Here we go...

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging and I am a little nervous! Story telling is not one of my strong points so I apologize in advance if this becomes boring. :)
My hope for this blog is to keep family and friends updated on our time leading up to our move and our time in Amsterdam. Also, I think it would be great to be able to look back on once we do come home.
Right now we do not have a set move date. I REALLY hope we know soon. I am not a fan of just floating along...I NEED to plan (thanks Mom)! I do know that we will be leaving around October 1 and will spend up to a month in a hotel until we find our new home. Hopefully we find one right away because I really want to settle in as soon as possible.
Our house here is now for sale and we have had a steady flow of people. Everyone is just so darn picky...we KNOW the trim needs to be painted and some of the wood is rotten...use it as a negotiation tool people! We do have someone coming on Tuesday to give us a quote on painting and replacing the wood. So, we may just go ahead and get it painted. With a new baby, a 20 month old and completely up rooting our lives those kind of things have been pushed down on the list.
I find myself getting pretty emotional lately; especially where the parents are concerned. We just spent some time in Minoqua with my parents and Matt's parents and it was so hard to think about them not seeing Kaylin and Shane as often as they do now. Kaylin sure does need to see her Papas! I think that is what is bothering me the most lately. I just bought a little photo album for Kaylin to put pics of family and friends in so she can carry it around and look at it when ever she wants. She had a great time looking at it with out pictures in it so I am sure it will be a big hit once I put some in it. I think I will give it to her once we get on the plane...it should keep her occupied for a while. That is another thing I want to find...things to keep her occupied on the flight. Ideally she will sleep, but I am not going to hold my breath. Any ideas?
The moving company should be contacting us soon to let us know what we can take with us...once again sooner the better so I can plan it all out and start getting what we can't take along ready for storage. They will also provide us with language and cultural classes which we are looking forward to.
Well, that is all for now. I will write more as we get more info.