Our Trip to Buckeye Installment I

We left the house at 6:55 am Tuesday morning. We arrived at SL airport by 11:20. Our plane was to leave at 12:35. We go thro' security without any problems. Of course I had to be wanded because my knee beeped when I went thro' the gate. We had about 30 mintes to wait until they started boarding the plane. Since I had gotten online and gotten a boarding pass already, we were B- 7 & 8, we were able to get on before too long and there were plenty of seats. There were empty seats thro' out the plane. We landed in Phoenix 10 minutes early which was nice. I had made reservations with the supper shuttle the day before by phone. I've decided that is the way to do it for sure at all times because they knew where we were going and the address and the cross streets etc. We really didn't have to tell them anything. It took us about 40 minutes to go from the airport to R and T's new house. It is almost due west of the airport. R and T were at their old house doing some cleaning etc. when we got there. We were here an hour or so before T got back. It was two or three before R did because he had to load up the things they didn't want and take it to the transfer station. That is the same as our dump. They take everything that goes to the dump to the transfer station then, bulldozers with bucket lifts lift everything into big trucks and then it is trucked to the dump. We had a late supper. It was sooo good to see everyone. Their house is beautiful and sooo roomy. The children as they showed us around kept saying, "It is soo big!" The rooms are, the yard is, the garage is, etc. Their bottom floor is larger than our main floor of our house then they have six bedrooms and a loft with three bathrooms up stairs. There is also a 1/2 bath down stairs. It is very nice having a bathroom that we share with just the R's and not have to share it with the children. The first night E, who is three, kept coming to visit us after we were in bed. We finally locked the door and then he just knocked on the door a few times. He has a very distinct knock. We can always tell it is E knocking. There is a fan in the room, which makes it very nice. Altho' it was thawing when we left home, It was still supposed to be in the 30's all week in IF. It is spring here!! I have to keep reminding myself that it really is February. It is delightful. The bedroom was actually too warm that first night but the fan made it just right. Their back yard is gigantic!! The children said it was the size of at least two football fields. There is nothing but dirt and tumble weeds out there but there is plenty of room for a nice sized garden, a tennis court, a small swimming pool and still have yard left over. Since this is a dessert, I'm not sure if they will have any grass. They may, time will tell, but it won't be very much if they do. Oh, they also have a three car garage. They are by no means settled but we have been able to help some either around here or watching the children while R and T went over to the other house to finish cleaning up. My husband went with them over there three times to help. They turned the keys in today, so they will be able to spend all of the availabe time in getting settled over here. Téa has a big beautiful kitchen with granite counters. There is an island in the middle with cupboard space underneath and an outlet and a bar with stools on one side. There is a very nice family room off to the side of it. A living or front room in front and a room off to the side behind the garage that they will be using for a school room. They have four computers and T does home schooling. With six children I really don't know how she does it, but she is a very organized person. Both of the R and us have a bedroom with the bathroom in between. C and A share a room, E and E share a room and D and E share a room. That's the way it is so far anyway. We've had to watch E really closely because he loves to go outside and he can open any lock (has been able to practically since he could walk.) He will go out the front door and stand there and ring the doorbell. They have put an otoman in front of the door to slow him down or try to stop him from going out but he can move it himself when he really wants too. Today, he asked T to help him move it in front of the door. (It reminded me of J when he reminded S to lock the door after they returned from the store. And yes the lock was to specifically lock Jin.) Yesterday, M found him a block and a half away. That is the only time that I’m aware of his leaving the yard. They will have to watch him closely tho’ or he could just disappear. They live in a cul-de-sac so traffic isn't a problem right in front of their house but away from the cul-de-sac it could be.
Thursday afternoon I helped C hang up her clothes and get settled in her room. It took us 2 ½ to 3 hours. We did enjoy working together. She said she would get R4 to vacuum her room and I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. After I saw it I could tell it looks like it could have come from Star Wars or something like that.