One Month Later

We have now been in North Carolina for a month.  I still have a hard time calling it home but that will change over time.  Lance said the other day that he feels like we are just on a very long vacation and I totally understand.  Part of that could be that I've not unpacked anything personal yet (i.e. trinkets, treasures, pictures/paintings, etc.).  Its taken a month just to get the house functioning.  This weekend we finally finished the boys closet so that we can spend this week transitioning their clothes out of boxes.  The linen/laundry closet was completed last weekend, which went a long way to unloading a lot of boxes.  After taking four weeks to get two closets up and running I'm a little over closets so I think I'll make due with mine for a while.  There is clear evidence of nicotine on the walls but because it has a window at least there's no smell.  Plus if I return one more mis-purchased closet item to Home Depot I think they'll cut me off  LOL.  We've made changes due to moisture, structure, and plain old mistakes that have resulted in way too many trips to THD, there were a lot more challenges than normal closets.

We have made more headway though than just two closets.  We've gotten the Home School Room up and running.  Set up the piano and finally found a way to get the boys beds upstairs (narrow stairway challenges).  Outside the boys have embraced their new "chore" responsibilities as Lance calls they with a smile.  We got a bunch of rakes and a modern twist on a reel lawn mower so that the boys can safely help us mow.  Mowing is Lance's favorite.  Blowing off the back porch is Titus' and I think Jared likes raking and filling the bird feeder best (more about the feeder later).  

I'm happy they are enjoying all the new space.  They realized this past week they can climb up the Red Maple up front and have been playing the part of monkeys ever since.

Chris' favorite part is destruction he says ie. gutting the closets and removing all the nasty blinds.  He also likes to dream about his plans for the yard, boys like to help him start to make head-way.  He plans to clear all the under growth between the current yard edge and the creek.  We plan on leaving the area past the creek wild for now.  My goal is to be done mucking with the house by spring so that I too can focus on garden plans for the yard.

Beside the house we have made headway on getting connected in the community too.  

The first thing we did was sign the boys up for the home school Swim Team.  This is a much bigger affair than what we did at home but the boys are enjoying swimming and more importantly meeting new people.  Through one family we've befriended we have also joined a homeschool field trip group that we hope to start attending different events on Friday next month.  

In our neighborhood, our neighbors have been very friendly.  Coming to introduce themselves and bring baked goods (Yum!).  One of our neighbors invited the boys to attend AWANA at a church literally across the street from our community on Wednesday nights.  I went the first night and though I have some doctrinal issues with the program Chris and I decided nothing is perfect.  They do bible memory work and at least 30 minutes of gym games (dodge ball, relays, red-light-green-light, etc.) which the boys really like.  When Amber gets old enough, if the boys still like it we'll actually have a few hours alone each week, now there's a novel idea.

We also ventured out last week and got our new library card.  Boys were very excited.  We chose the Holly Springs location first because it was closest and were very pleased.  It also meets my current criteria of being off one of two roads I'm comfortable traveling.  Thankfully those two roads are all I need so far because everything is off them; swimming, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter and now the library.  My little world is coming together.  Tight and compact just like I like it.