Good Things, Great Things, New Things

At the end of Back to School Week 2 I can confidently say that the Lag Liv family is on a big upswing!

First of all, we bought a house on Friday! It is so beautiful, with the windows and doors of my briefly owned Fort Worth door and window dreams, has a bedroom for everyone and a study for me, a giant open kitchen/dining/living room that is perfect for the way we live (which is generally all within a few feet of each other while every other home we looked at had a very separate dining room with tiny casual dining in the very separate kitchen), a kitchen sink that looks out on the backyard similar to my beloved Fort Worth sink that looked out on the front, closets everywhere including one that can just be for James's swim products, and a gameroom upstairs where our increasingly large children can hang out separately should they ever finally want to. It has space for exactly what we need and no more. It was built in 2020 so everything works, all the baseboards and light switches match, and it doesn't need a single bit of renovation or changes before we can move in.

After looking at homes for weeks I cannot tell you what a unicorn this is. It's on an amazing street in the middle of our new neighborhood, less than a block from the lake, park, and trails. We can walk Cora to school. Kids are everywhere. We have already designed the pool we will build immediately upon moving in. I AM SO EXCITED.

We move in late October because we had to include a (free) lease back to the sellers as part of the offer. But we got the house pre-listing, avoided what would have definitely been a bidding war, and I can force myself to be patient for this 51 day delay even if I am so so done with renting. I desperately miss a home base. I miss feeling like I am investing in something- financially sure, but mostly emotionally and physically. I miss putting my own personality and mark on our living space and walking into this anonymous house makes me sad everytime I come home ("home"). It wouldn't be home without the people I love within these walls, but turns out, for me home is a lot about the walls too. I cannot wait to have my own again and to make them ours. Plus I really REALLY miss our dishes and cookware. Six months in an Airbnb is too long. So until we can retire to the mountains in 20-ish years, I really hope to never move again.

But enough about our future den, let's get back to the rest of the pack!

Landon is doing so well. He finally has all 8 correct classes (only took 8 school days, but let's not dwell on that even though we DEFINITELY COULD). He is no longer sitting alone at lunch. He has started morning swim practice and has a ride with a senior swimmer. He is the only freshman in mostly sophomore and junior classes, which makes him something of a novelty, but his older classmates seem to be embracing him and he sits with a pack of juniors at lunch. He went home with swim friends Friday and when I texted him to see when we should pick him up he said one of his friends would just drop him off later. New parenting milestone unlocked: my child is old enough to have friends drive him home.

He's also signed up for Driver's Ed himself and gets his learner's permit in September. I am feeling every feeling about this, but now that he swims 11 times a week, I'm mostly feeling excited. He is such a joy right now - funny and smart and I feel my heart stop every time I remember he has less than 4 years left in our house. How can we possibly be a pack without him day-to-day? Last night he was showing us how he dances around the house in the morning when no one else is up yet (he gets up at 5:30 am) and we were just dying.

But back to the now: Claire is also doing great!

She has joined the Cross-Country team, made Varsity choir, and is loving all her classes. She went to the high school football game on Thursday night and had the best time. She also had an appointment with an orthodontist last week and I got this text after. Love her enthusiasm for all things.

Yesterday she went running with some of her new XC besties and then roamed the mall for a few hours. I got a very excited text halfway through her shopping time letting me know she had found her "go to fall outfit" and also could I pay for it.

Cora, my stubborn little Dallas curmudgeon, has now admitted to having "many" friends, "officially liking" her new school, and having "great days" there. These are all direct quotes and they are SUCH A RELIEF.

She also had her first soccer game yesterday and she did GREAT and scored the most amazing goal with a kick that went up and over the goalie's head to snag the top corner of the net, and while I think it was mostly an accident, it looked incredible and she was thrilled. She had a pool party post-soccer game and I got to chat with lots of moms and it was such a lovely NORMAL Saturday and I could not be happier.

Also yesterday, we went to dinner dinner at the home of a woman I swam with in high school and last saw in 1998. She is now a vet and lives in our new neighborhood with her husband (also a vet) and two boys. My big kids had a blast running around with her medium kids and if Landon ever stopped swimming he could make a fortune running a camp playing tag and all sorts of creative outdoor games with elementary schoolers. Our kids just love to play and I love watching it.

I also ran into a guy I used to swim with in high school at a boba tea place last week! And a long ago blog reader at the park/Cora's school! Apparently all roads lead to Dallas.

In other excellent news, I got these new fall sneakers and I love them with my whole heart.

We've been watching Anne with an E on Netflix with the kids and it is a delight. I bought the box set of Anne of Green Gables books the very day I found out I was pregnant with a girl/Claire. The show does a wonderful job bringing them to life.

A book came out this week in one of my very favorite series from one of my very favorite authors (Ilona Andrews!) and not only has it been such a treat to read in bed at night, but I have also been VERY RESPONSIBLE in reading until only 10:30 or 11 and then putting the book (actually the kindle app on my phone) down and going to sleep like a responsible adult person who doesn't hate her life in the morning AND gets to look forward to continuing to read her book for a few more nights. Not finishing a book in one night is so nice, who knew?

And finally, in other responsible adult news, I have worked out every day for the last two weeks. And as happens any time I work out again after taking a long break, I'm equally annoyed and delighted by how absolutely amazing it feels. Like every excuse I give myself when I don't have time is actually crap, but that's okay because sometimes you really don't have time and it still feels great whenever you can find it again. It started with me doing my old barre videos I recorded during the start of Covid when I was teaching virtual classes.

I could do them at home in the corner of my rental house and I quickly hated my teacher* who was so perky and happy and never out of breath despite counting her way through long series of side planks while I collapsed to the mat multiple times in the same series. Maggie told me I did great and then rested extra hard for me.

(*Me. The teacher is me, circa-May 2020).

Then I started finding local group classes I could fit in at random times, going from pilates to SolidCore to my new favorite- Sculpthouse. Half on the self-powered treadmills, half on the megaformer pilates machine, it is the PERFECT blend of the cardio I need and the smooth, supported strength work I love and while I don't know how well I can keep it going when my travel starts up again, I feel settled and strong enough to at least try.

James took the kids to a big water park to celebrate the end of Week 2, Claire has a pool party tonight, and I'm soaking up a little silence and checking off family admin items on my computer while watching Season 3 of Never have I ever. Off to week 3 we go!