I am feeling a shift in the air. A good one. A settled one. I don't know if it is because school started, or because fall is around the corner, or because we are coming up on the one-year mark of moving to Utah, or because we have solved so many family health questions over the summer and are making strides in a healthier direction. It could very well be because we have successfully (knock on wood) walked our children's bedtimes up to a more reasonable hour and Jack, while still requiring check ins, isn't sneaking out of bed all evening anymore, and so Jared and I are finally getting to spend our evenings together. We have started our Harry Potter marathon early this year. It isn't even like they're our favorite movies in the world, but we watch them every fall and so that feels very familiar and grounding, comforting. I am breathing a contented sigh.
Don't get it twisted though, back to school has been BuMpY. I could cry from relief that Jack is happy to bumble down to school in the mornings without any of the panic that plagued our first several months here after the move. Three cheers for anxiety medicine and settling in. But when Jack is home, the sibling conflicts are raging. I'm sure it's from Jack holding it together so long and so well at school, and from past experience I do think this will get better with time, but that part of back-to-school has been dreadful. I tried to take them to Thanksgiving Point after school one day, but we only lasted 7 minutes before both kids had collapsed in an emotional heap at my feet, and after I got them back into the car I turned around and let out a silent scream while shaking my fists in the air as I walked around to the driver's side. Looked up and saw a concerned-looking man watching me from his car. Hey there, it's fine.
But despite the after-school hours stretching into what feels like several days on their own, I do feel settled and happier than I have in a while. Alice will be starting her first day of preschool this coming week. That may also be bumpy. She has an extremely difficult time separating from me. I'm anticipating a rocky few weeks, and then gradually less and less rocky as her teacher and classmates become more familiar to her. Then again, I expected the same from Jack when he started preschool but it was never an issue. We'll see. Send prayers.
Jared took the kids to run several errands with him (he loves an errand) while I cleaned the house for several hours on Saturday morning. It was life-giving to get the house reset after a hectic summer and to think my own thoughts for longer than an hour. Jack will be starting flag football soon, but I'm hoping for a smattering more Saturday mornings like that throughout the fall.
I got to go thrifting at the newly re-opened Provo D.I. with my mom this week. It was extremely crowded with other shoppers hoping to stumble on treasures that had been piling up in the store during the weeks it was closed. It was extremely well stocked and I snagged some fun fall clothes and decor for our next house. And now for some pictures from our happy, bumpy week:
