HomeMom on the Run
Member Since: September 10, 2007 Last Signed In: July 21, 2008 Blog Views: 2446 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
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The other night, he didn't even balk when I asked him to go to the store for feminine products and a chocolate bar.
:) Now, back to packing. The big move is in two days.
I'm not trying to brag, but I've got a lot to be thankful for. I have a husband who does his best to keep me smiling and laughing, and two boys who never go a day without making me happy. I have my health (so far), and I have a relatively stress-free life. I have two parents who love me and their grandchildren, and a sister who really is my best friend and a terrific Auntie. I have some great close friends, mostly old but some new, that I'm so lucky to have.
Most of all, however, I'm thankful for my in-laws. I'm one of those lucky people who really has great in-laws. My mother- and father-in-law (MIL and FIL, here on out) are two of the nicest, most down-to-earth people you'll ever meet. They have welcomed me into their family from day one, with open arms. They LOVE their grandchildren. MIL actually yanked the phone out of the wall when we told them that we were pregnant with Bee, she was so excited! They were the first people (besides me and The Big Man) to hold the boys when they were born. They have always been there for us when we needed them. FIL has a very sarcastic sense of humor (which I adore), and MIL is the sweetest and most loving person I know. They are truly wonderful people. My sister-in-law (SIL) is my other sister. She is a terrific Auntie to her nephews, and relishes her role. She and I get along really well, and she's a great little sis to The Big Man. She's married to a great guy, who happens to be a fantastic uncle, as well. I didn't realize how much I would miss my in-laws until we moved far away from them. We used to see them a few times a month; now we see them a few times a year. I didn't realize how much I valued their love and support until we moved away. I miss watching them play with the boys in the backyard; I miss the elaborate dinners my MIL made "just because". Videochatting with them is not the same as seeing them face-to-face. Even though we are far apart, I see my in-laws every day in my chidren - my MIL's face in both of my boys' faces; Bee and my FIL have the same build and dark hair. Lee's face lights up with a smile, just like his Auntie. I love them all so much. I am so thankful for them.
I haven't been posting much, as I've been helping my parents pack up their home. It was our family home, actually - my mom and dad built it over 25 years ago. They left no detail out - a pool in the backyard for me and my sister, and our friends; our own bedrooms with built-in desks and bookcases, and a shared bathroom where we each had our own sink; a remote spare room and bathroom for out-of-town visitors. The kitchen overlooks the family room, with a beautiful brick mantle and fireplace. Both of these rooms also look out to the backyard, which is backed by a greenspace and the American River. They still get ducks who spend a few days relaxing in the pool before finishing their trek north or south (depending on the time of year), and deer who come to graze the greenspace in peace. When we were younger, we used to have peacocks as visitors. And yes, they still get the occasional raccoon or possum.
I love this house. It was my home until I left for college, and I came back sporadically before moving out of the country to be with The Big Man. I can't count the number of sleepovers, pool parties, birthdays, holidays and other events that have been celebrated here. I proposed to The Big Man in the kitchen. Our rehearsal dinner party was here. The "Welcome to the US!" party for Bee (when he was 4 months old) was held here. When we moved back from out of the country, we stayed here for a few days. Both Bee and Lee were learning to swim in the pool this past summer. I have so many fond memories of this house - the ones I've shared with you are but a few. The Big Man and I spent hours and days trying to figure out how we could buy this house, to keep it in the family. Unfortunately, we just can't afford it. And so a new family will move in and make new memories. I knew this time would come, but I didn't expect to have so much emotion around it. I can't imagine this NOT being our family house. But I am grateful to my parents, for giving my sister and I so many wonderful memories in this house over the past 25 years. For giving us a home that we both adore. I know that I will shed many tears over the next few weeks, but as time passes, I will forget this sad end, and remember only the many wonderful moments. It is time to move on.
(Note: creatress made reference to this essay in some posting somewhere on here... I stumbled across it today, and thought it was perfect! So, thank you creatress, and thank you Emily Perl Kingsley!)
WELCOME TO HOLLAND by Emily Perl Kingsley. (c)1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved. I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland. ________________________________ This essay beautifully puts into words what is in my heart. Going to Holland was not on my itinerary. But now that I'm here, I can't imagine being anywhere else.
Both Bee and Lee have been sick off and on the past week or so - colds, coughs, vomiting, diarrhea; I know, I know - fun stuff! Thus, school and dayhome visits have been missed, as have therapy appointments, and errand-running. We've spent a lot of time inside. My two boys LOVE to be outside, playing on the swings, running through the grass, slipping down the slide, chasing each other through the rosebushes (they don't get scratched nearly as much as one might imagine!). Inside is fun, too, in its own way - they play hide and seek with each other, color pictures (and the table, sometimes), watch Blue's Clues, or monster bowl. But inside is not outside. Our house is big, but not big enough for two kiddos who are getting cabin fever. So there were a few incidents - Bee pushing Lee, Lee hitting Bee, tears shed by both Lee and Bee. Being housebound is, sometimes, no fun.
Sunday, both boys had seemed to turn the corner. The runny noses had dried up, fevers were gone, coughs had subsided. My mom and sister were over, and the Big Man and I were raking leaves in the front. My sis chips in to help, and Mom takes the boys for a walk. Lee is in the wagon; Bee is walking alongside. The Big Man tells Bee that he has to stay with the wagon (sometimes, he likes to run off). We go back to raking, and after a few seconds, the Big Man tells me to look at the boys. I look up to see my two boys, holding hands, as they embark on their walk around the neighborhood. That, my friends, is what makes it all worthwhile.
We're not hard-core halloween people - we don't decorate the house or carve elaborate pumpkins. However, we do get the kids dressed up, buy a lot of candy, turn on our lights, and eagerly await the trick-or-treaters (big or small - we don't discriminate).
Because our kids are still pretty young, my husband puts them in the wagon and takes them around to only 4 or 5 houses. The kids don't need a lot of candy, and they prefer to hand it out (in tiny, little fistfuls!) to people who come to our door! Now, I know we live in an older neighborhood, but this Halloween was ridiculous. Only FIVE houses had lights on. We live on a long street, and there's an adjacent street very close to us. Probably 30 houses that can be easily accessed via wagon. FIVE houses with lights on! We even caught one of our neighbors hightailing it out of the neighborhood at 6:30pm on the dot - couldn't even be bothered to wave back to us! It was so funny. Regardless, my kids had a great time. The houses that were lit up were happy to see them, and my husband had fun talking with the neighbors. Bee said "Trick or Treat!" and both boys enjoyed knocking (loudly) on the doors. The kids who came to our house were happily rewarded with A LOT OF CANDY. (We bought over 200 pieces, and only had 5 groups of kids come all night!) Hope everyone had a great Halloween! |