Life Lately

I feel like I haven't posted much of substance lately or shared much of what is going on with life. So, just a little recap today.

We've lived in our home for nearly a year! Such a wild year at that. We had to make several unexpected home improvements that have taken huge bites out of our financial apple. Awe, the woes of home ownership. 

This year, we replaced the furnace, the air conditioner, and are in the process of replacing the two HUGE picture windows above our door and stairs. One window is blown (causes discoloration) and the other has a leak in it. I'm hoping this upgrade will help with temperature control on the second floor. We get lovely direct sunlight which fills the house with beautiful light...and heat. Anyways, we ordered the windows but delays will push their install until likely October. 

We are also about to jump into a main bathroom renovation. A more detailed post on that is upcoming but basically the shower in Dan and my bathroom has been out of commission since a couple of months after we moved it. Holy wow, bathroom renovations are pricey. We are doing it piece meal very slowly (obviously it's been nearly a year without the shower) but maybe in another year it will be done? Demo starts next week. 

Fortunately, the HOA took care of some improvements this year. We had the roof replaced, they power washed the siding, and just last week we got a stair rail added to our front stoop. 

The next project is giving the front door a fresh coat of paint and add a kick plate. 

Life is moving on from the pandemic over here which is a conflicting feeling for me as it still feels very much like a problem, particularly for little kids. Anyways, I have to return to working in the office beginning mid-August. I have very mixed feelings about it and I'm nervous about the commute and missing the kids. Ivy and I have had every single day of her life together and she isn't weaned yet. I know it will be fine and we will get through, however rocky it may be. I'm just tired of the constant need to adjust routine. 

 

Kip is VERY anxious about the start of school. We all know he will love it once he gets started but in his mind, it feels scary. Any time we talk about it he insists he is NOT going and lists a number of reasons why. We are trying to do some prep with reading books about school but it's not helping. For some reason he thinks he needs to know everything in order to go to school and we can't seem to help him understand that you go to school TO learn things. Tips?

Several weeks ago an old friend who I used to be very close to lost her one month old son to SIDS. It is devastating. I feel so much sadness for her and also guilt. I have two healthy babies and she struggled to get pregnant with one, just to lose him so soon. I'll never understand why such tragedies happen.

Lastly, Grandpa is still in the hospital which is stressful. Please continue to pray for answers and some encouragement for Grandma during this hard time. 

We are all balancing a lot and still trying to enjoy summer, get things done, keep our heads above water and make it through each day.