Easter Sanity Hunt

We kicked off the week with the usual fizzle of me "going to" work and Kira trying to get the kids to complete their school assignments. This week seems to have gone more smoothly with that, perhaps because the kids are better understanding that this isn't just extended summer vacation, and because we are figuring out what works as leverage.

A few weeks ago, around Apollo's birthday, Hannah found that dog DNA kits were on sale, so we splurged and bought one to find out what's inside this little guy.

The results came back early this week, and we found some of the things we expected, and some things we didn't expect. He is a dachshund mix, but it turns out there is also some Labrador and chihuahua in there. You can read his report here. It failed to mention that he is 100% good boy, but we didn't need a test to see that. We also celebrated our first year of having him with us, so it was an especially good week for Apollo.

In all of the monotony, Avey has found a new hobby in baking up a storm. She tried out a chocolate-chocolate chip cookie recipe recently that made me think it might be time to hang up my apron. She then knocked us all off of our feet with her first batch of Chex Muddy Buddies. She's now making plans to try a cheesecake recipe, and our mouths are already watering.

I've been keeping myself focused on my job by rewarding myself with house projects in the afternoons. I started building my shed parts a few hours each day. I've done it all in the garage, with help from Hannah and Avey as they are able, and now have all of the walls built and painted. I'm just waiting for a good day with low wind and no rain to put it all together in the backyard. I can't wait to finish it: it's basically all I think of day and night.

I also finally got around to fixing Hannah's outlet that was giving me trouble a few weeks ago. It was an easy fix, thankfully.

I also made some cosmetic improvements to the upstairs bathroom, updating all of the cabinet hardware (with Carver's help), and replacing the ugly faucet with a brass one that better fits the colors:

We had a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride this week after Hannah found a dog who seemed like a great match for Apollo: about the same size, same age, and even a somewhat similar look. We talked it out and thought we might be open to Hannah adopting her, but then when Hannah completed the application, the shelter basically told her that we couldn't meet her because we had small children in the house. Even though she was advertised as "good with children," they apparently meant older children. When Hannah pressed for more explanation, insisting that the children in this house are very respectful of Apollo's space, and never back him into corners or try to tease him, the shelter basically told us not to bother. We were pretty bummed that we wouldn't even get to meet her and decide for ourselves whether she would be a good match, but think that perhaps it may be for the best to wait until we're a little more prepared.

We've tried to keep entertained in several other ways, too. Yesterday, I rearranged some furniture to shake things up for the boys. I remember as a young kid that we would sometimes push the love seat up to the couch and pretend it was a boat or a fort or something, all to our great delight, and hoped that the boys would enjoy it, too. Hakan has so far had the most fun with it. We even added the tepee my mom made to the very center of it to hold up an old bed sheet as a sort of tent.

That's at least provided some break from the humdrum, although things remain rather tense. We have really enjoyed the sunshine and warmer temperatures, though, so that the kids are more open to playing in the yard or going on walks. Hakan even opened up to the idea of riding his bike again, so I think we'll push that a little harder this week to see if we can make this a time of growth and stretching boundaries.

Notice in the picture the huge hole in the butt. Merritt has loved these pajamas dearly for several months, wearing them nearly every night, and most days when we can't convince him to get out of them. The fronts of the legs are nearly entirely disintegrated, and now the butt is tearing a little more each day. He loves the skeleton bones on the front, and so for his birthday in a few more weeks, Hannah already ordered him some new ones that are more his size, and that are brand new. We are excited to retire these.

Kira stays busy as always with her calling and job on top of everything else. She schedules two phone calls with loved ones on various nights each week, which she usually enjoys. She's got a phone appointment with one of her clients tomorrow, and always plenty else to do. She spent a good chunk of yesterday dyeing Easter eggs with the kids, and we've got an egg hunt planned for later today.

This coming week should be a lot more of the same, though I hope to have the shed built so that I can start obsessing over something else.