They Grow Up SO Fast

As any parent can tell you, kids grow up so fast.  I can't believe my son is turning 10 in less than a month (mostly because I can't be old enough to have a 10 year old)!  And my daughter lost her first tooth (albeit late and with the help of a dentist).  My nephew is talking in full sentences and I've missed it (sniff).  But all of that is for another day, because today is about another big thing that's happened in our house.

After living with us for the last 7 months, my parents have been able to find a place of their own.  In fact, they spent their first night at their new place yesterday.

I'll be honest.  I'm happy they found a place.  Happy for them, because now they have their own space to do with as they like.  They no longer have to worry about whether we will approve of something.  I'm also happy for us because pretty soon we will be able to move my daughter into a bigger room.

At the same time, I'm a bit sad.  After all, it's been nice having my parents around.  I've had company when hubby was at work at night.  I've had an extra set of hands in the kitchen, cleaning, and running errands.  I've also had someone available to babysit pretty much at the drop of a hat.  And most importantly, my kids are going to missing having lots of time with their grandparents.  I didn't spend that much time with my grandparents because we lived so far from them, so 7 months of living in the same house gives them a relationship I'm happy for.

The good news is that their new place is only 4 miles (and about 10 minutes) from our house so it's not like they live states away as before so although they are not living in the same house as us, the close relationship can continue.

Purpose Driven Cleaning

Well, my parents have booked the moving truck so we know when they will be moving in with us.  They should be pulling up to our house in 3 weeks.

As a typical woman, I feel it's my responsibility to make sure the house is clean when guests arrive, but this is a different situation.   They aren't just visiting; they will be moving in for a few months while they figure out where they want to settle down themselves.  That means cleaning takes on a new meaning.  It's probably more accurate to say, we've been doing lots of organizing (with a little cleaning). 

My daughter has done a FANTASTIC job of widdling down her craft projects into a more manageable pile.  That means that her stuff is no longer overflowing into the guest room (the room my parents will be in).

Hubby has been cleaning out an area for them to store their stuff.

Son and I have been rearranging furniture in the family room into a more practical layout for 6 people (plus 2 more to visit in late July and early August).  And we've also been organizing my stockpile of food and household goods so that it's easier for multiple cooks and shoppers to figure out what we do and do not have.

Luckily we have a little more time to get things done, but the progress we've made so far means I'm not feeling stressed at all about getting things done in time.  And my propensity to make lists doesn't hurt either  :-)

Calm Before the Storm

I've been feeling kind of bad the last few days because my in-laws have been doing all kinds of different things with my kids while I've just been sitting around.  My in-laws haven't said anything, so I don't think it's something they mind.  It did get me thinking about why I've just been sitting back doing nothing.  Then it hit me.

We are only a few days away from leaving Iowa for Florida.  The kids love spending time with their grandparents without me.  In fact, yesterday I was recently asked by my daughter to stay in the car while they fed some ducks. 

I also have one other reason.  Once we get to Florida, it's pretty much all going to be on me again;  I won't have a babysitter and I won't have school to send them to.  Not only will I be the primary care provider and teacher for both of my kids, I will also be setting up a "new" house.

So, yes, I'm taking advantage of the situation a bit.  But can you blame me?

Family Stories

As regular readers are aware, within the last 15 months, Karrie has lost her 3 remaining grandparents.  Living in Virginia for pretty much all the years of our marriage has allowed Jon and I to live no more than 3 hours away from one set of his grandparents.  Since we are going to be moving out of the area, we decided that when we were in the area on this trip, that we HAD to visit them.

The last time we saw them was Easter, so it's been a while.  Every time we see them, I am amazed at how much they are able to do.  I pray that I am fortunate enough to be able to handle as many of the day-to-day chores when I am in my 90's as they do.  Yep, you read that right.  Jon's grandfather will be 94 next month and he still does yard work!  In fact, when we got there, he was power washing patio chairs.  His grandmother will be 91 in a few months and she cooks feasts whenever we visit.

Upon our arrival, Jon was put to work doing a couple things around the house that were a bit difficult for his grandfather to do.  While that was going on, the kids and I played a few games with Jon's grandmother.  My son won the game of dominoes, while my daughter won the game of Monopoly.

I think the part of the trip that Jon and I enjoyed most however, was listening to his grandparents tell the story of how they meet and their first year together.  They were married during World War II so it is quite the story.  60+ years later they are the epitome of the happy couple that I hope Jon and I will be some day.  I think it's safe to say that we are happy we made the trip (even though we spent 4.5 hours in the car to do so).

We are already planning to spend more time with them when we come up to see our nephew in a couple months so we can hear the rest of their story.