Reflections on moving, Part 1

Moving with toddlers is true madness. So buying a new home and selling our old home was a true test in mastering the madness. While I'm not sure I can say I "mastered" the move, I can say we have five weeks under our belt in our new home (which I love). Now that the dust has settled, boxes are unpacked and pictures are on the wall, I've taken a few moments to reflect on my homes, both past and present.

 

A home has a unique role. It not only provides shelter and warmth, but it also carries our stories. The home we sold was our first house and it holds a special place in our family. Greg and I bought it shortly after we were married and it was there for several milestones.

 

We welcomed Charlie home from the hospital.

We welcomed Emmett home from the hospital.



 

We said goodbye to Taz.

 

Granted, it holds other milestones, too. The family of raccoons who took up residence in our attic. The family of mice who visited during the winter of 2011. The time Charlie rode his Radio Flyer horse down the stairs (unsuccessfully). And the time Charlie pushed Emmett down the stairs while he was riding his bumble bee (also unsuccessfully). There's also the time the basement flooded with sewage three days after we moved in. But I digress...

When I reflect on what I miss most about that house, it is the nursery. This beautiful cloud-filled room.

 It started as Charlie's room, then became Emmett's when he was born. (No, Emmett never got his name on the wall. Poor second child.) I spent countless hours in that room and in that chair specifically. Rocking my babies to sleep, late night bottles, soothing ear infections, reading stories.

 

 I think we read approximately 4,500 stories in that chair! It's true! 2 at naptime + 3 at bedtime x 2.5 years (912 days) = 4,560 stories, give or take a few. (My children should have a deep appreciation for books. It also explains why I have several books memorized beginning to end...Goodnight Moon, The Going to Bed Book, Roadwork...to name a few.)

 

The day we handed possession over to the new family, I did one last walk-through. As I walked through the house one last time, the overwhelming feeling I had was of being truly blessed. The short season of life we spent in that home was a good one, and I felt like we had been showered with blessings while we were there. I pray the new family experiences the same joy and abundance. 

 

Thank you, Napa Place home!

 

 

 

 

 

A perfect pumpkin patch day

I am learning that the key to mastering the madness is savoring the sweet and special moments with the boys. Amidst a devastating week for metro Denver, a busy week personally, and even a little wind and rain, we had a perfect day.
 

A perfect day at the pumpkin patch with good friends.
 

Charlie found some new buddies.

A tractor "ride" with a real buddy.

 Hanging out with the pigs.

And cows.

And even a hay ride!

As if that wasn't great enough, we finished the evening at "Truck Park" (aka Observatory Park). Truck Park deserves a post of its own, as it's a magical place. Truly, it's like heaven for a boy. 

 Seriously, these truck just live at the park! No words to explain how much we love Truck Park.

Today I'm feeling thankful for so much.

Amazing boys.

Great husband.

Fabulous friends.
 

Oh, and don't forget about pumpkins and Truck Park.



Pumpkins versus Emmett

Charlie has a new buddy. Well, a few new buddies. We've recently been joined by "Big P" and the "Little Ps". Nope, not a rock band. Pumpkins.

 

Charlie took great care in picking out a few pumpkins from the grocery store. They have since accompanied him/us throughout town.

 

Here's "Big P" tucked in before Charlie went to bed.

Here are the "Little Ps" joining us for bagels.

(I didn't have the heart to tell them we were eating pumpkin bagels with pumpkin cream cheese.)

 

The other day, as I was putting Emmett to bed, Charlie noticed Big P had an "owie." With great concern, he wanted to clean it off properly. Knowing Charlie had Big P's owie under control, I continued to focus on Emmett's bedtime routine. Emmett was not pleased (possibly with Charlie's continued banter about Big P's issues) and was crying in a fit of rage. Above the crying, I could hear Charlie say, "Maybe he wants me to scratch his back." (A favorite of Charlie's when he wants to snuggle or feels out-of-sorts.) I was so touched that Charlie wanted to soothe Emmett with a gesture of such love and kindness. 

 

As I turned around to kneel down so Charlie could scratch Emmett's back...I discovered Charlie gently and lovingly scratching Big P's back.

 

Emmett who?

 

 



Mastering the madness...or something like that

Prior to staying at home full time with my boys, I worked at an amazing company with amazing coworkers and amazing clients.

 

 

When a five-year project with one of my favorite clients was coming to a close, we spent a lot of time in reflection. In one of our meetings the concept of mastery came up--the notion of truly understanding and having great skill in a particular area. The concept stuck with me. I had often considered myself "The Jack of all trades, but the master of none."  I decided I wanted to master the things that were important to me.

 

I wanted to master my job...the art of being a mother...my role as a wife...and the list goes on.

 

Seeing as I'm now a stay-at-home mom, it is clear that didn't work. When trying to master everything, I found myself mastering nothing. So in a bold and difficult move, I streamlined my life.

Now I'm simply trying to master being a mother and a wife.

In my quest to master the madness, I have visions of my kids always looking like this:

 

and serving up dinners that look like this:

 

 

But let's face it. Sometimes life is more like this:

 

or this:

and dinner on particularly rough nights looks like this:

 

 

It's in those moments that I'm pretty sure the madness is mastering me.

 

 But I'll keep trying anyway.