New Bikes

As a testimony to our optimism we got a new bike for Ashton. She had completely outgrown her other bike and it was no longer really helping the cause.

Of course, Jacqueline was not really enthusiastic to be getting an existing bike and managed to talk her parents into a princess balance bike (has no wheels) also.
Jacqueline is getting pointers from her sister.



Dad is showing Ashton key tips and trying to convince her to ride on the grass.


Both girls look ready to go. Hopefully soon they will actually be riding ;-).

Our new [temporary] house

Here are a few photos of our new [temporary] digs. Although it's only a 2-1 (and yes the 1 part is a bit of a challenge for us) the rooms themselves are actually larger than our past ones. This is especially nice for the girls who were outgrowing their space in the baby room.

We didn't pick the wall color but we did add the decorative stickers to give it a personalized feel. Thanks to Grandpa Bob we also relocated their custom closet to this house so they still have their shelves but slightly larger hanging space.
While there is only one bathroom after a quick wallpaper removal/paint job it came together in a livable fashion. It's a huge bonus that this house has quite a bit of storage space. Turns out that's actually more critical than bedrooms for making a house livable.
Thanks to Auntie Suzie we had almost no challenges moving in space-wise. She helped determine what furniture should be packed for our return and what should come with us (and where it should go). This hybrid of our family room + living room + den + dining room worked out brilliantly.

We did break down and replace the god-awful light fixture in the dining room. Yes, over investing in a temporary space but I'm guessing it might help with finding a renter to replace us if/when we get done on time and want to break our one year lease early.

Sisters

Of course, being sisters has with it a built in tension. And at other times it has a kind of friendship that cannot be matched. I find myself wondering why all the great sister photos I have of the girls involve sleeping though. Here are a couple to make you smile.

There are times where you really need a side-kick who will follow your lead. If that is your situation, Jacqueline is your girl. She takes every new idea Ashton has and gives it her own special twist.
You will notice dressing alike is a common theme as well. Again, Ashton is the trend setter and Jacqueline is the clear joiner. On this morning before school it was fun to see how much Jacqueline likes Ashton's friends as well.

In case you have heard otherwise, being sisters really has an awesome upside.

Ashton's acting debut

Ashton did a small play as part of an after school program. She was an outstanding narrator -- you could actually hear her from the back of the room. Of course, her mom forgot to bring a camera with a zoom so the only footage of her debut is iphone quality (doh!).
They let the young siblings sit in the front which was nice. You should note her cool hat which was sparkle silver.
Several of her friends from the block were also in the play which made practice a bit less boring (although I'm told it was pretty boring still).

Happy Saint Patricks Day

From our Irish home to yours.

Jacqueline joins Junior Gym

While Jacqueline tends to have very few demands in general (except to want everything her sister has) she did want to do a ballet class. We did a repeat of the class Ashton took at the gym but it was a bit of a bust to be frank. Mostly, there were not enough kids to give it structure so after six weeks we went looking for something new.

We found an indoor soccer class which sounded perfect. She had expressed interest and Ashton was certain she didn't have any -- what luck, something special just for Jacqueline. Independence here we come.

and then... of course.... it was canceled due to lack of enrollment. In a quick scramble to re-direct all the positive energy we had built up for soccer with her we landed on Junior gym and everyone involved is thrilled!
Jacqueline loves it and seems to have that right balance of fearlessness and willingness to try anything that is worked out well. I'm hopeful I get to go see a class before it ends but thankfully Judy sent back a photo and it does look like fun.

We need to move

Yes it's true. We are actually making good on the talk we have done for the last fourteen years about how "someday" we would add a second story. This addition project has taken on several iterations, designs and concepts and then the unthinkable happened.... we hired an architect and got serious.

So now we are moving into a rental for some 9-odd months while this all happens. We spent a challenging six-ish weeks looking for a rental, found one, had it fall apart, and then located the perfect place only about 6 blocks from our home.


I found some outstanding movers, who were not at all bothered about my instructions that some stuff should be stored at the house, some stuff should be moved and all the long term storage locations (basement, attic, garage) had to be emptied completely.


Although, there has been the usual strains of the logistics and hassles of moving after such a long time in a house there was only one actual emotional moment for me. That was when I found the baby room completely empty. Somehow I came face to face with the reality that when we move back there would no longer be anything that looked baby-ish allowed. Of course, that only lasted a short moment but it was good that I hadn't yet packed the kleenex.