We're In

This is just a quick note to say that we made it into the new house on Saturday. I must say, I love it even better than before, when it was white-walled and perfect. Now it has a few dings from the EQ movers but it is painted in the colors I like and it has our "stuff" in it. There are a few hitches (no hot water in the MB shower, no telephone service [temporary] because the wire is "too short", A/C problem in the casita) but overall I am just so happy.

All kids are doing well with the move, I think. Unfortunately, my brilly idea to keep the twins in their cribs didn't turn out so well. I thought they needed time to transition to big boy beds, which I still think sounds good, don't you? I didn't want too many changes at once. Well, the night we moved in was the night Cameron decided to climb out of his crib . . . over and over.

Yesterday I found them out of bed during nap time I swatted them both and put them back into their cribs. I went into Mary's room next door to put something away when I heard Cameron say, "You ready to get out again, Harrison? You okay now? Let's go."

And during nap time I've caught them both under Harrison's crib, like two mini-mechanics working under a car. You know what they're doing? Taking out the springs that hold his crib up. Harrison's mattress is now sagging in the middle and I have no doubt that the goal is to completely remove it from the frame all together.

The only way I can keep them in is to lay on the floor between their beds. I say, "If you want me to sing a song, you have to put your head on the pillow." This has worked quite well so far. When I get tired of singing I say, "If you want me to say something nice about you, put your head on the pillow." Tonight I said, "I like Cameron's fire truck shirt. I like Harrison's car shorts." They were very pleased. I had to say something nice (for real) about every one in the family by the time they went to sleep, like "Cameron is a good helper when it comes to cleaning up toys", and "Harrison is good at putting his plate in the sink after he's finished."

Tyce is babysitting a gerbil for his friend Dalton. His name is "Speedy." Tyce has to lock his door to keep the little ones from loving on Speedy (and letting him escape). Today Cameron snuck into his bedroom and let the gerbil out. Mary caught Speedy when he tried to crawl under the door. She said, "I grabbed him by the tail because I didn't want him to bite me. Man, I feel like a hero!"

Tonight for Family Home Evening we had a lesson on the sacrament. This was mostly for Cameron, who on Sunday snagged 3 pieces of bread as the tray passed.

My f-i-l (aka "Grandpa Al") is here helping us fix up the old house to sell, and boy, are we lucky to have him here. That place is falling apart. I guess 10 years is about the limit for a tract home before it needs some hefty renovations. (Kitchen sink faucet falling off, leaky hoses, busted bathtub drains . . . stuff like that.) We enjoyed playing Ring Around the Rosy with Grandpa Al at Family Home Evening!

Also, Bryce's sister Betsie (not to be confused with his co-worker by the same name, [different spelling]) is in town with her family. They run a group home for girls and I'm sure they're glad for a break. We're so happy to get to spend time with Betsie, Andy, and their two daughters: Kess (4) and Kira (10 mo.) They are here on vacation and Wednesday we (the grown ups) are going to a Cirque du Soleil show called "Ka." You know, living here I never do that kind of thing so it's a good thing to have a reason to be lured out of suburbia and into the city.

Oh, guess what. I found the camera. Don't ask me where, because then I'll be embarrassed. Okay fine, it was in the car. Now you know how cluttered the passenger seat must be if it could effectively hide a camera.

I will take some pictures and have something of visual interest for you on the next post.

P.S. My mom got out of the hospital today and she is doing just fine. After a week of boredom maybe she'll be ready for the insanity of her work life again.