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On Shoes and Shoos
We are all tentatively over our colds from weeks ago, though it seems that a few of us have some seasonal allergies that are keeping noses runny and such. Even though we can’t complain, you can rest assured that most of us will.
It felt like a trying week. We shuffled Tuesday around so that Kira and I could go to an appointment together, checking out a doctor nearby. It turned out to be a disappointment, but seemed to throw off the next couple of days too. Merritt has been getting up once each night in the middle of the night, so Kira and I are both even more tired than usual. I shouldn’t complain, because I do not have the means to feed him at night (he still refuses a bottle), but I have some weird issue with getting back to sleep sometimes after interruption. We hope there are teeth or some other temporary thing to blame…
I went into campus for probably the last time for the next few months. The psychology department is moving to another building, so I packed up my office before and after a meeting with a student. I’m a bit bummed because I had just moved offices a year ago, and very much liked this one. I don’t know what I’ll end up with in the new place, but I have a feeling it will be little more than a broom closet.
As if matching the mood in the home, the weather turned rainy and violently windy for a few days this week. That restricted the activity areas for the kids so that their most attractive game was often seeing who could drive Kira to madness more efficiently (it was a 3-way tie). I have been working from home in my basement “office” most days, so at least I’m nearby in case the screams get too out-of-hand.
I’m in a pretty good place before my online course starts in another week. I’m trying to take this whole next week off so that we can focus on enjoying my sister’s company.
In preparation for her auntie’s arrival, Avey cleaned her room. To our amazement and astonishment, she also cleared the fire hazard off of her desk; it’s been buried under all manner of half-finished art projects, art supplies, knickknacks, and dead rodents (so I assume) for most of the time we’ve lived in this house. I suspect it has less to do with her appreciation of orderliness and more to do with now being able to use the desk as a home for her computer so that she can hole up in there and avoid her little brothers. Either way, we are just happy it’s clean!
As children are wont to do, ours keep growing. It came to a head when we could not find any suitable summer footwear for Merritt, and Hakan’s usual gear became uncomfortably tight. We were faced with the tough decision to either sand down their feet to a more workable size, or purchase shoes that would accommodate their growth. After some lengthy debate, I relented and we chose the latter option.
Avey also needed some shoes for various settings, so we took the whole family to the shoe store. One might think that we had learned what a bad idea that is by now, but one would be mistaken. We split up the fittings, but needed at least 4 other adults to keep occupied the kids not immediately trying on shoes. The boys were all tired, so naturally resorted to pushing each others’ buttons just short of the point where felony charges could be filed. Suffice it to say that we eventually departed the store both with shoes and what little of our dignity remained.
My sister arrives tomorrow, so we are all scrambling around trying to make the house look like a place capable of sustaining human life. We’re so excited to have her here!