Welcome To New York

On Friday the 13th came the day of reunification with Papa! The day was no relief, however, until its conclusion at about 9pm. I took the day to clean and pack, so that I was a in a fair way to leave early. But the endless scavenger hunt to find the necessary documents for our mortgage was still underway. I found myself dragging both kids into my office that afternoon to scan and fax documents which had arrived at our house mail instead of in email, as we'd expected. But once we were all settled, I did manage to successfully drive the kids to Annapolis, to reunite Jon with the sleeping children and my exhausted self.

It was so sweet to be back together. Single parents get double halos in heaven and endless refills at the bar, man.

We spent one night in Maryland. Jon's family is mourning the sudden death of Dave's sister, Jon's Aunt Pat. His parents left on an early flight to attend the funeral, so we headed to Rochester earlier than expected.

There was a morning romp in the yard, first, which encountered 3 deer and one scary possum.

This was my week to reconnect with my first home, feeling myself once again belonging to it before we begin to create yet another new home in yet another state. It was time well spent.

Taylor Swift's 1989 (Adele's choice) got a lot of play on the road, and "Welcome to New York" especially. 

We had some dramatic colors in the Southern Tier. I haven't been up to NYS in May in many years. 

All week, someone besides Mummy read the bedtime stories. 

Monday morning we hit up this classic Wegman's for some picnic makings and then took off in a northwesterly direction. 

To Thirty Mile Point, where our family's campgrounds still thrives. Camp was not in session, but we had some recreation at the playground and by the water, cold and muddy thought it was. 

These are sights so familiar I can see them with my eyes closed. 

I think Jon looks good next to large bodies of water:

Many of the rocks write, chalk-like, on other rocks. Leah, my dear other L, and I used to leave each other messages. I wrote a commemorative one that day.

Miles especially loved skipping rocks. 

She found the water thrilling. Especially the sea gulls. 

Here's my "tutorial" on rock skipping, an art I've been practicing as long as I can remember.

And then, out of sheer determination, I got in. It was a ritual I'd promised myself for months, but I was kinda hoping it'd be a little warmer than the 40-something degrees. Thing is, when conditions are right, the Great Lakes are excellent swimming- the best, really. Water moves but not too roughly, no undertow, no salt to burn your eyes, just a gentle rocking sea. But it has to be still and hot for at least two days before this can be achieved. and on the 16th of May it was neither still nor warm. 

But I needed another baptism!

....ended up being a sprinkle job. It was startlingly cold!

The kids got their feet wet, though. 

And I was able to bring away some souvenir rocks, a couple of which ended up here: 

The family gave me some time to sit by myself. I needed it. 

Nevertheless, I was still exhausted when we got home to Dad's. But then, my agitated spirits got an unexpected lift. I had really given up on hearing any news about our mortgage, but then Jon disappeared with his phone, emerging only to smile at me and give a high-five, and I began to think we might be safe. 

When he was finally off the phone, I had the pleasure of hearing our mortgage had been approved. We really were going to move into the house! I'm still to superstitious to post pictures of the house here yet. Watch for when we close next month, though!

That God saw fit to deliver us from this trouble, and for the prayers and support of our community (far and near), I am swellingly grateful. I have had a Psalm of Praise for every day of the week. The move is real now, and I can lean into it, embrace it, instead of placing it behind a sealed door of Agitating Thoughts in my mind. Thank God. 

Here, the kids wait for Miss Agnes' arrival. They love the way she reads to them! 

A Little Appreciation

First, let me just get this out of the way: we still don't know about the mortgage. We should know by the end of this week. It's agony.

That said, this weekend was a time for appreciation.

First, a preview... the kids got their costumes for the dance recital last week. Pictures are this week, and the recital, the 28th.

Most of my delight in their dancing has been trampled and flattened by my stress at taking them there on weekday evenings, I'm afraid. But the recital will sort me out.

Saturday morning I woke up early. I've been doing that a lot lately; the thoughts are flying these days. But I decided to do some meditation while the house was still quiet, which was a good decision. I even got to admire this guy from the window!

After a fairly exhausting Kroger trip, we made an intentional farewell visit to the Price House. This might be my favorite location in Blacksburg. We "discovered" it only two months after moving here, and it's been a constant home for us ever since. I spent most of my maternity leave here, as I recall.

We said goodbye to the taxidermied assembly:

And to the snakes, lizards and turtles...

And to the edge of the chalkboard where you can dimly make out the lines where we used to measure the kids' heights.

The yard has been "our" yard through all the years that we didn't have one of our own. It's a magic place. And we hit it right as the irises were beginning to bloom!
(Lookit this classic 2011 post about the Irises at Price House! More nostalgia.)

 Adele literally grew up here. This was the first place I took her after the hospital. It's a perfect place to go when you have an active toddler and a newborn. I just sat in a comfy chair and nursed her, and Miles brought me objects to look at.

Adele at 2 months at Price House

Adele at 1 year, at Price House

Adele at 4.5 years at Price House, with Dr. Mike, who was really her first babysitter, as he used to watch her for me while I went to the bathroom with Miles.

This was the first real lump in my throat, the first realization of how much some things were going to hurt to leave behind.

I'm trying to view these lumps in my throat as an opportunity to be grateful. What a gift the Price House has been to us.

Hold me. 

Sunday. Mother's Day. It was a bit frantic, as weekends on my own have been, but I tried to take moments to breathe and appreciate. 

Here I am reigning, with my crown (made by Adele) and my badge (made by Miles):

After church, we hit up the Bangkok Cafe for lunch where we were, for most of the meal, the only customers. This restaurant is so under-appreciated. There's a train table in the corner for kid customers to play with. Absolutely perfect. I ate my Panang Curry with joy and satisfaction and (mostly) tranquility.

However, there came a time when they began to argue fiercely over train real estate, so it was time to leave. Home to do some errands and bake Adele's biscuits, and then I decided to pursue a little joy in the evening. I got the kids bathed and packed up dinner into tupperware and we went to Wong Park for a picnic. We facetimed with Papa a bit over dinner, read stories, and then played with abandon!

What an enormous relief to have a brief break from what feels like my primary parenting occupation: trying to control their physical bodies. How marvelous to stop doing that for just a little while!

They were brave. I laughed a lot, and stared at the grass and meditated, and did some quality swinging. And then I got to do a little more of the same the next day, at Miles' school's Mother's Day Tea.

I was a guest of honor with my flower and my placemat and my folder full of Mother's Day crafts and writings. The first 20 minutes was just sipping tea and letting my first grader tell me what he loves about me. Therapy, I tell you.

After this, we got to go outside and play on the playground with our kids. Miles showed me all his usual haunts and brought me up to speed on his physical feats. Then, hand in hand, we went back to Mummy's work, where he did his homework at my desk (or at least, he did half of it. Did you know some first graders are adding and subtracting double-digit numbers??).
I'm one lucky parent.

This badge. This moment. Sunday morning he had me open the customized wrapping he'd created (he made it in his room on Saturday) and said, "Mummy, this is for you to wear, because you are a superhero for making it three weeks without Papa."

Darn right, kiddo. 

And thank you. 

Tub Thumping

We have begun week three without this guy at home:

He did come home for a brief spell, that first weekend. However, since he was presenting all day Friday at a conference and working for half of Saturday, it was really only enough time to enjoy a little quality time (and to send him grocery shopping for us to save me a trip with the kids) and he was off again. 

We've been enjoying our last weekends by doing some classic Blacksburg stuff, like participating in public library events. 

Sleeping in (Jon took the Saturday morning shift), and waking up to green-soaked dewy morning views. I'll miss moisture.


And hitting up the playground. Jon came with us on Sunday afternoon.

Both kids showed us new feats. And then it was off on another week.

That afternoon, I rolled up my sleeves and started doing some intense and mediocre cooking. I made Sunday, Monday and Tuesday dinners, and packaged up Monday's & Tuesday's so that dance nights could be a little smoother than week one.

In all, I have to say, things are looking up. I say that cautiously, since we still don't have the result of our mortgage application. But other things, everyday things, they are improving. 

We had smooth nights and smooth mornings. Last Monday's scare because the daycare employee who picks up the kids was in the ER amounted to nothing more than one little bump in my Monday. She recovered to pick up the kids every time (twice a day) for the rest of the week.

Adele's fever that she randomly spiked Monday night (just to raise my blood pressure) disappeared Tuesday morning. 

I got my parking ticket remitted. 

And Saturday morning, I took both kids to the grocery store and there were NO major incidents to advertise to fellow shoppers the benefits of childlessness. 

We are on the up. 

In the evenings, I treat myself to some Nintendo, or (more recently) to BBC mini-serieses which I know Jon will not consent to watch. 

This is good for my self-esteem in these stressful weeks.

I'm still treasuring up the chances to drop Adele off at preschool; Jon has done this all year long, and now I get to spend more time with Adele and get to really know her morning routine at preschool. 

She proudly shows me her art...

I have watched the class tadpoles grow legs and enjoyed spotting Spicy Taco, the class hamster, every morning. 

She's my favorite magical creature to care for:

Miles loves his school. Dropping him off is a joy because he just leaps out of the car and strides in. I hope he keeps his confidence next year, at a new school. 

We attended Healthy Kids day on Saturday, in the gloomy drizzle. 

It might have been more magical than last year's. All the energy I have been trying to direct and corral and discipline all week just got to run wild. They wore themselves out at the obstacle courses and bounce house and games. Just so much joy and play all over the place. I smiled almost the whole time. 

Pretending to be firefighters.

Miles did bubble art for probably 30 minutes straight.

We're marching, climbing Jacob's ladder.

Brothers and sisters all.

Our documents are all in for the mortgage. It hurts to admit how much we are depending on this going through. Please pray. 

I like to make a contingency plan for my contingency plans, so you know I'm uncomfortable. But this week has taught me a little more about flowing and abiding and not worrying that each negative will progressively worsen. I downloaded Tub Thumping to turn on whenever I need it.

I am learning to trust that I will have what I need, when I need it. 

Pray anyway, though.