24
Aug
Kaitlyn prefers her cars lined up neatly thank you very much.
23
Aug
Wade and I have missed small town life. Tonight we loaded up the wagon and walked a few blocks to the Concert on the Commons. Music outdoors. Picnic dinner. Kids running and play.
22
Aug
My little bakers are at it again.
21
Aug
Kaitlyn is now reading Minecraft books. I may have to break down and figure out how to play.
18
Aug
I took a picture every month while I was pregnant with Kaitlyn. That hasn’t happened with this pregnancy at all. Here’s what 24 weeks looks like with baby number 4.
Those are pre-baby jeans, but the last pair I can wear and not for much longer.
14
Aug
Wade and I finally got our coat hooks hung last night. Today I pulled out all the coats and backpacks to put on the hooks. When I turned around, Madison had instead decided to use all the soft materials as a pillow.
13
Aug
This may be one of my favorite stories from this summer. Alex has had a little bit of trouble adjusting to a new city and house. Sometimes that manifests in throwing things that he shouldn’t. Today he got mad and threw a nerf gun at the wall. It actually put a small divot in the wall and removed some paint. After he calmed down, we talked and I showed him the result of his anger. Later in the day, I walked by to see that he had “fixed” the imperfection in my wall.
12
Aug
Kaitlyn wants to do everything I do – but without help. She will always take a grilled cheese for lunch, if allowed, but now wants to fix it all by herself.
11
Aug
I miss central air. I can’t wait till the window units are put up for the season. That being said, we all enjoy the cool air they provide!
10
Aug
Alex has been working hard at the few jobs we linked to possibly getting a new dog (next year). He knows he has to show responsibility and a good attitude for a long time. The constant puppy discussion is almost worth it for the empty trash/recycling and pool cleaning he does without complaint.
09
Aug
Because how do you dress for a trip to the park?
07
Aug
The kids have been all about building forts since we moved in the new house. Forts in the living room, their bedrooms, and the kitchen. Today they wanted to eat in a fort and it sounded like a great idea to me.
20
Jul
Teague got new oven mitts for Easter and is just now trying them out.
(It was hard to find child-sized that were actually insulated!)
19
Jul
Madison will happily follow me into the pool but otherwise she is content to stay on the deck. Today I was under the water taking pictures quite a bit and realized Madison was in the water looking for me. I tried to photograph her, but it turns out it’s tricky to get an underwater picture of a dog (who doesn’t put her face under).
17
Jul
Teague loves monkey and he can often be found in the crook of his arm. I never want to forget how he tries to do everything with monkey in place. Today he’s attempting to unload the dishwasher without putting monkey down.
15
Jul
13
Jul
Kaitlyn must have known I was planning to take the changing pad out of her room this week. She has been using it all morning for her dolls.
(The only reason it ended up in her room after the move was to give it a safe home while we unpack and work on the nursery.)
11
Jul
Wade has always been very anti-pools (and probably would still prefer if we didn’t have one). However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much fun he has in the pool with the kids. We often swim after Kaitlyn’s nap so we are in the pool when Wade gets home from work. He’ll run upstairs to change and then join us for a little bit before we all start thinking about dinner.
10
Jul
These days pretty much anything goes. We can’t find the TiVo or the DVD player, but we found my computer. A movie with lunch while Mom keeps working on boxes.
09
Jul
We’ve had a lot of crazy mail delivery due to the move, forwarding mail, setting up mail, etc. Kaitlyn has loved getting belated birthday cards and gifts (that should have reached her well before we moved). Today she got a card from B and Mary. I knew she was carrying it around but I was shocked when I went in to check on her later and she was hugging the card in her sleep. I never saw the card in her room or how she got it in her bed.
08
Jul
Because, really, who doesn’t get this excited for cinnamon toast?
07
Jul
Reggie spent about 10 days with one of Wade’s co-workers while we were moving and getting settled. He’s been home a few days and doesn’t seem to be handling the heat very well. Our house doesn’t have air conditioning and the window AC units we have from previous houses haven’t arrived yet (there is a second truck of things arriving in a week or so). Wade took him to the local vet hospital and is trying to get some fluids into him.
06
Jul
The boys had a blast seeing who could jump the furthest into the pool today.
05
Jul
Madison finally decided to join in the swimming today!
04
Jul
We are still rather unsettled so the extent of our holiday celebrating was an afternoon in the pool. We played and invited a few neighbors over and generally had a relaxing day.
02
Jul
Kaitlyn turns 3 today. I’m still a little bit in shock, but she’s been ready for her birthday for months (and months and months). The minute she walked in the door she ran to see her “pink” cake. We had a quick dinner and then we had presents and cake.
27
Jun
We signed all the papers yesterday. Today we arrived at the house all ready to start unpacking. A few hours later than expected, our truck showed up and the fun started.
Spoiler – This has been the worst move from start to finish. Don’t use Arpin – not that we were given a choice with our relocation benefits.
22
Jun
We have a hectic few weeks but that seems to go hand-in-hand with moving. I drove the kids all down to Paducah on Tuesday (6/20). Wednesday morning (6/21), Judy and Jerry arrived early to take Kaitlyn with them to Memphis. She’ll stay until Sunday (6/25). I am spending a few days in Paducah with my Mom and the boys. Then on Saturday morning (6/24) I am taking an early flight to Chicago. Wade will pick me up at the airport and we will immediately start a two day drive to Boston (with the dog and cat). My Dad will get the boys on Saturday evening (6/24) and then take them to Memphis on Sunday (6/25). He’ll pick Kaitlyn up and bring her back to his house for the night. On Monday (6/26), my Mom gets Kaitlyn and will have her all week. Judy and Jerry are driving the boys to Paducah on Friday afternoon (6/30). Wade is flying to Paducah on Friday evening (6/30). Saturday morning (7/1), Wade, Judy, and the kids will begin a two day drive to Boston. (I was rather adamant they had to make it by Sunday so I could see Kaitlyn on her real birthday.)
Did that make sense to everyone? It will be a miracle if everyone ends up where they are supposed to on any given day! While I am in Paducah, Wade is in Barrington overseeing the movers. From what I have heard so far, it is going to be a challenging move. I requested pictures of the house with boxes and he was nice enough to help.
07
Jun
We were out of town for Leah’s birthday party, but we were happy to celebrate the real day at the beach.
01
Jun
Trying to buy a house in Boston has been challenging. The market is insanely hot and houses often sell the same day they are listed with 6-9 offers (above asking). I have made one trip up to see houses, but we knew realistically Wade was going to have to buy a house I hadn’t been able to see in person. He found one a few weeks ago and the owners were nice enough to open up their house tomorrow for the kids and I to see it. We are currently on the road and should make it by tonight, but here are the listing pictures of our new house in Grafton.
