We arrived at our Airbnb at about 7:30 pm. Our host, Emilio, was there to greet us and give us a quick tour. Afterwards, we moved the most important stuff into the house, got food for everyone and then Jonathan went over to his parents house. The kids and I stayed at the Airbnb and we all slept like the dead.
Some thoughts on habits: There is a fair amount of research showing that habits are especially susceptible to modification during times of major life change (moving, having a baby etc.) Knowing this, I have thought a lot about what kinds of patterns I want to establish in our family: some I want to hold onto and others that I hope to change.
Between being pregnant with twins, having twin newborns, and then Covid, and potty training, we have been more in the habit of staying home than I like to be. And I don’t want that to be our default.
It is hard to get out of the house with 5 young kids. But it is just so good for us.. So, despite everyone’s exhaustion (and attendant bad moods), I was determined to at least get outside.
When we arrived last night, It was dark, so we hadn’t really seen much of the yard. But man, it is amazing!! It was probably 1/2 an acre, so there was plenty of space to run around.
Also, it was rather rainy today, and it just felt like Seattle. We were digging it.
We didn’t do any specific activity. But, the kids had a great time running around and exploring and playing hide and go seek. And the fresh air was also REALLY good for my psyche.
Eventually the twins decided that they had had enough. So the three of us came in, I gave them a movie and I took a long, luxurious bath.
These past few weeks have been some of the most physically and mentally exhausting weeks of my life. During the last week of the move, especially, it always took me a while to fall asleep, at least in part, because my knees and hips were just aching. And so, I stayed in that bath and I soaked for a good long while. It was delightful. I can assure you that this house has a really nice master bathroom.
After the other 3 kids came back in, we did an early lunch, I put the twins down for a nap and got the three older kids settled for quiet time and I took a nap. I took my rest and relaxation very seriously today.
After napping and quiet time, we went and had a lovely visit with Grandma and Grandpa Urie. After which, we came back to the Airbnb and went to bed.
Over the rest of the time that we were in Stockton, we got into a bit of a rhythm. We would eat breakfast, get dressed, and then go spend an hour or two outside.
Most of the time, we threw around the frisbee or the football;
But on one especially fine day, we did an outdoor reading party. #raisingreaders
After our outside time, we ate lunch and then I put the twins down for a nap. While they slept, the rest of us did quiet time and violin practice.
After the twins woke up, we drove to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to hang out and try and make ourselves useful until bedtime.
We had a lovely time visiting with them. And we were so happy that we were able to help them out for a little bit while Peggy is recovering from her shoulder replacement.
