And so it begins

Earlier this week at our family dinner Liam had some news.
L: "Mom, guess what Caroline did today at the after school program!"
M: "What?"
C: starting to smirk
L: "She held hands with this boy!"
M: "What!"
L: "Yeah, I think they were planning it on the bus. And he said he already has another girlfriend at school! He's in first grade!"
C: still smirking
M: "Caroline, doesn't your school have a no hands policy???"
E: "Why are you getting upset by this?"
C: "We held hands the whole time. And he says we are going to get married."

Once dinner was over Evan and I had this conversation in the kitchen
E: "It's really not a big deal."
M: "Yes it is! How are you not worried about this!"
E: "Why are you worried?"
M: "Because she has no understanding of what is appropriate and what is not! He could tell her that they should start kissing and she would totally do it!"

Despite our many attempts to rein her in Caroline has a reputation in this house of continually not understanding what is appropriate. An example; pulling her pants down and mooning people to get a laugh. There may or may not have been guests present while that happened. She has no filter yet.

The next morning while brushing teeth before school:
M: "Caroline, I suppose if you want to hold hands with this boy that's ok but if he suggest that you should kiss each other then you say, No thank you! Kissing is for mommies and daddies only!"
C: "But we're going to kiss."
M: "What?!? No. You say NO THANK YOU!"
C: "He said we're going to get married. So I'll have to kiss him when we get married!"
M: "Yeah, ok when you're 26! Sure. NOT ANYTIME BEFORE THEN. (under my breath) Not sure what he's telling the other girlfriend at school but sure."

Turning 5

While her birthday was in June, I'll catch up 3 months later. 

Caroline wanted a rainbow party. Family was invited and the house was full. We had a rainbow cake (that I made), presents, balloons and playtime with cousins. Turning 5 was awesome!

Interview with a 5 year old

Favorite color: Pink and Purple
Favorite food: Tortellini
Least favorite food: Cottage cheese
Favorite dessert: Twizzlers the rainbow kind
Favorite stuffed animal: my teddy bear that's brown
Favorite animal: cat
Favorite thing to play: with my stuffed animals and toys
Favorite thing to do with Dad: snuggle with him and do art
Favorite thing to do with Mom: play games
Favorite thing to do with Liam: wrestle with him
Favorite thing to do with Lucy: play mom and kid with her
Favorite TV show: Tru
Favorite Movie: Greatest Showman
Favorite thing about school: doing homework at school. because the teacher is proud of us and we get stickers
Favorite place to go locally: Movies
Favorite place to go on vacation: Michigan
Favorite book: Gingerbread man
Favorite outfit: Denim/pink polka dotted dress
Favorite pajamas: emoji pajamas

What are you excited to do now that you are 5? Getting a new dog and learning to read
What are you scared of? nightmares
Whats the best thing about you? I can draw. I am an artist.
Who is your best friend? Ava
What do you want to be when you grow up? a lifeguard

New School, New Beginnings Part 2

When I got the call that we got an offer on the house I was ecstatic. And since Evan was still at work I couldn't help but spill the beans to the kids. We had just left a park and I decided that we should go out and celebrate so I told the kids to pick where they wanted to have dinner. Culvers was their choice and off I drove.
When they asked why we were getting to go out to eat I enthusiastically told them that we had sold the house!
The kids started processing that this meant
1. New house
2. New neighborhood
3. New School
And right at that moment we happened to be driving by Liam's school.
#MajorfailbyMom

Liam was a mess. Tears upon tears.
Caroline was excited. Two kids from her preschool would also be attending this new school.
More tears from Liam and now his statements of how unfair it was that she was just starting out in kindergarten and would know more people than he would.

Upon arriving at Culvers and feeling like the worst mom in the world I did the only thing I could think of. I opened Liam's door first and just hugged him. I reassured him that over the summer he would meet kids in the neighborhood and I was positive that he would make a friend prior to school starting.

Luckily, shortly after our move and after Liam's baseball game we realized we were following a car home. That car then pulled into a driveway three houses down from our new house. A baseball player got out of the van from the team that Liam had just played against. Moms pushed 8 year old boys to say hello and introduce themselves. And Liam made a new friend going into the same grade at the same school. #woohoo #momwin

Meet the teacher night at the new school went great. Liam and Caroline were able to meet their new teachers and Liam was able to observe his new classmates. (despite his mom nudging him to say hello to all of them)

The next day was the first day of school and while we were concerned that Liam would have some anxiety about that day he did not show it. When I came home from work I was told by both of my children that it was a great day and they love their new school!

First day of 3rd grade!

First day of Kindergarten!

First Day of Preschool!

We are a month into the school year and every day both Liam and Caroline talk about how much they love their teachers and we get to hear new names of kids they sat next to at lunch or played with on the playground. This playground has two sets of play equipment, the ability to play kickball (something Liam felt like he needed to practice at home so he would be prepared come recess time) and soccer. Indoor recess (when it rains) has several different activities for the kids to do. (not just sitting, being quiet and watching a movie) Snack time is restricted to only a fruit or vegetable brought from home every day. No birthday treats are allowed but the birthday kid gets to pick the color of the day that the other kids wear to honor them. And I'm sure other fun activities are also done on birthdays as well.

We loved our old school and Liam always had positive experiences there but its good to see even more positive things in our new school.

Great house? Check!
Great neighborhood? Check!
Great School? Check and Check

New Job, New School, New Beginnings Part I

If moving to a new house was not enough this summer I decided that it was time for me to seriously look for another job.
A friend of mine had an interview with another office and I asked her how she heard about the opening. She let me know that she has a resume on the website Indeed that is set to private and she can be alerted to a potential job match and decide if it is worth her time to apply. That sounded nice but I quickly forgot all about our conversation and continued on with life.
I had not been happy with my current job for several years. However, I have also been compensated extremely well, my hours were good, I only worked 3 days a week but got full time benefits such as paid vacation, 401K contribution and holiday time. I always thought it wasn't so bad so long as I kept on my side of the office and didn't have to deal with all of the drama.
I think it was two weeks after our conversation that I had gone upstairs after falling asleep on the couch (again) and it hit me. Go to Indeed. Look at what's out there. This was at 11 pm. I do not function after 8:30 pm.
After looking I realized that there were 4 jobs available for hygienists in Bloomington. This was almost unheard of in my experience, as both ICC and Parkland churn out approximately 60 hygienists every year; our area is always oversaturated with people. I filled out a generic resume and sent it to 3 of the offices. The next day I had 2 job interviews. One office wanted to interview me that very night. The other office was scheduled for the next day. The third office wanted to meet me as well.
The first interview went extremely well. I felt like I had nailed it. The dentist had basically offered me the position that night but had to talk to his colleague first before formally offering the spot. The pay was decent and much higher than average for this area. I went back two days later to job shadow the hygienist who was leaving and the staff were all fantastic as well. I had many questions as I wanted to  make sure if I were going to leave my patients behind and add another work day to my week that it would be worth it. All were answered by the staff and they all agreed that their office was the best with no to little drama and great bosses. The last hire had been done 5 years prior for the front desk and the clinical staff had all been there for over 10 years.
After discussing this with Evan it became clear that I couldn't pass this office up. So after we signed our mortgage I put in my two weeks notice at my office and accepted the new job!
I have now been at my new job for 6 weeks. I am amazed and blessed by the staff and my new bosses every day. This was a fantastic move for me and while I think about the schedule where I only worked 3 days, got off at 4:30 and loved my patients I believe I have transitioned well into my new 4 day work week. The lack of drama has been so worth it. I really believe God was whispering to me that night to make the jump into the unknown. I am so thankful I was listening.

Moving

For the last 11 years we have updated, painted, replaced and added onto our old Victorian home. The amount of money that one can put into your home is mind-blowing and Evan and I were done with it. With three kids we just didn't have the money anymore to keep doing it and while we loved our old home with all of its character we were less in love with all of the projects that went along with it.

So in April we listed our home for sale. We told our realtor that we didn't have to move. We could still love our home if no one else came along. We liked our neighbors, we loved our school and we were in no rush to move on.

The red couch was tossed to the curb. Butters was heartbroken and I couldn't believe no one came to claim free furniture full of dog hair. Toys and books were stored away. A home stager came in and rearranged furniture in a more pleasing way. We were functioning on just the bare necessities so our home would appear clutter free and as if a buyer could picture themselves enjoying the fireplace that we had only used once.

We had many showings, some people stayed only for a few minutes while others stayed for nearly an hour. We would pack up the kids, any loose clutter and the dog and sit in the car a block away so I could first see who was coming (are these the type to actually make an offer) and secondly so we would know when they left so we could go home again. I'm pretty sure this was very confusing to Butters but our neighbors always got a good laugh watching us spying on potential buyers.

It only took 2 1/2 weeks to get an offer. Someone else had fallen in love with our old house just like we had all those years ago. With her inspection done and her very long list of to dos to get it ready for her we were very busy this summer. But on July 16th we all said good-bye to Fell Avenue.

I thought I would cry leaving our first home. We brought home all of our babies to that house, watched them take their first steps on that beautiful hardwood floor and celebrated new jobs. But I was very content while looking around our vacant home before we locked the door; all of those memories would be coming with us and we will be making even more memories in the new house.

When packing up all of ones belongings it is essential that you ask yourself "Do I really use this? Do I really need to bubblewrap this, pack it in a box and move it across town?" At least that is what my mother in law kept telling me. The amount of help that we had packing everything up, bubble-wrapping and then actually loading it into the U-Haul was fantastic. Our family came and conquered and our church family also showed up with smiles and hearts of gold.

The kids stayed excited throughout the whole process. And while the thought of starting out at a new school was slightly terrifying to Liam it helped to know that our new neighborhood is overflowing with kids his age. And also that we were not leaving town and so if he wanted to see someone from our old neighborhood or school we could just call them up and see them in less than 30 minutes.

We may still have boxes in the basement to sort through but for the most part we have settled in well. We have most pictures hung and our day to day life can be accomplished without wondering what box did we pack that in. Life is good in the new house. My husband is relaxed and not constantly worried about home projects that seem impossible to get done. The kids have met neighborhood kids and adapted very well to their new school. They also love their new after school program.

This was the best thing for us at this time in our family. It couldn't have turned out any better than it has.

Butters

This dog held a special place in our family for the last 10 1/2 years. Evan and I brought her home shortly after we bought our first home together at Christmas time in 2008. She was the cutest puppy and I still remember the first two weeks we had her she didn't bark. I thought we had hit the jackpot. After those two weeks were over I remember Butters turned into what we like to call "the worst puppy ever". She loved to play and loved to bite me. She had endless energy that even two walks a day couldn't control. During our walks she loved to chase birds and rabbits and bite me randomly. I remember thinking it was a good thing it was winter and I had a winter coat on so I couldn't feel her sharp puppy teeth on my arms.

I took her to dog obedience classes, where she thought she was going on a massive play date with 10 other dogs and was very perturbed that I would not allow her to play with any of her new doggy friends. She was the star pupil in her class...whenever the trainer had the leash. When it was my turn with her it was usually a disaster. We finally got things figured out and she finally accepted that I was her owner; not the other way around. Butters excelled in obedience classes and moved up through the advanced level within a year. As long as you had a treat for her she was a very good student.

Butters was always excellent with kids. She loved to play hide and seek with the kids where we would cover her eyes, the kids would hide one of her toys and then we would give her hot and cold commands to help her find it. She always understood that she couldn't play as rough with these little people like she could with me or with Evan.

Once our babies moved into the highchair Butters realized these new little people were her very favorite people. Butters loved to lick their little hands filled with food and shove her head under the tray (while babies were still strapped in) to move tiny legs out of the way so she could find whatever food that had missed their mouth. And at the end of mealtime she was more than happy to step onto the chair and clean out the highchair for us.

In these last 10 1/2 years Butters never missed an opportunity to steal your food. Pizza Hut Breadsticks, doughnuts, a wrapped muffin still on the sellers table at the Farmers Market and that same day a discarded wad of gum on the pavement. An entire banana, spinach dip at one of the kids birthday parties and even the discarded netting from the holiday ham at my parents house. There was only one thing she would not go for. Pumpkin.

Butters loved to go for walks but was not a runner. Evan liked to describe her as a parachute slowing him down and once she managed to wiggle out of her collar while Evan continued to run without her. He said once he realized he didn't feel any resistance he looked back and she was just standing in the middle of the sidewalk looking at him like, "I am not here for this. Please take me home."

This last month we knew something was going on with our beloved dog. She was panting a lot. She could no longer jump up onto our bed with us and then last week she wasn't begging at the table for food. On Monday she wasn't woofing down her food in 30 seconds as usual and it took her over 2 hours to eat what was in her bowl. Evan took her to the vet the next day and an x-ray confirmed that Butters had a mass larger than a grapefruit on her spleen. This large mass was pushing on her other organs making it hard for her to eat since her stomach was not its normal size. Her blood work showed that she was already bleeding internally and we both knew it was time to say good-bye.

We took her home for one more night. Gave her as many spoonfuls of peanut butter as she wanted and as a family took her out to a lake and walking trail so she could watch the geese or ducks swim. We let her sniff around as much as she wanted and then took her closer to the water. She of course plopped right in and tried to start swimming around. It was a great moment where our whole family laughed with her as she quickly realized swimming was hard work and just floated around. Even though I'm sure she was in some pain that night she was happy.

When we told the kids that Butters was sick and she would be going back to the vet and not coming back home with us Liam understood right away and was, of course, upset. Caroline just kept asking when we could get another pet and Lucy was just running around the room unaware of it all. I will say though that I am so proud of the two older kids. Liam was upset but he accepted it fairly quickly. 15 minutes after our discussion Caroline came running up to us in tears because it finally sank in but again her acceptance of us not wanting to have Butter suffer or be in pain was wonderful.

Evan and I are still mourning the loss of our beautiful lab. For me it is going downstairs and not seeing her on the couch where she always has been. Or under the table looking at us with disgust because we tried to snuggle with her. Cooking in my kitchen and not having her under my feet begging for any scraps. She was a part of our everything and she will be missed greatly.