October 2006 Old Blog Posts
October 25
Sam
We have a new baby to welcome...Samuel Theobald. I think his middle name is James, but I'm not positive. He was born last night. He weighed a whopping 8 pounds 10 ounces and is a surprisingly small 21" long. With two very tall parents, I was expecting him to be 24"! Genevieve and Steve are doing great and it sounds like Sam is already eating like a horse and causing his mother to fall deeply in love with him.
It was rather a long afternoon as I got the call that Gen had gone into labor around 1:30 Minnesota time. I picked up the message around 3:00 p.m. RI time...we were all thinking that she was going to have him in a matter of moments because her contractions were so close together right from the start. But he took a few more hours to arrive and ended up coming via ceasarean section late yesterday night.
I wish that I could put into words how amazing it is when someone so close to you is blessed in this way. Gen and I talked so many times during these last days about babies and motherhood (and bottles, carseats, cribs, etc.) but nothing I told her could prepare her for what it was like. I remember her telling me that she spent the day in tears when I had Josiah...I was touched by her tenderheartedness, but I didn't understand. And now I do. Especially as I have been thus blessed twice. It is the most amazing experience to finally meet that little person that you've been dreaming about and sheltering for those long weeks. I am so excited and happy for her and so thankful that she will now share the highs and lows of motherhood. It is just one more experience in our sisterhood that will bring us even closer together.
Congrats to Gen and Steve and welcome Baby Sam!
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October 23
October 19th--An Anniversary
October 19th came and went, and I pretty much forgot about it. It seemed like a normal, everyday day. Nothing special.
But October 19th was the fifth anniversary of Hans' and my first date. So, it was a day of some import and I totally forgot. I mean, I had this idea that it was around that time of year...the time of our first date. I knew that it was five years. I just didn't have the date pinpointed. Shame on me, I know. Especially since I am a crazily lucky woman to have caught such a great guy.
Things have been a little hectic since the day we met.
If you will recall...go back with me to Fall of 2001. Travel through the murky mists of times past. I was still working at that particular roofing company in Mankato. Going to MSUM on a full-time basis. I owned my own home, ghetto though it was, it was my own. School was great...one of the best decisions I've ever made. Work was going good--I had finally gained enough seniority to work independently and do some project estimating, something I had been wanting to do for years. So I had a home of my own, a good job and the chance to follow my dream and finish up my education while still working. Oh, and a dumb dog. Freddie. Forgot about Freddie, though she played a key role in the last of my salad days.
I was feeling pretty much on top of the world, adventurous. The only area that was still a bit gray was my love life. There were a couple of different guys lurking (and I do mean lurking) around the fringes. One guy that I had dated and broken up with any number of times in the past...one of those loves that you just never seem to shake (I mean, he's shaken now for sure, but back then...). One guy that I worked with that had been flirting with me for years who finally stepped it up a bit, just enough to keep me guessing, but never enough to be serious. I wasn't finding anyone eligible in Mankato.
So I decided to do something crazy and put my profile out on match.com. I still remember the little thrill I got as I uploaded my picture, filled out my profile and put it online. Trust me, it was way outside of my comfort zone. I always thought that I would just sit back and love would find me. I'm glad that I got proactive.
It wasn't too long before I got a few responses, but they were very disappointing. A lot of divorced guys and a lot of older gentlemen. Way outside my age limits. Like, in their 50s. Oh, and the worst...guys who couldn't spell and had poor grammar.
And then I got a message from Hans. His message was funny, interesting and everything was spelled correctly. Somewhere, we still have all of those initial e-mails. And of course, the story goes on and on from there. We e-mailed back and forth, then we called and spent hours and hours on the phone (I called him first). We just had an instant rapport. Well, that and after I saw a picture of him, I knew that in addition to being brilliant and witty, he was (is) devestatingly handsome.
So, on to the first date. I won't bore you with all the details. It was October 19th, a Friday night. I drove to the Cities after work and we had dinner at Pracna on Main then took a walk on the Stone Arch Bridge and took a quick turn through Barnes & Noble. I have a very vivid memory of pulling into the parking lot at Pracna and seeing this boy standing there next to his red Jetta. He is wearing a green sweater and khaki pants. I often imagine him on that evening before he came over, before he had ever met me face to face, picking out what to wear and wondering what I'd really be like.
We had pasta and a full bottle of wine for dinner and I just knew by the end of dessert. When "they" say you know, they are absolutely right. When "they" say that you feel like you've known this person your whole life, they are absolutely right.
It was just right. And here we are, five years later. We've lived in Minnesota, Rhode Island, California, Japan, Rhode Island. We've had two beautiful children. And even though there are days when we drive each other crazy, I still imagine that boy in the green sweater, leaning on his car, waiting for the love of his life to show up.
I love you, Kitten. Thanks for five years. I'm sorry that I forgot and that we didn't do anything special to mark the date. Could I make it up to you by having Star Wars Day?
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October 19
Joe's First POTTY!
Yes, that's right....Josiah made his first potty in his little pottychair last night. Hans and I put him on there just for the heck of it, and he went! He went and he went and he went. There was a lot of peepee in there when he was done!
I know, you're all squirming when I talk about "making potty" and "peepee". Sorry to those of you who don't have kids or your kids are Hans and myself and it's been 30-odd years since you felt the excitement of the first potty.
It was pretty exciting, though. Hans and I cheered and danced around the bathroom. Now if we can just get him to replicate it. I got out his Thomas underwear and Hans and I both showed him our "big people" underwear (sorry again) and asked him if he was ready to wear his Thomas undies.
"Yes...OK!"
Well, we shall see.
Other than that: our stuff arrived from Japan yesterday. The movers did a great job. They had to take a lot of things upstairs this time. Our staircase is pretty interesting. It goes up three steps and makes a turn, up seven or so steps, turns and makes a landing, up to another landing, turns again. You'll all just have to visit to see it, because it's hard to decribe. Hard to get things up, though it is open with balusters all the way up.
Hans is in heaven because the "real" couch is here and the good TV.
The house is in complete disarray again, though, so I'm stressed out. It doesn't feel like I'm ever going to get to the bottom of the piles. At least though, the kids have their regular beds at long last. Everything else will fall into place. I just can't help thinking about how we're going to have to do this again in a year. It is very, very tiring. I'm sitting here typing on the computer in the middle of piles and piles (and piles and piles and piles) of Hans' books.
Sorry for the lack of pictures. We still haven't figured out what is going on with the picture situation. We've been communicating with MSN about it with no real luck. I can't send them via e-mail either. Sorry! As soon as we get the problem resolved, we'll bombard you with pictures.
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October 14
My Kids are Weird
OK, so I think that my kids are behaving a little strangely.
First, there's Josiah. Who suddenly has developed this overwhelming need and desire to bury his Thomas trains. If we go outside in our little cobblestoned garden, he goes straight to one of the little ornamental trees and starts prising up dirt, buries Thomas (or another unlucky victim), then proceeds to exhume the train. He does this over and over again. If we go to the playground, he buries Thomas in the woodchips or the sandbox. If we go to the beach, he buries him in the sand. Repeat ad nauseum. Over and over. I'm pretty sure that he just likes to dig. He makes reference to Bob the Builder while he's digging. I don't think it's some sort of macabre habit.
And before any of you start thinking that the "house" has something to do with it. We put up curtains, different ones in all four windows and this time, they have stayed in place for five days and counting. The disappearance of the original curtain still hasn't been accounted for, but it seems that either the ghost approves of our choice of curtains (actually, I think they're completely cheap and ugly, but they were in the house and we're making do until we have a better option) or there is no ghost. I'm going to believe option number two.
As for Annika and her weird habit. How do I describe what she's been doing lately? She has developed this way of talking in a really strange, grunty way. She sounds like the scary girl in The Exorcist. It's funny but frightening at the same time. She has her own little grunty language. It kind of sounds like Klingon. Which would not be that far-fetched considering her father. Huttese was the other language and yes, if you know that's what Jabba the Hutt speaks, you are officially in the freak club with Hans. You are whiter than sour cream (see Weird Al's new video).
Anyone who can score Hans a "Star Wars Christmas Special" can also join the officially official freak club.
So, that's what they are doing....it just seemed a little weird. Other than that, we aren't doing too much. Hans got his car. And his new computer. It is pretty nice--I'm loving the big flat-screen monitor. Hans checked in for school today....sounds like it's going to be pretty interesting. They have a War College polo team (among other sports options). He's thinking of sailing as his phy-ed requirement. There are some pretty cool choices. I'm all for polo. I've wanted a pony since I was six. I never got one, not ever. Sniff.
New pictures, at last. I know I need to take some more. We wedged the kids into the back of the Audi and screamed up to Boston on Wednesday. Went to the Boston Children's Museum, which was very fun. The kids had a blast and we got to pass everyone on the highway and feel smug that we were awesome parents who took our kids for a fun and educational outing. And we made a finger puppet.
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October 08
Newport in October
Well, here we are...a family once again. And actually, it has been a whole long week since Hans came home.
Hmmm, where to start? I left off while we were in Minnesota and I know that my loyal readers have just been waiting on pins and needles to find out what's been happening since in the wildly romantic and dramatic saga of my life.
The answer: not a lot.
I mean, Donna, the kids and I all got in the car 2-1/2 weeks ago and drove without incident from Minnesota to Rhode Island. We took it a little more "easy" on the way out there...more stops, shorter days. The kids were getting more than a little sick and tired of being stuck in their carseats all day long. Thus we arrived in Newport not entirely exhausted. Not exactly rested and refreshed, though, either.
Newport is the same as I remember it. Exactly the same. Well, the one gas station by the Wal-Mart is gone, but other than that, it is the same. The same amazing, gorgeous houses...indescribable. I could try to tell you about them: the bricks, the turrets, the columns, the marble, the porches, the windows, the amazing little gardens and landscaping. It wouldn't do these homes or this place justice. You just have to come and see for yourself. The quality of the light, the beauty of Narragansett Bay full of sailboats...I could just go on and on. This is a very special place. In fact, I told Hans today that if I didn't already know that we'll be retiring to Minnesota, I'd want to retire to Newport. And it's even more lovely at this time of the year. The leaves are changing colors and the temperatures are just cool enough to resort to cashmere.
Oh, and the neighborhood we live in. Soon, you will all beg me to SHUT UP about The Point. It is gorgeous. We are less than two blocks from the bay. If I sit in the window seat of our living room, I can see boats and ships passing by. We hear the horns all the time. Josiah says "What's that noise, Mommy?" (welcome to using full sentences, a rather new phenomenon). Our house is the "Ezekiel Crandall House, circa 1850". On first inspection, it was a little different than what I expected, but I am warming up to it more every day. There is a pink room upstairs for Annika, a blue room for Josiah and a sage green room for guests (hint, hint). Hans and I ended up putting our bedroom downstairs in what was the formal parlor. There is a bay window in there where the bed fits perfectly (my gorgeous new bed...purchased in downtown Newport a couple of weeks ago). Our bedroom is so big that we'll have room in front of the fireplace for a nice rug, our armchair and a lamp. Unfortunately, the fireplace in the bedroom is non-functional, as it is in the office next door, too. The fireplace in the living room works, though I don't think either Hans or I have had any experience in building a real log fire. We don't have a lawn, but the front of the house is enclosed with a traditional fieldstone wall and there is a trellis leading up to the side of the house, enclosing a cobblestoned garden area along the side of the house, complete with koi pond. And yes, there is a resident koi. Big sucker, I caught him today with the pond skimmer.
OK, the house may be haunted. Here's the haunting story: There are four windows in the living room bay window. I found lace half-curtains in a closet and hung one panel in each window. It would have looked strange not to hang all of them. I left the kids with Donna and ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few more supplies. I was gone about 45 minutes or so, returned and one of the panels was missing--on the window that faces the bay. I noticed it right away. Donna didn't know what had happened but had been right in the kitchen the whole time that I was gone. Josiah had been playing around there, but professed to not have messed with the computer. We looked everywhere, and I mean everywhere for that curtain. We turned the house upside down. There was no sign of the curtain anywhere. It just vanished. Spppooooookkkyyyy. I know. I decided that whatever or whoever didn't want that window covered. I've been too afraid to try to put another curtain in that window, so I guess it will just stay bare while we're in residence here. It was very weird. And of course, it happened the night before Donna left. I freaked out just a little bit...slept with the lights on until Hans got here. We haven't heard or seen a thing.
Hans is home. We're still adjusting a little. It's pretty weird to suddenly have that additional person hanging around all the time. More laundry. Real cooking, not chicken finger meals. It takes some time to get used to. The kids are in heaven and I am so thankful to have help, just at the moment when I feel like I really would have gone off my rocker if I would have had to go it alone any longer. Just this morning as I was playing with Josiah in the bathtub, just us two, I realized how wonderful it is to spend one on one time with each of the babies. It's not something that happened very often while we were alone. They got a little shortchanged in the individual attention department. Today we all went and flew our kite and had a picnic.
We have a lot of work to do yet. We are moving along with the house, though things are still a mess. We have tons of boxes to break down and packing paper to recycle. Bags of garbage, stuff we purged. Where did we get all this STUFF? Good gravy, we have loads of crap and I have been really good about purging through the years. We are still waiting for our household goods to arrive from Japan...then I have to find room for all that stuff too. Sheesh.
Pictures soon, to illustrate the point of the beautiful house and beautiful Newport.
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Sam
We have a new baby to welcome...Samuel Theobald. I think his middle name is James, but I'm not positive. He was born last night. He weighed a whopping 8 pounds 10 ounces and is a surprisingly small 21" long. With two very tall parents, I was expecting him to be 24"! Genevieve and Steve are doing great and it sounds like Sam is already eating like a horse and causing his mother to fall deeply in love with him.
It was rather a long afternoon as I got the call that Gen had gone into labor around 1:30 Minnesota time. I picked up the message around 3:00 p.m. RI time...we were all thinking that she was going to have him in a matter of moments because her contractions were so close together right from the start. But he took a few more hours to arrive and ended up coming via ceasarean section late yesterday night.
I wish that I could put into words how amazing it is when someone so close to you is blessed in this way. Gen and I talked so many times during these last days about babies and motherhood (and bottles, carseats, cribs, etc.) but nothing I told her could prepare her for what it was like. I remember her telling me that she spent the day in tears when I had Josiah...I was touched by her tenderheartedness, but I didn't understand. And now I do. Especially as I have been thus blessed twice. It is the most amazing experience to finally meet that little person that you've been dreaming about and sheltering for those long weeks. I am so excited and happy for her and so thankful that she will now share the highs and lows of motherhood. It is just one more experience in our sisterhood that will bring us even closer together.
Congrats to Gen and Steve and welcome Baby Sam!
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October 23
October 19th--An Anniversary
October 19th came and went, and I pretty much forgot about it. It seemed like a normal, everyday day. Nothing special.
But October 19th was the fifth anniversary of Hans' and my first date. So, it was a day of some import and I totally forgot. I mean, I had this idea that it was around that time of year...the time of our first date. I knew that it was five years. I just didn't have the date pinpointed. Shame on me, I know. Especially since I am a crazily lucky woman to have caught such a great guy.
Things have been a little hectic since the day we met.
If you will recall...go back with me to Fall of 2001. Travel through the murky mists of times past. I was still working at that particular roofing company in Mankato. Going to MSUM on a full-time basis. I owned my own home, ghetto though it was, it was my own. School was great...one of the best decisions I've ever made. Work was going good--I had finally gained enough seniority to work independently and do some project estimating, something I had been wanting to do for years. So I had a home of my own, a good job and the chance to follow my dream and finish up my education while still working. Oh, and a dumb dog. Freddie. Forgot about Freddie, though she played a key role in the last of my salad days.
I was feeling pretty much on top of the world, adventurous. The only area that was still a bit gray was my love life. There were a couple of different guys lurking (and I do mean lurking) around the fringes. One guy that I had dated and broken up with any number of times in the past...one of those loves that you just never seem to shake (I mean, he's shaken now for sure, but back then...). One guy that I worked with that had been flirting with me for years who finally stepped it up a bit, just enough to keep me guessing, but never enough to be serious. I wasn't finding anyone eligible in Mankato.
So I decided to do something crazy and put my profile out on match.com. I still remember the little thrill I got as I uploaded my picture, filled out my profile and put it online. Trust me, it was way outside of my comfort zone. I always thought that I would just sit back and love would find me. I'm glad that I got proactive.
It wasn't too long before I got a few responses, but they were very disappointing. A lot of divorced guys and a lot of older gentlemen. Way outside my age limits. Like, in their 50s. Oh, and the worst...guys who couldn't spell and had poor grammar.
And then I got a message from Hans. His message was funny, interesting and everything was spelled correctly. Somewhere, we still have all of those initial e-mails. And of course, the story goes on and on from there. We e-mailed back and forth, then we called and spent hours and hours on the phone (I called him first). We just had an instant rapport. Well, that and after I saw a picture of him, I knew that in addition to being brilliant and witty, he was (is) devestatingly handsome.
So, on to the first date. I won't bore you with all the details. It was October 19th, a Friday night. I drove to the Cities after work and we had dinner at Pracna on Main then took a walk on the Stone Arch Bridge and took a quick turn through Barnes & Noble. I have a very vivid memory of pulling into the parking lot at Pracna and seeing this boy standing there next to his red Jetta. He is wearing a green sweater and khaki pants. I often imagine him on that evening before he came over, before he had ever met me face to face, picking out what to wear and wondering what I'd really be like.
We had pasta and a full bottle of wine for dinner and I just knew by the end of dessert. When "they" say you know, they are absolutely right. When "they" say that you feel like you've known this person your whole life, they are absolutely right.
It was just right. And here we are, five years later. We've lived in Minnesota, Rhode Island, California, Japan, Rhode Island. We've had two beautiful children. And even though there are days when we drive each other crazy, I still imagine that boy in the green sweater, leaning on his car, waiting for the love of his life to show up.
I love you, Kitten. Thanks for five years. I'm sorry that I forgot and that we didn't do anything special to mark the date. Could I make it up to you by having Star Wars Day?
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October 19
Joe's First POTTY!
Yes, that's right....Josiah made his first potty in his little pottychair last night. Hans and I put him on there just for the heck of it, and he went! He went and he went and he went. There was a lot of peepee in there when he was done!
I know, you're all squirming when I talk about "making potty" and "peepee". Sorry to those of you who don't have kids or your kids are Hans and myself and it's been 30-odd years since you felt the excitement of the first potty.
It was pretty exciting, though. Hans and I cheered and danced around the bathroom. Now if we can just get him to replicate it. I got out his Thomas underwear and Hans and I both showed him our "big people" underwear (sorry again) and asked him if he was ready to wear his Thomas undies.
"Yes...OK!"
Well, we shall see.
Other than that: our stuff arrived from Japan yesterday. The movers did a great job. They had to take a lot of things upstairs this time. Our staircase is pretty interesting. It goes up three steps and makes a turn, up seven or so steps, turns and makes a landing, up to another landing, turns again. You'll all just have to visit to see it, because it's hard to decribe. Hard to get things up, though it is open with balusters all the way up.
Hans is in heaven because the "real" couch is here and the good TV.
The house is in complete disarray again, though, so I'm stressed out. It doesn't feel like I'm ever going to get to the bottom of the piles. At least though, the kids have their regular beds at long last. Everything else will fall into place. I just can't help thinking about how we're going to have to do this again in a year. It is very, very tiring. I'm sitting here typing on the computer in the middle of piles and piles (and piles and piles and piles) of Hans' books.
Sorry for the lack of pictures. We still haven't figured out what is going on with the picture situation. We've been communicating with MSN about it with no real luck. I can't send them via e-mail either. Sorry! As soon as we get the problem resolved, we'll bombard you with pictures.
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October 14
My Kids are Weird
OK, so I think that my kids are behaving a little strangely.
First, there's Josiah. Who suddenly has developed this overwhelming need and desire to bury his Thomas trains. If we go outside in our little cobblestoned garden, he goes straight to one of the little ornamental trees and starts prising up dirt, buries Thomas (or another unlucky victim), then proceeds to exhume the train. He does this over and over again. If we go to the playground, he buries Thomas in the woodchips or the sandbox. If we go to the beach, he buries him in the sand. Repeat ad nauseum. Over and over. I'm pretty sure that he just likes to dig. He makes reference to Bob the Builder while he's digging. I don't think it's some sort of macabre habit.
And before any of you start thinking that the "house" has something to do with it. We put up curtains, different ones in all four windows and this time, they have stayed in place for five days and counting. The disappearance of the original curtain still hasn't been accounted for, but it seems that either the ghost approves of our choice of curtains (actually, I think they're completely cheap and ugly, but they were in the house and we're making do until we have a better option) or there is no ghost. I'm going to believe option number two.
As for Annika and her weird habit. How do I describe what she's been doing lately? She has developed this way of talking in a really strange, grunty way. She sounds like the scary girl in The Exorcist. It's funny but frightening at the same time. She has her own little grunty language. It kind of sounds like Klingon. Which would not be that far-fetched considering her father. Huttese was the other language and yes, if you know that's what Jabba the Hutt speaks, you are officially in the freak club with Hans. You are whiter than sour cream (see Weird Al's new video).
Anyone who can score Hans a "Star Wars Christmas Special" can also join the officially official freak club.
So, that's what they are doing....it just seemed a little weird. Other than that, we aren't doing too much. Hans got his car. And his new computer. It is pretty nice--I'm loving the big flat-screen monitor. Hans checked in for school today....sounds like it's going to be pretty interesting. They have a War College polo team (among other sports options). He's thinking of sailing as his phy-ed requirement. There are some pretty cool choices. I'm all for polo. I've wanted a pony since I was six. I never got one, not ever. Sniff.
New pictures, at last. I know I need to take some more. We wedged the kids into the back of the Audi and screamed up to Boston on Wednesday. Went to the Boston Children's Museum, which was very fun. The kids had a blast and we got to pass everyone on the highway and feel smug that we were awesome parents who took our kids for a fun and educational outing. And we made a finger puppet.
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October 08
Newport in October
Well, here we are...a family once again. And actually, it has been a whole long week since Hans came home.
Hmmm, where to start? I left off while we were in Minnesota and I know that my loyal readers have just been waiting on pins and needles to find out what's been happening since in the wildly romantic and dramatic saga of my life.
The answer: not a lot.
I mean, Donna, the kids and I all got in the car 2-1/2 weeks ago and drove without incident from Minnesota to Rhode Island. We took it a little more "easy" on the way out there...more stops, shorter days. The kids were getting more than a little sick and tired of being stuck in their carseats all day long. Thus we arrived in Newport not entirely exhausted. Not exactly rested and refreshed, though, either.
Newport is the same as I remember it. Exactly the same. Well, the one gas station by the Wal-Mart is gone, but other than that, it is the same. The same amazing, gorgeous houses...indescribable. I could try to tell you about them: the bricks, the turrets, the columns, the marble, the porches, the windows, the amazing little gardens and landscaping. It wouldn't do these homes or this place justice. You just have to come and see for yourself. The quality of the light, the beauty of Narragansett Bay full of sailboats...I could just go on and on. This is a very special place. In fact, I told Hans today that if I didn't already know that we'll be retiring to Minnesota, I'd want to retire to Newport. And it's even more lovely at this time of the year. The leaves are changing colors and the temperatures are just cool enough to resort to cashmere.
Oh, and the neighborhood we live in. Soon, you will all beg me to SHUT UP about The Point. It is gorgeous. We are less than two blocks from the bay. If I sit in the window seat of our living room, I can see boats and ships passing by. We hear the horns all the time. Josiah says "What's that noise, Mommy?" (welcome to using full sentences, a rather new phenomenon). Our house is the "Ezekiel Crandall House, circa 1850". On first inspection, it was a little different than what I expected, but I am warming up to it more every day. There is a pink room upstairs for Annika, a blue room for Josiah and a sage green room for guests (hint, hint). Hans and I ended up putting our bedroom downstairs in what was the formal parlor. There is a bay window in there where the bed fits perfectly (my gorgeous new bed...purchased in downtown Newport a couple of weeks ago). Our bedroom is so big that we'll have room in front of the fireplace for a nice rug, our armchair and a lamp. Unfortunately, the fireplace in the bedroom is non-functional, as it is in the office next door, too. The fireplace in the living room works, though I don't think either Hans or I have had any experience in building a real log fire. We don't have a lawn, but the front of the house is enclosed with a traditional fieldstone wall and there is a trellis leading up to the side of the house, enclosing a cobblestoned garden area along the side of the house, complete with koi pond. And yes, there is a resident koi. Big sucker, I caught him today with the pond skimmer.
OK, the house may be haunted. Here's the haunting story: There are four windows in the living room bay window. I found lace half-curtains in a closet and hung one panel in each window. It would have looked strange not to hang all of them. I left the kids with Donna and ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few more supplies. I was gone about 45 minutes or so, returned and one of the panels was missing--on the window that faces the bay. I noticed it right away. Donna didn't know what had happened but had been right in the kitchen the whole time that I was gone. Josiah had been playing around there, but professed to not have messed with the computer. We looked everywhere, and I mean everywhere for that curtain. We turned the house upside down. There was no sign of the curtain anywhere. It just vanished. Spppooooookkkyyyy. I know. I decided that whatever or whoever didn't want that window covered. I've been too afraid to try to put another curtain in that window, so I guess it will just stay bare while we're in residence here. It was very weird. And of course, it happened the night before Donna left. I freaked out just a little bit...slept with the lights on until Hans got here. We haven't heard or seen a thing.
Hans is home. We're still adjusting a little. It's pretty weird to suddenly have that additional person hanging around all the time. More laundry. Real cooking, not chicken finger meals. It takes some time to get used to. The kids are in heaven and I am so thankful to have help, just at the moment when I feel like I really would have gone off my rocker if I would have had to go it alone any longer. Just this morning as I was playing with Josiah in the bathtub, just us two, I realized how wonderful it is to spend one on one time with each of the babies. It's not something that happened very often while we were alone. They got a little shortchanged in the individual attention department. Today we all went and flew our kite and had a picnic.
We have a lot of work to do yet. We are moving along with the house, though things are still a mess. We have tons of boxes to break down and packing paper to recycle. Bags of garbage, stuff we purged. Where did we get all this STUFF? Good gravy, we have loads of crap and I have been really good about purging through the years. We are still waiting for our household goods to arrive from Japan...then I have to find room for all that stuff too. Sheesh.
Pictures soon, to illustrate the point of the beautiful house and beautiful Newport.
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