Tuesday, September 4, 2012

.....the last week.....

....so I began this blog post yesterday and when I took some time today to finish it, I was putting myself to sleep with how boring it was......actually, it sort of sits on the weak blog post side of the fence; although you wouldn't believe the improvement from, see Elsie eat pizza or Brody really likes his friend, Evan kind of writing.....I am so zapped from prepping for this move, that I do not have much left for this little blog.....physically or emotionally.....but let me see if I can pull anything out to share from the place inside that harbors the heartbeat of this house.....

.....however, please note the above disclaimer....

.....moving on......

....I have a new found respect for families who have packed up and moved, all while balancing children around the house without close relatives nearby.....in our home, I pack a box and then Brody unpacks its entirety during the two seconds I have turned away to reach for another item......and if he is not in my presence, it becomes way too quiet, too quickly; and he will have managed this..... 


.....and no, my family is not around to swing by and take the kids to gramdmas or to a cousin's backyard for an afternoon swim in the pool.....but we do have besties who want to make the most of our last days together....




.....and Brody is clinging to all the man time he can get.....while we know we will make new friends, it may take some time.....he must know his near future holds many afternoons of dress up, Rapunzel's castle and waitress because he has been loving the presence of anyone other than a little girl around lately......


....but honestly, waitress isn't that bad....one sister serves up the food, one is the customer and Brody gets a pink, glitter belt tied around his waist and the sisters pretend he is the doggie who sits at the table and is forced to drink milk from a tea cup.....

....he knows it is coming and he is holding these last few days with the boys near and dear......


.....and just to throw in another disclaimer, on this particular day out with friends; the girls thought it would be super funny to wear their brother's tee shirts in public......please disregard the Mr. Mischief  and the Beach hunk on duty, size 12-18 month tees.....Momma has to pick her battles these days.....there's just a lot going on....


.....after a pizza lunch play date, Julie and Sara both offered to take the girls to the park while Brody napped and I could peruse my home and make progress without my helpers clipping my tail......my girls were ecstatic about the idea and the headway I made in the apartment alone for two hours was fantastic....




....and I completely appreciate not only the offer, but that Julie willingly submitted herself to what we have called this summer as water balloon hell.....it is the scenario when you realize you are the only adult at the water fountain and every kid on the playground needs assistance filling up water balloons....they sweetly ask you for help and once you fill one up for little Suzy; Tommy, John and Kate want one too......in the meantime, you lose your own children who are running freely around the park and as you break free to find them, the entire fountain crowd of kids screams for you to come back because they need help......

....and did I mention that water balloon hell means you leave the park completely soaked from the chest down to right above the knee?.....

....what an act of love, Julie!......





....family doesn't have to be blood related.....friends can be just as helpful as family.....at least ours are.....we will certainly miss the proximity of our besties......and we are grateful for the love they give us daily.....


.....we did have our first sleep over in our temporary apartment on Saturday.....we packed linens, towels, summer clothes, pantry items, sleeping bags, pack n plays and air mattresses......we got all ready for bedtime and quickly realized we didn't have shower curtains, soap or pillows.....I forgot all three of those things from the list, but we made do.....

.....and we watched the boats come in and out of the marina right on the Long Island sound from our balcony.....


.....there is a little boardwalk for fishing, strolling and harbor watching and I think there will be many weekend mornings spent on that boardwalk in the not so distant future.....

....fall is in the air.....by the time we are moved and settled, we will be sliding sweatshirts over our heads and slipping into cardigans before our strolls.....a much different scenario than a few weeks ago when we realized our girls are hooked on fishing......

.....no pun intended....

.....the last portion of our Texas trip was spent celebrating Stefan's Dad's 70th birthday......the four siblings selected a house big enough for the four couples, Papa T and nine grandchildren and we made it home for three nights......

......it couldn't have been a more perfect setting......


....the six oldest cousins took turns swapping poles for their pre breakfast casts and the fish were hungry.....



....all of the uncles collectively supervised, all while teaching each child how to do it themselves.....including baiting hooks with live worms......


.....not one of her favorite parts about fishing.....yet she kept going back for more worms.....hmmm, quite typical for my thrill seeking, spit fire.....


....however, they all did their part and patiently waited....

.....and then they all hit at once.....



....Callie was just as excited for Elsie when she got her first fish and willingly volunteered to wrestle the fish down for Daddy or an uncle to remove the hook.....


.....but we learned that some fish are sharp and not too friendly after being yanked from their safe haven.....


.....yes, there are many days of fishing ahead for all of us.....



....we are excited about our coastal apartment in the burbs......and although temporary, the new apartment is change and a shift can be good for all of us.....so the goodbyes have been bittersweet.....however, tomorrow begins the hard goodbyes......friends who need to stop by because they won't be here for Friday's move......this next wave of long embraces will be the ones where it really sinks in for our family that we are leaving for good.....


....the final weekend has passed and due to the fact that it was a holiday, we took advantage and made a night of double dates, as well as a good one on one night out.....

...probably another reason why my words have been a little gargled.....


.....but we like to do it up right on our way out.....

....more parties to attend, more boxes to pack and a few more days to take it all in and preserve it in this wonderful chapter of life.....