Thursday was my birthday, and we spent most of the day working on the remodel at the new house. Darren took the whole week off and spent most of his days at the new house tearing down, building up and working with the contractors. On Thursday, we picked out bathroom cabinets and granite for the vanity... so, I guess I could say that I'm getting a new bathroom for my birthday. It all started out pretty fun and exciting, but children are simply not made for the rigors of home remodeling errands. All descended into a chaos of whine & tears. I made the decision it was best to skip any sort of birthday dinner out, and we headed home for hastily heated leftovers and bedtime. (I would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed.)
However, the great thing about a shared birthday week is that there's more celebration on its way. Friday, I was up before dawn with Degen (as per the usual) and decided to make the most of the time. I loaded the baby in the van and we set off for birthday sprinkle donuts for Kyrie. By the time Kyrie woke up, her presents were laid out and her donut was ready with candles. It was a great morning of opening presents and exploring new toys, clothes & movies! We shopped for carpet & tile in the afternoon and ate a picnic lunch at the new house where we spent more time working. The day ended with our favorite pizza and a birthday sundae!
The last week was truly a whirlwind of packing and remodeling. Whenever we could, we joined Darren at the house. We brought an assortment of snacks, toys, movies and an air mattress (for nap time) to try and keep everyone happy. Work seems to be going slowly. There's always more to be done than hours in the day. We've definitely made progress, but it feels like Darren should have taken the whole month off of work rather than one week. The kids make every task doubly difficult: I try my best to work one-handed while balancing Degen on my hip; we rush through decision-making conversations at stores & showrooms with one eye on the kids, one parent always rushing off to tend to someone's cries; we readjust our plans by the moment based on meals & naps and struggle to keep our own eyes open to complete late night tasks after the kids are in bed. Our eyes are always on lists and calendars, tallying the hours and our abilities.
Easter Sunday was another beautiful, Spring day filled with sun & warmth! I splurged and bought pastries from our favorite French bakery, buying one of nearly everything. Then I took the kids to church while Darren went to the new house to work and meet with more contractors. We brought another picnic lunch and ate it in our backyard, which is so expansive that it resembles a small park. The Easter Bunny had been there and left eggs & gifts. Afterward, we worked until we had to get home for dinner (more leftovers) and bedtime.
This week, Darren has returned to work. We both have lists that we peruse separately, exchanging calls and emails to check on progress or calm concerns. I have notified our playgroup friends that we won't be able to play, though we have a birthday party on Friday to attend. Tomorrow is Darren's birthday, our last birthday of the year (thank goodness!). He'll be at work, of course, and at the new house in the evening, I suppose, but I hope that we'll be able to squeeze in a few moments of celebration for him. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve!
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