Hurricane Sandy, Day 2

We were lucky. Very lucky. We woke up this morning to some minor damage - a few fallen trees, a few broken parts of barn fencing, minor damage to the barn, and the trampoline flew across our property. There was no damage to our house. And our generator is working beautifully. But even though the majority of the storm was over, it still rained most of the day. So, we stayed inside.

I gave the kids another pajama day. And I wore sweatpants (yes, I wore sweatpants) all day. This morning, we played in the playroom while H cleared a tree blocking the road and then got his work done. The kids had fun playing by themselves for a bit and then we had a ball party. We took out all the balls (we have a lot) and played various games for an hour.

Eli in his new favorite spot - on top of the bench to look out the window. He has to climb into his wagon and then onto the rail to get up on the bench. He's quite good at it now.

Tali playing dress-up.

Inside the toy cabinet.

Tali playing dress-up.

The rest of the day was more of the same. The kids had fun playing around the house. We tried to entertain them when we could. They each got a new toy today from our secret toy stash (various birthday/Hanukkah gifts that we've put aside and give them throughout the year when we need to). They took naps. We ate a hot lunch (grilled cheese with apples) and dinner (cauliflower macaroni and cheese) and I regularly, quietly thanked H and everyone involved for the generator. It really makes such a difference. I can't imagine how we'd be doing without it.

Now if only someone would come and entertain the kids for a bit. I have no idea when Tali will actually go back to school (it's estimated that it'll be 10 days - 2 weeks, at least, until we get power back and right now only emergency personnel are allowed to drive on the roads) and I need a bit of a break. We're all going to go stir crazy before this is over. I can see it now.

Fallen trees and a bit of the barn.

Some broken fence in the lower paddock.

Some of the damage to the barn. The door is off it's track due to the winds from the storm.

This is ONE tree that fell. It was all the way in the street but H spent a lot of time this morning clearing it from the road.

Another view of the fallen trees in the back near the barn. Cool to see the whole tree, roots and all, simply knocked over.

Tali's trampoline. All the way down at the bottom of our property. She was a little upset when she saw this.

Nice Evening

Nothing beats an early evening picnic with friends. I made pizza, put out some veggies and there was fruit and mini cupcakes for dessert. I'm happy to say that everything but the cupcakes (barely touched!) and two slices of pizza were gone at the end. The kids had a blast, especially Eli who was covered in dirt by the end.

That's the babysitter (not me) with Tali and Eli.

My Thumb Looks A Little Green

Although my mom, grandfather and uncle all have a nice green thumb, I've always thought mine was a lovely shade of brown. That is, until very recently. H had the brilliant idea to (have our contractor) build me a vegetable garden. I excitedly went along with it, secretly praying I wouldn't regret it. In the early spring I spent countless hours doing seed starters in the house and caring for them. But I was so busy that I didn't tend to them as often as I should have and not everything survived. What did survive, I planted in my new garden. Sadly, most of that died. Almost everything planted way too late in the season. But, a few things have flourished!

To date, I have one pumpkin growing and many more potential ones just waiting to be pollinated, three butternut squash, one bunch of Swiss chard, one basil plant and six pepper bushes. Believe it or not, I still have plenty that died and one bed that's completely empty. But, as I set my expectations very low this year, I am thrilled.

My pumpkin patch - it's gotten so big and this is all from ONE seed!

The one pumpkin growing in that huge patch.

Another view of my lonely little pumpkin.

Some potential pumpkins. These are female flowers - you can tell by the small ball (that's where the pumpkin would grow) directly underneath the flower.

My pepper plants (in the front).

The basil.

Swiss chard.

Butternut squash - bad angle, sorry!

These pictures were all taken last weekend and things have actually progressed nicely since then. The pumpkin has gotten bigger and two peppers are now growing on one plant. I snipped some basil this afternoon for our pizza tonight (it was excellent) and I've cut the chard to eat at some point soon. To be honest, I haven't taken too much care with any of these. With the exception of the occasional organic fertilizer and some weeding, I've pretty much left them alone. But, I'm still going to take credit for them. I can see that green thumb getting brighter and brighter every day.

Still Under Construction

I'm trying to get our life "back to normal" (including regular blog posts) around here but there's still so much going on. We've been in our new house almost a month and a half now and are still under construction. We've yet to have a week of peace and quiet. Today, there are three different crews here: two painters, one landscaper and three electricians for the generator. I also have my cleaning ladies (there are two of them) coming today. So while I try to keep the kids happy and out of trouble,  I will, at one point today, have eight extra people in the house.

It's very bizarre to live in a construction zone. You're never really alone and regular activities, such as meals, are a bit of a juggling act. Plus, Tali is still prone to tantrums and I always feel like I'm being judged if she's acting out. She is always in a safe place and never destructive to anything/anyone but the screaming and ranting can go on for a while. When it's just us, I don't mind. I let her get it out and she'll eventually calm down and do whatever it is I need to her to do. But when others are here, it can be hard to parent her. I still hold my ground, though.

Supposedly the painters will be done Friday (and my kids will have lost quite a few brain cells in the process) but then we start on the real landscaping. That'll be another few weeks.

I look forward to the day when we can have some peace and quiet.

Just Kidding!

Tali saying goodbye to the cherry tree she never got to climb.

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to begin chronicling our house renovation in a new blog. Well, I've changed my mind. Instead of writing for all the world to see, I am going to simply send out regular e-mails, with pictures.  If you'd like to be included in those e-mails, please let me know. You can either respond to this post or send me an e-mail.

Wow!

I can't believe it's been almost three weeks since I've posted anything. I think about it all the time but then get tied up in doing something else. This two kids at home/new house lifestyle has kept me busy! So here are some basic happenings:

ELI
Eli is doing well but has developed acid reflux. Honestly, I used to think that diagnosis was sort of a BS diagnosis for cranky babies. But I see how it sometimes bothers him to eat (arching back, constantly pulling away, screaming, etc.) and how he can get so upset before a big burp/spit up and continues to scream for a minute afterwards because it burned on the way up. Poor little guy. He's on medication and it's helped some but the reflux is still there.

Other than that one issue, he's a pretty good baby. Yes, he cries and has his witching hour, but on the whole he is much happier than Tali was. I find myself constantly saying "Tali never did this" about Eli's smiles and cooing.  This baby has to be good natured and flexible because I'm carting him everywhere. In two months, he's been breast fed in the car more times than I think Tali was for the entire first year. He's pretty good about it, luckily.

TALI
We're done with camp now so I have both kids home for a few weeks until Tali starts school. For the most part, she's been great. I try to do something fun for her everyday. On the days I can't, I make sure we get in a good game of hide and seek (she LOVES this and never tires of it, even though there are only about five "hiding" spaces in our apartment) or something else equally fun. She has become an excellent dog walker and now holds Jackson's leash 90% of the time we take him on a walk. When he has to pee or poop, she patiently sits on the curb and waits for him to go.

We go to the new house 2-3 times a week and she loves it because there is a (very old) swing set there. She's perfectly happy as long as she gets to play on the swings/go down the slide for a bit. She's also gotten comfortable napping in her Peapod in her new room. Last weekend we hired the 16-year-old down the street to babysit her while we met with our landscaper. Tali had no problem warming up to her and I'm glad we'll have a babysitter so close by.

ME
I have my hands full these days and am constantly reminded of this by strangers who hold doors open for me. I think I hear "you've got your hands full, don't you" at least 2-3 times a day. Luckily, my MIL and cleaning woman come to babysit every so often so I am able to run out and get some errands done without both children in tow. But, there are still daily outings for the little things. I am thankful that Tali has really handled the transition well. It makes it a bit easier.

Eli's still not sleeping through the night so I'm still not getting that much sleep. Between the lack of sleep and everything going on, I truly think I've lost my mind. H will agree. I say/do things that I just wouldn't have done in the past. It's strange and a bit embarrassing. Hopefully my brain will find it's way back to me soon.

H
H has been very busy at the house. He spends the majority of each weekend there either meeting with contractors or working out the details of the renovation. He's hardly had a real break in the past month. I don't think he's had a full day at home since we've closed. He's also up late at night working on house-related things. I feel for bad for him. We knew it would be like this but knowing about it and living it are two different things. For me, as long as I can keep the end goal in mind (a nice house that is ours, no more house hunting/renovations on weekends, etc.), then I know we'll get through it. When this is all over, we won't know what to do with all of our free time!

Jackson
Jackson has been on a diet for the past few months and the results are finally starting to show. He's lost about two pounds (which is something like 20 pounds for a human) and looks much better. He has more energy as well. Jackson has gotten very used to being walked by Tali or her 2-year-old friends and simply follows whoever is holding the leash. Oh, and he loves the new house also. When I take him with us, he spends the first few minutes just running around. He's never had such a large open space to himself before and it's great to watch him enjoy himself. Luckily, he's very well behaved and never strays too far from me. He comes when he's called and isn't interested in trying to escape.  

So that's the basic update over here. More to come soon. Promise.

Bought A House

So I haven't posted in a little while. That's because I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to sit down, let alone type up a post about what Tali and Eli have been up to.

Last Wednesday, H and I purchased a house! This has been in the works since March but I haven't posted anything about it for fear of jinxing it. For those who know us well, you'll know that this was a four year search. We've looked everywhere and finally found what we were looking for - sort of.

The house needs plenty of work. It looks nice from the outside, but the inside is a mess. So on top of a toddler and a newborn, we are taking on a major house renovation and the house is about 30 minutes from where we live now. Yes, we must be crazy.

I was thinking about starting a separate blog to chronicle the house renovation but haven't had time to do it yet. If I do end up starting one, I'll let you know. (If anyone has a good name, let me know. I Must Be Crazy was taken - I checked.) In the meantime, here are a few fun facts about our new home:

1. We have 4 1/2 acres of land.
2. There are lots of wild raspberries growing on the property. Tali now asks to go pick raspberries every time we go to the new house.
3. Our backyard is on the local riding trails. Every once in a while, a horse trots through our backyard.
4. Speaking of horses, we have a barn. And two paddocks. H can't wait to turn them into Tali's and Eli's very own amusement park.
5. Our new town has NO chain stores or restaurants in their downtown. It's all local and completely adorable. Looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
6. We're hoping to move in some time this winter.