Settle In, We've Got a Lot of Catching Up To Do

Hello!

Somehow 10 days have gone by since we pulled off Claire's big surprise and one of the best things we've ever done as parents.

Moose the spunky black wonder kitty has settled in beautifully.

Everyone insisted on sleeping with him on his first night (also his second, third, and fourth) and he continues to bed hop between all the kids.

He has run of the house (cats are amazing; there's no learning curve for them), always finds his litter box, immediately figured out his food nook, plays hard, and naps frequently.

He loves soft things, all the toys, purring loudly, and drinking from Maggie’s giant water bowl.

James was the most reluctant among us to adopt another animal, so of course Moose adores him.

Landon is completely besotted, much to his own surprise and delight.

Cora is thrilled to have a small brother and like the stroller, doll clothes seem inevitable at some point.

Maggie thinks they're best friends, but Moose is reserving judgment.

Maggie: Mom! It's my best friend!
Moose: Ugh.

He smiles when he sleeps, moves faster than the camera can capture, and we all love him so very much.

In other news from the last week and a half, we've been venturing out in limited measure to catch up on some long-neglected maintenance and to do items. In the last ten days I've gotten a haircut, pedicure, and wax. Masks on the whole time, spread out from other patrons, with a pre-set appointment, and hand washing at every step, it seems to have worked well. The only downer was not having anywhere to go once my hair was cut and styled for the first time in months!

The girls also got their hairs cut and the sweet stylist blow dried and then curled Claire's because it was her birthday and she was THRILLED.

I wish I knew how to do that- for both of us! And then for Cora, the stylist felt Cora's deep sense of disappointment in her short curly hair and blow dried it straight for her. She was so excited- and the girls loved that they'd flipped places: Claire now with curly hair and Cora with straight. Our family pictures were a few days after this and Cora requested straight hair for the event. I'm a little sad to not have her beautiful curls captured in the photos, but it's her hair, and a friend was sweet enough to come over with a round brush since I am inept at using one.

She looks so adorable- and so much older! I think I mention this every time but James and I are both constantly remarking on how we can't believe we're truly past the little kid stage of life. Crazy as it sometimes was, I think we were both deeply aware that the little kid/toddler phase was just the most special joyful wonderful thing and every time I get sad at truly being past it, I'm comforted in knowing we sucked the very marrow out of almost every day. Not that I don't love having big kids- I do!, or that I don't look forward to the ever-older years ahead, it's just after having three babies, we were in that little kid phase for a very long time and it's so bizarre to know it's past us forever.

But onward! to home summer camp and attempting to be a full-time lawyer with three kids at home while your husband runs a swim school in the backyard. Incidentally, something that would be pretty much impossible if we still had toddlers.

In order to maintain sanity and provide structure to our day, we're still having a version of summer home school in the mornings. Every day there's a journal prompt on the white board and they have some work books or math problems or other projects to work on until they do a mini swim camp at 11.

This prompt was inspired by my poor mama who went in for a little surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma on her nose (the same skin cancers I've had removed) and came out hours later with an unexpectedly large part of her nose gone and an appointment with a reconstructive plastic surgeon set for the next day. She's since had a second surgery, with a third scheduled at the end of the month, to remove, repurpose, and regrow skin to rebuild a nose. It's been traumatic and painful and very much a shock for her. I drove over to Houston Thursday and Friday of this week to keep her company and give my dad a break from nursing. We watched Project Runway, ordered my brother's rehearsal dinner invitations, and just hung out. It was so nice for us both.

I made my parents this roasted tomato pasta puttanesca for dinner and they loved it as much as every member of my own little family. HIGHLY recommend. My mom ordered a food processor just so she could make it again.

Working from home remains surprisingly seamless and at this point, weirdly normal. I wake up, log in to my folding table bedroom desk, and start the day. We're still working out a few bumps with the swim school being so loud and dominant, mere feet away from my table, and the kids being so very trapped inside with me. There are good days and bad days. On the days I feel like I was the best lawyer, I know absolutely that I was the worst mom and wife. Interestingly, when I went into the office, I very rarely felt that way. The separation between the two (and our full coverage childcare) allowed me to be pretty good at both, I thought, as I was usually only focused on filling one role at any particularly moment. Whereas mashing them together means I could and should be both at all times and have to make choices between one or the other, all day.

24 hours of desk beverages

Claire had her 10 year checkup last week. It took two hours, causing my stress level to rise with every 15 minutes as I knew how much was waiting for me on my desk, but it was good to check in no her height (moving up! 73rd percentile), weight (steady as always, 50th percentile), and overall health (great!).

One thing James and I are also realizing about this brave new summer world is that because he's now coaching ALL day, after being closed for months and trying to make up ground, it means the division of labor I used to be able to count on is now out the window. He always did all doctor appointments before 2 p.m. and now, that's all me too. Adjustments! I'm making so many of them! (And trying so hard not to yell about it!)

Speaking of doctors, Landon ended up at Urgent Care yesterday (a Saturday! James took him!) because he was hit pretty hard in the ear with a water balloon at a friend's front yard birthday party a week ago and he still feels intense pain when he tries to get in the water. Turns out, he has a ruptured ear drum, and there's no sign of healing, so it's off to the ENT to talk about surgical repair. Sigh. On the upside, after being VERY familiar with both adult and pediatric ENTs in every city we've lived in before now, we've never needed one in Fort Worth and I had to ask for referrals! Being 8 years ENT-free was not anything we thought would be possible several years ago when James and Landon were both having ear surgeries months apart.

Landon continues to love his online cooking class. Here he is making a Farmer's Market Frittata which was delicious. I don't think I ever mentioned it, but he also read the most words in 6th grade this year, some 4.5 million of them, so he gets his name and picture on the wall at school and got to pick any treat he wanted to have at home. He picked thin crust pepperoni Domino's pizza. One $5.99 special later and his dream was fulfilled.

On things that cost more tan $5.99, both of our HVAC units and all the duct work in our house are being replaced and rewired this Friday! It's a million dollars, but the unit in the main house died again and it was the trigger we needed to finally pull the plug. We knew when we bought the house they'd both need replacing soon, so I think we were just lucky to eek out 8+ years. And with the new, modern, flexible duct work our whole house should be able to be one temperature which will be very exciting indeed.

As part of that we're refinancing the house, replacing the windows, adding insulation, and replacing the back deck. Our appraisal was last week and it was so great to hear that the house has gone up well over $200,000 in value since we bought it. And thanks to decreasing rates, we got to drop 10 years off our loan term, pull out cash to pay for the projects, and keep the exact same monthly payment. So, at least the numbers worked out and I feel genuinely excited about these improvements and the long-term investment that is this house we love.

On another positive note, I continue to teach my Zoom yoga and barre classes and they are such a joy.

It was almost a year ago that I started my yoga teacher training (what a lifetime ago that now seems) and I just love that through this time of sheltering in place and isolation, I've been able to grow my practice and my teaching and reach new students in this way. I love creating new flows and transitions between poses and LOVE getting to teach and challenge and share in the joys of new poses with friends and students near and far. From my sister sending me a video of her first Crow pose from Boulder and my friend Daniel in Austin sending me a video of his first Tripod Headstand, I squeal and clap and get a little teary from hundreds of miles away. It's just the best.

Also the best? James and my first date in forever when we went out for drinks and dessert after dinner last night. A surprise suggestion from James, it was everything we needed after a really busy work week for me, combined with a quick getaway to Houston, and a super hot and busy week with the backyard swim school for him. We went to HG with its giant patio out on the Trinity River. Our table for two was at least 20 feet from the next nearest table, there was a light breeze, and it was absolutely wonderful to drink a frozen adult beverage (oh how I've missed them) and just chat with my date.

And now finally, food! Recipes from last week and the one ahead:

Sat: Butter Chicken, Basmati Rice, Roasted Cauliflower. Delicious! and different from our usual flavors.
Sun: Steak Salad (lettuce, tomato, black beans, corn, avocado, grilled sliced flank steak) with Cilantro Lime Dressing.
Mon: Grilled Pineapple Pork Sandwiches, Healthy Slaw, Chips. The pork was great, the slaw so-so.
Tues: Taco Tuesday!
Wed: Caprese Gnocchi (Gnocchi tossed with pesto, sliced cherry tomatoes, tiny balls of fresh mozzarella).
Thurs: Pasta with Meaty Marinara Sauce.
Fri: Out! James picked up fancy pizzas while I was driving back from Houston.
Sat: Grilled Chicken marinated in Italian Dressing, Parmesan Tomato Zucchini Bake, Bread. I got this mandolin slicer (and these gloves!) and it is the most fun thing. The kids have been slicing whole apples into a stack of paper-thin slices all weekend.

Sun: Salmon, minus the salsa, Roasted Potato Wedges, Salad (Mixed Greens + Beets + Apples + Goat Cheese + Candied Pecans + Balsamic Vinaigrette).
Mon: Greek Farro Salad (mine is most similar to that recipe, though I don't use capers), TJ's Gyro Meat, Garlic Naan, and Tzatziki.
Tues: Tacos, Mexican Rice, Black Beans, all the toppings.
Wed: Sunshine Lentil Bowls. I follow the recipe exactly; don't forget the goat's cheese, it all comes together like perfection.
Thurs: TJ's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers, Wheat Buns, Chips, Fruit, Raw Veg and Hummus.
Fri:: Out, huzzah!*

*Are you watching The Great on Hulu? Because you should be? It is hilarious and gorgeous and an all-around delight. Highly recommend.