I told Beau on Sunday night that this was the first weekend in ages that life felt pretty normal. Life has felt anything but normal the past several months, and every weekend seemed to crescendo into this list of tasks that needed to be done in order to get to where we are today. I think it started the first weekend our house was on the market. It also happened to be the first weekend my dad was to start the plumbing in our basement, the first weekend he would need Beau's help to dig rock and fit pipe fittings along our entire basement floor. It was beautiful outside, there was so much going on that weekend and so much I wanted to do, but we stood overlooking that hole in the ground knowing there would indeed be sacrifices in order to get to the other side. Little did I know that a young family would look at our house that very same day and make us an offer we couldn't refuse, thus spiraling into five months of packing, moving, driving, packing, moving, and feeling very unsettled and in-between.
This Saturday, our kids slept in until 7:30 and we woke up with a clean house, hot coffee, and our belongings all seemingly nestled in new homes. The boxes are unpacked, the dumpster is moved off of our front yard, and cupboards and closets are organized. We have turned a corner it seems, and are finally falling into a rhythm that feels really good. It took awhile to get here, but I realize that in the grand scheme of things, this stage will someday seem like a pin drop. We're falling in love with this house and are finally at a place where we can really appreciate the little things. Like pulling into an attached garage at the end of the day. Seriously, I had no idea what we've been missing! :)
So back to our weekend. The kids have been sleeping so good lately (knock.on.wood) and we've been taking full advantage of sleeping past seven (bliss!) and falling into a nice little morning routine of Captain Crunch and cartoons curled up on the couch. Saturday, we added some egg hunting to the mix, a community egg hunt organized by a bunch of Beau's realtor friends. After a not-so-good egg hunting experience last year, I thought we had sworn off community egg hunts forever, however, after seeing the look on Mila's face for most of the morning, I'm so glad we decided to give it another go. Cruz was a bit of a whiner the entire morning, complaining about cold hands and dysfunctional balloon swords, but my girl was all about the action. From the moment she got to pick out her very own plastic egg bucket, she was all grins from ear to ear, waddling around the premises, so proud to be in the middle of the action. It was cold outside, but Mila could have cared less, and I could have watched her all day long.
This is what she did for the egg hunt portion of the morning. She found this nice little pile of scattered eggs, plopped down in the middle of them, and proceeded to drop one by one in her bucket while all the other kids ran around her. She's resourceful. :)
#eggthief
After getting in the car and sampling chocolate from about half of the kids' eggs, we decided on a whim to continue our little Saturday morning on the town and go junking. Beau dropped me off at Waterloo's first Funky Junk-a-loo and I battled some killer crowds looking for a few treasures to add to our decor. I was craving junk, Beau was craving bacon, so he decided to take the kids to a family favorite, Newton's while I shopped for awhile. I blew through my $30 pretty quickly and after just barely dodging a fight with a woman after my pussy willow branches, I decided I was ready to call it a day, too. I met my family at Newton's for some powdered sugar pancakes and our kids were fast asleep by the time we pulled into the driveway.
While Mila slept, Cruz and I spent some time in the kitchen. We mixed cupcake batter and sorted colored eggs. Filled blue mason jars with water and my favorite pink tulips. Toasted coconut for nests and spilled sprinkles on the floor. Papa Curt stopped by and he and Beau sipped beers at the island and talked with us while we worked. And it all felt just as I thought it would feel.
His favorite part...
Our fun in the kitchen continued to spill into our evening, as Beau spent some time with his own egg of choice, grilling us big juicy burgers and hot dogs, and pairing it with my favorite tomato basil green beans and baked potatoes. We drank wine, meandered back and forth from the kitchen to the deck, and talked about our plans for spending our summer outside. The kids went to bed early, Beau and I nestled in for a movie, and we both made it about ten minutes in. Sleepy, happy, and content.
Sunday was our annual egg dyeing party with my side of the family, an event we've made tradition since Charly and Cruz were babies. We prepare seasonal munchies and desserts, bring the newest Martha Stewart-endorsed egg dyeing mechanism, and always have a few dozen too many eggs to color. The kids stayed enthused longer this year, each revealing their sweet, unique personality as they turned their eggs into colorful creations. They'd help for awhile, then run laps around the house, and Mila tried her darnedest to keep up with them. It was our very first time hosting in our house and I loved it. We drew up our floor plan with every intention of hosting many gatherings in our future, and it was fun to put our dreams to the test.
Today is April and it's supposed to be almost eighty today! I've not been this excited for a month to begin for a long time. As we turn over that fresh page of our calendar, I can't help but feel that we're officially closing the door of a chapter that was not easy. We made it through and now I'm ready to make it count. Here's to a new month, to spring and all its renewal and growth, and to the end of cardboard boxes in the Jorgensen house. Whew!
More pictures from our weekend...
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