October Days ...

Things have been busy here, rushing to finalize house stuff. Such a weird process to go through.

It's basically the biggest purchase of your life but the way you buy it is so strange.

For example:

• You only get to see it a couple times at the most. If I want to buy a pair of jeans, I can think about it for weeks, and go and try them on as many times as I want. I also get to choose from about a hundred kinds. But a house costing hundreds of thousands of dollars? Contenders only come up about once a month so see it once and decide!
  
  
• You actually buy your house by signing an innocent looking piece of paper while sitting at home. I think I was even drinking a beer at the time. We didn't have to take money out of our wallets or even out of our everyday bank account. It's all abstract figures. Did I really just buy a house? I can't tell. Because of this, it's also easy to lose perspective (e.g. "Oh, what's another thousand dollars in the scheme of things?").
  
  
• You get a freakishly short period of time in which to arrange financing and do the house inspection. The trick is, you don't get to start these things until you actually have an accepted offer. So you get like, three business days to arrange all money stuff and inspect an entire house, including follow-up inspections by plumbers and electricians. Because what do I know about "flashing" and "sink traps"?
  
  
• You don't usually get to meet the sellers. In fact, the agents seem to go to great lengths to make sure you never meet. Which seems strange. They're selling their home to you, shouldn't you meet them?! In our case, we've accidentally met a couple times, though, since I keep stalking their house. And we're going to go again this weekend so my parents can see the new place. How exciting! I love that they're going to give us tips to take care of their garden. How long will we live there feeling like guests, I wonder?
  

Anyway, that's what is happening here. Oh, and Mela's been puking. Bowlfuls. It's lovely. As long as it's not the pig death, though, I'm happy.

Nate is currently transitioning with his naps. Which means 1) greater freedom and 2) greater pain. Hell hath NO fury like a tired Nate. Can I hear an "amen," Mary?

It gives me greater insight into his newborn days though. For example, I just spent 20 minutes trying to calm a ragingly furious child by singing, rocking, offering bottle/soother, and a variety of comforts. Normally, these work well, but once he's past super-nova mad, he basically just seizures and you have to walk away. And then he cries for a couple minutes and passes out.

So to comfort him, you have to leave him. I wonder what would've happened if we'd done that when he was a newborn. Seems insane to let a three month old cry it out, but this is not your ordinary kid.

Hindsight is useless, isn't it?

Okay, now one last story: took the kids to the library this morning, since sick kids apparently lose the ability to share. Turned out there was a Halloween puppet show, so we picked out some new books and then waited with the other kids for the show. We got inside, they turned off the lights and the puppets began.

So you can imagine my kids' reactions to a pitch-dark room, scary witch puppets and loud cackling. Mela cowered and flinched in my lap and Nate tried to charge the stage. We did get to watch one full skit but then Mr. One Nap started to lose it when I wouldn't let him scale the pumpkins.

So after grabbing a howling Nate, I turn back for the giant double stroller and the big kid.

Inexplicably, there is a trail of boots and socks where Mela used to be and she is now running around the room barefoot and squealing.

Five minutes later, both kids were strapped in the stroller and out of the auditorium and I was visibly shaken and repeatedly muttering, "But why did she take off her socks?!"

Just another day in the life ...

Say click:

Nate plays spin the squash:
Hammy girl, ready for a party:
Too cute:
The kids go nuts:
This place is awesome!
The big kid isn't sure what to do next:
But will there be enough cake??
Beautiful birthday girl:
Back home, the chickens play footsies:
Mom and Dad actually made it out of the house for dinner and a concert! How awesome is this venue??
Local gal, Jenn Grant:
Now this is intimate!:
Oh, you'd like to see our new house again, you say? Ta da!