Granite

Some guy came and measured our countertops on Thursday for the (absolute cheapest) granite we had picked out.  He thought they "might" be able to install it Tuesday, which we interpreted to mean probably Wednesday.  And then, lo and behold, they called Craig and said they could have it in today, between noon and 1:30.  He notified me, and everything was all set.

But because things always have to be WAY more complicated than I'd like them to be, and often as awkward as possible, the men actually showed up at 11:45, and I had just gotten out of the shower and was in my bathrobe.  Classy.  I also hadn't cleared Craig's tools off the counter space, so I had to run around doing that in my bathrobe.

I threw on some clothes, but that woke up Camille, so then I had to feed her, and by then I was convinced that these men must think I'm some sort of exhibitionist.  (I'm not.  Just for the record.)

And then, THEN, they informed me that the cook top we'd bought wouldn't fit.  Or rather, one of the men tried to inform me of this fact, but I couldn't quite understand what he was saying.  And even once I was beginning to get an inkling of it all, I still didn't know what he wanted me to do about it, and I wasn't about to let him leave without getting Craig's opinion.  I texted Craig, but all he wanted to do was ask me questions to try and clarify it all, but since I hadn't understood what the guy was telling me, I couldn't answer any of Craig's questions.  I just kept repeating my initial text: "I don't understand.  CALL ME."

I really hate it when I can't understand people.  In this case it was because of his accent, but I feel equally awkward when people try to mouth things to me across a room (DO I LOOK LIKE I CAN READ LIPS???  BECAUSE I CAN'T!!!!!!!) or when they think I will understand gestures that aren't making any sense (how is you pointing at nothing supposed to convey any sort of meaning to me??).  I'm pretty much a word girl, through and through.  That's how you communicate with me.  And it needs to be in clear English that I can hear and understand, otherwise I'm completely lost.

Anyway, eventually Craig called, agreed that we'd need to buy a different cook top, and that was it.

I went to go pick up Camille then, and she got poop all over me, which necessitated changing my shirt (not that I did this in front of them, but still, I felt like I was back to being an exhibitionist all over again) and changing her.  But with the water turned off, I had no way to wash my hands or scrub our soiled clothing clean.  Ew.

So here's where we're at, missing cook top and all...

It does look really nice, I think.  Even the cheapest granite is really quite lovely...!

Still Whirling

So Craig got that job offer on a Monday.  And the following Sunday he began ripping out our kitchen.  He'd wanted to redo it for years now, and had gone through several different plans for it.  But with us moving, we went with Plan C or D, which basically boiled down to: replace everything as fast as possible for as cheap as possible.

Ryder liked helping Daddy scrape up all the old linoleum

Ever since he began, I have been living in squalor.  The refrigerator has taken up residence in the dining room, crammed up against a counter that also doesn't belong there (and which is now impossible to open and use any of the things inside it); there are boxes with all my kitchen things piled in the middle of the living room floor; my computer table, Grandmere's desk, and a la-z-boy chair have all been displaced.  The dining room table is crowded with my knife block and all our plates and glasses.  And there is a fine layer of sawdust on top of everything.  It's so awful and gross.

Living the dream right here

But in Craig's defense, for only doing this after work and on the weekends, he's been working wicked fast.  (Much credit goes to his parents for all their help, both with the kitchen work and with buying us meals while we can't cook!)

Laying the tile

Look!  New cupboards!

And more new cupboards!

But.  I HATE it when my house is messy.

So this has been challenging for me.

What's worse, it seems to have inspired a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude within myself, because I've pretty much stopped cleaning the rest of the house, too.

So, yes, squalor.


So instead of sitting around my disaster of a home, I did what any normal American would do, and I went and bought a new house for us!

I noticed it on Zillow last Saturday, obsessed over it Sunday, drove down to look at it Monday (bringing my amazing friend Tracy with me for company!), made an offer on it that night, and found out we'd been accepted Tuesday.  Whew!

All this, and Craig still hasn't seen it.  Poor guy!  (He'll see it this Thursday when they do the home inspection, so until then, feel free to live it up by teasing him about this!)  You can see the listing here, but I should warn you that the information isn't very accurate.  For example, there are 3.5 baths, NOT five.  And the rooms aren't quite as big as they look in the pictures.  And we did NOT pay what the Zestimate for the house is.  But other than that, I think the house is pretty perfect.  Especially for our family.  My favorite thing about it is that it has five bedrooms UPSTAIRS.  None of the houses we'd looked at had that-- it seemed to be some rule that the most bedrooms you could have upstairs was four.  But this one has another bonus room over the garage, and I loved that about it.  I can have all my children sleeping nearby!

Anyway.  We've been stressing out trying to get paperwork rolling on this.  And stressing out trying to figure out how to sell our own home.  And still remodeling the kitchen.  And taking care of the chicks.  And also taking care of Camille (who is three months old today!!!)...  It's a busy, busy, stressful time for us.

I have to keep reminding myself of how good I really have it, rather than focusing on the stress and the squalor.  Because really, we have it so good.

And I mean, who doesn't think that really, a fridge belongs in the dining room?

Chicks!

Because we always manage to do things in the most complicated way imaginable, the day after Craig got his job offer, our chicks came in the mail!  I considered canceling our order, with everything we had going on, but I really wanted those chicks.  I told myself I didn't want to disappoint the kids, but the truth is that I didn't want to disappoint myself, either.  Who can resist baby chicks?  And I'd been looking forward to this day since I placed the order back in November!

I knew they'd shipped, so we already had their "brooder" (ie, the downstairs shower) all set up and ready to go.  I'd been out running errands when the post office called, so we rushed right there to pick them up.  They were so tiny and cute, cheeping away in their little box!  Mypetchicken.com recommended that you not let your kids see them until you've checked to make sure they're all alive and well, so I did a quick head count inside the post office before marching them out to the car to show off to Ryder and Colton.

We let each kid name one, so in order from right to left, we have the Buff Orpington (the yellow one) which Ryder named Happy, our Silkie (the white feathery one) which Bentley named Marshmallow, a Welsummer (the brown one) named Eileena (not sure about the spelling there) by Kendra.  And I named the Silver-laced Wyandotte (the black one) Quicksilver.  They're super cute, although they're getting a bit wild because we haven't had time to play with them very much.  I have a hard time leaning over the shower wall to catch them, because they beat their wings hard enough to fly a bit away from me.  But I always get 'em eventually!

I brought them to the kids' classes and let everyone have a turn holding and/or petting them, so that was a good way to spend an afternoon.  It's nice to be the fun Mom every now and then!

The weather's getting warm, so I'm hoping maybe today we can take them outside and let them experience that for a bit!  Should be exciting!

P.S. on the Whirlwind Post

As excited as I am for our next adventure, I might be even MORE excited to hold over Craig's head the fact that I was right to tell him to go to that job fair.  Think of all the leverage that buys me in the "always listen to your wife" department!

Do you think t-shirts proclaiming that I'm always right would be overkill...?

Whirlwind

So if you're friends with me on facebook you already know that we're moving.

If we're not facebook friends, you just read that sentence and said, "Wait, wha--????"

Yes, we're moving!  This summer!  To Charlottesville!  Mind if I tell you all about it?


It actually all started with a job fair at George Mason University, in the middle of March.  Craig had mentioned it to me, but figured there wasn't any point in going.  He was feeling somewhat pessimistic about the whole job search thing.  I told him of course he should go, why wouldn't he go?  So he took the day off work and went.  He met with an HR person from Albemarle county, and when he explained that he was looking for an assistant principal position, she encouraged him to apply for this position as the "dean of academic affairs" at their vocational school.

When he mentioned it to me, I asked him where Albemarle County even was, and when he said that that was where Charlottesville is, I immediately got excited.  We've only gone there a couple times, but it is an utterly charming town.  I remember going there several years ago and thinking it would be a great place to live.  Right away I was on board!

Craig got home and looked up the job description on-line and laughed about it to me.  It was about a mile long and, as Craig noted, "There's no way I can do all that stuff."  But he sent in an application anyway.  And a week later, they emailed him to set up a screening interview over the phone.  He did the interview the day we were flying out to Seattle, so while we were excited about it, as soon as he got off the phone we were busy trying to fit all our suitcases into the car and getting to the airport, so it was quickly forgotten.

We had our lovely time in Seattle (more on that to come, still), and then the day after I got home, Craig got another email saying they'd like to do a formal interview.  This would involve a panel of 8 or 9 people sitting in asking him questions, and would begin with him giving a 10 minute presentation introducing himself, his background and leadership experience, and then explaining his vision for the school.  In the process of preparing for this presentation, Craig did a lot of research on the school.  In a nutshell, Catec is a vocational school that draws students from the surrounding four high schools, and they can study cosmetology, culinary arts, auto mechanics, construction, fire fighting, audio engineering, and probably some other things that I'm forgetting right now (and possibly calling by the wrong name-- sorry, Craig!)...  The school has struggled with their image in the last few years-- they've gotten a rap for being a school for kids who aren't college-bound, even though they have some really great programs.  So the task before their new administration team is to make it a school that doesn't have that stigma so they can get really good students enrolled in their programs.

So Craig worked really hard on that, and practiced it for me the night before his interview.  And I have to say, he did a really good job.  I was so proud of him.

The interview seemed to go well.  They kept him a bit longer than planned, so I took that as a good sign.  I figured we'd be lucky if we heard back in a week or so.

They called back two days later, on Friday, saying the two superintendents wanted to meet with Craig Monday night.  Craig asked what he should be prepared for, and the HR lady recommended that he be ready to defend his lack of leadership experience.  That's a tough one, so Craig had to spend some time brainstorming for that...

Monday afternoon, he headed down to Charlottesville again.

He called me two hours after his interview was scheduled to begin.  He'd gotten the job.

Not only had he gotten the job, but it was higher ranking than we'd been figuring.  We'd been hoping to find an assistant principal position, but it turns out he'll have an AP working under him here.  How did this happen?

We are excited and terrified.  We are happy and sad.  We are nervous and thrilled.  We are bouncing around trying to decide whether to rent or sell our home, when to move, what to do with the chicks we just got (that will have to be another blog post)...

When I think of all the good friends I have here, I want to cry at the idea of leaving them.  But then I look at my very crowded little home and think, This might be a good thing.  And I think of all the hours and tuition money we've put into Craig getting his administrative license, and I think, A very good thing, indeed.  As sad as I am to be leaving, I'm so proud of Craig.  I'm excited to see what he can do with this school.  I'm excited to live in the beautiful town of Charlottesville and see what it's like living in a University town when I'm not in college, but herding around all my children instead.

When I was a kid, I thought you reached grown-up status and your life sorted itself out and got stable and boring.  But I see now that that seldom happens.  There is always something just around the corner, whether it's a new calling at church, a new job, a new baby, a new home, ...  Life is always an adventure.  Always.

And I'm excited for our next adventure.

Remember Kendra?

Kendra had a birthday two months ago and I never got around to saying anything about it. I think I'll blame Camille for that one...

All you need to know is that, unlike last year, she was not sick at all for her big day.  We actually celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa just a few hours before Camille came, so that made it all very memorable.  She got many lovely presents which she was very excited for. 

The "big" present

I love this picture

And on her actual birthday, Aunt Tracy made her a cake and I did my best to draw a horse on it, but it turns out that the frosting I was using squirted out of the can like cheez-whiz, so that made it pretty hard to draw with.  Kendra liked it anyway, so I guess that was all that mattered.

My friend Jackie took these portraits of Kendra and each time I look at them I gasp at what a beautiful daughter I have.

My little baby is getting so big.

And more astounding than that, her personality is actually sweeter than her face.  Contemplate that for a moment!

More Bainbridge

The next day we mostly spent at Battlepoint Park and taking turns visiting my Grandma.  Battlepoint has always been a nice park, but a few years ago they completely re-did the playground and now it is AMAZING.  I want to play at this park.  There's just tons of stuff to do and run around on.  If you're ever in the area, definitely go and check it out!

L-R we have Eliot, Bentley, Kendra, Colton, Ryder, and Samuel all playing in the sand.  I love the miniature version of Frog Rock here!

Anyway, the kids ran around having fun, the babies slept, the grown-ups stood around chatting.  And during it all, groups would go visit Grandma.  Finally the whole gang went together then to sing to her together, which was great.  We didn't all fit in the house where she lives very well, so we just stood out on the porch and she seemed delighted.

One of the small inside groups

Singing on the porch

AND, that night we got take-out from the best Thai food place ever, Sawadty.  We got enough to feed a small army-- it was really too bad I couldn't take all the leftovers back to Virginia with me!  Actually, it's probably good we don't have Sawadty here in Virginia-- I'd weigh 300 pounds!

Bainbridge!

While I was playing with my friend and we were taking pictures of our cute babies, Craig and my sister were left with the remaining seven children.  Normally I would say that this was cruel and unusual punishment, but playing with your cousins (who you haven't seen in six months) is always awesome:

Caleb and Ryder are totally engrossed in their trains

Bentley tries out Samuel's ninja costume

 
 Once I finally returned, though, it was time to drive to my parents' house on Bainbridge Island!

If I've never said so before, I want it on the record here that I absolutely LOVE Bainbridge Island.  We moved there when I was 5, and I'm sure I never appreciated it growing up.  I mean, I liked the island just fine, I certainly never had a problem with it.  But it took going away to college to really understand what a lovely place it is.  Most of the homes are tucked out of sight in the trees.  Any time you go anywhere, very specific directions were required or else you were sure to be lost, picking and choosing long gravel driveways (usually with multiple homes along the many branches of that driveway) at random and hoping that luck would help you find your destination.  You'll catch glimpses of the Puget Sound all around, and occasionally Mount Rainier or the mighty Olympics (which manage to be covered in snow pretty much year-round, rendering them much prettier than any non-snow-covered mountain), and of course, downtown Seattle with its skyscrapers and ... 

It's one of my favorite places in the whole world.

So it was delightful to be returning.

We mostly just ate dinner and went to bed.  But the next day we managed to walk all of the kids down to the park closest to my house, Faye Bainbridge.  It was a bit chilly, which was unfortunate, since the weeks before had been quite warm, but it was still nice to be on the water again!

Ryder wrapped his blankie around his neck for warmth, and it ended up looking quite debonair...

And finally, my favorite picture from that day:

Kendra throwing rocks into the water

It was good to be home again.

When You Visit a Photographer...

First thing the next morning, after not nearly enough sleep, I got up and showered so I could go visit my friend Kathy.  She was one of my favorite roommates at BYU, and just happened to have a baby just a few weeks after I had Camille.  We already have it all planned out that our daughters will be roommates at BYU, also, and have the time of their lives.  So it made sense to introduce them to each other as soon as possible.

Kathy's Dad is a photographer (he shot our wedding, actually), so the first thing that happened when I arrived was that they did a photo shoot with the two babies.  Kathy's Mom had set it all up and had matching outfits for them and everything.  Her vision was that they were busting out of jail together-- I LOVE it!  (In case you can't tell, Camille is on the right, and Kathy's baby Hailey is on the left.)

If you were to scroll through all the pictures really fast, it would almost be animated.

After much hanging out, talking, and eating of pizza, we decided it was time for another photo shoot, this time with an Easter theme!

And a pretty pink bow...

And this owl hat that I nearly swooned over, even though I thought I had completely resisted the owl craze...

Somehow in all that I didn't manage to take any pictures of Kathy and I.  But rest assured, we had a great time catching up!

Next, it was on to Bainbridge Island to see the rest of my family!!!

The Journey There

When Craig and I went to buy our tickets to Seattle, we discovered that all the flights were at TERRIBLE times.  They were all red-eye flights, or involved ridiculous things like 14-hour layovers in Denver.  (Just for the record, if it's longer than eight hours, I don't think it qualifies as a "layover" any more.)  Factor in trying to do this with five kids and we knew those flights just wouldn't work.  And the few that might be feasible were so incredibly expensive we just couldn't stomach it (even though my parents were footing the bill!).

So rather than leaving the first Friday or Saturday of spring break, we finally decided we would have to leave on Monday.  This led to a series of other consequences: because we were leaving later, I wanted to stay later.  And because Craig couldn't stay as long as I wanted to stay, we decided he would need to return home sooner than I would.  And because I was terrified of trying to fly with all five kids on my own, we asked my sister Tracy to if she could fly back to Virginia with me to help out.  And thank goodness, she agreed!  So we had our very strange schedule all set!

But even then, our flights were still a huge pain.

Going to Seattle, we departed at 6:35pm.  That doesn't sound so bad, except when are you supposed to eat dinner???  Airlines don't serve food any more, so that wasn't an option.  And I knew the kid wouldn't be ready to eat at 3:30 before we left (plus then I'd have to clean it all up or else return home to dishes that had been sitting in the sink for a week-- gross!).  I finally figured out that what we needed to do was leave even earlier for our flight, and then eat dinner at the airport.  Fortunately there was a Chipotle right near our gate, and our kids LOVE quesadillas, so we were all set there.  I also went ahead and had the kids wear their pajamas in the hopes that it might encourage them to sleep on the plane (this worked for the second flight, from Denver to Seattle, but I think it was due more to sheer exhaustion than it was to their apparel).  (I originally was going to make them wear their matching sleepers from Christmas, but then I realized that Bentley was probably too old to make him do that, and the thought of letting Ryder use an airplane bathroom with his sleepers dragging on the floor made me want to puke, so we didn't go with that route after all.)

Craig documented stuff, selfie-style

Colton was so excited!

Unfortunately, even with all this brilliant planning going on, we were still arriving in Seattle around midnight (which you'll note is 3am, Virginia time!), then having to go through the whole process of collecting our luggage (five suitcases and three carseats), transporting it all to the rental car place, renting a car, and then driving it somewhere.  We figured we'd be too exhausted to deal with the ferries, so we instead went to my sister's apartment and crashed there.  She already has a family of five in their 3-bedroom apartment, so all 7 of us were a bit overwhelming to the place, but we made it work.  I'd packed one suitcase that was just the stuff we needed for that night and the next day, so at least we didn't need to bring ALL our luggage inside her place!

We got there at 2am and crashed thankfully into the beds, couches, and sleeping bags she'd prepared for us.

We were exhausted. 

But we'd arrived!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaack!

Wow, I did not realize it had been so long since I posted anything.  We flew to Seattle over spring break, and between getting ready for the trip, actually experiencing the trip, and now trying to recover from the trip, this poor blog has fallen by the wayside.

But I'll work on getting caught up over the next little while, so check back.  I'm sure I'll have more than enough photos, too, so beware.

For now, here's one great picture for you:

The MAIN reason we went to Seattle was to celebrate my Grandma's 100th birthday.  Doesn't she look fabulous???