October 7

Six months and some change after moving into our new house, our old house will become someone else's (temporary) home tomorrow. I went by this afternoon to leave the mailbox keys on the counter and, on a whim, ran upstairs (while trying not to disturb the pretty lines in the just-vacuumed carpet too much) to take a picture of Logan and Isaac's room. Here it is:

Granted it looked much different when we lived there -- the walls were blue and the carpet was a single-toned beige, for starters-- but I can still remember sitting in the corner by the windows in my glider, nursing and singing and rocking baby Logan to sleep 13 years ago. And I can still remember dressing up very-young Abby, Logan, and Isaac in Valentine's Day apparel and taking a group picture of them in this room. It's a good set of memories and I'm glad to have them, but I'd be lying if I said that the idea of someone else living in this room wasn't a bit bittersweet.

Still, I'm thankful. Thankful for the memories and thankful for forward progress and thankful that that place that still holds so many feelings and emotions for us is still ours. I'm hopeful that it will be a happy place for everyone who calls it home in the months and years to come.

October 6

It's quarterly close week number one for Adam (which means late, late nights) and Isaac had a scrimmage in Danville this evening, so I Mom-Bussed him up there for the action.

The temperature was a pleasant one and an intermittent breeze ruffled the leaves on nearby trees, so I enjoyed sitting there in a lawn chair, taking in the action on the field while working on one of the many crochet projects I have going right now. Isaac had a decent game at the plate, with a solid single to right, an RBI, and a run scored. (That's him at bat.)

I admit I was a wee bit lonely there in my bubble, even though I was surrounded by other parents, but I appreciated the quiet time to myself. And I appreciate that I got to watch Isaac do something he loves.

October 5

I woke up this morning feeling off. Unsettled. I went about the day as usual but wasn't as keenly aware of my surroundings as I often am, so I don't have much to share this evening. But I do have this, and it's worthy of a glance, I think.

I made and ordered this wall hanging from Shutterfly a number of months ago. We've been slow to decorate (mostly because we still need to buy a few pieces of furniture and I want to finish furnishing before adding final touches) but this is hanging in our entry way. 

I really like it because it's... us. Just us. And even on days that just don't feel right from the get-go, 'us' is still a blessing.

October 4

The air quality improved enough today that Adam and I were able to take a walk tonight.

As we headed back toward our house, Adam remarked that the experience reminded him of our college days in Claremont when we'd take walks late at night along those silent, tree-lined streets.

I noted the differences, like we have hills here while it's flat there, there aren't nearly as many trees here (and so on), but the roots of his comment are true nonetheless: those were pleasant walks on pleasant evenings. And this too was a pleasant walk on a pleasant evening. And although many things have changed since then, I'm thankful that we're still having those strolls.

October 3

I bought a giant pack of lip liners a week or two ago. Abby's on a mission to find a lip color that doesn't suit her face --because really, almost any shade works for her-- so I thought be fun to play with them. Today, I suggested we both pick out a potentially unflattering shade to wear when we went out shopping. (Since we'd be wearing masks and all, I figured it might be fun to know we have crazy lips that people can't see.)

It's hard to tell from this image, but she went with a bright light pink, and I chose a kind of purplish pinkish mauve-y color. (Yeah, I'm super precise.) They didn't wind up looking nearly as atrocious as I'd envisioned, but it was okay anyway because we still wandered around the stores getting lip liner on the insides of our masks. Together.

And togetherness with this one and only gal of mine who just keeps getting older and older... well, that's a blessing.

October 2

The kiddos all disappeared to the living room after dinner while Adam and I watched part of the Cards/Padres game on TV. I got up to check on them a little later and was totally gratified to find them harmoniously enjoying a video game.

When I first approached, they were all celebrating something and I loved the sight, so I asked them to do it again for me (and hold the pose for a few seconds because otherwise it'd have been blurry!. And they did -- twice.

So tonight, I'm thankful for their recent peaceful interactions and for how they've played together so cheerfully. And I'm grateful that they listened to me and did what I asked -- even if it was a bit silly.

October 1

My allergies flared again last night and today, so I spent most of my Thursday lying low. I emerged from hiding for dinner, and then joined the others in the family room for some playoff baseball action. I plunked down in front of Adam (which is The Signal for 'rub my back pleeeeease'). A little later, Isaac plunked down behind Abby while Abby gave his Slime Dog --who is so often her nemesis that I had to do a double take to be sure I was seeing it correctly-- a rub down.

They swapped places a few times, which resulted in the boys telling Abby she was rubbing too hard, but there were also giggles. They were interacting in a way that didn't involve war. Or harsh words. Or anything negative at all, really.

I absolutely love it when they act like friends; when they speak kindly and support one another. They definitely still have their blow ups at times, but moments like this give me hope that one day, they'll all be buddies who sit around and talk about their (mostly) happy shared childhood.