Slightly normal (what is that?)

We have moved house.  I think I mentioned that a while ago but I just wanted to make sure you knew that we have really moved.   I sleep in my new bed, Frost sleeps in his new bed (no longer a loft) and Wren has the best bedroom of all - navy blue and snuggly - but we have to keep his door closed all the time because Beezle has chosen it as his number one place to poop indoors if he can get there.

Beezle also likes to chew plastic toys, like pigs.

Frost is having a leisurely summer reading, playing Halo on X-Box and sorting and reading his Magic the Gathering collection.  Tonight he is out at a MTG FNM game as he likes to call it.  The slight intrigue, the insider knowledge of the acronym appeals to him.

Now that we have moved we are all catching up on sleep, going to bed a bit late when the dark blue sky has past 10pm and the sickle moon hovers somewhere over Phinney Ridge.  Josh told me that tonight, if the sky is visible, we may see some of the Northern Lights but I checked a short while ago and it was still murky with the sound of airplanes droning out of sight.

I just signed Wren up for another session of his favorite art class.  I am a bit rude about the class which is formulaic and skills based rather than allowing for imagination and creativity.  However, since Wren does not lack for those and adores the art class (going so far as to tell me that when he is 5 years old he is going to school at the art class!) I signed him up for another quarter of classes.

I have signed Frost up to see a writing coach this month to help encourage him to write.  Like Wren, he does not lack for creativity but I seem to have trouble putting my "summer writing boot camp" into practice.  It was the only thing his teachers asked me to encourage as Frost is not as fluent with writing as some of his classmates and this could make his projects and essays harder in 5th grade.  The writing coach says he is a bit of a perfectionist and is teaching him strategies to get words on the page in an organized and easy manner.

Both kids have been to dentists recently.  Frost had a replacement retainer (apparently his tendency to eat with the retainer in led to its early demise) fitted and Wren has 2 more fillings (to be treated in September).   Frost's teeth seem fine but they both eat too much sugar (self-flagellation <<--- here).

We are trying to finish unpacking the boxes over the next few weeks.  On my list there are some big items remaining  - we need guest room furniture, a second fridge for downstairs, some carpet underfelt to prevent casualties, an extra lounge chair, some patio furniture and a strategy for a vegetable garden.

We are still unravelling the mysteries of the in-house cabling and lighting, the home security system (to be activated next week) and the showers (one of which squirts directly out the shower door onto the tiles).  I finally figured out how to stop the dishwasher alarming incessantly when it completed its cycle and the washer dryer are so efficient I cannot keep up with the laundry folding.

Still, our clothes are unpacked and our food is in the fridge so most of the major things are done and we are almost ready for my Dad's visit at the end of the month.

Beezle. 4 months and 3 weeks old

 

He weighs 7.5lbs and is timid with strangers but bold from a distance.  He loves his raw venison diet but wants more food, always.

Back in the sunshine saddle

I was woken this morning at 8am by the partially equipt burglar alarm sounding an exterior door alert.  I staggered out the bedroom without my usual stealth, hanging Beezle like a fox stole over my forearm.  I have learned from bitter experience that one must evacuate Beezle to the garden ASAP at wake-up to prevent him taking advantage of a carpet.

The back door was shut as was the patio door so I squinted out to the garden to see if someone had gone out the basement garden door.   It was sunny.  Bright blue blinding sun shining off the she-oak in the neighbors garden.   Dew coated the deck and the windows were closed but Wren was out on the basketball court scooting rapid patterns through the angles of sun and shade.

I took Beeze out to the grass and sat on the wall by the court.

"Wren, you must tell Mum or Dad before you go outside when we are asleep."  I told him, thinking ahead till next week which his extrusion would have resulted in a burgler alarm siren after a 45 second respite.

"You have never said that rule before!"   he countered.

"Well, it is a NEW rule then.    Wow, you are fast on that scooter."  I noted.

"Its because I growed up.  God invented this rule called the growing rule where you can do different things and grow bigger but be still 4."

[I am interrupted by the site of Frost, wrapped in a blanked, running across the lawn in a covert manner clutching Beezle.   I infer that the Boys are fighting over possession of Beezle, again.   "Frost, put Beezle DOWN!  He is not a toy!"  Wren finds them and they both argue with Beezle to spit out a cherry he has found fallen from a tree.   "Maaahm... Beezle swallowed a cherry pit."   "Its okay, I think.  It will come out the other end."]

Wren does curves and swerves as he circuits the court.

"I am going to make lemonade-sicle " says Frost, retrieving a DIY Popsicle stick from Beezle.   "I have lost my lemonadesicle!"  shrieks Wren.  "MAKE ME ONE TOO!"

I imagine the neighbor flinching in the 8.45am Saturday lie-in.

"Frost, make one for Wren too."

Yesterday, we made lemonade from a bottle of lemon juice Fred left us.  I made it in a huge pantry bottle because my lemonade pitched broke last year and as a result everyone splashes lemonade when they pour it and the floor of the tiled kitchen is tacky with sugar-water.

The Sewer
Last night I had dreams about the sewer, but good ones.  This is an improvement from previous days.  While we have bought this house we have not yet sold our first home.  It went on the market last weekend and we received 5 bids, which we reviewed on Tuesday.  We accepted the best offer and they proceeded to inspection.  While the structural inspection was fine, we heard the sewer scope showed "the entire line needed replacing and it would cost $35,000.

Needless to say, that was a shock.

Lots occurred since then, but we have now resolved to replace the line from the house to the street before sale.   It will cost $9,000 and be done early next week.  Thankfully, further inspection showed the truly expensive section of sewer (sidewalk to street) was in good condition and so were saved that extra $20,000.

Today
So, faced with a lovely truly summer day, we have some plans.  We are going to clear out the garage in the old house (to allow sewer line construction through the basement!), go hat shopping with Josh, take Beezle to the dog park and I am heading to Swansons to buy some rose medicine as our roses here have black spot (and aphids which I will treat with a hose and soapy water.)

I am much happier dealing with these things than the paint,  sewers and expenses of weeks past.

For Alex
Frost played FNM last night and got fourth.  He won two boosters.   He has been staying up till 11pm every night watching RedBox videos with Josh. When I got him to bed by 10.15pm last night, he couldn't sleep.

He doesn't know what he will today.  He says his plans are:

Stay at home.
Read.
Play video games.
Eat vegan nachos.
Lay around inside.
Watch TV.

Wren begs "Frost, Frost, wanna play Scooter Crazy Man?  I try and hit you because I am CRAZY and you try and dodge me by going FAST."

So Frost will have to add that to his days agenda.