The new house post : ) The reason it's been so long in coming is the same reason the house is not finished being unpacked. I am highly unmotivated. The opposite of motivation. I just don't really care to finish the process. Not sure why. It's very annoying, though. I would dearly love to have all those boxes unpacked, broken down and in the recycle man's truck.
We never would have gotten moved in without the help of so many people. My mom took the kids on several adventures that day, much to their delight. My Grandma and Aunt Mary worked harder than women half their age at cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen. Grandma peeled acres of old shelf paper out of cupboards. I never would have gotten my kitchen put away if it wasn't for her. We spent all Friday cleaning the house to ready it for our belongings.
My dad and Mr. Andy motored through the physical labor with Tadd. First they had to load up all our stuff at the storage shed and then drive it here to unload it. The plan was to load up Friday evening and then unload Saturday morning. However, the skies had opened and were dumping rivers. And it was discovered that the UHaul had a leak. A couple leaks. So, Dad and Andy dug deep and accessed energy Tadd and I did not have and made the decision to unload the UHaul at 9:30 PM. Yikes! They did it all in about an hour. And then they all drove home and left us for our first night in the new place. We camped out in our (still wet from the carpet cleaning) living room on various pieces of furniture with whatever we could find for warmth tossed over us. It was kinda fun. Emphasis on kinda.
Tadd brought me my fall decorations box so that I could decorate for my favorite season and make this place feel a little more like a home.
The family room boasts custom built cabinets and shelves on either side of the fire place. I don't really like the cluttered look, but I needed to make use of the shelves to house all my cookbooks, vases, and other kitchen items that I couldn't fit into cupboards. It'll work for now.
This little man and his mom helped to entertain our munchkins most of the afternoon and evening. He stayed up way past his bedtime so that his parents could help us.
Moved in or not, life keeps on asking to be lived. Tears have to be quieted, tummies filled, laundry cleaned (if not put away), etc. And I am enjoying the everydayness of those tasks. For instance, Wednesday morning comes and the kids always remember that it's pancake morning. This fall mix from TJ's is a great help. I recommend it. Of course, not if your dad/husband is Uncle Nate Dog, because his pumpkin pancakes are much better. 
This little one likes to practice with cheerios. She puts them in, thrusts them out and makes a big mess. But it keeps her busy in the high chair while the rest of us eat.
These two are into funny poses.
More everyday living. Nothing like granola to make the house smell delicious. And a certain Daddy-man has been asking for cookies...so we indulged him. Without my kitchen aid, because it was injured in the move. Still need to call about getting that fixed.
One of the best parts about the backyard is the concrete pad and basketball hoop. Perfect for shooting hoops and also for driving little cars on and drawing with sidewalk chalk.
We haven't gotten back on a preschool schedule yet, but we did break out the paints.
And perhaps my favorite part of the new house--the "playroom". Our new house is the traditional layout. That means it has a formal dining and living room. We are not really formal type people. And who can be with kids anyway??? So we turned the formal dining room into the playroom/computer room. I love it! Now all the toys are in one place and I can see and hear the kids playing while I am cooking and baking next door in the kitchen. Someday if we reconfigure the kitchen, the dining room will morph back into its original purpose. But by the time we save up for that I think our kids will be well beyond the toy stage : )Thanks for your patience. I have more posts waiting to be created. The week before we moved mom and I took the kids to the Puyallup Fair to go mutton busting. I'll try to get right on that one.
