new home, new school

We moved suddenly last weekend -- got notice that the place was ready on Friday, scrambled like crazy and moved all of our stuff less than 24 hours later.  And you know, even though we're just renting and it's not technically ours, it feels a lot like we're home at last.  Owen sits on his rocking chair on the front porch and says as a matter of fact, "My house."  I say, "Owen, do you like our new house?" and he gives a vigorous nod.  Neither of the boys seem to be struggling with any angst about the move or leaving their home of two years -- they are just so happy to be at their log cabin.  "Are we going to live in our log cabin forever?" Bob wants to know.  It really couldn't be more perfect.  I just now got my mac set up, and I'm sitting here at my desk looking out the windows and seeing nothing but my front porch, a road quiet except for the occasional passing log truck or waving neighbor, and trees.  I hear the birds and the brook and nothing else.

moving day...

first morning in our new home...

on Sunday Ben drove my brother Dave {superhero of moving days} back to NY while I cleaned the old apartment and the boys had one last day to play there...

my cameras died, got lost, i had no chargers, blah blah... and then eventually on Tuesday i got some photos going again.  checking out our mailbox and Bob's new school, to start the next day...

Um, yes it's perfect here.

first bath in their "foot tub"...

Owen was up before dawn today and couldn't last; he's taking a rare morning nap now.  And Bob -- he's off at his very first day of preschool!  I was the only one who didn't cry at dropoff; probably I would have except that the pups had it more than covered.  Bob was excited to go to school -- he ran most of the way there, he found his name and happily hung his backpack on his hook, he went right at the play kitchen, he found some helmets and gave one to a boy that was anxiously hanging onto his mother and told him "I love you" -- but then as soon as I went to leave he ran for his backpack and cried, "I'm leaving too!" and then he screamed.  And I picked up Owen and then he screamed because he did not want to go.  Owie and I lingered outside the school listening to Bob's crying for a few minutes; finally he stopped and started playing with a fire truck, and after a minute he brought it to the teacher and said, "Excuse me, Mrs. D, but I think this has dead batteries."  And I took that as my cue to walk on home.

asleep on the morning of his first day of preschool.  for breakfast, from our limited just-moved food supply: peanut butter toast and jelly toast and oranges...

wardrobe {Spidey Spidey tee, white and blue checkered shorts, "mixmatched" socks, Under Armors, Jeep backpack} and first day photo shoot location {at the flag pole} all chosen by Bob {still hadn't, and haven't, found the charger for my real camera, dangit.}

So... a few hours later... Bob is home.  Now he's the one napping, and Owen is just doing his usual i-love-toys-and-i-will-amuse-myself-with-anything-for-hours routine.  {Every toy is like new when it's pulled out of a box in a new house!}  First day of preschool was a success.  By the end of his half day Bob had all but forgotten that he started out crying.  I found him playing quietly while the teacher was filling out a paper telling what he did that day.  A huge smile crept onto his face when he saw me and he ran to the door, then he showed me a bunch of stuff, hugged his teacher goodbye, and we were off.  "Will I see you on Friday?" Mrs. D asked him.  "Yeah, I think I'll come back after this day."  Walking home: "Well... I had my first day of school."  "Yes, you did.  How was it?"  "It was dweat."

I told Bobby this morning: We are sending you to school so that you can practice being brave and kind, that's all, buddy.  And boy, was he both.  So, so proud of you, Pupper!

{finally posted complete with photos 24 hours later}

{read about bobby's first big move and second}

birthday {29} + preschool and peter pan

Last week was my birthday.  {Whoopdie doo.}  Bob was anticipating the big day with much excitement: "Mom, I can't wait for your birthday!  I think Grandmother is going to bring you a cheesecake, and I love cheesecakes, and I love birthdays!!"  He had been working for days on a secret list of special things for us to do, but I can't read his writing and he never would tell me what it said.  Except for the bit about cheesecake.

So-- without much planned we went to check out the preschool down the road from the house we're moving to {in ten days!} and the good news: Bob loved it!  He's been totally opposed to school at this age; he has continually insisted, "I'll go to school when I'm five."  But the teacher was great -- she won him over straight away -- and even though the classroom wasn't set up yet he seemed comfortable with the environment.  A meeting with the school nurses's skeleton sealed the deal.  Then the playgrounds were a bonus.  I love that's it's so close we can walk, and even though we weren't really planning on sending Bob to preschool this year it just seems like a good fit and we're excited about it.

After our preschool adventure we stopped for berries at a farm stand and then I took the boys out for lunch at Matt Reilly's because I had a serious hankering for a fisherman's platter.  The boys ran around on the deck while we waited, then we shared the meal and ate every bite.  It was damn good.

We went to the "present store" because Bob wanted to buy something for me, but as it turned out he could only choose something for himself.  Hmm.

We went home for naptime... I cooked dinner {buffalo chicken dip and beet hummus}... and then as Bobby predicted my mom came through with the cheesecake.  {Bob had three servings, and two for breakfast the next day!}

On Friday, Ben took me on a hot date to see Peter Pan at the Colonial Theater.  {Funny that we used our rare time away from the kids to see a children's play, but Ben knows me well and that play was a staple of my childhood and I loved it.  Though I did feel a twinge of guilt that we didn't bring Bob along.}  The kid who played Peter Pan (12 year old Charles Kerzner) was awesome -- he had the biggest smile on his face for almost the entire show, except for when he was sad and then you could see that frown from the very last row.  The scene where Peter Pan and Hook are in the forest, and Peter is disguised as a "lady" -- he had the entire place dying laughing.  He sang just about every single song in the play, and he got to fly over the stage and the audience; you could just see it in his face that he was having the time of his life.  So great.

a photo of a photo of the colonial before it was restored

So that was my birthday.  Just one more year of being young and then I'm officially old.  Just kidding.  And, in keeping with my little tradition, here's a video of the boys wishing me a happy birthday.

{that's just beet hummus on O's face}

They sure have grown up in the past year.  Check out last year.  And Bob the year before.