This whole week we have been moving loads of stuff from the rental to the new house. Jack and Owen have become quite skilled at packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, and I'm thankful for their willingness to help (candy corn goes a looong way in motivating little boys). We have been measuring everything in terms of moving. Like...only 3 more days of driving to school from this house and fighting this crazy traffic! and only 4 more nights until you can take a bath in your new bathtub... and only 3 more nights until we sleep at our new house. We are SO excited about starting this new chapter in our lives and getting settled into our new home that we have watched go up, brick by brick.
Along with a new house and a new baby, we are shifting around furniture and updating a few things that have long needed to be updated. Matt and I joke that we haven't been to Pier 1 since Jack was born...which was one of our favorite stores to browse at in our early days before kids. Pre-kids, we used to spend hours talking about, planning, and shopping for our house. It was our way of being grown up, I guess. And then kids came along, and our house took a backseat. So everything we have pretty much dates back to the period known as Before Kids.
With all this transition going on, we've tried to update a couple of things--like we now need a breakfast table that will seat FIVE instead of just four. And we're shifting around bedroom furniture so that the baby will have something to put all her pretty little girl things in. We also need a new bed because the one we have is 10+ years old and is basically plywood covered in fabric. I don't sleep really well these days...plywood plus a baby belly is not the best combination.
Matt and I went mattress shopping last night. Boy, was that a fun way to spend an evening without kids!! Ugh. Let's just say we almost got divorced in the mattress store. Because Matt actually likes to sleep on plywood. And I like something just a tad softer. They make these plush beds that are supposed to be like a compromise between a firm and a soft bed. But anything less than plywood is just too squishy for my sweet husband. And one too many nights on plywood has made me cranky and unwilling to compromise. And I know what you're thinking...they make those beds that you can adjust...only they are the price of a small car and not in the new house/new baby budget. So after doing the whole arguing in the hushed voices thing in the middle of the bed store, we realized we weren't going to be agreeing on anything, and the sales guy was, I'm sure, relieved to see us go.
Then we went over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick out curtains for our bedroom to go with our new king-size bedding to go on the bed we don't actually have yet. We had dropped in Monday with the kids but realized that we had forgotten the sham from the bedding to match the curtains to, and there was a nice lady there. She saw us with the kids trying to pick curtains to go with bedding that we didn't actually have, and she offered to help. But we were doing the whole bickering like a 70 year old couple thing again--"I thought you got the sham." "No, why would I get it? You didn't tell me to get it!" "I left it on the counter but it wasn't there so I thought YOU got it!" "I didn't get it. YOU were supposed to get it." And after that quick little scene we made, we got out of there. Well, we went back last night without kids (thanks to Nana and Poppy) and wouldn't you know the same girl was there! She was all, You're back again! Did you bring the thing you needed this time?? You don't have your kids with you! Is there anything I can help you with? I. was. mortified. After debating which shade of off-white to go with, we finally made a choice that we agreed on, and got out of there.
Moving/building a house is supposed to be way up there on the list of things that can cause stress in life, and boy do I believe it! This is our third house together--third time to pick paint colors and flooring and window treatments--and each time it has been a challenge. We both know what we like and it's not always the same thing. We've learned to bend and compromise and give and take and somehow find a middle ground, but I gotta be honest. It's not always easy. Even when the decision seems SO inconsequential. It's just good practice for the bigger decisions in life...which thank goodness, we mostly agree on, anyway.
We are going mattress shopping again tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
What the kiddos have been up to...
Jack and Owen have grown up a lot in the last few months, and we just recently started school again for both. They also had their half-birthdays last month, so they are very proud to say that they are now five-and-a-half and three-and-a-half. In fact, Owen was a little indignant when I told him he would get to be in the 3-year-old class this year at school because he told me, "Mommy, I am not 3! I am 3-and-a-half!" There's a HUGE difference, there, in case you didn't know.
Back in the spring, they both struggled much more than we ever expected with our move to the rental. They seemed to really mourn the old house and had a hard time understanding that we would be moving twice. They each dealt with their anxiety and worries in different ways--Jack becoming emotional and having melt downs at the oddest times, and Owen picking up a temporary stutter and not sleeping well at night. It took us all about a month to adjust, but they settled in, and thankfully, seem much more excited about the move to the new house in a couple of weeks. Our old house was really special to all of us!
This summer we spent A LOT of time at the pool. It was SO hot, and it was pretty much the only place that I could go and not feel completely sick and wiped out by the little baby busy growing inside. The boys love to swim, particularly Jack, and he got quite good at swimming with all that practice. We had a pretty uneventful summer, otherwise.
This year was a pretty significant year for Jack because he started kindergarten this year! Matt and I decided to send Jack to a small Christian school here that's a little unusual. Jack goes to school 3 days a week, and he's home with me 2 days each week. Some call it a homeschool co-op, but even that description doesn't seem accurate to me, because many homeschool co-ops are not nearly as traditional or structured as this school. Jack follows a very traditional school day on the days he goes to school--the only differences are that his class size is 10 kids, the day is shorter, and it is a Christian school. At home, we follow his teacher's lesson plans and use the same curriculum, and I do a lot of extra work with him at home to supplement what he is learning, too. So far it has been a really positive experience for all of us. Jack seems to love his teacher and new friends, is excited about going to school, and talks all about it when he's at home (which is a pretty significant change from his preschool years, where we rarely heard about his days at school). Jack also has a new interest in writing and is constantly writing little notes or making signs for his room or practicing his letters. I could honestly go into great detail about our experience here, but I'll save it for another post and another day.
Owen loves his preschool class and his teachers adore him, too. They describe him as a leader in the room and says he has a constant smile on his face. I love to hear that! Owen can be pretty shy, so I'm glad he's coming out of his shell at school. Unlike Jack at age 3, Owen loves to tell us all about what he is learning in school, and who he played with each day. I also love that Owen has his own place to go apart from Jack because Owen spends so much time imitating Jack and looks up to him so much, which I love, but it's nice to see Owen have his own thing, too.
Jack started playing soccer with Upward this fall, and he loves it! The program is excellent--very organized and a great intro to the game. Jack has scored two goals this season, and for a kid who's not really into sports, he seems to really be enjoying the season.
And as far as the baby, which we found out is a GIRL!, she spends her days kicking, sleeping, wiggling, and hiccupping. And we can't wait to see her face. The boys are very excited to meet her, though they have not one bit of interest in feeling her move at all. Jack has wanted a baby sister for quite a while, but Owen really could take her or leave her at this point. Hopefully, he'll like her a little more when she's here and not ask us to take her back to the hospital like my brother did when I came along! I just went to the doctor today at 32 weeks 4 days, and she is estimated to weigh 4 lbs, 10 oz., which is in the 54th percentile. This is a pretty big change for me from the boys, who always measured ahead. This pregnancy has been pretty easy, I have to admit. The tummy aches and exhaustion in the beginning were rough and lasted til about 20 weeks, but since then, everything has gone very well, which I count as a huge blessing. I'm anxious to see and hold her, but I'm also trying my best to enjoy this pregnancy, since this is for sure our last baby.
That's just a brief update on each...I'll try to write more about the boys soon, and how things are going in the new house. Fall is our favorite time of year, and I hope that we can get in and get settled so we can begin some of our favorite fall traditions very soon!!
Back in the spring, they both struggled much more than we ever expected with our move to the rental. They seemed to really mourn the old house and had a hard time understanding that we would be moving twice. They each dealt with their anxiety and worries in different ways--Jack becoming emotional and having melt downs at the oddest times, and Owen picking up a temporary stutter and not sleeping well at night. It took us all about a month to adjust, but they settled in, and thankfully, seem much more excited about the move to the new house in a couple of weeks. Our old house was really special to all of us!
This summer we spent A LOT of time at the pool. It was SO hot, and it was pretty much the only place that I could go and not feel completely sick and wiped out by the little baby busy growing inside. The boys love to swim, particularly Jack, and he got quite good at swimming with all that practice. We had a pretty uneventful summer, otherwise.
This year was a pretty significant year for Jack because he started kindergarten this year! Matt and I decided to send Jack to a small Christian school here that's a little unusual. Jack goes to school 3 days a week, and he's home with me 2 days each week. Some call it a homeschool co-op, but even that description doesn't seem accurate to me, because many homeschool co-ops are not nearly as traditional or structured as this school. Jack follows a very traditional school day on the days he goes to school--the only differences are that his class size is 10 kids, the day is shorter, and it is a Christian school. At home, we follow his teacher's lesson plans and use the same curriculum, and I do a lot of extra work with him at home to supplement what he is learning, too. So far it has been a really positive experience for all of us. Jack seems to love his teacher and new friends, is excited about going to school, and talks all about it when he's at home (which is a pretty significant change from his preschool years, where we rarely heard about his days at school). Jack also has a new interest in writing and is constantly writing little notes or making signs for his room or practicing his letters. I could honestly go into great detail about our experience here, but I'll save it for another post and another day.
Owen loves his preschool class and his teachers adore him, too. They describe him as a leader in the room and says he has a constant smile on his face. I love to hear that! Owen can be pretty shy, so I'm glad he's coming out of his shell at school. Unlike Jack at age 3, Owen loves to tell us all about what he is learning in school, and who he played with each day. I also love that Owen has his own place to go apart from Jack because Owen spends so much time imitating Jack and looks up to him so much, which I love, but it's nice to see Owen have his own thing, too.
Jack started playing soccer with Upward this fall, and he loves it! The program is excellent--very organized and a great intro to the game. Jack has scored two goals this season, and for a kid who's not really into sports, he seems to really be enjoying the season.
And as far as the baby, which we found out is a GIRL!, she spends her days kicking, sleeping, wiggling, and hiccupping. And we can't wait to see her face. The boys are very excited to meet her, though they have not one bit of interest in feeling her move at all. Jack has wanted a baby sister for quite a while, but Owen really could take her or leave her at this point. Hopefully, he'll like her a little more when she's here and not ask us to take her back to the hospital like my brother did when I came along! I just went to the doctor today at 32 weeks 4 days, and she is estimated to weigh 4 lbs, 10 oz., which is in the 54th percentile. This is a pretty big change for me from the boys, who always measured ahead. This pregnancy has been pretty easy, I have to admit. The tummy aches and exhaustion in the beginning were rough and lasted til about 20 weeks, but since then, everything has gone very well, which I count as a huge blessing. I'm anxious to see and hold her, but I'm also trying my best to enjoy this pregnancy, since this is for sure our last baby.
That's just a brief update on each...I'll try to write more about the boys soon, and how things are going in the new house. Fall is our favorite time of year, and I hope that we can get in and get settled so we can begin some of our favorite fall traditions very soon!!
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