Lately...

I've been searching high and low for a (new) house.  It has been frustrating, disheartening and just plain exhausting.  It takes a lot of time to search houses.  We usually look at listings in the evening, after the children are in bed.  If I find something of interest (and the right price),  I'll drive by and scout out the area the next morning while the children are at school (with Nico riding in the car).  That is usually where the interest ends.     As you probably know, most photos of houses portray their best features.  It isn't until you drive up and see the junkyard across the street, or the broken-down fence attached to the yard. Also, Portland is weird, in that houses are just jammed together. And not only are they jammed together, but you will find houses behind you, in front of you and beside you.  For example, the front of our house faces the back of another house (and the back of our house faces another house...).  So we look into our neighbor's backyard.  It's just weird to me. I have not had much luck finding a mix of a good house and good location (and price).

So the search continues!

Gianna is going through a phase.  My little chickadee is spreading her wings, both metaphorically and physically.  She is more brave, riding her bike down the big hill like her brother. And she is being a bit...sassy.  I think it is because she is on the cusp of turning 4.  She has been talking back to me.  Most of the time, I remember that this is not Gianna, but a phase that she is going through at the moment.  Other times, I lose it and yell right  back at her.  But no matter what, we always have quiet time together where we talk about things, and work things out. 

Kate & Gianna at the May Day celebration

This morning, she woke up and went into my bedroom before 6 AM.  "Is it time to wake up yet?"  she whispered in the loudest voice possible (to "whisper" in).  I pulled back my covers to invite her in, and she jumped in and snuggled up next to me.  Without any preamble, she started telling me about her girl friends at school. They are a threesome, and they are so cute together. Two of her friends, Kate* and Ella, were not liking each other yesterday, and clearly this was something on Gianna's mind.  I got a flash of when she is older, and things like this are happening. I hope that she can always talk to me.  Even though lately she can be hard to handle, she brings me to my knees almost every day by (spontaneously)  declaring, "I'll love you forever!" or "I want to love you forever, Mama!"

I am still planning a birthday party for her. Location, date, and time still TBD.  (ai yi yi!)  The theme, of course, is still "pink princess."

Bode is doing well.  It's funny because he and Gianna have kind of switched places.  Where Gianna is sassy and testing limits, Bode has mellowed and seems self-sufficient right now.  It's been really fun to watch him deal with Gianna during a meltdown. It is almost like he knows what is going on, and tries to talk her through it.  One morning, Gianna wanted to wear a sundress on a cool day, and I said No.  This escalating into tears and yelling through the house.  RWF and I both tried to reason with her, and since that had not worked, we resorted to just telling her "NO."  Bode was the one who stepped in, found another dress in her closet and suggested it as a possibility. He presented it to her, "Here, Gianna, why don't you wear this pretty dress?"  It was so sweet, and also, eye opening...like, "Oh yeah, why didn't we (adults) think of that?"  Bode is now in a good place at school, and seems to enjoy the routine and his friends.  It's disappointing that the school year is about to end.  Most of the boys in Bode's class will not be returning to this school.

Speaking of school,  I've decided to stay with their current school. Both RWF and I have seen remarkable things with Bode and Gianna, and feel like this has been a good place for them.  So we are staying!  I signed a contract last week and I feel good about this decision.

Nico sez, "Your cracker bribe will no longer work!"

Nico is a happy little camper.  He loves his boots, being outside, and reading!  He has turned a corner on books, and is now obsessed.  He loves to sit and read, and will demand that I "ree" to him all the time.  Every night, I sit in the rocker with him and read three (usually more) books.  It is our special time, and I love it.  I love that he enjoys books right now. And I love that we have something "close" to do together that does not involve nursing.  I was afraid that weaning him meant that our being close was going to end (at least for awhile, because I was afraid of sending him mixed signals).  He is growing, in that he is no longer content to just sit and watch the sidelines.  Bode and Gianna have a few activities that we do during the week.  This means that Nico has to sit tight for an hour.  Well, it's getting harder to contain him.  I try bribing him with snacks and sometimes that works.  But I don't know how I'm going to get through this summer! Bode and Gianna have swim lessons every morning from June through August. They will also have other lessons, most likely gymnastics and ballet. Nico is 'done' with sitting in the stroller.

Speaking of summer, I have to figure out how to fill the hours once Bode and Gianna are out of school.  I have enrolled them in swim lessons, which are every day in the morning, but that leaves the rest of the day.  Camps are kind of out of the question, since I've committed them to swim lessons in the morning. Big "Oops" on my part, once I realized that I had messed that up. I'm still on the hunt for an afternoon camp. It would be great if I could find something for them both to do together, or at least at the same time(s). But I've found that most camps go "all day," or at least, start in the morning and end after lunch.

Everyone is doing well at this almost six-month mark of our move to Portland.  Six months!!!

I just wish that I could find a good house.  I am a bit obsessed, and I have to admit that the housing situation is coloring a lot of everything for me.  I can check the school off my list. Now the house is left.  Wish me luck!

xo

*Random trivia: Gianna's name was almost Kate.  It was number 2 on my list, after Mia (number 1!).  We tried it on her while in the hospital...it was so close that one of my sisters actually congratulated me on the birth of "Kate!" ;)

Tuesday

Gianna on her birthday last year

Our week officially starts on Tuesday, I think.  It seems like the official start to the week because the children start school on Tuesdays.  So Monday night is my "Sunday" night - full of dread and preparation for the week ahead.  I always thought that when I was older, that the Sunday night blues would magically go away, because then I wouldn't be facing a week of school and homework.  Au contraire! When you get older, it gets worse, because the Sunday night before school blues are replaced with the Sunday night before work blues.  And when you have children, you just multiply the work by how many children you have and there you are...it never ends.

School lunches have been easy.  I'm lucky, because I have easy eaters.  I have found the magic formula for Bode and Gianna and make the same lunch almost every day.  There have been little complaints. In fact, they are pretty matter-of-fact about what I should not pack, and will tell me in their 'lunch review' after school.  "Mom, don't pack me bananas," Bode might say, "only blueberries."  And Gianna will tell me, "I don't want celery sticks, only carrots."  Easy.  But still, every Tuesday morning, I'll be sitting down, enjoying a much-needed cup of coffee when "lunch boxes" seizes me.  I abandon my hot coffee and start to work on lunches:  a Sunbutter sandwich for Bode, blueberries, and pretzels.  For Gianna: a cheese wrap (shred ched in a tortilla) or pasta salad (rotini pasta, olive oil, peas, and Parm), black olives, Goldfish crackers, and (sometimes) carrots.  

It is time for school re-enrollment for the children, and I'm at a loss.  Their current teacher has emailed me a few times, asking me when we can sit down and do the contract signing.  Last night, as part of my dreaded Sunday/Monday night before school dread, I summoned the courage to reply to her email. I told her that we are not settled and are looking for a new home. I told her that while I love the school, I can't sign a contract until I know where we will live. It was hard to send that email, but I'm glad that I did.  Maybe this will help move us in the right direction (whatever direction that will be). We are looking at two schools: Bode and Gianna's current school and another school that will require a move. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm searching for a new house.  I feel at the 'whim' of something outside myself, maybe the real estate market. It's not a peaceful place to be, feeling like you're at the mercy of something almost intangible.  A bunch of decisions can be made once we figure out where we live.  

Gianna's teacher wants to do a home visit and discuss all-things-Gianna with me.  Unfortunately, I have little interest in this discussion right now, because I don't know if she'll even be around for Gianna in the coming school year.  Isn't that horrible?  While I welcome the chance to discuss my daughter, and hear her teacher's insights, I feel like it is fleeting and unnecessary, especially when there are so many other things I can spend time doing.  (I know that there is nothing of concern to address, as her teacher has already assured me that Gianna is doing beautifully!). And speaking of Gianna, I would like to do my own little update.  I feel like with Nico being "the baby" and Bode having many issues these days, I have ignored my precious snowflake Gianna. So tomorrow I will provide some thoughts on what Miss Mia is all about these days.

Stay tuned!

xo

Gianna's last day of school

Today we said goodbye to Miss Amy, Gianna's teacher.  It was very hard!  It was very hard for me.  Gianna doesn't seem affected by it.  She doesn't understand that she won't see Miss Amy again. I tried to talk to her this morning on the way to school, about saying goodbye but she quickly became bored with the conversation.

Miss Amy and I cried, giving each other hugs.  And then Miss Amy kneeled down and hugged Gianna one last time, saying, "Goodbye, sweet Gianna, I will miss you so much!" We promised to "keep in touch" as people often say in these hard farewells.

sigh.

This little girl has no idea how much her world is changing.  Hopefully she'll handle it well.

When I picked Bode up this afternoon from school, his teacher pulled me aside for a quick chat. She asked that I arrive 15 minutes early on Friday. She told me that the class will sing a "goodbye song" to Bode. She concluded, "Nothing overwhelming, just a little song to send him on his way. I don't want to make him emotional." "Or me,"  I retorted "You don't want to make me emotional."  She kind of laughed, looking surprised at my response.  Oh Miss Lynn, if only we had more time together, you would know that this is no laughing matter.

Friends, I'm now dreading Friday afternoon! 

Happy Tuesday Wednesday.
xo

Oh, Christmas tree...

There seems to be some concern (clears throat) about Bode Wm's need for Christmas decorations. I won't name any names (clears throat) (AUNT DAWNIE) but everyone can rest assured that Bode Wm knows that we are celebrating Christmas in Portland.  And we are doing Christmas-y things in our spare time (viewing Christmas lights, listening to Christmas music, reading Christmas stories (thank you Aunt Melinda!).

Yes, he's excited, and yes, he probably would feel better if  our whole house was a-blaze in lights a la Clark Griswold's house in Christmas Vacation. 

But that is not going to happen.

Remember his little "tree" that he brought home from school? We decorated it with scraps (really) around the house.  I removed a small strand of star garland from one of Gianna's school art projects and put it on the tree. I drew some stars and Christmas "lights" for Bode to color. Being the selfless and devoted mother I am, I even sacrificed my very latest issue of Bazaar, and cut it up (the tinsel portrait of Karl Lagerfeld's design team, a gold star necklace, a diamond bangle, etc.). (If RWF happens to look at the tree, he might think that I've done lost my mind and am dropping some really expensive hints.)  I actually taped the cut-outs to the tree using a roll of packing tape left by the movers. (Crafty! Martha's got nothing on me!)

We have a Charlie Brown tree in place.  It stands by its lonely self, mostly ignored by everyone, against the living room wall. It's not perfect, but it will do for now. 

Now everybody sing it with me: "Oh, Christmas tree. Oh, Christmas tree...."

xo

Over the river and through the woods

It feels like we are on one long journey these days, each a baby step. But we are getting there.  Here are a few photos from Thanksgiving, our packing days, and a nod to Christmas:

Andrew was such a sweetheart with Nico!

Driving to Grandma's (Dawn's)

The moving truck arrived in all its huge-ness.  The movers were great about packing quickly. It was almost too quick. It was hard for RWF and I to keep track of everything going on. And despite some written and verbal requests, some of our "save" pile got packed anyway.  Gianna's dolls, story books (except for a couple of random ones that happened to be in the car), and other stuff "needed" for our move was packed up before I even realized what was missing.

Bode and Gianna have been very emotional since the truck took our stuff away.  They are doing the best they can.  I'm taking the advice my brother gave me, trying to treat everything as an adventure.  We have made spontaneous trips to the store for bagels, helium-filled balloons, crayons, and to Starbuck's for treats galore.  When we happen to be out at dusk, I'll take a detour into a neighborhood that twinkles with Christmas lights.  

And that brings us to Christmas.  I obviously can not (or choose not to) decorate for Christmas.  We have been listening to Christmas music and driving around to see holiday lights.  On Thursday, when I picked Bode up from school, his teacher Miss Lynn reminded Bode to pick up his "special surprise."  And while he was under a set of stairs getting his surprise for me, Miss explained that Bode had found this "surprise" on their walk that morning and  had very carefully walked the whole way back to the school house, carrying this "surprise" in his arms.  She said that it took him a long time but he was determined to bring the "surprise" back with him.  When Bode emerged from the stairs, he held a branch from a pine tree. "Oh Bode, how wonderful!" I said.  I thought it was just another one of his sticks that he likes to bring home.  But he told me that he wanted us to have Christmas at our house, so he brought us this "tree" as a surprise.  He suggested that we decorate it and then it will be "Christmas in our house."  Well you can imagine how this made me feel (sad!).  I gave him a hug and told him that I loved his surprise, that it was so thoughtful of him to bring Christmas to our house. And when we got home, I insisted on taking this photo:

And of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without new Christmas pajamas!  Poor Nico doesn't have any yet.  I couldn't find any in his size that I like.

We are trying to maintain normalcy around here as much as we can with all of our "stuff" gone.  We are keeping routines, like school, gymnastics, and swimming for Bode and Gianna, and bedtime stories for all.

This is our last week here.  I have a million and one things to do, and yet really, nothing to do.  The contents of our life are on their way to Portland.  All I have to do is say goodbye this week.  It is not as easy as it sounds. Bode and Gianna have one last week of school. We will gift our teachers, our vet, and our baby sitter, saying thank you for making our lives better here. And then we will say goodbye one last time.

Goodbye, goodbye. 

xo

Moving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our New York family...who will soon really be just our family living in New York...as we will not be....

Okay. See the above ramble? Does this make any sense? This is how I've been talking lately:  wildly long-winded, confusing, fragmented, emotional/dramatic.

We are moving.

There. I said it.

It has been so difficult to talk about the move.  When I 'fessed up to Bode and Gianna's teachers over a month ago (yes), I rambled so much that Bode's teacher looked completely perplexed.  And when I  (finally) finished my long winded narrative with the simple, declarative, "We are moving,"  she actually looked relieved, like, "Oh! Finally! I understand!"  With Gianna's teacher, I walked up to her and couldn't even speak. She could see the emotions all over my face. Luckily, Miss Amy is a dear one, and treated me much  like her 3 year old charges. She gave me a big hug, sat me down on a nearby bench, and told me to tell her everything.  I told her everything,  tears brimming, while she nodded sympathetically and rubbed my back. We both cried.

Sigh.

There is so much I have come to love about here, that I am going to miss so much.

And everything is just moving so fast.  

I have had a really difficult time talking about it (see above).

Today, the movers came and packed up our house in record time.  They arrived at 7:30 and left at 1:30.  They still have a lot to do, but they got the majority of our precious life belongings stuff boxed up and ready to go.  Tomorrow, they will  return to find that I have opened 3 boxes, removed the contents of 2 boxes, and have added a considerable amount of stuff, in piles, to be boxed (things I thought I'd donate/toss, but emotion prevailed).

Since we have begun this move discussion with the children, we have made a conscious effort to be very slow, very forgiving, very informative about life these days, what we are doing and what is happening (and not happening).  But today, when they came home and saw our walls lined with boxes, it must have overwhelmed them. Oh, so this is what it means, I can imagine them thinking. But what can they understand, really? We've tried to talk about things from moving our stuff in a big truck to flying in an airplane. But they won't get it all ("moving") in one piece. It will be a long process for them. So we are trying to take it slowly and explain everything. Sometimes we have to have the same  Q&A each time we do something. But that's okay. I can't imagine how this must seem to them, when I am so emotional and confused myself.

This afternoon, Gianna was incredibly screechy and moved to tears over seemingly random things.  Bode, since Thanksgiving, has been very quiet, off to himself, but then also squishy about hugs and love. He will announce, "I want a hug," and come over to me for one.  

This morning, Bode asked me what he was made of and I drew a blank. "Um,  you're made of...Bode." I answered as I buttered his toast, and thought about the million-and-one things I needed to do before the movers arrived.  "I don't want to be made of Bode!" he sputtered. "I want to be made of love!"  I dropped the knife and ran over to him, "Oh honey, of course you are! You are, you are, you are! You are made of love! Absolutely!" We hugged, sitting on the kitchen floor for a long time while I repeated, "You ARE made of love. You are, you are..." When he was convinced of my answer, he asked me what love is made of.  I told him that it is a golden, twinkly light that shines all around us and lives in us. "Is it weak, or is it strong?" he asked.  I thought about this, and then answered, "It is gentle, like when you are sad and you get a hug. It is soft, like when you are sleepy and cozy in your bed."  Then I thought of my mom and a recent dream I had, and added, "But it is also strong. So strong that you feel like it could knock you down. It is like a waterfall, just pouring over you."

I have to remember to love these babies, love RWF, and love myself through this.

The deets:

We are moving to Portland, Oregon.

We are moving soon.

We have a rental house.

We have a school. 

We are excited, nervous, hopeful and...sad. 

More details later.
Happy week to all.
xo

Moving right along

Today was a long day of waiting, until about 2 PM.  Then, as scheduled, the  moving truck pulled into our driveway. Well, not "the" moving truck.  The big, real moving truck can't get up into these thar hills. So they have a smaller moving truck to "shuttle" the contents of our house to the big moving truck parked 20 miles away. 20 miles! Bob told the driver that he'd show him a closer spot. (ha)  So a moving truck arrived this afternoon. Three men got out.  They laid carpet runners and cardboard down on the hardwood floors and went straight to work.  They worked hard, disappearing into closets and rooms, then emerging with filled boxes. The only noise was from the television that was playing the 49ers and Giants game. Bob told me that we need to be Giants fans now.  Huh?

On yesterday's walk. How I love holding Bode's hand when we walk!

Bode woke up from his nap and I told him that a big moving truck was outside.  He didn't dawdle like he usually does; he let me dress him quickly.  We went outside and stood in the driveway. He studied the moving truck for a long time.  Then I got Gianna up from her nap.  Because it was so crazy inside, we stayed out and played with toys.  It was hard to keep up with the two of them. They were both going in different directions. Bode would disappear to the driveway to watch the men walk up and down the ramp of the moving truck. Gianna would walk around the backyard. Finally, I put them both in the "city stroller" and took Priscilla for a walk.  I put them in the city stroller because the BOB stroller was loaded onto the truck almost immediately. The "city stroller" is a "city stroller" for a reason.  It didn't handle the pathways well at all. A woman came galloping up the pathway on a horse, and I felt stupid using our city stroller. I might as well have been pushing Bode and Gianna in a cardboard box! We cut our walk short and continued playing on the patio. Bode pulled Gianna in the wagon!  This is a first, and I was so surprised to see him do this by himself.  Gianna loved it.  They both giggled like loons whenever Bode bumped into something. 

We have told Bode that we are moving to New York.  He asked me today if we were getting on a plane again.  He asked, "Are we getting on a prane again?" Like all I do is drag this boy to airports!  I told him that we would eventually get on an airplane but the airplane ride would not be as long as Germany. He asked if we were home.  "California is home. Right, Mommy?"  This is what we drilled into his head the night before we left Berlin and for the 19 hours that we traveled "home" to California. It was like a mantra. Probably more for us than him. I felt conflicted about my answer, but I told him that California is our home right now.  I told him tomorrow we would be staying in a hotel. I tried to talk about it like it was an exciting adventure.  "And then!" I concluded, "Then! We will get on an airplane! We will fly to New York!" (Liar. We are actually flying to Boston.)

In the car on the way to get the temporary QEII.  When I asked Bode what he was doing, he replied, "Hiding."

I didn't expect it to be so hard to talk to Bode about moving. We have told him everything. But I'm also leery of putting too many thoughts (scenarios) in his head. First, I try to keep it simple and focus on what is happening in the immediate future. But then, I feel like I am lying to him so I tell him more than he probably needs to know. I am sure he is handling it well. He probably doesn't understand why we went to Berlin. He thinks he's at "home" in California. And he's probably wondering why we are going on another "prane," and what will happen after that.  But I guess it doesn't matter. We'll just settle into our new "home" in New York as quickly as possible.

Tomorrow is going to be another busy, crazy day.  The movers will be here at 8 AM.  The guy who is to pack our washer and dryer will be here at 8:30 AM.  The car transporter will be here between 11 AM and 3 PM to take our cars away.  (Today we picked up our temporary QEII. It is a GMC Yukon XL, about the same size as QEII. Bode wasn't impressed.) Gianna also has a ped appointment at 11 AM tomorrow. I want Gianna's pediatrician to check out Gianna's lip and just give me her blessing that we did everything we could have done (or not done) when Gianna tore her frenum while in Berlin.

This child loves hard-boiled eggs!

It was such a relief to have the movers start packing today.  It will be nice to be on our way. I'm anxious to get moving. I'm anxious to get settled.

Happy weekend.

xo

Hello, Goodbye

Yesterday was Bode's last play date with his play group.  This was the first time we have seen everyone since we left for Berlin, and the last time we will see them again. Hello, goodbye.

I just hate that these two won't grow up together!

We will miss you, Derek!

It was a grey day and it sprinkled off and on.  For some reason, I was inspired to cook!  I made homemade tomato soup.  I chose tomato soup because I have about 500 cans of tomatoes in my pantry.  It was delicious (if I say so myself). It reminded me of the tomato soup that you get at La Madeliene.   It is Michael Chiarello's recipe. Does anyone know who I am talking about?  (swoon)  I used to watch him when I was a girl. And I mean: girl.  I think I may have been 10 years old.  My father was a huge fan of cooking shows.  Back then, you could only watch cooking shows on PBS. They didn't have dedicated channels like Food Network! Sunday afternoons, my parents would watch Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Martin Yan dominate the stovetop.  I inherited that love of watching a master chef expertly moving around the kitchen, deftly chopping herbs and vegetables, mixing the ingredients together, and putting them into a "magic oven" that cooked a wonderful looking meal in under 3 minutes. The only downside to watching cooking shows is that you miss out on the wonderful aromas!  I could watch cooking shows all day. They are so calming and relaxing. 

We went for a family walk yesterday.  It is so nice to have Priscilla back with us.  We missed her so much. An owl was who-who-hooting as we walked down the road. There are so many things about this area that I will miss.

Happy Saturday.

xo

The post where I admit that I am a hoarder

Today the Salvation Army came by and picked up some furniture from the house.  It is starting to look like we are actually moving!

Another plus, all this packing and purging has helped Bode find some of his "lost" cars.  Yesterday he was thrilled to find Guido.

On the down side, as I get rid of furniture, I'm having to empty drawers.  I don't know what to do with the contents of the drawers!  So instead of just throwing the contents out, or sorting them for Goodwill, I just create piles. Piles of stuff everywhere! I have one pile that contains hairbands, some iPod headphones, a new toothbrush (in the package) and a journal. Easily sortable but somehow, I haven't managed to do it.  And here I've just revealed what a horrible housekeeper/organizer/person I am. So why not just tell all?  I also have piles of random stuff that I'm not sure if it should be packed by the movers, or if it should go with us on the plane, etc. etc.  Yesterday afternoon, I sent my mom an urgent! email asking her what I should do with my spices.  Tossing cinnamon out is one thing, but saffron makes me pause. Later, I thought about how silly this is...spices? Things are getting confusing. At least for me.  But the piles!  They are getting old.  The house, while bare, is really junky with the piles of stuff all over. 

A PILE of new winter boots for everyone.

And just when I get comfortable donating the baby toys, they show renewed interest and love in them!  It makes it so difficult to get rid of anything.  Note: I haven't gotten rid of any baby stuff!

Bob took down the baby gate yesterday. I was so nervous about Gianna handling the stairs once the gate was removed. What a joke (on me).  She's shimmying up and down the stairs like it's nothing.

Helping take down the baby gate. Gianna has her hair brush. Bode is holding the screws.

I am trying to take the babies to the park every day. The weather here is so gorgeous! I am really trying to soak it up while we can. It hit me last night when I was driving home from the park: how absolutely perfect the weather is here, and how we will miss it!

In addition to side-stepping boxes and avoiding piles, I'm also trying to get last-minute errands done. I have a list of things I want done here so I don't have to get it done (immediately) when we get to NY.  Today, Bode got a haircut. I also took him to the shoe store to see if his feet have grown. I bought sneakers for Bode and some tights for Gianna. Then I popped into Baby Gap and saw a cute pink snow bib and (matching) down jacket. I tried the jacket on her, and she looked absolutely adorable. A little pink puffball.  Of course I had to get it for Miss Mia.  It wasn't on my list of things "to do" but I have to have some fun, too, right?

Is anyone watching Parenthood?  We have had 4 episodes to catch up on. I love it. Every night I try to convince Bob that we "have" to watch a Parenthood.  You know, to catch up. It is so great. We are almost caught up. I love that Christina had her baby. I'm worried for Sarah. I feel bad for Crosby. Isn't it great when tv makes you forget about your own issues, and worry about someone else's? (ha) Because the tv characters are REAL, you know. That reminds me, we found a show to watch while in Berlin. We called it the "German Parenthood."  We couldn't figure out when it came on (at first) so every night, I'd ask Bob "Is the German Parenthood on yet?"  It comes on Friday nights, so naturally I think of it for tomorrow night's tv viewing. I will miss it.  I will miss the Peter Krause-type main character and his quirky family. It is weird to get hooked on a show where you don't know what they are saying or what is happening. But trust me, it happens. Bob and I had no idea what they were saying, so we would make up dialogue and story lines as we watched.  Fun times.

Happy Friday!

xo

Let it snow! (not)

Bode Wm at Deer Valley last January.

Everyone, repeat it with me:  I am so tired.  It seems like this is my constant refrain, or response any time Bob asks how I am doing. I say, "I am so tired!" How boring, right?  But I can't seem to get beyond it. I haven't even been doing that much for the move. Bob has been handling all of it, on top of his full-time job! And I certainly haven't been cooking. Or cleaning, for that matter. It is entirely thanks to jet lag, and our children, who wake at 3 AM and want to stay awake.   Gianna, I'm looking at you.

Bode's first ski lesson with Bob.

Today we went out and did some more winter weather gear shopping.  Bob and I both got snow boots.  I love my boots! Hopefully I will continue to love them as I'm trudging through 5 inches (or more) of snow. Since they don't make snow boots in her tiny size, Gianna got the most darling little snow covers. I've never heard of snow covers before. They are little water-repellent sleeves that fit over regular shoes. 
I really know nothing about living in a cold climate! I have a lot to learn. 

xo

Home, for a short time

Bode and Priscilla at Byrne today.

We are home. We are struggling through the jet lag (oh, the exhaustion!) and time difference (curse you, fall back!).  The babies are doing as well as can be expected.  Bode is incredibly loopy when he is not sleeping. Gianna is incredibly clingy when she is not sleeping. I am incredibly irritable when I am not sleeping. Bob is incredibly busy when he is not sleeping. 

It is back to reality for me.  I have to admit that I was feeling safely cocooned from reality (the reality of our big move to New York) while in Germany.  I hope that tomorrow I feel a little more "normal" and can start to tackle the many things that need to be done before the move.  I really have no choice. Things must be done. 

Two things I wanted to do as soon as we returned home were to visit Starbucks and Whole Foods. I did both today. I nearly fell to my knees and kissed the floor when I entered Whole Foods this afternoon.

The best part of this weekend, next to being home?  Seeing Priscilla again! I missed her so much. Saturday felt weird because we were home, but a big part of our home was still missing. Priscilla came home on Sunday. She looks great! Thank you, Andrew, for taking such good care of her. Bob, Bode and Priscilla went to Byrne this afternoon for a big walk. When Bob showed me pictures from the walk, I almost couldn't look at them. It is hard to believe that many of our favorite things will soon only be pictures and memories.

Happy Tuesday.

xo
Photo: RWF

Buy buy, baby

I have been shopping up a storm.  It has been fun, in a manic, "Do-we-need-this-now-or-possibly-in-the-next-three-months?" kind of way. I'm trying to gear up for all of our travel, as well as, have warm clothing for the winter months that are going to smack us in the faces once we arrive in Berlin and New York.

Remember when I was all, "No pink, please" when I was pregnant? You can laugh now.

Bode is set on clothes. Thanks to grandmothers and aunts, he is stocked for the next two years.  Gianna, not so much.  This is not a plea for clothing donations.  She is still a baby and is growing by "months"  sizes and not "year" sizes like Bode. So I'm trying to stock up without you know, over-stocking.

Gianna sez, "There's no such thing as too many clothes!"

We went shoe shopping for Gianna today.  This baby has tiny feet.  I was so very disappointed when the nice shoe salesman informed me that they do not make Uggs in Gianna's teeny baby feet size.  I was so very disappointed, until he said, "But we do have these..."  and presented me with the most adorable little suede booties in fuchsia!  My heartbeat quickened as I saw that the adorable little suede fuchsia booties had matching fuchsia faux fur lined on the inside. Not quite Uggs, but still, YUM.  The salesman also showed me the same booties in black and tan.  Excuse me?  No.  We want the (fun) fuchsia.

Gianna sez, "Wearing a matching cloth diaper is optional, but it's so fab if you do!"

Another of my more manic interesting purchases has been this guy.  Meet Baby Emperor. 

from here

He was a gift from Grandma.  A long time ago, Grandma went to the zoo and sent Bode and Gianna some stuffed animal  souvenirs: a lion cub and (this) penguin. When I opened the box, Bode grabbed the lion cub.  So the penguin was given to baby Gianna, who knew no difference.  In fact, I'm pretty sure Bode grabbed the penguin out of baby Gianna's hands as soon as I gave it to her.  But now? Now this is really Gianna's penguin. This is Gianna's go-to at nap and bedtime.  She also sometimes likes to bring him table-side when eating breakfast.  The poor guy has been in the washing machine and dryer more times than he'd like, I'm sure. I call him Guin, short for penguin. Ho! So clever, I know.  Bode never had an "attachment" or "transition" object except for a wooden puzzle piece, a school bus, that hardly ever left his hands.  I'm not sure how "attached" Gianna is to Guin.  She doesn't cry for him or can't sleep without him, as far as I can tell.  And, we don't  really  encourage attachments.  I don't bring Guin in the stroller, in the car, or anywhere.  But we aren't taking any chances.  Today I ordered two Baby Emperor stuffed animals just like Guin.  We will have back-ups, just in case Guin flies, or swims, the coop.

Gianna sez, "Guin won't leave me!"

Big hug

In other news, Gianna walked today with the use of her baby doll stroller.  I wasn't very surprised, as she has been standing on her own two feet and "walking" on her knees for awhile now. Or maybe it's just hours and hours of observing her mother walk while pushing a shopping cart.

Happy Friday!

xo