Stand by

We still don't have internet at our new house, so you'll have to pardon my brevity. I'm terrible at typing on my phone. But, I thought I'd post a quick update and fill in details later.

 My Mom and Paul's parents came in to town for Benjamin's baptism.

 It was a really special day.

 We closed on our old house!

 And I was surprisingly unemotional about handing over the keys.

And last but not least, we've been getting settled in to our new home! Life has been a little crazier than I like, but really good too.

Things that Matter

I need to state for the record how much it has been bothering me that all of my latest posts have been house related. Obviously, moving is a busy process, but I felt like it's been consuming all of my brain power and as a result, all of the more important things in my life have become sort of secondary. I'm so ready for all this to be behind us. I don't even care if we spend the rest of the Summer slowly unpacking boxes, I just want to have that Summer to really connect with my kids again.

I'd like to be able to just sit down (relaxed) with Lydia, who just wants to read the same five stories over and over again. Her favorites right now are "Drummer Hoff," "Boy With a Drum," "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb," "The Foot Book," and any book that is tiny (as in less than 4 inches across, square).

I'd like to make a real mess with Nora. Right now, one of her favorite things to do is "paint" water on the driveway. I find her out there all the time. Someday, when our house is our own again, I might even bust out some sidewalk chalk! ;)

I'd really love to have a mind that isn't reeling through a million different things so I can really listen to Peter's fantastic imagination and creative word plays. He is such a bright boy with so much going on in that enormous brain of his. I wish I could bottle it all up and keep it somewhere. 

I'm hoping to grow closer to Benjamin, as we make this big transition and branch out to meet new friends together. He's had a fantastic time in his classes at school and on his baseball team. And although he doesn't readily admit it, I can tell this will rock his world a bit- being the new kid. 

 I'm excited to pull out all the blankets again so they can build a decent fort again. I put those in storage a while ago along with half their toys. They've found ways to keep busy, though!

 Nora looks like a flying squirrel to me here. And I love how Lydia is just hanging out precariously in the middle of all the action.

 Also, home projects themselves have become sources of great entertainment. Whenever there is a "worker man" at our house, Nora is right there, shadowing them. One of them was kind enough to fit her with his earmuffs while he worked with his power tools.

 Remember how we ripped out a deck and rebuilt it this last month? Yeah, that was crazy. But I should clarify- we had a lot of help!

 I'd like to somehow figure out a way for Nora and Lydia to become good friends, since Peter will be leaving them behind this Fall. I honestly think splitting them up in separate bedrooms (at least for now) will be a good thing.

Nora LOVES playing with her friends- any girl that is around her age or older. She asks almost constantly if so-and-so is coming to our house or if we can go over there. 

Ironically, she loves other people's babies as well. It's just this little sister that encroaches on all of her personal space that gets to her. They play pretty well together most of the time, but it will be nice when Lydia has some language and they can really interact. 

In Nora's defense, Lydia is kind of in a funny stage. She's a bit possessive, loves to do everything herself, constantly makes messes in their room, and SCREAMS. Like really, really high pitched screams. Oh, Lydia. We still love you. Even when we want to lock you in a sound-proof room sometimes. :)

 In the midst of all that is going on, normal stuff is still happening too. Benjamin finished his last day of school yesterday. Yes, Monday was really their last day because of all the snow-days. I admittedly was dreading the end-of-year picnic, where all the parents sit out in a giant, hot field with no shade while their kids don't even sit with them for two minutes. It's mad chaos. But it was nice to make contact with some of his friends' parents. I'm really bad at that most of the time. The slide show was also good. I was not prepared to feel sad about leaving all this behind. We'll miss all these teachers who have played such a huge part in Benjamin's life these past few years. Good, good people.

 Benjamin came home on the bus the last day beaming.  He was holding an "Awesome" sign that he got to take home because he had the best behavior chart in the class. He's a really good kid, and he'll do well at his next school!

 So Summer begins- and with so much change on the horizon! In a few weeks from now, we will have a boy who is baptized (!!!), a house that is (hopefully) sold, and a new home.

With all the changes, I'm so grateful to keep the things that matter most with me. Families are the best.