Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Wheels On The Bus...

We just can't stay out of the car if we try. Tyler's sweet grandma passed away and so off to Idaho we went. Another road trip with snow and ice, sleepless nights and cranky kids. It was great to be there though, I love Tyler's family and have so much fun being around them. His Grandma was loved by so many people. As I was listening to her life story, I started to think about my own life and what people would say about me right now.

Knowing how to introduce kids to death is a hard thing. It is part of life, but you also want to protect them from pain and situations which they are too young to comprehend. When Shanna was little, we were at a funeral and she asked who made the statue which looked like the person who had died. After telling her it wasn't a statue but the person who had passed away, she had nightmares for a long time. We decided this time that neither daughter would go to the viewing. Shanna picked up what was happening pretty fast and showed an interest in seeing her great grandma. She got close enough to see her, but decided to keep her distance. Kaci was distracted at the viewing and had no idea we were at a funeral home. The next day at the church, I kept her in the back room for the family prayer before they closed the casket. Somehow, she got a look up front and said "Mom, someone is laying down up there." I told her that it was Great Grandma and that she looked a little different because her soul had gone to heaven. She said "I need to go see her. I have never seen an angel before. She is so beautiful."She was so sweet and respectful. She gave Tyler's mom such a sweet hug after seeing her great grandma. Shanna was timid and sad yet grown up and composed. Sara was loud and bubbly. There is something about the innocence and joy of a baby that makes even hard situations have a ray of sunshine in them.

We are getting settled back into life now. There are boxes everywhere, but slowly the house is coming together. The girls are getting used to our new schedule and seem to be happy. Shanna had to get glasses yesterday and looks cute in them. (Did Mom of the Year know she needed glasses before the school did? Um, no...)

Well, lots more is going on, but this took over a week to write and post, so I better just leave it at that. It is once again time for bedtime, and unpacking. (After bedtime is about the only time we get stuff done.) It feels like Groundhog's Day. Wait... it really is Groundhog's Day! :)

Friday, January 09, 2009

First Week

So, we're getting the hang of it here! The girls both started school this week. Shanna's school is a Core Knowledge school. I don't know a whole lot about, but the school has really high test scores, so it must be good! She is ahead of the class on some areas and behind on others but she is a great student so I am not worried about her. Her school is really nice and new. It is 2 stories and has art and music classes, which Utah schools don't have so she is really excited. She has made friends easily, which is a huge relief after some of the struggles she had at her last school.

Kaci started preschool at a school inside a gymnastics place. Preschools are 2 -3 times more expensive here than we are used to! Ouch! But, it is SO good for her. She is a different kid the days she has school. She goes 3 times a week, and once a week she has gymnastics and Spanish. Her school is also a Core Knowledge school. She adjusted really well. She is always a wild card as to how she'll react to change. We were so pleased when she walked in the classroom like she had been there all year and joined the other kids!

We are slowly getting the boring stuff like insurance, banks, utilities, etc... set up and changed. You take for granted how easy it is to just write a check each month when you've lived somewhere for so long. The whole process of research, getting quotes, filling out applications, trying to remember our new address (!) is really time consuming!

I am feeling really anxious for our stuff to get here and to get unpacked and settled FAST. I am ready for life to be at a more comfortable, organized place. We took the girls to a movie tonight and it felt so great to have some fun, "normal" family time again!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

New Year, New Adventure

It has been a long time since I have posted, but LOTS has been going on. Here's a quick summary because I am typing on my phone and the battery is almost dead:

Offer on the house, trip to Colorado (turned out a week later to be for nothing because the new house fell through) dance recitals, Christmas parties, lots of cleaning and packing at 2 am, lots of tears and hugs as we said goodbye to great friends, moving a week after Christmas, driving 2 cars, 2 kids, 1 baby and a dog over icy roads for 12 hours, waiting a week to move into our new home, finding new schools, new insurance, new doctors, new dentists, new dance studio, colds for everyone and the dog staying with my mom until we move into our house!

That's our New Year in a nutshell. I am so ready for things to settle down. Our moving truck comes on Sunday, then the unpacking begins!