After much discussion, we made some decisions and talked with the necessary people and are selling this house. It will stay in the family on my grandfather's side and the business will be able to continue and grow as they would like, a great deal for all of us involved it seems. We looked at several houses in person, spent hours online looking at houses. We had loose criteria of looking within a 30 minute drive from the gym for Kevin, a few acres, (but not with all grass to mow) and 3 bedrooms or so. But, were open to a lot of other things, like city/village, schools, style of house, etc. After seeing some that we liked, but had offers, or were on the "maybe" list, one night we found one we fell in love with online. Went to see it the next day, and loved the house. Put an offer on it the next day and was accepted. It's in Palmyra, a town we never thought to look in, or had reason to, but it fit our criteria and we're just pretending we won't be in that 315 area code. ;)
Currently, we are awaiting the final commitment letter or whatever it's called, from the banks. Appraisals are done, paperwork is all done for both houses, just waiting on final closings for each. Whew. Lots of calls to lawyers, banks, mortgage companies and realtors. Appointments to sign and initial and yada yada. Dragging the boys to those appointments are not so fun, but we survived. They're excited to have their own rooms (there's 4, with a 5th that needs to be redone from a studio apartment into what we've decided will be a master suite eventually) and have picked out paint and colors-Kian a medium blue with Super Mario bros stickers and bedding, Karter wants orange, with white and blue for Broncos (his new favorite team after we discouraged him from liking the Cowboys). Instead of 6 acres to mow, we will only have about 1.5, with the other 4 being woods and trails.
Moving in the cold, possible snow, is not a fun thought. But, we've been getting a lot ready. A lot is already packed, and moved to the garage and game room/gym off the garage, so that pulling the truck up and loading it will be super easy, I hope. It's a bit tricky trying to pack the boys toys and games and such, while making sure we keep enough out to keep them occupied, but not be overwhelmed by packing them last minute. Luckily, it's just a 20 minute drive to the new house, and Mema said she'd take them overnight so we can get everything moved and set up and settled before they come.
Lots to think about, lots of lists, lots to prepare and clean and pack. Oh, and don't forget to keep up with regular daily routines. you know, 3 meals per day, along with snacks, dishes after each, and of course the animals have to eat and be cleaned up after. Everyone still wants clean clothes and oh yeah, vacuum and keep things tidy. Ahh! It's harder this time around, for me, and the kids, than it was 2 years ago when we moved here. Karter was just turning one, Kian was just 3, their understanding was less and questions and resistance was less. Also, they were much more easily entertained and placated. Kian understands so much and asks a lot, and really thought out stuff, so there's lots of talking. Karter understands as much as he can, and he's our slow to adapt kiddo, so the transition will be challenging for him. He is a creature of habit, much like myself. I fully expect him to be in our room/bed for the first month, until he's settled, just like he was when we moved here.
On top of all that, I am still trying to keep our "lessons" or "school" going daily. Since this is "kindergarten" and I do not have to report anything to the state or school district this year, we have a lot of flexibility. This is fantastic on days that just are rough and we need to do cleaning and meetings and appointments or have the "crabbies", etc. For me, the hardest part is honestly keeping Kian challenged and busy. He absolutely loves math, reading and worksheets/workbooks. I leave a few on the dining room table at all times and he will do them throughout the day. He's reading small chapter books, like a 75 page book in less than 24 hours. (He definitely takes after his mama.) He began teaching himself double digit addition and subtraction. He's figured out basic/intro of fractions, etc. And doing things that Karter can somewhat do/get, while we're doing Kian's work...oy. But, it's fun. We talk about what things we want to, well, talk about, learn about, etc. and do "unit studies" or "theme studies" each week. I'm learning a lot of stuff that I hadn't before known, or delving more into things more than I have before. It's not cake, but I love seeing the learning and hands-on, right here instead of waiting to maybe hear about it when he gets home 8 hours later. We are going month by month and will see what happens. The plan is to finish this year at him, and then reassess and discuss and see where we're at with the new district, opportunities, where Kian is at, etc.
He's also started karate this month. Last year's football camp was a fail. He wasn't ready, it wasn't a program I was impressed with at all, especially for 4 years olds as they'd advertised it, and that type of sport isn't really his thing right now. He had been saying for months that he wanted to play hockey or do karate. He decided in September, he really wanted karate. He's started in "Tiny Tigers" once a week, and after 5 more weeks, will move up to the twice per week "Little Dragons" class. Luckily, I snagged a "living social" deal for a great price for a month's worth of classes. We will see how it goes once we move, since it will be a bit farther to drive, and money-wise if it still fits in the budget. He gets super excited and does still have a bit of trouble focusing. But it's mostly 3, 4 and a few 5 year olds, so it's not unusual in the class. I think it will help with his balance, coordination, which he unfortunately got from his mother as well, as well as give him some challenge and discipline. He's already learned 3 positions, a handful of Japanese words, and earned a stripe. Here's hoping it continues to go well.
And that, is what we've been up to.... how about some pictures of the house?
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