I think we finally reached that point of "life settling down" but I'm actually not sure that ever really happens. But we are unpacked, are back to our regular activities and life has a fairly predictable nature again (not to tempt fate, but rather I appreciate that I generally know what to expect one day to the next. I'm sure it won't last long.)
The girls wake up around 8. Usually husband is already working by then, sometimes at the office but sometimes at home--taking a phone call, answering emails or conferring with one of his two business partners who happen to live downstairs. We eat breakfast, get dressed and are out the door by 9 for preschool, dance classes, the gym or running errands. Our mornings are busy and then we are home by noon for lunch and naps. As predicted, Butterfly has given up on naps. She's four and a half and truthfully, the only kid I know of that still naps at her age. But she's been slowly weaning herself away from them and I expected that when we moved, she would stop all together due to the change in environment. But it's been okay. She usually rests for 30-45 minutes (giving me a chance to shower) and then we cuddle for a movie, read books or work on projects. Naptime is followed by playtime, dinner and some family time with Daddy. Lovely goes to bed by 8:30 and the big girls (more reluctantly so) by 9-9:30.
Living with Grandma and Grandpa has been working out wonderfully. They have generously given us the upstairs and we have plenty of space. The big girls share a room, Lovely has a nursery to herself and Husband and I have another bedroom close to theirs. The playroom is full of fun adventures and the girls embark in new adventures everyday with another newly discovered toy.
Just this week, we decided they had settled in enough for a new discovery. We opened a door that they had apparently never taken notice of and to their delight, it was a tiny space with a ladder inside. I waited at the top as they climbed the ladder so I could watch their faces as they discovered "Lego Heaven". In the attic space above the playroom, is a half sized space too short for adults but perfect for kids. My husband and his brothers used it for their legos (thus the name) but now it boasts a play kitchen, a toy work bench, tables and chairs, dolly beds and more. The girls were ecstatic and they have eagerly raced up there to play everyday. Lovely is too small to climb the ladder herself so I've taken her up there for us to play together but usually she stays with me in the larger playroom.
Other tidbits of the week:
We've also been playing our new wii games (namely Just Dance for Kids!), reading lots of books and helping in the kitchen. I made little chore charts for them and they've done well with their assignments (feeding the cats, putting the silverware away, making beds, setting the table). Grandma taught Butterfly how to make her infamous (and delicious) swiss bread. Abi had another visit to the doc and is scheduled to have her tonsils removed in a few weeks. We've discovered that Lovely is incredibly ticklish (especially the thighs) and that she has a killer sweet tooth. She would live on fruit snacks and marshmallows if I let her. We made caramel and chocolate dipped apples (Grandma taught Husband to make the caramel) and Lovely's favorite part was sucking all of the chocolate off the fruit. Butterfly went with me to a baby shower for sister in law and we had a great time. We did a little shopping and I'm not sure which one of us enjoyed it more, it was great time to spend together. Lovely's new favorite obsession is waving to her reflection in the mirror, an adorable open-and-close grasping wave accompanied by a huge and heart-melting grin. Lovely has tried to adopt one of Butterfly's stuffed animals as her own favorite, a cute little zebra. She seems to really like animal prints but in particular loves this zebra which big sister is reluctant to give up. Meanwhile, Ladybug's entourage of blankets is causing concern as well since Yellow has multiple tiny holes wearing through the fabric. I'm afraid to wash it for fear of making it worse. We had a rough weekend of colds, sniffles and back injuries that kept us quiet and subdued for a few days. In fact, it was really only Butterfly and Ladybug that were their usual happy-go-lucky full of mischief selves. But we seem to be past that and ready to play again. In the meantime, Grandma and I amused ourselves with watching the West Wing and I have to admit, I'm kind of hooked again. It's a nice way to unwind at the end of the day. All of our storage has been rearranged and settled, we worked out all the loose ends with selling the house and are getting ready to make decisions about our new house. We took Grandma & Grandpa and the girls to see the model home (since we are building the same floor plans) and got everyone's approval. So tomorrow Husband and I get to go to the design center and get to choose how to personalize some aspects.
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