Home Sweet Home
If you want to feel real and deep affection for a new house, try spending 21 hours in the car with a one year old and a three year old.They were great on the drive but by the afternoon of the second day (with little sleep at the motel the night before), I was ready to chew my foot off to get out of our moving prison.
And then, it finally happened: we got home.
We leapt from the car and raced into the backyard. Everything that had been in bloom when we left was gone and there were entirely new flowers. We raced in circles and Mela and I shrieked in delight at each new bloom. It was pure joy.
We leapt from the car and raced into the backyard. Everything that had been in bloom when we left was gone and there were entirely new flowers. We raced in circles and Mela and I shrieked in delight at each new bloom. It was pure joy.
And then we went into our house (formerly known as "not our Toronto house") and ran from room to room, discovering familiar toys and and soft beds.
And I learned a valuable lesson: turns out that what makes the bond to your house is the memories you have from living there. When I walked past our old place in TO last week, I realized that it doesn't really look like much. What I see, though, is the kids drawing with chalk on the sidewalk and learning to climb down the stairs and friends coming to visit in our backyard.
We are slowly starting to make those memories here. Now I have the memory of feeling so much love for our house when we got home. And Aunt Mary ("have you seen my collection of hat pins?!") is visiting us currently so I now have the memory of drinking a bottle of wine on our lower deck as the sun sets. And today I sat with the kids in the sunshine and Mela sprinkled rose petals on our heads.
There may never be babies born in this house or first foods or first steps but there will be lots of other great new memories.
Like coming home from a long trip away.
Now on to the next big challenge ... day care!
Say click:
Tousled kid:
It was so hot, you could barely breathe:
Mela feeding chipmunks at Nana & Papa's trailer (before the rains came):
It rained so much, we almost got flooded out:
Back on the road headed home ...
We were stuck behind this truck for a while. It was oozing some kind of dough-like mixture and dripping on the road. Weird.
Rest-stop picnic:
Thoughtful girl:
Someone was excited to eat at a restaurant (ice cream!)
I mostly just took pictures when they were sleeping (I was so happy!). Like when they both fell asleep at the same time ...
... and when Nate fell asleep still holding his cheese and crackers package:
Home at last, Mela models the latest fashions:
Tousled kid:
It was so hot, you could barely breathe:
Mela feeding chipmunks at Nana & Papa's trailer (before the rains came):
It rained so much, we almost got flooded out:
Back on the road headed home ... 
We were stuck behind this truck for a while. It was oozing some kind of dough-like mixture and dripping on the road. Weird.
Rest-stop picnic:
Thoughtful girl:
Someone was excited to eat at a restaurant (ice cream!)
I mostly just took pictures when they were sleeping (I was so happy!). Like when they both fell asleep at the same time ...
... and when Nate fell asleep still holding his cheese and crackers package:
Home at last, Mela models the latest fashions:
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