Turn, Turn, Turn

The twins started First Grade at a "real school", right? 

That was a pretty big change for our family.

We had some growing pains - the kids and I, as we learned how to be away from each other for such a large chunk of the day, but I'm happy (thrilled!) to report that Brother has been happy at drop-offs since about six or seven. 

And let me tell you, I full-on skipped outta the school that first no-tear day!! 

With school days, we've had to adjust to eaarrrllllyyy mornings as well. Their school starts at 7:15am (all schools around here start super early) and we need to leave the house by 6:30amish, so we've been waking up around 5:30am. 

It's disgusting.

I am SO NOT a morning person.

Give me all the evenings and nights...those are my times.

A few weeks after the kids started school, I was hired on there as a teaching assistant for the Preschool and Kindergarten rooms.

(Big praise! It's a fun job, and it means I have the exact same hours and schedule as my kids, and be on campus if something comes up with either one of them)

Our days may look very different from the slow mornings we used to have homeschooling, but we're getting a good routine down.

David is used to waking up about that time already, as he has an early class. So he's been getting the kids up and turning on some Curious George for them while they wake up a bit, and then getting their breakfast started as well, while I begin to get myself ready. Then he takes off while I manage (AKA: nag) the kids to get their uniforms on, teeth brushed, lunches and waterbottles collected from the fridge, backpacks gathered, etc. 

So we're adjusting to all this new schedule, right?

And everything else feels different, too.

About a week before school started, the kids decided they wanted separate bedrooms. 

We've offered them that option since we moved here, but they've always wanted to share. Then one day they announced they wanted to try their own rooms. We waited a day or two to make sure they really had thought this through, then moved one of the beds into the playroom and Sister slept in there that night. They both had a bit of trouble falling asleep, but in the morning declared it a success and were sure they wanted this to be the new arrangement. 

Oh! And they also decided they no longer want to sleep with a white noise machine on.

Ya'll, our kids have slept with a sound machine since the day they came home from the hospital. Our house in Portland was 900sq feet and we wanted to drown out any noise Dave and I made around the house, and their room was at the front of the house and we lived on a noisy street. Plus I'd read somewhere that white noise helps infants sleep more soundly and we were willing to do anything to get our babies to sleep even ten minutes longer.

New rooms, new sounds, new schedule.

But I'm ever-flexible! I am able to adapt! I can roll with the punches!!!!

And then David offhandedly asks me the other day if he can rearrange the living room? 
I was like NOOOOO!!!! THERE HAS BEEN TOO MUCH CHANGE!!!

I'm super fun to be married to.

Clearly I wasn't coping all that well with all the new.

But time marches on whether we're ready to keep up or not, so I surrendered to a living room furniture switch around, and we spent one Saturday finishing up the kids separate rooms.
Since we're leaving here in nine months, we didn't want to invest in wall decals or painting or anything, but we did want to make each kiddo feel like their room was their own. So we divided up the artwork from what was the playroom and what was their bedroom, and put each piece on the respective artists wall. We took down A's certificates and awards from Tball and dance classes, and hung them in her room. We moved all her clothes into her wardrobe. And we divided up the toys.

The kids worked hard most the afternoon at this, and by the time we were done they were SO proud of their "new" rooms! 

Sister proudly showing off her space...

 Brother was quite pleased with his as well...

The Type A controlling neat freak  aesthetic side of me longs for a more permanent living situation, where we can paint walls (oh how I miss colored walls!) and pick and choose which prints go up, and order some fun decals, and have dressers and desks, and on and on....
But, this works great, and I'm working to appreciate that the kids can decorate these rooms with whatever THEY want on the walls, and they're more than pleased with that =).

Momma working a full time job, kids in "real" school, and an apartment all moved around...here's to embracing new seasons =)