Moved in

I’m kinda, sorta starting to feel like we’re home rather than camping out in someone’s fancy house. I look back at pictures of our first house, with its dinged up hardwood floors, crooked foundation, mystery light switches and 840 square feet with a mere three closets, and I can’t believe we’re living here now. It’s a house that grown-ups should own, not us.

Three out of four children have adapted to being here. Ella has decided she’s not going to like it no matter what and keeps threatening to live in the field with the cows. But the other three love it. Campbell has his entire bedroom floor covered with train tracks, and I let him keep them there because I can just close the door on the mess. Elizabeth has her tent in her room filled with all of her baby dolls. Lily is incredibly protective of her room, even though she refuses to clean it. When we first moved in, I asked her to let Campbell sleep in her bed because he was scared. Lily threw an absolute fit about it: “This is MY room. I want to be in here alone. I don’t want him in here.”

The kids are all getting along with each other better, and the amount of bickering has dropped significantly. I think because they all have the option of going to their own spaces, they don’t mind actually being together.

I love having all the space, even if it is a lot to vacuum. And vacuuming stairs is my new least-favorite activity. I can let the kids make messes in their rooms and the upstairs playroom and still have a neat kitchen and living room. I’m not constantly tripping over their stuff or stepping on Legos.

We eat together at the table most nights, and I like cooking (as much as it’s possible for me to like cooking) in the big kitchen.

B, especially, loves being here. He has his office all set up, and he can work from home without driving me insane by pacing around the house and talking on the phone. His stress level has dropped significantly, which means his health issues aren’t as bad, which means he’s happier.

After a miserable six months, things are finally stabilizing, and we’re finding our new normal. Tomorrow we’re being interviewed by a 3yo black lab rescue dog. I think she will be the final piece.