Counting Down

Too much I need to write down, and so of course I do none of it.

At the end of April our contract fell through, and then Levi had a birthday, and then we went to the zoo, and then we got two offers on the same day--again. Then we went on a marathon of house hunting (ten houses in four hours with three kids). And we found one! After a snafu of MLS # mixups and second showings and our first loved house made a reappearance online but then wasn't really available again after all and sadness, we made an offer on a house that isn't our dream house (but who has the budget for that sort of thing?) but will be a great house with enough space for our kids to grow, and we're hoping it isn't TOO MUCH, and now I'll end this really long sentence.

We're moving just a few miles, still in Roy, which wasn't my first choice, but we feel really good about it. It means new schools and new friends, but it also means more than twice as many square feet and plenty of room in the garage for all of the bikes.

And now, the sadness. There are friends and neighbors I wish I could pack up and bring with us, because even though we aren't going far and can still see them, it just won't be the same. That if my kids disappear from view, I won't know they're just at Sara's and I don't need to worry. They have a great little crew of friends going on and it's so fleeting and wonderful.

Anyway. I'm having Linda come take pictures of us in our house so we can try to hang on to some of the magic that has been growing our family in this place.

Speaking of magic, I gave the kids some sugar snap peas for lunch. Nathan disappeared in the backyard and came back to report he had planted some peas and a maple tree, and did I want to come see? He's also turned the patch of gravel on the side of the garage into a mining trove. "This one is real diamond! This one has purple diamond! This one is real coal!" He did find a small red rock that, looking online, looks most like carnelian. Magic is just outside the door when you are seven. After I forced the removal of training wheels and instituted mandatory practice, Nathan finally got the hang of it. After for months insisting riding bikes was boring and he didn't want to be able to join his friends across the street, he now pedals happily over and joins the cycling fun.

Peter is just about walking. He'll take a few steps when bribed properly (read: smartphone). And he's waving and throwing food on the floor when he's tired of it and doing all of the things a 14 month old (tomorrow!) should be doing. He's a bottomless pit and has been outeating all of the other kids lately. And he's mostly given up eating Legos (big relief there). Peter likes to open the garage door whenever possible (if it's not latched completely he can pry it open) and try to escape the house. And he'll hang on to the tricycle and walk around the driveway pushing it.

Alice is indomitable. If she doesn't want to do something, nothing will shake her. (Speaking of potty training, we're on a hiatus, probably until school starts and I have some mental energy left for it.) She roughhouses with the big kids like she belongs there, and for the most part she holds her own. Although a certain incident with a big brother and a bunk bed ladder, involving a front tooth's untimely loss, would argue otherwise. She just learned to pedal the tricycle and we're trying to teach her to stay out of the street.

As for Clara, the countdown has begun until kindergarten. This fall is going to be a great thing for everybody. For the record, Clara was the first to request training wheels on her bike, and then quickly developed the balance necessary. She's been wheeling around for months on her scooter, which has helped, while Nathan has been insisting we should get rid of his scooter because it's also boring. We also can't keep her out of the road, or get her to keep shoes on her feet. She's getting bold and adventurous which is quite a transformation.