Pleasantville

Things are... kind of strange and dreamy here. I should be keeping a list of the little things that keep happening and aligning but here is what I can recall.

I love our neighborhood and the neighbors- they have been so welcoming and I know they are going to make it very hard to leave this house. We're just renting for now and decided it will be nice to just settle in and get to know the area. So maybe we'll try not to look at the homes for sale until spring. I came home the other day to find that two of our neighbors were mowing our lawn! They said they worked up the plan together and thought it would be a better housewarming gift than a bottle of wine, and they were right.

We decided to make Gray's bedroom the guest room when we have visitors (my Mom and Mommal are coming this weekend!) so we decided to get him a new, bigger mattress. One day I was just driving down the road and there were signs that a local high school band was having a mattress fundraiser. We asked our friends about it - they have grandkids that go there and it turns out they had a coupon for us and so we just went right in and got him a new mattress set.

I've already gone to two of the three parent nights for the kids' schools and I have to say sitting in Noah's classes, I kind of wanted to go back to 6th grade! And I hated middle school. He has some awesome teachers and really fun subjects- Theatre Arts (and his teacher encourages the kids to tweet their extra credit at her) and Media Literacy- all about navigating the online world and understanding fact from fiction, how it works, social media, advertising and content bias.

Also, all the school menus include hummus and veggies every day and instead of PB & J they offer soybutter and jelly sandwiches. Hello!

I've already found a very friendly and local etsy shop- The Canton Box Company- that lets me do in-person pick up, so I'm adding to our walls a little bit here and there. I'm picking up an order for the boys' rooms this Saturday.

Oh! Listen to this store lineup very close by: a homemade ice cream shop next to a paint-your-own-pottery place next to a Jimmy John's next door to Starbucks!

Last summer I was able to meet up with my online friend Elizabeth and her husband Jon. I remembered they were from Ohio but didn't know exactly where. When we found out we were moving here I decided to text her to find out for sure. Born and raised in Canton. They also own Bender's Tavern- the oldest restaurant in downtown Canton. We had a play date at the park today and she and her kids are really the coolest. So serendipitous.

I've been having severe foot pain and plan to see a doctor but in the meantime, I've been researching which shoes to buy and am reluctantly ditching my flip flops. I almost placed an order but decided to wait and on our thrifting excursion yesterday I found a like-new pair of dark red Dansko Mary Janes for $18. My feet are already doing much better.

One night while I was at the grocery store Jeff texted to let me know he needed some things from a hardware store and I thought I'd just ask the cashier where the nearest one was. As I was checking out I mentioned it- I specifically asked if they had "any hardware stores nearby, like a True Value?" and a man behind me said, "Excuse me, were you looking for a True Value?" - he was wearing a True Value uniform and directed me how to get there.

I'm almost certain this is also the place where at the end of rainbows you really do find a pot of gold.

Live From Our New House

We have Internet! 

We also have: found the thrift and resale shops, parent teacher nights, a fave sushi spot, a babysitter, joined a book club, put away (almost) all of the boxes.

Home, where I wanted to go

We won't have Internet until Wednesday so I'm at Caffe Gelato by myself in a comfy chair near an outlet with my iced "back to school blues" blueberry latte and veggie panini sandwich. Life is pretty good. It really is.

The landscape is beautiful here- so many hills and trees- I love that I can see trees out every window in our house. And the sky... the sunrises and sunsets are magnificent. Jeff said we are over 400 feet higher than where we moved from and I told him see I am not crazy for thinking we were closer to the clouds! 

We've been "home" for two nights now. As each box gets unpacked and closets get filled, it's feeling more like us. There's several more rooms in this house than our old one, so we're trying to figure out what to put where and what to buy for here or there. Gray and Ivy have their own rooms for the first time. They are doing great with the changes and are already taking charge of their space.

On one of the last evenings before moving, my friend Chrissy gave me a beautiful present as we parted. I was so excited to unwrap it last night and Jeff hung it immediately in the most perfect spot in our entry way. It really was like we were taking claim of this place, declaring it home.

Afloat

I'm not sure I've ever felt so physically exhausted. If this move was like having a baby then I am experiencing that hallucinating and emotional fatigue that happens after the excitement wears off, everybody leaves, and your milk comes in.

My goal was to have the kids in school on time and that was met. But maybe my goal should have been to move in at least a week or two before that. We just didn't really have the option. So right now we are doing the first days of school, learning the bus pick ups and drop offs, adjusting to Eastern Time Zone, meeting neighbors, directing movers, directing handymen, directing maintenance men, calling gas, electric, trash, and all the other places I'm forgetting. Oh plus I get to be mom 24/7. That never stops.

After school the first day we left our new house to come back to Connie & John's (where we've been staying until our house is ready, more on that eventually!) and the only thing on my mind was to jump in their pool. I went right off the diving board only I don't dive- I plug my nose and jump the right way. And if felt marvelous. I stayed in the deep end where the kids are not allowed and it was kind of a break. They played in the shallow and watched me swim and do backstrokes and just bob around. Carter wanted to know how I could just be in the 9ft with my head out of the water like I was standing on my feet and I told him I was actually kicking really hard underneath.

More normal than I thought they'd be.

The first day of school went great! I was up so so very early with Noah and we drove over to our house so that he could catch the bus there. The sunrise was amazing with the fog rolling on the hills. I am actually thankful I didn't miss it. It really feels like we are on vacation here, but this is home!

I met some of our neighbors and even though we're renting our house for now, I am absolutely in love with the neighborhood. It's so quiet and still and friendly.

Noah gets off the bus first, and I was relieved that he remembered which stop was ours, and then Carter's bus comes about the same time as Gray's an hour later- on opposite ends of the block! We were also waiting for our moving truck to arrive at that moment. Everyone made it and I think we're going to try a different bus stop for Gray today behind our house that I think might be more convenient. Noah has a theatre arts class and he thinks it's pretty cool (as do I!) Carter was super stoked about his new teacher and friends, and Gray's only comment about his first day was a long ranty complaint about the kids being too noisy on the bus. So, things are more normal than I thought they'd be after all.

First Day of School 2012

Okay, so wild sending my precious babes off on three different buses traveling through a strange land. It's all so new and I can not wait to hear how their day went. In the meantime, I have got to find a bus for Ivy to ride. It's just us girls now and we're going to play house until it's all just so! 

[First day 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006]

We are here.

We rolled in around 10 pm last night. It was a full day of moving and then jumping in the car to drive six hours with several stops for bathroom breaks. But we made it.

This morning we were up and off to tour all three schools - Gray goes to an elementary school in our neighborhood that is K-2, Carter goes to an intermediate school grades 3-5, and Noah is in middle school. Then they all needed back packs. And then I got to stuff their backpacks with the eleventy hundred things listed on their school supplies sheets.

They are in bed now, excited for their first days. I'll see them off and await the arrival of our moving truck and then the sweet return of school buses and a slower pace as we ease back into life, now here.

There's a dishwasher at our new house! And a chipmunk in the backyard! PS I am exhausted.

One Sleep

My body clock has been waking me at six for a couple weeks now. Every single day. It is just like when I'm pregnant, but there's no baby, it's all house. And somehow it's readying me for Eastern Time. Still I'm tired.

There's one sleep left here, and then we'll be gone.

It's all happened so fast that I haven't had the chance to really think about how I feel, I'm on auto pilot and it's helpful but also robotic and void of most senses. Except for when the exhaustion hits and I'm a weepy mess.

Tomorrow the movers carry the last of the heavy things out of here and onto Ohio. Then I'll pack the kids in the car and drive off to new beginnings.

The last week here.

Here's a sneak peek of our fireplace room. That's what we call it for now. Jeff's there, moving a few things in  until the kids and I arrive with the rest of our stuff next Monday, if all goes as planned. And so far, everything is going almost too-according-to-plan. So well that I am getting actually getting used to it and am no longer on edge wondering when something is going to go wrong. I'm all in for all these good things. I'm going to let it ride.

I met with our realtor yesterday and our house should be listed today maybe? I'm not sure if I'll share the link here but probably will on Facebook and Twitter because we need to sell this house fast! And I imagine someone scooping it right up. I can't wait.

Last night we were able to sneak in a farewell visit with dear loves for pizza and the park and so far, it doesn't really feel like our last week here. It just feels right, whatever it is, and not painful, just sweet. I think it's because we all know we'll see each other again, and our connection is more than flesh and blood.

I finally found The Best Hair Stylist Ever and now we move, of course, but I have one last appointment with him this morning thanks to a friend's generous offer to entertain all my kids for me.

This week I am also in a wedding. It's actually wonderful timing, and I'm really looking forward to a night away in Chicago with Jeff, one last hurrah before we truly say good bye. And how full circle and real-life blogging becomes... Ashlee was one of my first blog friends turned real life besties and now I have the honor of standing up in her wedding. See what I mean about all the good things?

Noah's Tree

One of the hardest parts of leaving this house is Noah's tree. Mommal & Poppal planted a tree for him when he was just a baby, and it was just a twig.

6/24/01 ... 8/12/12

Leaving this tree feels like the final act of so many things, I can't really type through the tears so I'll just leave it at that.

I'm not sad, I'm actually really excited to move on. But I can't help but feel extra sentimental in our last week here. There's so much to say and feel, but so very little time, this week. This life.

O - H - I - O !!

We got the house! We have a place to live! The kids will start school in Ohio!

Someday I'll have to tell you the awesome story behind this photo and how we came to find our new home and all the other good things along the way.

The Journey

We are having fun on our latest house hunt. Annnndddd I think we might have found an awesome home to rent. I completely forgot to take pictures I liked it so much but I figure there will be plenty of time for that (hopefully!)

After seeing it, we went to dinner and this was Jeff's fortune...

So we might end up not owning a house for a while but how fun is it that we'll still be able to continue our search for the one we really love? We'll be together and really that's all that matters right now.

The Measure

Noah age 11 - Carter age 10

After posting this photo the other day and then seeing everyone's comments asking if Carter was really the tallest, I thought I'd clear it up and show you that Noah was just slouching. But to my surprise, um, Carter apparently did just have a growth spurt and if you count his hair, he's totally taller right now. Otherwise they are like the same exact height.

Noah is going into sixth grade and Carter into fifth. I am anxious to find out just where they will be attending school in two weeks, but we'll get there. They don't stop growing, FYI. They just keep on, yes like beautiful weeds, and if you have a little baby in your arms right now I know that might seem scary to imagine but let me tell you, it's amazing and as miraculous as when they were born. The love grows as they do. It's awesome.

August FOUR

Possibly the last photo of my four in front of this house? Gosh, I really hope so.

And... an Ivy flourish, a may we find our new house soon dance:

I used to take photos of my kids on the first of every month, now it's on the fourth. Four for four. (Here's August 2010 & August 2011.) You can see all past monthly photos here.  

Not Our House

I couldn't wait to write about our new house, but alas, we were outbid and the house I've pinned all those pins for, including this rug (and this rug) is, after all, not our house.

Today I woke feeling pretty defeated, however in the meantime I'm getting this house ready to sell and it's coming along so much less painful than I thought it would. It will all shake out, I know, but I admit to some impatience on my part along the way. Where is our house? Why hasn't it found us yet? Will those rugs work in it, too?

The Name Of The Day

It's a comfort when I come across something I've written in the past and find it circles back to me. I feel that way about the following post - especially during a scene in my kitchen this morning: "Popcorn for breakfast? Uh, why not?"- originally published June 29, 2011.

We write the name of the day on the chalkboard every morning because it's pretty

but
mostly
so
I'll know
what day it is.

They sizzle and fizzle by. At night we catch fireflies - songs have taught my children to know them by that name but I will always call them lighting bugs. Better than Gray's version of glow butts.

I show them how to capture soft and gentle in their hands, I poke generous holes in loose foil lids with a pencil. When we are asleep they fly back home to their families. We must be very careful with their wings.

Last night we went out for ice cream and they wanted double scoops and I said why not. I had two, too. And I didn't regret it.