Now A Family of *gulp* Six.

AKA: “Make all our dreams come true…” If you are a short-story kind of person, here it is: we put an offer on a house in Plymouth today and are awaiting the results. If you’d like to know the background, read on. Doug and I have been restless for some time. At turns irritated with each other, at turns irritated with Roman, at other turns irritated with the house, the neighborhood, local construction, or the way people drive around here. But, always the underlying feeling that something wasn’t “right.” I was more verbal, of course – I’m just not content. Our pastor preached on the 10th commandment, Do Not Covet, and I got the message… but still. So when I went on my scrapbooking retreat a few weeks ago, I had time in the car (6 hours round trip!) to reflect. When I got home Sunday night, we settled in for The Talk. What came out of it is what I like to call Operation: Laverne and Shirley. We have made short (6-8 months) and mid (2-3 years) term goals, and acknowledged long (5+ years) t...

Oh, the things you can do. For example: Sleep in until 9:30am. Eat a leisurely breakfast while reading the paper. Go to the bathroom as long as you want. Take a shower... or not. Go to Home Depot and wander around, even though you're there to pick up a handful of moving boxes. Eat a hot dog for lunch at Home Depot - just because. Hold numerous conversations without interruption. In the afternoon, it just gets better. If you're me, you can "declutter" the house. Clean out the hutch... its drawers & cabinets... four shelves in the living room... the burgundy room... and a couple shelves in the kitchen. Oh, and did I mention three whole closets?! Pack some items away to see if you'll miss them. Move some items so they're not in the way anymore. Rearrange your child's bedroom (because he never lets me when he's here). And move 6 boxes of " stuff," plus a small chair & a large wastebasket, to the door to be taken to the storage unit tomo...

There were Pilgrims. They were on a boat called the Mayflower. I made a Mayflower at school, can we play with it in the water? The Pilgrims landed at downtown Plymouth Rock. The Indians grew corn. The Pilgrims had a big feast with turkeys. The Indians ate with them. That is why we have a big family dinner. I am going to have pizza for Thanksgiving, not turkey. It would be pretend turkey.

Today is considered "comp time" for the 6-1/2 hours of conferences teachers held, so I get the day off. A good thing, too, because my throat is really sore. Can't decide if it's drainage, or dry weather, or something else. I just got off antibiotics less than a week ago, so this should be fun. I am trying "Airborne" which everyone at work swears by. Take it when you begin to have symptoms and it's either going to prevent your illness from getting worse, or cut your sick time in half. We'll see how it goes. Another blessing about having today off is that I can do shopping. I have a list of 5 places to go today to shop for Christmas - mainly Roman, but a couple other people can be "knocked off" the list too. I do enjoy shopping, and it's pretty exciting to have the money to do it. School district paid early this week! Roman is at preschool today. He is on, what we call in our middle school, a "504 plan." This is typically a ...

Driving in the car: Roman, what are you thinking about? "Going to the Island of Sodor. We will take a Thomas plane there." Honey, I don't know how to get to the Island of Sodor. "I know how to get to the Island of Sodor. (long pause) It's past Disney World... over the market... and then you're there!" "Thanksgiving is when the Indians stole corn." Stole? Do you mean the Indians grow corn? "Umm... yeah. And the Pilgrims had a big dinner and ate with the Indians. That's why we have a family dinner." Roman is just so smart - and so funny! He's got an incredible play imagination now. Tonight we played "Red Bell" (where we traded the roles of Roman, Miss Marcie, and Mama), and we also played "take a bath" where Roman gave me a bath. Of course when it came to the real bath, Roman cried the whole time. I think just because he's exhausted. Speaking of exhausted... Scooter Club at church has been suspended until...

One day's documentation : "That's not fair!" "I am not your friend anymore." "Tomorrow, I will stick my tongue out at you." "Na-na-na-boo-boo!" "You cannot do anything with me. Only Mama." "Mama, you have to go to your room." "Pleeeeeeaase???" "You have made bad choices." "Daddy, you're not cool." To which Daddy replied, "I know Roman, that's been the story of my life." I couldn't stop laughing!

On our way to school every morning, there is a lawnmower repair shop that has a big sign stating "Thomas 20% off." I've often been curious about his selection - honestly, what kind of train selection could a lawnmower repair shop have? - but I've never stopped in. Until today. Roman saw that grinning, cheery Thomas face on a window sign and began pleading to stop there this morning. I decided to go in on our way home. As we approached the door of the one-room shop I could see the telltale blue box that shouted "Thomas!" As Roman and I crossed the threshold we entered it... Thomas Nirvana . This man, this lawnmower repair guy, has the largest selection of Thomas items I have ever seen. More than Toys R Us! He had every engine I could think of, including cars & coaches. He has "destinations" I've never seen in stores - Down by the Docks, the Chocolate Factory, even the Ice Cream Factory! The hospital! The fire station! The new Timber Yard...