We're used to moving in the summer, and it usually comes with exploring the area around our new home as well as a road trip. This summer we've stayed very local and focused on moving into our new house, but it's been hard not having those summer fun breaks. We're so glad we got the Airbnb with the pool, because it gave us a semblance of a vacation to enjoy with family.
While we were at the Airbnb our things started to arrive at the house, so we would make little trips over there to unpack and check on the kitchen progress.
On one of our trips, we discovered that our dishwasher was a lost cause. We ran it and it sounded like it was about to take off for space, so we added dishwasher shopping to our list of things to do. By the end of July, it was time to leave the Airbnb, but our house really wasn't ready yet. We still didn't have most of our furniture, and the kitchen still didn't have the backsplash tile. Thank goodness for Mom and Dad who said we could come back and stay with them. They do love the girls, so that makes it an easy sell.
Vivian continues to grow at a ridiculous rate. She is now 5'2" and rapidly approaching 5'3". I am not okay with this. Luckily, she's generally maintaining her happy attitude, but she is also trying on teenage moodiness for size. We're trying to counteract moodiness and general negativity by having time outside. Our house is near a beautiful county park, so we tried to work in regular visits to the house that incorporated outdoor time and indoor maintenance. We had a fun park and lunch trip to kick off August.
We also got to try out our newly installed dishwasher.
Finally, during the week of August 10 our items arrived from storage, and the new furniture we had purchased was delivered. Jeff and I worked a little each day of the week on unpacking and making our house into a home. We took pictures to show the girls who were excited about moving in. We found some fun stuff in the storage items, including a sock and a penguin toy we had been looking for for years stuffed in between sofa cushions.
In addition to furniture arriving, the window and the backsplash tiles arrived too.
Of course, just as we were getting ready to declare the house move-in ready, we had a problem. The contractors had been using the outside faucet during their tiling and window work, and that's how we discovered that when they were redoing the flooring, they had nicked a pipe with a nail. We discovered it with water leaking through the basement ceiling and wall.
Luckily, there were no debates about who was responsible, and the contractors immediately set about fixing everything. We decided not to let it deter us, especially since we were able to just shut off the water to the outside spigot and leave the rest of the water on. We officially moved in, despite the large amounts of work still left to do. The kitchen turned out beautifully.
Our new dining set fit just right, and we were able to have our first dinner in our remodeled house. The last time we lived here as a family, Elena couldn't really eat solid food, so we have come a long way.
The following Monday, I started "new" teacher training online, while also still trying to finalize everything to have the girls ready to start school. We had registered them in July, but getting doctors' appointments for all the medical forms took a while. We were also trying to figure out online learning solutions for them. Vivi liked her new set up, but I vetoed the bed location.
Thankfully, the girls seem to be very happy in their new digs. They both love their rooms, and they like hanging out in the living room as a family as well.
I've been trying to put together balanced family dinners each night. Some are more successful than others.
We've discovered Google's animal of the day feature, which has been a lot of fun, and we've also enjoyed trying out different kinds of dinner music. Occasionally we even watch a family movie. We showed the girls The Princess Bride, and they gave it a rave review.
Jeff is still on home leave, and he's been trying to get the girls out at least once a day, especially when I have live things online. Robeks is a favorite destination, and the girls have no problem wearing a mask if it means they will be rewarded with a smoothie.
Jeff and I had our 14th wedding anniversary on August 26. We didn't feel like doing the in-person restaurant thing, so we ordered from Carlyle, one of our favorite restaurants. My parents took the kids for the night, and even though we didn't got any place fancy, we enjoyed good food and good (uninterrupted) conversation. To me, that's a good anniversary.
My mom's birthday is the day after our anniversary, and she also didn't feel comfortable going to a restaurant, but she really wanted to do something special with all of us. My dad took on the challenge, and hired a catering company to set up a serve a beautiful dinner on their back patio.
The girls were thrilled by the fancy set up and the fact that their milk was served in champagne glasses.
Dad toasted my Mom's awesomeness, and we all agreed that his dinner efforts were worthy of her.
We even had some after dinner entertainment provided by Vivian with her beautiful singing. It was a wonderful evening, and a real highlight in a summer that could have used more fun times. Still, we are so lucky to be together and to be able to celebrate where we can.
No comments:
Post a Comment