It always happens when you move, but it still annoys.

We are still unpacking over here. At this point we've gotten through most of what was in storage while we lived in Switzerland. That was a lot of fun; there was a surprise in every box! "Oh, we have nice china!" "Wow, dishes and silverware that aren't from Ikea!" "Huh, why did we buy this again?"

It was like shopping for free in the comfort of your own home.

The things from Switzerland have not been so lucky. The good news is that the eight boxes we shipped have arrived and been unpacked. Bad news? The luggage we packed and brought over with us has not all been unpacked yet.

Why? Well, life has gotten in the way. Marion's going to school, Betti's a monster who requires constant attention, we had a massive ant invasion, and we went to the beach for a week.

Yep, life is hard.

But now we must unpack. I'm missing something and it is driving me mad. Now you all must be wondering, what is it? What are you missing?

We are missing our salt and pepper grinder.

Yea yea yea, laugh away. But this salt and pepper grinder is AWESOME! It is a grinder with salt on one side, pepper on the other, and a handle you turn right or left to grind what you want. I got it on sale at the Coop and have been unable to find a replacement online.

It's the little things sometimes, okay?

18 months (and 5 days)

Betti. Ohhhhh Betti.

My little baby girl is HUGE! I took her for her 18 month appointment today where she weighed in at 28 lbs and 34 inches tall. For all those you don't have a clue as to what size that is, she is in the 92% for weight and 97% for height.

Besides being our little amazon, she continues to be a physical being. When at the beach last week she loved getting into the sand and the water.

She met a cute little southern girl who didn't like the sand. Betti kept trying to give some to her but she kept running away.

I couldn't help but chuckle. My little girl looked like a complete knucklehead next to that adorable, clean southern belle.

It's starting to make complete sense that her first word was 'ball'.

She also loved running out into the waves.

And we enjoyed sitting in beach chairs playing with the water and sand.

It was so much fun to play with her at the beach. Marion hated the sand and water at this age and it made such a huge difference to play with a child who enjoyed it all.

In other Betti news, she still loves it when Marion chases her and beats her up. She's still a little hesitant to jump into situations but warms up quickly. She's learning new things all the time, which is probably my favorite part of being a parent. I love watching them learn and experience new things. And, last but certainly not least, Bettina gives the best hugs ever and has a huge, contagious smile.

We love you Betti Boo!

Just when you think the transition is going well...

Today at school Marion's class had a visitor. They were talking to the woman and she asked them where they lived. Marion's answer? "Switzerland."

Last week we were in Hilton Head, SC for a family wedding. Brian put Marion to bed one night when Marion started crying, saying how much she missed her friends. Then she listed every single one of our friends, adults and children, and asked when we were going back.

*sigh*

It breaks our hearts to see her react to the move like this. I'd wish for her to settle in and stop saying things like this but then that would be like wishing her to forget. We definitely don't want that.

I guess we will have to schedule a visit soon! Yea, I like that solution. :)

Marion goes to school!

Today was Marion's first day of school. She's going to a local pre-kindergarten 5 days a week. It's so weird to have her out of the house the entire week!

Brian and I woke her up with a special card for her first day.

Then I forced her to take pictures in front of the house before we drove her to school.

I see myself forcing them to take pictures right up until college.

In other news, our house is looking less and less like a large animal threw up boxes all over it. The walls are still bare and there are toys everywhere but such is life, right?