Friday Randoms

I’m not sure who I’m kidding, most of my posts are random lists of stuff… I should just change the blog title itself: ememby | random stuff. I have missed blogging and for sure there is an endless amount of blogging material in relation to moving homes (even when moving just across town). Those posts will be coming at a later date, I pinky-swear promise.

• We said a final goodbye to the old house Wednesday, Simon in the morning getting the last of our trash and the boys and I in the evening when picking up one final van-load and handing the keys over to the new home owners. They look so young! Babies. I pray our old home that is now their new home serves them well and provides a backdrop to so many happy memories.
• Of my two kids, I would have imagined that Liam would be the sad one about leaving the old place, but it was Jack who actually cried while he woefully said, “Goodbye, house” in his sweet little voice. If I was going to cry, that would have been the time. Thankfully Liam was being a pill so I could instead focus on reprimanding him so I didn’t end up crying in front of the new people.
• In true regular-life fashion, while we were outside waiting for the new owners to arrive, the boys hurt each other racing down the hill – both ending up with grass stains on their faces (a true talent) and I saw our strange neighbor sitting on the toilet (their bathroom window faces our house and they don’t shut the blinds and I always forget when I glance that direction that I should NEVER glance that direction – file that under “Things I Will Not Miss”).
• By some miracle, though we only ordered one Happy Meal for dinner, they put two toys in the box so each kid got their own little minion to play with. Sadly, we had only ordered one Happy Meal because Jack had a bad day at daycare with multiple hitting incidents so he lost the privilege of getting a Happy Meal. McDonald’s is clearly out to usurp my parental control.
• I successfully made the move without any Diet Coke – it’s been 7 months now and I’ve decided that I’m just going to go the whole year without it. I miss it sometimes – especially when I get the kid’s McDonald’s – but mostly not. I don’t think Diet Coke is evil or bad, but my desire to drink it always was probably not the best.
• In another week or so we will be midway through summer – how does this happen? We haven’t even been to the beach yet. Next weekend we’ll have to get on that. This weekend we’re going to Lansing to meet my friend’s new baby (Silas Dorsey, which is just an awesome name) and attend my BFF from middle and high school’s wedding! Fun times in the capital city!
• So far we’ve spotted deer, rabbits, ravens and frogs in our backyard and I gave the kids an educational talk on how to identify sassafras trees (three kinds of leaves: mitten, football and ghost). Among the things I learned during my years at camp, this is close to the most useful (most useful might be making a proper teepee fire). We have tons of sassafras trees at the *new* house, along with wild black raspberries. Welcome to the “country,” city kids!
• I had amazing gnocchi two weeks ago at Amore. A-mazing! If you live in town, go there, and get it with the vodka cream sauce. Also, bring me a to-go container!
• Jack remains fixated on people’s ages. He must ask at least 20 times a day how old certain people are that we know. I can’t recall if Liam shared this obsession at that age, but I have had to start putting a limit on how many more age questions I will answer on a given car ride. “That’s it, you can ask me three more age questions!” Then he switches over to asking math questions so I’ve started saying, “All right, you can ask me three more number questions.” I love that he’s trying to figure things out but, really… a mom can only answer so many of the same kind of question. Because I said so.
• Yesterday I visited three stores I hadn’t been to in ages: I got sparkly sandals at DSW for the weekend wedding, boogie boards from Five Below for the boys to use at the beach and a lamp from World Market for the living room. And I picked up a wagon from my co-worker’s house. The back of our van was a menagerie of random items that all bring me great joy!
• I feel like I could always use a nap. Why do my children never feel this way?