Moving Out Day, Champaign Edition

I am sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of Evan's room because it is the only chair not covered in furniture pads. All my stuff is being loaded onto a truck right now and I can't concentrated on work. In a few hours all that will remain in my house is a crib, a futon, and some suitcases.

7 years we were here. We painted every wall. Some twice. We patched cracks. We tore down walls and rebuilt windows. We learned about plaster and power washers. We kept Lowes in business for a few years there.

We decided that home repair is not really our forte.

We wrote dissertations here.

We rode the waves of graduate school here. We worked real jobs here too. Ones that actually payed us to sit in our sunny second floor office at our homemade desk, big enough for all (well, most) of our computers.

This was Evan's very first home. He learned to sit, crawl, walk, and talk here. He learned to run, and giggle, and tell the cat to get off the counters.

He learned that cats do not listen well.

When we first moved in to this house, the cat, barely more than a kitten then, sat at the top of the stairs and watched us move everything in. He couldn't run out the door because he was afraid to go down the stairs.

Now, we get notices that it's time for the cat's "geriatric" health evaluations. He's now shut in the bathroom closet so he doesn't run out the door that is held open all morning. He's not happy about that.

E is at school this morning, thank goodness. He loves his school and they love him there. His teachers are very sad that he will be leaving and I am very sad we will be leaving them. I haven't broken that part to E yet. He knows we're moving to "Tensee" and that we are going to a "parmen" but I don't think he really knows what that means. Tomorrow we will walk to school but I'll pick him up in the car to drive him to our new, temporary home.

No pictures right now. The cameras are packed so they don't go on the big truck. Same with the picture hard drive. Don't worry, it won't be two months without pictures; maybe just a couple more days. Then we'll be settled in the new place just in time to head off to New Mexico!

Helping

The Real 5th Beatle

Sorry for the contrast problems. Well sort-of sorry, I'm pretty happy for sunny, 70 degree weather in November.

2 years ago today

 

Painting Pumpkins

 

 

 

 

The Method Actor

Mornings begin as evenings end, with a book and a cup of milk and some snuggle time. These days we're side-by-side on the couch rather than he in my lap in our rocking chair. There is often as much talking and interacting as one-sided reading now.

This morning we sat down with Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town and took up where we left off the night before. After reaching the page about supermarkets, E (and his appetite) were starting to really wake up after a long night's sleep. He pinched his fingers near the picture of the apple bin and offered me an apple. I thanked him, of course, and noisily ate my imaginary snack. We traded back and forth like this for a few minutes; a grape for him, a pineapple for me, a pear for him, and tomato for me. He gladly ate the corn. He even tried the celery. Then, I offered him a radish. He tried it and then cried out "I no yike rad!" He nearly had tears in his eyes. For a few moments, he whimpered and buried into my arm until a tempting strawberry restored his good humor and his interest in paper produce.

(Note: to my knowledge, E has never had nor heard of nor seen a radish. Not a real one anyway.)

 

Joking around

While discussing how words are spelled ...

E: "P say puh"

Me: "That's right E!"

E: "Wha say boo?"

Me: "Huh? Do you mean buh? B says buh."

E: "No. Wha say boo?"

Me: "I don't know, E"

E: "Ghost say boo!"