An Update: This Just In-Please Don't Gag

It's been a while since we spoke of my toe...well, I got my stitches out today.  The nurse said it wouldn't hurt, not a bit.  He is a fibber.   And the doctor said that it was all healed and looked really good.  The eye of the beholder, right?   So here is my scarred toe-you can even see the holes where the stitches were.  I don't think this appendage will ever be the same.

It's still sore.

If you haven't gagged yet, you might do it now, because I'm going to show you yet another picture of what I have done here in the unpacking category.  The reason I know you might want to gag is because I do.  I am thoroughly sick of the subject...however, since misery loves company I invite you to share in this my ridiculously long experience of getting settled in our (no longer) new home.

Here is an area that earlier today was ENTIRELY covered with stuff.  One box had lost its bottom (hey, I wish I could lose my bottom) and the contents lay scattered on top of and amidst other boxes and super random weirdo junk.  I started by making eye contact with one thing, picking it up, and finding a new spot for it.  Not everything ended up in a proper location, but things are at least in more reasonable locations...closets or shelves.  Here is the result... (I would have done more, but Eliana woke up from her nap-after only 50 minutes!)

It's likely that only my mom can really appreciate the magnitude of this moment.  This was truly one of the worst areas in the house.  It's such a small space.  Yet, it was such an immense disaster. A few more boxes unpacked...a little at a time.  I feel like I am cutting down a California Redwood with a toothpick.  But even if it is 2013 by the time we're settled, at least we will have made it.

Just for fun, what is the kookiest accident that you have had?  I have talked ad nauseum about my toe...I'd love to hear some of your stories!  I need a distraction (like I need another needle in my toe!  But it would be fun to hear!).

Fun Finale

Boy, are you going to be sorry that I got the camera back from Mike.  I tried to pick and choose...so we'll see. One of the Kindergarten moms (she had a child in each of the three classes!) had shirts made for each student.  Christian's teacher is Ms. Ferris...on the front of the shirt is a ferris wheel with one kid in each seat.  How cute is that?  Ferris' Friends!

Under the ferris wheel it says,"It has been a great ride this year." I got all teary looking at it the night before, when I pulled it out of his bag.

He seemed pretty happy about his book from the exchange...

There were a few other pictures from the class party, they had a reading time, and a snack. But here are some really funny ones from the field day...

These pictures crack me up-Christian actually made it all the way around the cone and back before he crashed...

He kept checking to see how the other guy was doing-cutting his eyes over. He also concentrates with his tongue sticking out...

He was totally ready for the tug-of-war...

The first time his side lost. The second time, he literally hand-over-fisted that rope and dug his heels in-he was not about to let victory go!

He's one of the smaller boys in his class, but he is strong!

And the parents against the kids? Fuggetaboudit!

They didn't stand a chance...

Take a wet sponge, fill a bucket...

There he goes with his tongue again!

Ah, in the middle of it all, Mike saved me from my folly yet another time-I couldn't find my car keys, and the stroller was in the car. I was holding Eliana this whole time. He brought stroller and keys.

Back to silly games...more water. Balloons filled with the wet stuff, tucked under the chin; kids must run around the cone without touching balloons with their hands. Who comes up with this stuff?

Oh no! He lost this one!

Irresistible!

A refreshing refreshment...

Isn't she sweet? She hung out the whole time, watching this craziness...

Final game:  the three-legged race. Seriously?  I don't know what was funnier, this or the sack race. But this was pretty darn funny. They literally fell all over each other, and what was great about it is they thought it was hilarious too.

What a great class! He made some wonderful friends this year.

There were group hugs at the end (along with some tears...too sweet)...

Christian had such a good year.  He did a fantastic job academically.  He had not really been in a classroom before, in such an intense way, and he did well adjusting to the demands and constant distractions that are in this kind of environment (not that he doesn't still need some work in this area...); I think he would say the best thing was his friends.  We're fortunate that many of these folks go to our church, so I know we'll see them around.  All I can say is this year was a blessing!

The End of the First and the Beginning of the End (Just Kidding)

Today was our first last day of school. Because we have homeschooled up until this past school year, our schedule was more year round, and the end of one school year and the beginning of the next was somewhat fluid.  But today was Christian's final school day in Kindergarten.  It was special.

Mike and I took turns participating in the activities; he went to the class party, and then I took Eliana to Christian's field day.  Field day is where the parents set up a bunch of games for the kids to play so that the parents can totally laugh at their kids while they fall down, get soaked by balloons, and trip on each other kids can end their school year having a lot of fun.  Have you ever seen a class of boys and girls in a sack race.  (Almost) EVERY SINGLE BOY FELL DOWN.  And I mean flat down on their little ol' honkers.  The girls, they bounced right over the fallen ones.  Just kidding.  They went around them.  I never realized this before, but today it was quite evident that girls have a bounce gene that boys are missing.

It was a fun morning, and I would assume that the class party was nice as well-they had a book exchange.  We sent in Adventures of Morris the Moose, and I hope the kid who ended up with the book likes it as much as my two older ones did.  They took a sneak preview of the stories and both of them (ages six and eight) were howling and giggling and just plain hysterical over Morris and his moosiness.  I remember reading Morris when I was little and having much the same reaction.  He is a pretty funny antlered fellow.

There are a ton of pictures...but Mike has the camera.  So they will be for another day.  And mostly for the grandparents, I'm sure! It's hard to believe that the school year is over, and summer is upon us.  Methinks pool passes are in order...

At the End of the Lane

After my trip down memory lane last night I ended up in a bright and cheerful little cafe rather than a gloomy and melancholy hole in the wall.  Figuratively speaking.

Just this morning my living room looked like this...

I wish I also had a picture of the rest of the room-imagine a train had crashed through our house, or a tornado had spun through the room...that will give you some idea of what it looked like.  There were a lot of books, magazines, and papers on the coffee table, balls of various sizes rolling around, a few Tinker Toys scattered here and there, some stray Legos looking for a place to call home.  Before I turned my attention to these lovely details that amounted to such classy decor in my living room I gave my all to the bookshelves.

You see, they are the first thing you take in when you walk through the front door.   And they were covered with such a random and ugly assortment of items that I could no longer stand it.  (Mike, I don't really think your hat is ugly; I just think it's ugly sitting on a bookshelf across from the box for our new mega-ladder.) I thought about trying to pass myself off as being eclectic, but in the end a desire for order won out.  I did some rearranging...

You can see that our green arm chair sat on the close side of the doorway that leads into our dungeon that happens to be upstairs computer room.   Another arm chair had been caddy corner in the right hand corner of the above photo.  The couch faced those two chairs, and sat floating in the living room so that it came out from our fireplace, perpendicularly, and ran across (but not against) the front wall.   I have no idea if that makes any sense in your imagination, but I'm tryin' my best to explain so that you can see the difference, for I have no before picture!  I moved the couch so that it was facing the fireplace instead and then repositioned the chairs so that they faced the sofa, at an angle on opposite sides of the fireplace.  This I have pictures of...

Later in the day I was also able to get rid of that random bookshelf by the window-to my great relief.  I really didn't like it over there, and it had taunted me for weeks and weeks. Now, I like this arrangement better for a couple of reasons, even though it cuts off the living room just a little from the entryway.  (We have an enormous doorway leading from our entry into this front room.  The couch now sticks out about halfway into that doorway but a few steps into the living room.  You can still walk behind it easily, say to go over to the keyboard.)  The coffee table cried out for a sofa to be on the other side opposite from the fireplace.  It would cry so loudly after all had gone to bed that I would have to come in the middle of the night and tell it to shush before it woke everyone up.  Now, though, it seems right.  Balanced.  I know this is in part because when we first bought this furniture it was for a house with a similar setup and almost from the beginning it was arranged in this way.  (Actually the chairs were switched as far as the sides they're on, but because of the door leading into the other room-where the black bookshelves are-I thought the open arm chair would make it, well, more open.)

I have to tell you I feel very good about this room today.  I also cleared off our dining room table, which had gotten to the point where the five of us could eat but we had elbow battles with the wrapping paper, library books, old Mother's Day flowers, and book bag at the other end of the table.  I feel good about that, too.  And having these two front rooms looking so much better is motivating as far as getting the rest of the house to fall in line.  Peer pressure, you know?

When a House Becomes a Home...

When you walk around a place and remember,"This is where Christian sat when he opened his birthday presents in this house for the first time."

When you remember having three other families, some of your closest friends, come and stay with you, and everyone had enough space and the kids all had a blast, and you can picture how everyone was sitting in the living room when you all played Cranium, or around the table playing Apples to Apples.

When you think about how it finally felt like it was your own crud making the place dirty, in the corners and around the edges.

When you remember holding your baby for the first time in it.

When you miss seeing your two oldest sleeping in the same room, in different beds but facing one another.

When the memory of watching Constantina Tomescu-Dita finish the Olympics 2008 marathon, calling out through tears and laughter,"You go, girl!" as your mom and you eat chocolate chip cheesecake, makes you want to cry.

When you remember everything fitting in its place (even though it totally didn't) and being put away so nicely (even though it totally wasn't).

When you can still see your baby sitting up, crawling, pulling up, and walking for the first time, from the middle bedroom into the hallway or in the schoolroom, or around the dining room table.

When you think with fond memories about how sweet it was that the two little chairs the kids have for their wooden table were always in the kitchen against the cabinets so that they could stand there and watch whatever you were doing because it was their favorite place to be.

When you miss how the kids used to run to the T.V. room front window/door and yell goodbye to their daddy after he walked out of the house onto the porch every single time (until that room got closed off and no one went in there anymore, but until then it was pretty precious).

There were so many things about that house, the one we just left, that drove me up the wall, plenty of things I didn't like.  But right this minute I am missing familiar.  And right this minute I don't feel like I'm home. I know that will change.  Part of me is uncomfortable in a big house.  I grew up in a small house.  For many years Mike and I lived in tiny apartments, some of those years with two kids.  This house feels so big, so spread out.  The kids feel far away.  Instead of more room for our stuff to fit in, it's more room for our stuff to mess up.   I remember a long time ago meeting a family that had opened up their home for a growing congregation to meet and worship.  Eventually the service found a more permanent home but this family still hosted many church events; I'll never forget the lady of the house and something she said on one occasion, a mother's tea.  She told the story of when she and her husband first moved into their very large home, of how she felt overwhelmed, like it was way too big.  She walked through, placed her hands on the walls, and prayed that God would make it smaller.  She had grown up in a rowhouse, a very small space, and felt at odds having such a big space now to call home. By the time I met her and heard this story she had had many years to work on making that house a home, and you have never been to a cozier, more settled, comfy, warm, inviting place in your life.  And although it was one of the biggest houses I had ever been in, it didn't feel big at all...it felt close, but in a good way.  Personal. For some reason that memory just came back to me, so vividly.  Maybe it was just for this time.  Maybe it was so that one day I could remember that big can be small.

There is so much work to do...people ask all the time,"Are you settled?"  I usually laugh and make a silly comment like,"Ask us in December...of 2013!"  But sometimes I don't feel like laughing about it.  I want to be settled.  I want to settle for the kids' sake.  It's hard, though.  It means I have to pick up something and put it away-find a place for it, or decide that there isn't a place for it.  I think of the verse from Joshua, where he declared before all of Israel,"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  That is pretty humbling...the alternative being to serve other gods, because serving the LORD is undesirable.  Well, I know that I believe that isn't true (serving the LORD is undesirable), but I do feel like I need to continually revisit what it means for our household to serve the LORD, whether we are doing it here, or out and about.  Serving the LORD for me would certainly include getting order in our house for everyone's sakes.  Aside from all of the feelings that a house can elicit, maybe when as a household we are serving the LORD is when our house will truly become a home.