Holiday

From Thanksgiving to Christmas a warm home with family.  Funny highlights included...

Mary Kate yelling to Santa on the roadside because she refused to get out of the car out of fear.

Charlie getting cut off by the other people in line while talking to Santa about his long, long, long list. 

Charlie's proud moment as Rudolph in the school Winter Show.  His singing talent was showed off at his sister's Nativity show while he sung above the whole audience out of tune and the wrong verses.  Mary Kate also had a proud moment as an angel and we were just glad that she stood on stage and smiled considering she refused to sing the Thanksgiving prayer dressed as pilgrim.  Our over excitement about our tall ceilings led to us having to cut about two feet off our Christmas tree (that was tied to the family Sedan).  Can you say Chevy Chase...

Our not so regular house

I think our old house on the mountain is now just a small memory to the kids.  Every once in awhile Mary Kate will say, "Remember our regular house with the basement?"  Our not so regular house now is starting to feel like home.  My cousin once said that your home is not your home until you have scrubbed your own toilets.  Check!  It is now filled with our laughter, our tears, our smells, our pictures and our love.  I do love this house.
I love my 175 year                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      old home and all its quirks.
Since moving in, the most important things that have occurred are the purchase of rugs for the floors and most importantly the wood stove.  We are now hopefully heating this house more efficiently.  Tomorrow we will all sit down for our first Thanksgiving in our home.  Charlie wants to invite Squanto and Mary Kate proceeds to tell us every day that she is not eating turkey.  These pics were taken across the street at the school playground.

Chaos

Trying to find some order amongst this chaotic life we are living right now.  My sights are set on the future we will have in our new home but it is difficult to see this clearly when I am stepping over boxes, shoes, backpacks and such.  I know that our small setbacks are actually just one step closer to a new journey.  Set backs such as Carpenter Bees, chimney cleaning, replacing vent fans all of which have been thrown onto the man of the house.  As he works out these kinks with outside resources, I am just trying to keep some normalcy to our lives.  So, we keep routines among the boxes and still sit down for dinner every night.

Be careful what you wish for....

I think (according to my friend Joy's analogy) I am balancing too many spinning plates.  New grade level, new school, new report card grading system, literacy training, behavior Mantd training, selling a house and buying a house.  Yes, I wished to start a new school.  Yes, I wished to not teach kindergarten.  Yes, I wished to move from this house.  Yes, I wished for a new house.  Well....my wishes came true but they all came true at once and I am feeling rather overwhelmed.  I know, "This too shall pass". I feel blessed that all my wishes have come true.  Doing my best to keep my head on straight.   Here is a sneak peak of our new house.  More to come after the appraisal.  

Moving on..and growing up!

Finally decided to put the house on the market!  We were feeling the confines of our space and lack of bathrooms.  In order to spare disappointment (superstitions), I am cautious to disclose future prospects of our home and sale of our house.  But I will update as soon as we sign papers.
Charlie was initially concerned with moving.  He was adamant about not moving from our house.  Until one day he said, "I am really going to miss all my toys when we move."  I then realized he thought we would leave everything, so sweet and naive.  More to come, hopefully sooner than later!

On another note...I wanted to take a moment to document my daughter's imagination.  She is quite the story teller and there are times she has me in a state of wonderment.
Her boo boo's come from wild animals in the forest.

She had a scratch on her leg.  Her explanation.
"Mommy, that is from the bear.  I am serious.  I was was walking down the road in Round Hill and I heard a thump thump thump.  I looked and there was this baby bear, Mommy.  Really,  it bit me.  So I put my bear costume on and I scared it away.  I am serious Mommy"

Her day with Mimi.  Her explanation.
"Oh Mommy, I found a family of mice.  They were so toot (cute).  I played with the kids.  I put the kids in my wagon and I took them down the street. We went to Ms. France's store and I brought them back to their mommy and daddy.  We all had a tea party, with the mice, Really Mommy!"

Our first dance class!

Charlie's school experience has been nothing but wonderful!  We hit a bus bump last week when and older kid persuaded my sweet little boy to trade toys.  Fortunately, it was an even trade but mama was not having it!  Uggghhh, the first of feeling completely out of control of your child's day and interactions.    Charlie has a new found love in kindergarten.  A girl who loves to run, jump and play superheroes!!!

All Grown up!

Well...my kindergartener made it and came home with smiles, giggles and stories.  I on the other hand did not do so well yesterday.  Sending your child away on a school bus for the first time is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I have now worn the shoes of a parent of a kindergartener and it puts everything in perspective.  I kept reminding myself all day (with the help of my husband) that he is fine and to imagine what I would be doing with my class on the first day of school.  What a day!
Charlie apparently got to visit the Library, he painted a fish with one special scale (The Rainbow Fish), he listened to the "Kissing Hand".  He heard music and had centers.  He told his Daddy, " It's just that I don't really like the Housekeeping Center."  We also asked if his teacher had to "talk" to him during the day and remind him to follow the rules.  It took awhile for him to open up but before falling asleep he said, "Mommy, you can tell Daddy but don't tell Mary Kate.  I banged the Choo Choo Trains on the track and made them crash and she said....pause....Don't do that."My sweet boy, let's hope he is always this honest.  So, the reality has hit me, he does this everyday, 5 days a week.   Here we go!!!!!!!

Decluttering my brain

I have officially quit Facebook!!!  It has been something that I have been wanting to do for awhile now.  After being reminded at school about the precautions teachers MUST take, I decided it wasn't worth the worry.  I found myself wasting precious minutes of my life reading about pointless posts and searching through pictures of people I barely even know.  No offense to all my loved ones and best buddies out there, I will miss being apart of your Facebook life.  I just got to easily sucked into something that was not a necessity in my life.  Please email me or check on my blog for updates and photos.