Lately life feels like the last few minutes before you complete a really big, complicated puzzle. At first the puzzle goes slowly, you have to think hard to figure out where each piece fits. You make a lot of mistakes, try to fit pieces where they don't belong, and just generally feel like the whole picture will never come together. Then as you fit more and more pieces together, it all becomes so clear where each piece fits, and the puzzle starts to materialize... faster and faster...These days? Pieces are practically flying into place.
For us, the big puzzle piece that set the rest in motion was finding a house to go home to. It seemed a daunting task at first. We had been vacillating back and forth between wanting to live closer to Chris's work in the Metrowest area of Boston, and wanting to go back to the North Shore, where we had lived prior to coming to Barcelona. After months and months of combing through listings and ads, and a few heartbreaks along the way as places we wanted were taken before we could grab them, we stumbled upon a listing that looked promising. It had the space. It had the location. It was in the budget. The exterior was cute as a button. After a couple emails back and forth with the current tenant one morning, I had set up a tour for my mother to take a look at the place later that afternoon with the landlord -- who also happened to be super cool, and just generally easy to talk to. My mother brought her laptop, and Skyped with Chris and I the entire time, walking us through each room! Amazing to be touring a new house from 4000 miles away! After talking with the landlord via Skype, and coming to an agreement, we had a signed lease in our hands a few days later. It was almost too easy, and after what we went through during our move overseas, felt like a dream. The best part is, we are completely familiar with this area...which, to us, feels a little bit like the neighborhood we are currently living in here in Spain. Lots of families, restaurants, Mom and Pop shops, beaches. It is perfect, and has made the prospect of leaving Spain a whole lot more exciting, and, despite the fact we are familiar with the area, almost feels like a new adventure all its own!
With the house details set, so began the cascade of plans to follow...enrolling the kids in public school, booking plane tickets, organizing the dog's plane details, booking movers, giving notice, packing up...But, again, it feels nothing like when we came here, which was just an onslaught of confusing, never ending red tape. Rather than the uphill mountain climb the move to Barcelona was, this is practically a sleigh ride downhill, moving along without much effort on our part at all. The thrill of calling up people, or filling out forms, conducted ALL IN ENGLISH -- it feels like someone just took a 40 lb. weight off my back during a jog.
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| Cleaning off the Molly's chariot, getting ready for her flight home! |
We've been talking about the move more often with the kids. Evan completely understands all of this. He knows that our extended families are back in the US, and talks quite often about wanting to see his cousins again especially. Mia talks about it also, though I suspect the move will impact her the most, as she seems to be a little more sensitive to change in general. I'm still trying to think of ways to make this transition a smooth one for her...I'm thinking we will do little boxes we pack together ourselves, filled with important toys or items she knows for sure she wants in her new room, so she can participate in the process and have something to look for once we arrive home. Today she had to say goodbye to her first "best friend" -- a little girl from school who is moving with her family back to her native Norway. Mia was quiet about it tonight...she didn't say much, but I can tell it affects her, more so than it does with Evan, to have the people and places around her changing so quickly.
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| Mia and her first BFF at our house playing last week |
Overall, though, I'd say they are excited at the idea of moving. To have new rooms, meet new friends, and be close to their families once again. I'm already day dreaming about Sunday brunches with family and friends, BBQs (on a GRILL!), weekends in front of the fireplace, corralling all the toys into their own special playroom, and trick 'o' treating in our new hood! Feels like a fresh start.
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| With his trusty sidekick, always by his side :) |
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| Mid roll... |
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| He gets a lot of lovin' :) |
And Evan.
Five years old. I'm going to love five, I can tell already. His little personality, and independence, has exploded lately. He's making jokes, helping out as my right hand man, and now officially has a better memory than I do -- key, when you are suffering from baby brain. Suddenly he is making his own breakfast, getting himself dressed, entertaining himself when he wakes up in the morning...we've turned that corner from needy toddler, to Kid, and it is pretty exciting to be entering this new phase of parenting. Feels a little more like the house is filled with people and personalities, and not just a list of needs that should be tended to.
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| My little artist. I love this picture on the left, he didn't like the first person, so he crossed it out and started again...so cute. |
We celebrated his birthday with some presents, a cake (double chocolate with rainbow sprinkles and a strawberry on top -- just as he wanted it to be), balloons, and a pizza dinner at his favorite Neapolitan pizza place in our neighborhood, O'Principe. It was low key this year, but he was happy, and especially excited about his new Spiderman toy, that does all that obnoxious lighting up and talking that only fathers know how to pick out. Evan LOVED it, and is currently sleeping with it in bed.
Getting ready for the arrival of Grammie tomorrow morning! Beyond excited for Jordi to meet his first relative, and to see my mom for the first time in almost 9 months. Besides a lot of family/downtime, I'm hoping we can do some of our "last call" outings over the next month while my mother is here...a trip to Montserrat, Carnival, possibly a trip to southern Spain to see Andalusia, and a visit to Dario and Delphine's new house up in the mountains! The countdown continues...
