Goodbye Granny's House

Well, next Saturday is the big day.  I'm glad I somewhat caught up with the family journal such as it is before this week begins.  The last month has been a complete zoo but things are really going to amp up this week.  Finishing and cleaning at the new house, packing and moving again, getting ready for Christmas...yikes.  I did go out and get most of my shopping done this weekend so that's a relief.  I'm truly considering today a day of rest in preparation for this week.  We were lucky to have my grandma's house available to us when we sold and needed to move so quickly.  The last move was really hard.  Last winter I felt the closest to depressed that I've ever been.  I was sad to leave our neighbors and neighborhood and although I still feel that a bit it has been almost a year, and I am so glad to move and get settled again.  We have already made some great friends in Wellsville, and I love our house and area.  The house has been such a life sucking project, so I am glad to see this chapter come to an end.  Luke is my sentimental kid and he mentioned the other day that he would miss this house a little when we leave.  I know what he means.  You make memories wherever you are.  Now no offense to my grandparents but there are a few things I will not miss about this house.

• This sign hung on the door to the upstairs for months.  It is not an exaggeration.  With no insulation and no A/C the upstairs where the kids were was stifling.  We eventually borrowed this huge exhaust fan my dad used to use in his shop and Jer installed it in a plywood frame in the upstairs window.  Yes, it was really trashy looking.  We turned it on as soon as it was cooler outside than in and it sucked all the hot air outside.  It made it bearable.  It sounded like a jet engine though and apparently used a lot of power.  One of our power bills was $240!!!!
• Carpet in the kitchen.  Enough said.
• Freezing winds that blow throughout the house in the winter time.  Those have resumed.  I will not miss them.
• A shower that's a big gross--I've worn flip flops in the shower for a year and a toilet that doesn't flush properly.  It's for #1 only.
• Having only one bathroom.  I know I'm spoiled, but I'll be glad to have more than one bathroom for the kids to use and plenty of hot water.
• The horror movie basement.  It's seriously a bit sketchy down there.
• The wasps.  We sprayed but there were still lots of wasps--especially by the upstairs windows.  I killed them daily during the summer.
• The bumpy lawn.  I love mowing the lawn but the grass here is so sketchy and bumpy.  It came to be a chore I dreaded here.
• The dangers:  busy road, canal, rotting chimney, sharp metal stuff everywhere...you name it!

That sounds like a lot of complaints, but they are actually pretty trivial.  I am just excited to move to what will hopefully be our forever home.  I'd love to transplant some of our friends and neighbors out there but luckily it's only about 15 minutes away.  I will miss Providence, but I've really missed having neighbors we know and a sense of community while renting so I will be so glad to have that again.  Pretty soon this next week will just be a blip on the radar.  I can move again (at Christmas time).  I'll just keep telling myself that!

Lost & Found

At the beginning of October I lost my wedding ring.  I knew it was at home, but I couldn't find it anywhere.  I thought I knew the jeans I was wearing and I had searched the pockets of those as well as all my other pants, in the laundry, hamper, under couches, etc.  I was getting really worried I wouldn't find it before we move.  Well, a few weeks ago on a rare occasion that Jer was home without me he searched high and low for it...like for a couple of hours and eventually found it in a pair of shorts.  Oops.  He took it and got it cleaned and surprised me with it a few days later.  I was so excited to see it again.  What an awesome hubby I have!

Birthday Girl

Leah turned 3 almost a month ago.  That is pretty unreal to me.  She is such a cute, sweet, smart girl, and we love her so much.  She was really excited about her birthday.  Leah is loving and sweet and pretty much steals the heart of anyone she meets.  She loves nursery and dance class and of course her "brudders."  She can carry on quite the conversation these days, and I love hearing her cute little voice all day.  She is pretty sassy and lets us all know how she's feeling.  The boys are always telling her how much they love her and how glad they are she's in our family.  The way she can use her little arm (or her "nub" if you ask Ian) continues to amaze me.  If we can just get her potty trained we will officially enter the big girl stage!

I always think of Leah's China mom at this time of year.  As Leah gets older and is developing her personality more and more I often get glimpses of what her birth mom could be like.  Leah tells us now that she was "born in China."  At this time three years ago Leah had just been found and placed in her foster mother's care.  She has sure made progress from that tiny, weak newborn to the crazy girl she is today.  Luke asked me not too long ago if Leah's China mom knew where she was, and I told him no.  We talked about how we hoped she somehow knew Leah was safe and loved.  I hope so.  I can't really imagine the grief and unknown she must feel when it comes to Leah.  As I'm sitting here typing this Leah just said, "Mom, I love you."  I love her too, and I hope that someday she has the chance to meet the other women in her life who loved her and cared for her before she came to us.  Happy Birthday Leah!
 

 

  

 

 

October Rundown

It's sad to be doing an October rundown at the beginning of December but there has just not been enough time.  October was a really fun, crazy month.  We pretty much ran from activity to activity all month.  Our fun included preschool field trips, a quick getaway with my parents to Park City over UEA (the camping adventures will have to resume next year), Mountainside Elementary Fall Festival, spooky farm/hay ride in Paradise, Fall Festival at AWHC, costume piano recital, and of course Halloween!  We traveled to Wellsville this year for Halloween and went to a trunk or treat and then did some trick or treating in my cousin's neighborhood--not a lot of action out by our new place!  The kids school carnival was so fun.  There were so many games and prizes--it was amazing.  Afterwards Luke was saying how much fun he had and Seth said it was "the best night of his life."  Apparently we don't get out much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cute Leah

A month or so ago I had the chance to get away for an hour or so with Leah and take some pictures.  It was cloudy outside, so the light was so flat and dull--boo.  She was also less than cooperative to say the least.  In at least 90% of the frames she was running away or running at the camera for an extreme close up.  Oh well, we got a few good shots but they really don't do her cuteness justice.  I can't believe how fast she's growing up.

 

 

  
 

Fall Soccer

I'm not sure we are going to have any serious athletes around here, but the kids all have fun playing soccer.  Luke played goalie a lot this year.  I didn't like watching that so miuch, but I was really proud of him for putting himself out there.  He had lots of saves and has quite the drop kick.