have a PHOBIA of bugs! Just going into the garage gave me the heebie jeebeez!!! YUCKY!!

Within minutes of being there, we knew we couldn't live there. If it were just Travis and I, we probably could've lived through the demo for the water damage in the basement and the yard landscaping. We could've lived there while the landlord hired a maid to come and clean the past tenants disgusting mess they left behind, but things change drastically when a baby is involved. As a new mother, maybe I'm a little over protective, but I didn't even want Beckham in the house, let alone living there. I understand that it is an old house and it has its quirks, but this poor house had been left in the hands of destructive tenants for a long time. My step dad was able to borrow a 32ft trailer from his boss to help us move, but it had to be back on Monday because they had a big home show that week. That being said, we had no other choice but to haul everything we owned into the house and beetle infested garage while we lived out of a hotel for three days. 

We moved in on a Saturday and the next day we called EVERY house that was in our price range that had potential. But of course it was Sunday and, in these parts, it is a ghost town on Sundays. On Monday we showed up at the first rental office before they opened. We watched the lady turn on the open sign and put down her purse. As soon as she sat at her desk, we were out of the car and booking it into the office. We scheduled an appointment to look at two different properties, then called another rental office and scheduled another walk through. 

Overall, we saw 5 places and finally settled on a cute little town house in Chubbuck. It is about 10 minutes away from campus, but it is close to everything else. Costco is literally 5 minutes away! 5 minutes!!!! Not only do I love shopping there, but it is entertainment...and I can eat there for $1.50 ha!

Travis and I wouldn't of survived this experience if it weren't for my mom. She stayed with us until we were all settled into our home. She was basically Beckham's mom for 4 days.

Anyway, here are a few pics of our house! We LOVE it! It is such a great community to live in. There are two parks that are basically in our backyard, and two basketball courts in the neighborhood! The day that we moved in, Travis had two job interviews and basically had his pick of which one he wanted. It was such a blessing! 

The day after we moved in, it POURED down rain! Travis and I were standing in the hallway talking when we heard a *drip, drip, drip.* We looked up and saw a bulge coming out of the bathroom ceiling. Over the next two days, as we were waiting for maintenance to show up, the rain got worse and water started dripping into the bathroom. Luckily, maintenance showed up and got the problem taken care of! But, it sure was one thing after another!! 

I will add more pics of the house as we finish the final touches!

Beckham turned 5 months old yesterday and I can't believe how much he has changed! I never did a post about his 4 month check up. But here were his stats-

Weight: 14.8 lbs (15th Percentile)

Length: 25.5 in (50th Percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 in (89th Percentile)

We have experimented with bananas and avocado. I plan on breastfeeding until he is a year old, but it is fun to experiment every once in a while with pureed food! I really want to try and can my own baby food, so we will see how that goes! 

Beckham wasn't a huge fan of bananas, and he REALLY did not like avocados as you can see in the following picture. 

"Get that crap outta my face!"

His 5 month picture!!

At 5 months old Beckham:

-is very attentive

-loves nature

-is constantly moving (nothing new)

-loves to play with his dad

-giggles and squeals a ton!

-loves to be thrown in the air

-has quite the temper

-loves baby oatmeal

-sleeps good at night

-loves attention

Swag

Today was Trav's first day of Grad school and his first day of work! Everything is falling into place and life is finally starting to settle down again! We are so thankful for family and all the help we received during this crazy time! Thank you all for the love and support!!

Love,

Lindsay