WOW. I feel like I've been on "wicked" (Lagoon) for the past 5 days and I am just now pausing to get my bearings and let my brain and body catch back up with each other! So re-wind to last Friday... moving day! Yeah! Bright and early the moving van pulled up and it was a BEAUTIFUL sight.
I seriously almost cried. I can't complain about the fact that they broke ground on the house on Oct 19th and we moved in on Dec. 23rd. But I also was about to claw my way out of the apartment. It is SO nice to be in a home again... and as I predicted (and warned Clark) my nesting instincts that have been suppressed for the past few months (well entire pregnancy really) have unleashed with a fury! I'm like a brooding hen getting my nest all ready for a new little chick. Gratefully I still have 4 weeks (minus 2 days) to get my nest all ready.
Anyhoo.. we spent all day Friday getting all our stuff moved into the house and we also closed the same day. Talk about the best Christmas gift ever! Then Saturday we still spent most of the day un-boxing until about 5:00 when we went over to my Mom's to spend Christmas Eve with all my family. We realized that we couldn't remember the last time we had all been together for Christmas, with the Swapp's having been in China for 2 years, then my parents in Fiji and us in Missouri. We've done a lot of "skype-ing" for Christmas over the past 5 or so years. So it was really special to all be together and have a yummy traditional Kasteler family dinner of ham, funeral potatoes, orange rolls, jello, and of course chocolate cake and peppermint ice cream. The dinner is not complete of course unless you eat on Spode Christmas china with the red glasses, a tradition from Great Grandma Kasteler. This year we also started a new tradition with all the grand-kiddos of acting out the nativity. My mom put it all together, came up with costumes and had really simple lines for each of the kids to read. It was really sweet and set the tone for my dad to read us the story of Jesus' birth from the New Testament, and then sing a few Christmas Carols. It really was perfect. Then before bed, our kids got to open their new jammies then head off to bed (with a little help from melatonin... wink).
We spent Christmas morning at my parents house since our house was still overloading with boxes and we had no Christmas tree. It was a really fun Christmas morning, the kids were so excited and it's fun because they finally "get it" that Santa came and everything. Bryson loves his new race car track, but Aspen isn't so much into her gift. All she said she wanted was "Barbies". So she got a few Barbie things and she doesn't want to open any of it. She's just keeping it in the boxes for her "collection". Whatever. So much for getting her something to keep her entertained. All that girl needs is a notebook and some art supplies and she's happy. (remember that next year!) She's a funny girl. But she was thrilled to get some new clothes and a new leo for gymnastics. I had to exchange a few things on Monday and I picked aspen up some silver sparkly toms (to match Capri and Quincy) and that has been a HUGE hit! I had to talk her out of sleeping in them that night.
So here we are a few days later... we survived the move, got the apartment cleaned out a cleaned-up, survived Christmas and now are just starting to settle in. It feels good! I'm making a mental note to really enjoy the next 4 weeks before our next LIFE ALTERING event.
(35 weeks)
1 comment:
You have had a lot happening. I think it's a super idea to enjoy the next 4 weeks. I have a deal for you. Some day when Aspen is in school, do you think Bryson would like to come and play at my house for 3-4 hours so you could go have a morning or afternoon to do whatever you'd like? Let's plan on it. I know we'd have a ball.
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