"Helllllooooooooo?"

That's what Nicholas would say if he had you on the phone. But he doesn't have you on the phone. Because, obviously, that's a remote control.



















Silly Nicholas...Nicholas.

Lunchtime Magic

Sometimes lunch is a quiet affair with nothing much to report. Other times it's one crizazy time.

This particular lunch Nicholas learned just what you should do in front of a camera. Say cheese! Jacob helped in the learning process.

Again and again and again.

I wasn't the only one missing carpet

We had no idea.

























































































And boom goes the dynamite.



He has continued to do this carpet body slam a lot, but now he yells out (as far as we can tell) "yankidoff!". He is just about the funniest guy around.

The above pictures and video were all snapped within about 2 minutes and immediately after we rolled out the carpet.

Deep Sleep

I mentioned before that our new house as some real noise pollution. The boys have proven themselves (despite the racket) to be the champion sleepers I always knew they were.

At this same time Jacob has been slowly getting rid of his afternoon nap. The adjustment hasn't been that bad because we still institute a quiet time that he gladly agrees to. It's a chance to play with toys without anyone bugging him. (Nicholas and I bug him a lot.)

Sometimes, however, the day just feels too long and he fades away into a nap after all. Because these are true "I-fell-asleep-due-to-exhaustion" naps he is a little hard to wake up.















We were all in his room talking at full voice for about 5 minutes before he came to. And Nicholas has a very full voice.















Stunning!















Another great moment in Nap-dom was when we put Jacob's mattress on the floor the day we were finally getting the pack and play down and putting the bed up.

This nap looked like he literally fell down mid-play and gave it up.















And lastly, I just love the little look on his face and the way he's hugging Reggie. To say nothing about his head pressed up against the netting.

































I'm realizing all of the adjusting this little guy has had to make. Three beds in one month? Poor little guy...

For Natalie on her birthday

The view from our living room window as per your request. (Don't you want to see it for yourself?) We're two floors too low to see the Chicago skyline, but on weekends the lake is full of sailboats. (Well worth the visit.)

The boys love the view too. We're 3 blocks from the commuter rail line and one freight train track. There's a beautiful view of it all from the bathroom window. No need for clothes to enjoy a good train spotting.


















We love you and Happy Birthday Natalie! (Come visit us.)

Making a home

When we drove up to our building three weeks ago I was chomping at the bit to get up to our apartment. My fears were that it would be uninhabitable. That it would be covered in lead paint chips. Or (gasp) that there was no closet space.

After a quick look and a few deep breaths I started to feel great. Wonderful, in fact! No raccoons walking through the living room, no paint chips and LOTS of closet space! I kept feeling that way until the following day when it hit me that this was to be our home. Someone had joked that we would be living a quick, little pretend life here in Chicago. An interim. But I just couldn't believe that. When we leave this apartment Jacob will be 5 and Nicholas will be 3. That's a lot of living for those guys. This isn't just a place we are going to grit our teeth and deal with. Nor is it an amazing apartment. But hopefully we'll strike a balance and enjoy our time in this little place.

Here are our efforts at "homemaking" so far, before and after style!

Jacob's room/the playroom before:



















This room was a top priority (since that's where the boys could be safe and happy during the unpacking) and was completed the first day we were here. It hasn't changed too much, although now the pack and play has been switched out for Jacob's bed and we've added another small rug.















Actually, there has been one change. It's a big fatty mess now! In fact, that was changed by the end of this day. No joke, this was taken on the same day as the above clean room picture. Eeeyikes. It cleans up nicely, but by the end of the day it's a sight. Jacob derives extreme pleasure from his hovel of toys and books. And I enjoy not having toys in the living room. Compromise!















Nicholas's room before:



















I love this room. It's quiet and peaceful feeling. So like Nicholas.











































And they seem pretty comfortable.

Adjustments

This move has taught me a few things.  

1.  Always know where you packed the checkbook.

2.  Even if you place an order for the internet, it doesn't mean it actually went through.  So, don't wait a week thinking it will be turned on on Friday...because it won't be.  And when you place the second order call back to verify, because the operator you place that second order with might not put your last name or apartment number on the order.  

3.  Living in Barack Obama's neighborhood (he lives a block from the chapel...which is 5 blocks from our house) isn't as flashy as you think.  

4.  Janitors have it rough.  We now have cafeteria tiles throughout our entire house.  CAFETERIA TILES.  With patches done in whatever color they happened to have handy.  It's perennially dusty, no amount of sweeping will clean it, and when a kid falls on it they will get hurt.  I think I'm going to get some of that powder substance janitors put on throw up for the winter flu season.  Just get me a push broom and a retractable key ring and I'm set!

5.  If you drop a remotely fragile item on cafeteria tiles, it's broken.

6.  City streets are LOUD and my boys are amazing sleepers.  We hear buses, trucks, sirens, horn honks, car alarms, people yelling and loud music all day and all night and they just sleep through it all.  

7.  Living in married student housing is like living in the dorms (or at the UN).  I never lived in the dorms (or the UN) and so it's kind of fun to have people popping in more (and speaking other languages).  Plus, it's more incentive to keep my house clean.  (Expect this aspect to potentially be annoying in a few months.)

8.  Hand washing your dishes isn't all that bad.  (Expect this aspect to definitely be annoying in a few months.)

9.  If you have to take your clothes to a basement laundry facility remember: it's an intense job.  You can use 5 washers and get it all done in 2 hours, which is very nice, but it's a busy two hours fraught with taking your laundry up and down 8 floors.  Again and again.  And, it will feel like it costs a fortune.   

10.  I love Atlanta Georgia.

11.  I remember not loving Atlanta Georgia, so I have great hopes to love Chicago Illinois.

12.  I don't really handle change as gracefully as I would like.  

13.  Kids love elevators.  And when they hear those doors open they go a running and giggling in.  

14.  My kids really aren't that good or that bad in church.  In Atlanta I thought they were the worst kids in the history of sacrament meeting.  But the Hyde Park ward is incredibly rowdy.  There are lots of tantrums, loud talkers and screams.  As much as I truly miss the Peachtree Corners ward...Sundays just got so much easier!

But most importantly this move has taught me that wherever Matt and the boys are will feel like home.  As we were saying our goodbyes in Atlanta our last Sunday the boys had already left to spend the weekend with Grandma Jan and Papa before the long drive to Chicago.  I felt like my heart was already leaving Atlanta because the boys were gone.  Matt and I both felt a real weakening of our home ties to Atlanta because we knew that the boys wouldn't be living there in the near future.  I felt so anxious to get out and get to them.  As we've unpacked and organized (and as I've had about twenty meltdowns due to the cafeteria floors and laundry expeditions) I still feel like this is home because of my three boys.  Add the beautiful, instant social network of our new ward and I feel at home.  

Life continues.  

(And when our internet is fixed on Tuesday I'll be able to get more pictures posted.)

Home Sweet Home

Eight stories up.

How do you like it?  

Give me a few more days and I'll let you see the inside.