Homeless

Life is never simple...

The good news is we found a house:

Front of house

Kitchen

View of dining room and family room from kitchen

View of dining room and kitchen from family room

Loft at the top of the stairs

Master bedroom

Master bathroom

The bad news is that the pictures above are the model and our house actually looks like this:

Mid May is the estimated move-in date. We close on our current house on March 31st. That means at least 6 weeks of homelessness for the Starkeys. On the bright side, the weather usually warms up a little in April so we won't be quite so cold sleeping on the streets.

Going...Going...Gone

It's with sadness, joy and relief that I write these words:
We sold our house

Why sadness? This is the first place we really called home; this is where we brought our babies home; this is the place where we invested all of our "sweat equity"; this is the place that welcomed us each time we came home for the last 6 years. And I love it. I love the new green paint, the paver stone driveway, the wrap-around porch, the fabulous pantry, the chalkboard wall in Jack's room, the ample attic storage, our new low maintenance deck (this one made me consider not selling the house), the white millwork (a small detail taken for granted until you realize how hard it is to find), the dormer windows...sigh.

Why joy? We get to find a new home that fits our family a little better - all bedrooms on one level, a family room big enough for 3 kids, a kitchen where we can all eat together.

Why relief? No more showings! Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I had it really easy - we only showed the house a handful of times - but when you're trying to round up three young children, pick up toys, take out the garbage, work in a feeding, make sure you have plenty of diapers before leaving the house and, oh yeah, figure out where to go for an hour with these three young children, one showing feels like ten.

One final look:

Soy Boy

We have official word from the doctor that Wesley is allergic to milk so, for the next few years at least, it's all soy for Wesley. He's also allergic to eggs and dogs (don't worry, this last one is not a food allergy). The funny thing is that he can eat things that have been baked with eggs and milk in them and he doesn't react. By "react," I mean have itchy eyes, cough because his throat is closing and break out in hives - all things that have been known to happen after consuming various food products containing dairy and/or eggs. The doctor also told me that his chronic congestion could be from the allergies.

Most recently, the congestion lead to a sinus infection that resulted in 10 days of fighting with my strong-willed middle child to take a twice-daily, cherry-flavored antibiotic...mmm. And along with the antibiotic came diaper rash caused by...well, we all know what happens when the good stomach bacteria gets "zapped." Being the concerned mother that I am (I admit that I was just as concerned about saving myself from the nasty diapers as I was about relieving my poor child), I checked the "dairy" section at Super Target for some soy yogurt that might help my little guy's stomach. Success! It comes in a 6-pack (3 strawberry, 3 peach) and, surprisingly, it isn't any more expensive than the regular yogurt we get. Anxious to reap the benefits of the active cultures in the yogurt, I offered a carton to little Wesley at snack time the same day. I found out that the days of feeding Wesley are long gone and even the obstacle of a spoon will not get in the way of his mounting independence.

Yes, that's our Wesley...hot-tempered, strong-willed and fighting daily to be as "big" as his big brother. At the same time he's our sweet, lovable funny man, doing whatever it takes to make us laugh.

Please note that this is Elie's hat that Wesley insisted on wearing. At first it was a game, then simply an accessory to his Gopher sweatsuit as he continued to sport the pink mouse beanie while moving on to bigger and better play opportunities.

We Didn't Name Her Snake

As much as Jack tried to persuade us to go with Snake (at least for a middle name), we opted for Elise Katherine instead. Elise made her entrance Saturday, January 3rd at 1:34 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 22 inches long. She looks very much like her big brothers.

Labor was quick and uneventful, just the way you'd want it. I checked in at 7:30, was hooked up to pitosin by 8:30, five hours later I pushed three times and Elise was here.

Siblings?

We are still anticipating "baby sister," as she is commonly referred to around our house. I had mild contractions all night Thursday and was sure we'd be going to the hospital Friday night, but no such luck.

We were talking to Jack about how all this "sibling stuff" works and that pretty soon he would have a little brother and a little sister. We continued, explaining that Wesley was going to have a big brother and a little sister. Then I asked him what baby sister was going to have. "A dress," he replied.

Happy Birthday Jack!

I know, I'm a little late in getting this up. "Better late than never" has become my motto in the last month as I try to juggle all the things that go along with this stage of life...

Jack turned 3 last Saturday. In the same breath I can honestly say "I can't believe he's already 3" and "I can't believe he's only 3." In my hormonal state (I think it's true what they say about carrying girls), I can't write all the nice things I'd like to about my eldest without risk of spending the rest of the night sobbing so you'll just have to make up your own nice things and maybe someday I'll get around to sharing my own.

Jack spent the morning sledding with Daddy down our hill in the backyard.

First he went with Daddy...

Then he tried it alone...


Walking up was not much fun...


Four times down the hill was enough. Jack got his shovel and started helping clear the driveway. This should be read, "shoveled small scoops of snow back onto the driveway that Sean had just cleared." Good thing the shovel wasn't any bigger...

Now That's a Time Out

Whenever our parents stay for dinner we eat in the dining room so there is enough room for all of us. Until recently, we've had Jack in the high chair and Wesley in the booster seat with a tray. Well Jack finally outgrew the high chair so now he sits at the big table. The only problem is that his booster seat doesn't fit under the table that well so he ends up sitting at the end of the table - Sean's typical spot. Last night, since he was sitting in Daddy's spot, he thought he would be Daddy and Daddy could be Jack. After establishing this fact, the following conversation took place:

Mommy: If you're Daddy, are you going to help me discipline Jack?
Jack: Yes
Daddy: What will you do if I have a tantrum?
Jack: You have to sit in the time out chair for two minutes
Daddy: What if I'm still crying after two minutes?
Jack: Then you have to sit in Mommy's chair for two weeks!