Old Friends and New Friends

Yesterday we had a visit from one of my best buds from High School, Heather and her beautiful daughter Lily. Next time we see them, they will be visiting us in Louisiana!

Heather and I have been friends since we were paired as Science lab partners in our 9th grade Science class. Its hard to believe that its been almost 19 years since then!!! Nineteen years????? NINETEEN YEARS!! Okay now I feel old.

Here we are:

Max instantly fell in love with Lily. He was heart broken when she told him he couldn't go to her Birthday Party. Lily is about 8 months younger than Max, but taller!Lily was more interested in Jimmy. He impressed her with his hunting skills. The catch of the day? Big Fat Frog. I hope that they have frogs like this in Louisiana!

Here is our whole crew:

I'll Miss you Lady!

Natale Family Picnic

Every year on Memorial Day, the whole regular crew meets up for the annual Natale Family Picnic. This was my 15 one!

We love this picnic. It will be so sad to miss it next year. The food is always plentiful and amazingly good. Jim runs the grill (insert manly Tim Allen noises here). The Moms go to the playground with the kiddos (where unfortunately Jimmy fell off of the monkey bars, chipped his front tooth and split his lip open). The parents play cards, our generation plays poker and there is the ever famous Natale v. Saltis softball game. (The Natales always win!)

Jim multitasking. Eating chips and flipping the BBQ.

Here are some pictures sent to me by Aunt Karen and Uncle Bob (Because our camera had dead batteries) We always take Generation pictures. Its sad to see the older generation growing smaller, but the newest generation fills me with great hope for the future. Nana and Aunt Vi
The Parents. MIL and FIL are in the Center.
Our Generation. 5 of them are Jims Brothers and Sisters!
The Kiddos. And the Moms of the newest Natale Family Babies.

From left to right top to bottom.

Jimmy, Katie Grace, Dana, Maxwell, Nat & Sam, Kara & Kaelyn

Matty Jr., Alex, Logan

Notice how my kids are all hugging someone? Isn't that cute?

Of course I have to include the proud New Grand Mothers.

Aunt Karen with Kaelyn and Diane with Sam.

Crazy Enough?

As if packing everything up and moving 1700 miles away wasn't crazy enough. We (well really me and the kids, but we know that Daddy really wants a new dog too, even through he is playing the toughy) have decided to add a new ingredient to the mix!

Meet the newest member of the Family!

We will pick him up once we get down to Louisiana. Right now is name is Tiger, but we will change it once we get to know him. He is a Reverse Brindle English Mastiff. Hes gonna be a BIG BOY! Breed standard is about 200 lbs and 30 inches at the shoulders! But we do have 4 kids, so if you divide that 4 ways, that's 50 lbs per kid! Plenty of dog to go around!

I have always wanted to get a big Dawg* not just a dog but a Dawg! A big mellow slobbering snoring moose of a dog that the kids can just about ride. And especially since our Angus died of Addison's disease, I have always told Alex and Jimmy that once Katie was 2 we would look into another dog. So, I figure since we are moving it is the best time to actually get a dog, new house, new place, new routines, new chores. Get things going from day 1 before they slip into old habits. That goes for me as well.

In preparation for the new puppy we have written up a Puppy Care and Responsibility Contract and it was signed by all 4 kids. Stating things like if they don't want to have the stuffed animal/shoe/barbie/car massacre of '08 that they will keep their things in safe places, they will feed and walk the dog when told, that Jimmy in his 9 year old boy glory will be the Popper scooper. (what is it with boys and bodily functions/excretions?) And of course last but not least the repercussions if they fail to live up to their contract. Its signed and will stay on the fridge so that they don't forget their ends of the bargin.

My good friend Tanya has been so helpful with aiding us in preperations as well. She has 2 dogs that are her kids and has done all the research on foods and toys and treats and everything that has anything to do with owning a dog. I feel really greatful to have her experience available just an email away. Thanks lady! :)

Who ever said home is where the heart is, was right!!!

Our hearts will be here in 34 days and counting!

Just a sneak peek of what is in store for the Natale Family.

Look Palm Trees!!!

We are going to have our very own PALM TREES!

I know...no big deal to some,

but to us its only something we see when we go on some tropical vacation!

Our home will be our very own resort!

Can you tell I am a little excited?

From MA to LA

According to our Rand McNally Trip Planner, the trip from Mass to Louisiana will take us 1888 miles and time of 32 hours!
We will break the trip into days, and try to do about 400 miles a day. We already know our first stop is to DC to see Mieke's brother Luke, and of course to do the sights. Here is how the days look so far. MA, DC, Charleston WV, Nashville TN, Jackson MS and Sulphur LA!
We are old pros at road trips. Back when we were still able to all fit into the Mercury Sable we drove from Portland Oregon to Barre MA! And last year for Jim's Sabbatical we drove to TN and SC then back up again.
All I can say is thank goodness for Dodge Grand Caravans with DVD players, wet wipes and our trusty TomTom.

Here we are!

We have joined the blog craze!

Look out!!!

My hopes for this blog are the chronicle the adventures that we will have in the up coming months, the move, the new house, new friends and general adventures of living in the Deep South.

This past year has been challenging for us. Jim stated working in Louisiana on Oct. 1. The rest of us (Oma included) have been here in Mass trying to sell our house. The market is so bad here that we have only had 2 showings in 7 months! Poor Jim has been living in a hotel all this time and flying home about every 2 weeks for a short weekend. Its been a trying time for us, but we are so looking forward to finally moving to our new home and being a complete family again!

Here are the dates that we have so far!

May 30: Close on the NEW HOUSE! YAY!!!

June 17: My Birthday (Had to sneak that one in there) And the Movers here!

June 18: Last day of school for the kiddos. (I am glad that they were able to finish up the year)

June 21: The first day of our trip! Headed to the DC area!

Looks like we will be in the DC area the night of the 21, and stay for 2 or 3 days. I really want the kiddos to see sights. Most of the time will be touristy, but Family and Friends are all welcome to join us! I mean really, when was the last time you MDers actually did DC?

Ya'll come see us! (how was that?)

Kiddos:

Alex*- 10.5

Jimmy-9

Max- 4.5

Katie Grace- 2.5

For the record. Alex is short for Alexandra, but its ALEX! A.L.E.X!!! Just ALEX, Mom!