Moving!

It's been wild and crazy around here the past two weeks. Deep within the nitty gritty of moving, I was without internet until earlier this week. Because I didn't have access to the internet, I simply kept my computer at my mom's lest it fall victim to moving related injuries. Didn't want that to happen.

Dear Husband was the hero during the move in that he was ready and willing to go full steam ahead to get us moved into this place ASAP. It has been absolutely exhausting for him and just when he thought it would slow down, he was recruited to do some work for a family friend. A huge plus for the additional income and all, but it has involved 10+ hour days throughout this week. So, really, he's completely tuckered out. In the mean time, I've resumed the at-home status with the kids and as if the daily grind wasn't busy enough, I've got unpacking mixed in now, too. We're unpacked enough that we've regular access to the necessities, which of course means there's the regular havoc being wreaked on the premises. So half unpacked house + tornado Elijah + hurricane Emily = hair loss.

It has been fun settling into a place that is our very own, though. And we have a roommate, J; he's fond of the kids and has become a great help with them, too. Speaking [more] of the kids, they're super excited about their bedroom. Their room has been a priority of mine and I went and got new bedding to start with. It really is a challenge to stay as neutral as possible when buying items for boys and girls. I didn't want something media influenced like Spiderman, Toy Story, Disney Princesses, or anything like that.

So sports and flowers was about as middle ground as I could get to. Granted I only went to one store, but that's about all I could handle with both the kids with me. I'm not completely opposed to gender specific object matter but I do want to be conscious about what sorts of social influences I'm including in my children's lives. In any case, the kids love their beds and want to be in them. *confetti* I put a medium sized book shelf in between their beds with all their books on the bottom shelf. I don't know what I'll do with the remaining shelves yet seeing as how Emily clears every surface regardless of what's occupying its space.... I'll figure it out eventually. I do have exciting plans for the walls and a crafty idea for a light source. All in good time.

Another fun thing about this place is that there is a wood burning fire place. Right from the get-go Husband and I have made a huge deal about the kids staying clear of this thing. The fireplace itself is in an odd location. Imagine, if you will, a large rectangle. The left side of this rectangle is our living room. A little right of the center of the living room is a coat-type closet and directly behind the closet, is the fireplace, pointing toward the living room. The remaining space is the dining area. Definitely a different kind of layout, but I enjoy it as it makes the place more unique. You can actually walk around the left side of the fire place; mind it's a narrow area, but it allows there to be two paths of traffic through the house. But because of the openness surrounding the fireplace, it poses some seriously dangerous possibilities. We're in the market for a gate of some sort, preferably one that can wrap around the fireplace instead of something that will cut off the walk way entirely. So far the kids of obeyed the rules, but naturally, are getting comfortable with the idea of a fireplace and curiosity is lurring them in.

With this house also comes a fully fenced back yard! I'm super stoked about this because, [while there are a few gaps in the boards that will soon be fixed] the kids can roam about comfortably safely. It's a fairly good sized back yard that boasts a variety of bushes and trees. Our landlord said that we could do whatever we wanted to the yard, and could take out any of the smaller bushes and trees that we liked. I'm glad we received his permission on all of this because my first plan is to remove a small bush that's located in an ideal gardening area!

The kids had an absolute blast the one day this year it's been nice enough to go play in the dirt. Elijah was collecting worms (which were plentiful-this is some nutritious soil!) while Emily squealed while poking a shovel at the dirt. But this is the area that I cleared the weeds out of and am planning to plant a little bit of everything that can fit there. With the size of that bush that's there, I figure tomatoes can fit nicely. Once the temperature kicks up a little bit (ie: above 50) I'll start the seeds in those biodegradable pots and get them acclimated so that once they've germinated I can simply stick them in the garden. I'm so anxious to get started. I just know the kids are going to love watching the plants grow. And picking the veggies? It's going to be fun!!