A few days ago, I put up a post about things we will miss about our old (in age and status) house. I did this so that focusing on the negative could make leaving it behind a little easier. However, as tonight is the last night we'll spend in the house, nostalgia is creeping in and I want to give some respect to the things we will miss about it.
It's charm.
It's built in hutch and nooks.
Our location in a great neighborhood in walking distance to everything.
Our Boston address. (this will be the first time since moving to the area 12 years ago that I'll actually live in the burbs, outside of Boston city limits.)
Our low Boston property taxes. The taxes in our new town are A LOT more!
Being close to several good friends that we enjoy seeing on a regular basis.
All the decor that we so carefully and methodically picked out over the years.
The beautiful vaulted ceilings and skylights we had done 3 years ago.
The sunroom\playroom. Such a bright, happy space that has been a perfect spot to get in some reading on the weekends or to catch a snooze.
Our amazingly landscaped yard which we've only been able to enjoy for a little over a year.
Dylan's room. My Mom and I put so much love and hard work into making his room the coolest kids room I've ever seen. Though we will be transferring the artwork, in picture form, somehow to the new room, it just won't be the same.
All the happy memories we've shared there....and there have been many. Primarily, it's where we brought the love of our lives, Dylan, home and laughed with him for the last 2 plus years.
Now that we're into our last moments there, the sad feelings are creeping in. Our home has been good to us and we'll miss it a lot. Goodbye Cass St and Boston. We'll miss you bunches!
9/26/11
Packing Frenzy
7 years in one house (the longest I've lived anywhere in my adult life) will cause you to accumulate a good bit of stuff. That stuff seems to multiply when you're trying to wrangle it and pack it into boxes. Despite the pruning we've done of our possessions over the last several months, there seems to still be a lot. And, with a house twice the size to fill, throwing out some of our furniture and decor just isn't an option until we get somewhat settled into our new space and see what works there.
The move is definitely going to happen Wednesday. Well, it's as definite as anything in this process is which means I'll believe it when I see it. The last several weeks have been filled with a lot of headache and uncertainty in trying to wrap up this whole move process. Time line changing events happen daily and we're trying to roll with the punches....and then make all the calls necessary to deal with the snowball effects of those changes.
In any case, this weekend was the last big packing weekend. And boy did we pack! While there's still all the stuff left that has to wait until the last minute to get packed, we have rooms filled not with daily life things, but with boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. Of course, this being the last weekend in our home, we couldn't let it pass by without one last go round of some fun family traditions.
Dylan is obsessed with pancakes. I've been making them once a weekend most weekends (whole grain ones of course) for the last couple of months. So, of course we needed one last pancake breakfast!
Another Hines family tradition, since long before Dylan came around, is Saturday pizza night. I LOVE pizza and making it at home, with healthy ingredients, is pretty much the only way I allow myself to eat it. So, for our exciting Saturday nights as newlyweds, we often made pizza and hung out on the couch. I know, can you stand the excitement? Once Dylan came around and was old enough to eat solid foods, he came to love family pizza night too. In fact, one of my dearest memories of that little guy is on a pizza night. While I was cooking some up just over a year ago, I got to see Dylan take his first steps in our kitchen! Good memories, I tell ya!
On Sunday morning, Mike had soccer so Dylan and I got to hang out and pack together. Before we got to the packing business, we had breakfast to attend to. Sometimes on weekends, I let Mike sleep in while Dylan and I get up to go for a long walk. When we do that, we usually stop at Panera on the way home and pick up bagels for breakfast. Dylan loves bagels probably only 2nd to pancakes. So, Sunday morning, we started the day with a walk down to Panera for breakfast. With our weekend traditions done, we were clear to pack up the rest of the kitchen equipment!
Now, I'm kind of the queen of to do lists around these parts. Even though this moving thing is stressful and driving me insane, I must say there is one serious upside to it....I feel very accomplished since my to do lists get totally checked off! But, I guess that's what happens. When you're moving and everything HAS to get done, you don't have an option but to tick off all the boxes.
By late Sunday afternoon, we all needed a "get out of the house and away from the packing" sanity break. We got in the car and drove north a little ways to a huge, amusement park type furniture store. For those that live in the Boston area, you know where I'm talking about. For those that don't, know that I'm not exaggerating. This furniture store is massive and not only has a theater, restaurant and ice cream stand, but has a jelly bean store, statues of Boston icons all made out of jelly beans, a water show and a trapeze school. If furniture doesn't entertain you, something else there will! There are some furniture pieces we'd like to get sooner than later so a trip to the mega furniture store was necessary. Plus, as a nice treat, my in-laws met us there, shopped with us for a bit and had dinner with us. Dylan always love spending time with his grandparents!
It was an exhausting weekend but we're definitely feeling a lot more prepared for the move. There's still work to be done but we will get it done. Today and tomorrow at work will be hectic (this also being my busiest time of the month at work). Wednesday we close and move into our new house. Thursday we'll get any last bits out and the current casa cleaned then close on it Friday. I'll take Wednesday to Friday off work for all of this and hope to also get a good bit of unpacking done. My in laws have been kind enough to offer to come help us all day with Dylan (and whatever else we need) on Wednesday. This means we won't be relaxing in the near future...unless relaxing means passing out from exhaustion! So, until I get a chance to kick up my heels again, I'll have to keep one of my new favorite pictures of me and Dylan in mind. This was taken sometime over the last couple of weeks when I took a movie snuggle break with my boy. Don't we look peaceful??
The move is definitely going to happen Wednesday. Well, it's as definite as anything in this process is which means I'll believe it when I see it. The last several weeks have been filled with a lot of headache and uncertainty in trying to wrap up this whole move process. Time line changing events happen daily and we're trying to roll with the punches....and then make all the calls necessary to deal with the snowball effects of those changes.
In any case, this weekend was the last big packing weekend. And boy did we pack! While there's still all the stuff left that has to wait until the last minute to get packed, we have rooms filled not with daily life things, but with boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. Of course, this being the last weekend in our home, we couldn't let it pass by without one last go round of some fun family traditions.
Dylan is obsessed with pancakes. I've been making them once a weekend most weekends (whole grain ones of course) for the last couple of months. So, of course we needed one last pancake breakfast!
 |
| This is how happy pancakes make Dylan. |
 |
| Pizza and Party Cups |
 |
| Pizza makes my boys happy! |
Now, I'm kind of the queen of to do lists around these parts. Even though this moving thing is stressful and driving me insane, I must say there is one serious upside to it....I feel very accomplished since my to do lists get totally checked off! But, I guess that's what happens. When you're moving and everything HAS to get done, you don't have an option but to tick off all the boxes.
By late Sunday afternoon, we all needed a "get out of the house and away from the packing" sanity break. We got in the car and drove north a little ways to a huge, amusement park type furniture store. For those that live in the Boston area, you know where I'm talking about. For those that don't, know that I'm not exaggerating. This furniture store is massive and not only has a theater, restaurant and ice cream stand, but has a jelly bean store, statues of Boston icons all made out of jelly beans, a water show and a trapeze school. If furniture doesn't entertain you, something else there will! There are some furniture pieces we'd like to get sooner than later so a trip to the mega furniture store was necessary. Plus, as a nice treat, my in-laws met us there, shopped with us for a bit and had dinner with us. Dylan always love spending time with his grandparents!
It was an exhausting weekend but we're definitely feeling a lot more prepared for the move. There's still work to be done but we will get it done. Today and tomorrow at work will be hectic (this also being my busiest time of the month at work). Wednesday we close and move into our new house. Thursday we'll get any last bits out and the current casa cleaned then close on it Friday. I'll take Wednesday to Friday off work for all of this and hope to also get a good bit of unpacking done. My in laws have been kind enough to offer to come help us all day with Dylan (and whatever else we need) on Wednesday. This means we won't be relaxing in the near future...unless relaxing means passing out from exhaustion! So, until I get a chance to kick up my heels again, I'll have to keep one of my new favorite pictures of me and Dylan in mind. This was taken sometime over the last couple of weeks when I took a movie snuggle break with my boy. Don't we look peaceful??
 |
9/21/11
Things I'm Not Going to Miss About This Old House
Moving away from our house is very emotional for us. We've put so much time, money and personalized decoration into it that it has truly been our home for almost 7 years now. There are a lot of things about it that we'll miss. However, to try to make leaving it more bearable, we've decided to focus on some of the negatives about it we'll be leaving behind and not have to deal with anymore.
The squeaky hardwood floors.
Our wet basement that's good for storage only when lifted off the ground by a crate.
The antiquated two pipe forced steam radiator heating system that only plumbers over 100 years of age (IE none) actually know how to work on properly.
The garage that was built for a 1926 size car and hasn't fit one it in since.
Being extremely close to neighbors (not that I have anything against our current ones but a little more privacy will be nice).
Window A\C units. The invention of central A\C is truly glorious.
Not having electrical outlets on every wall. Even with our multiple renovations, there was still 1 or two walls in the house where a plug was always needed and didn't exist.
Having only 1 full bathroom that's pretty small. It can be pretty cramped with all 3 of us in there in the mornings.
The drama that goes along with prepping it for sale.
The drama that goes along with selling it.
The drama that goes along with moving out of it.
Our new house is also a very young house and won't come with the set of problems that an old one does. While I'm not ignorant to the fact that I'm sure we'll inherit new problems, it will be nice to leave these old problems of our old house behind.
The squeaky hardwood floors.
Our wet basement that's good for storage only when lifted off the ground by a crate.
The antiquated two pipe forced steam radiator heating system that only plumbers over 100 years of age (IE none) actually know how to work on properly.
The garage that was built for a 1926 size car and hasn't fit one it in since.
Being extremely close to neighbors (not that I have anything against our current ones but a little more privacy will be nice).
Window A\C units. The invention of central A\C is truly glorious.
Not having electrical outlets on every wall. Even with our multiple renovations, there was still 1 or two walls in the house where a plug was always needed and didn't exist.
Having only 1 full bathroom that's pretty small. It can be pretty cramped with all 3 of us in there in the mornings.
The drama that goes along with prepping it for sale.
The drama that goes along with selling it.
The drama that goes along with moving out of it.
Our new house is also a very young house and won't come with the set of problems that an old one does. While I'm not ignorant to the fact that I'm sure we'll inherit new problems, it will be nice to leave these old problems of our old house behind.
9/20/11
2nd Annual Hines\Lee Storyland Adventure
Saturday morning (now over a week ago) we continued our NH trip by spending the day at Storyland! We got up, had a quick bite and hit the road. Thanks to hurricane Irene and roads being washed out, we would have to take a detour to that side of the white mountains forest. In the end, it was a nice drive....only about 15-20 minutes longer than usual and very scenic. All the kiddos had short naps on the way there so we were hoping they would be energized to get through the rest of the day without their usual naps.
The weather was sunny and cool...absolutely perfect for a day outside. We arrived about 45 minutes after the park opened and left just before closing. It was a long day but the kids (and parents) had a lot of fun. I have lots of pictures of random rides. Here they are.
While Dylan mostly had the deer in the headlights look during every ride, he was always ready to go on the next one. When he got off a ride, we would ask him if he had fun and he would always reply "fun." I did hear a few "wee's" on a couple of rides I got to ride with him. Of course, there were only a few that I could go on since pregnant ladies weren't allowed on most. I guess I should have expected that but for some reason I thought that rides meant for young kids would be gentle enough for me and the baby in the womb. So, I was a little bummed but it worked out for the best since it minimized the amount of arguments Mike and I had over who got to ride with Dylan on what ride. What can I say, we both love amusement park rides!
It being Saturday, September 10th when we were there, it was also a very special day - Mike's b'day! (Also my Mom's birthday and I called her after our day to wish her a very happy one.) I was hoping that guest services would have something super embarrassing to inflict on a birthday boy, like a crown or something. They didn't but they did have a sticker where they would fill in how old you were turning!
The weather was sunny and cool...absolutely perfect for a day outside. We arrived about 45 minutes after the park opened and left just before closing. It was a long day but the kids (and parents) had a lot of fun. I have lots of pictures of random rides. Here they are.
 |
| Antique Cars - Dylan had no interest in driving so I took the wheel. |
 |
| Log Ride - They didn't allow preggos on. |
 |
| The ""Big" Drop (Remember, this place is geared towards very young kids.) |
 |
| The Ball Funhouse This was definitely a family favorite. The boys loved it and everyone, parents included, participated in a foam ball fight . |
 |
| The Lee Family in a "Hot Air Balloon" |
 |
| Dylan's First Roller Coaster! (He and Mike are seated in the 2nd row from the back. This was another ride I wasn't allowed to enjoy.) |
 |
| The Cuckoo Clockenspiel (Dylan loved looking at all the working parts, inside and out, of the big clock.) |
 |
| Cinderella's Castle Dylan and I rode in the pumpkin carriage back down the hill. |
 |
| The Carousel |
 |
| Justin's Ready to Ride! |
 |
| Mike's Ready to Race! |
 |
| All Three of Us |
 |
| Ryan, Dylan and Justin on the Plank to the Pirate Ship |
 |
| Mmmm....Slushy! Ryan drank the whole thing! |
 |
| The Flying Fish It was tough to get a great picture, but Dylan and I loved this ride. Dylan had a lot of fun controlling the fish sail. |
 |
| The last ride of the day was a family event - the Turtle Twirl! I was shocked that a ride that whipped you around so much was a "safe" one for me. I loved it and couldn't stop laughing at the turning and Dylan's confused expression during the ride. |
It being Saturday, September 10th when we were there, it was also a very special day - Mike's b'day! (Also my Mom's birthday and I called her after our day to wish her a very happy one.) I was hoping that guest services would have something super embarrassing to inflict on a birthday boy, like a crown or something. They didn't but they did have a sticker where they would fill in how old you were turning!
 |
| Michael's Birthday Boy Sticker |
After a long day for everyone at the park, there were naps on the way home (for kids and me) and then it was a mad rush to get dinner ready for the kids, the cake made so that the boys could enjoy it, and then dinner made for the adults. |
I made (what I must say) was a delicious cake. I thought we'd had candles for the cake at the condo but we didn't so we improvised with a yankee candle.
We sang and Mike blew out the candle. Dylan told us all that we had done a "good job." Good job is one of his new cute things. He compliments himself and us after a task completed. Not only is it cute but it makes me feel like I'm doing something right as a parent that he's mimicking positive reinforcement to us. Then, it was time to enjoy the cake. Yummy!
With the little ones in bed and the adults fed, the hectic pace continued. Mike, Dylan and I had to leave very early in the morning for Mike to get to his soccer game back in MA so we had to clean, pack and prepare the condo to be abandoned again for who knows how long. It was a very long and exhausting day! I was counting the tasks down until I could get to bed.
9/19/11
2nd Annual Hines\Lee NH Trip
Well, we are now well into packing land. Most of the weekend was devoted to getting our house ready for the move. With only one more weekend before the big event, there's no time to mess around! Since blogging about packing is not at all exciting or interesting, I figured I would reminisce back to the weekend before when we were having some fun.
I took off the Friday before last for the 2nd annual Hines\Lee NH trip. Last summer, we had Mike's cousin and his family (Erik, Jessie, Justin and Ryan) up for a trial run of Storyland fun. And while it was fun, it was also really blasting hot. With that not a distant enough memory, we opted to try for a 2nd annual trip when we might be in for a little cooler weather. So, back in the spring, we picked the weekend in September to be the time. Little did we know then that it would be our last bit of fun before moving madness.
Thursday night, we all arrived late and just unpacked and got kids in bed. Friday morning was when the fun would begin. And what's more fun than pancakes for breakfast followed by the Polar Caves? Almost nothing!
When we arrived at the parking lot of the Polar Caves for the second time that morning (the first we were there 45 minutes before it opened so did a detour to Walmart down the street first), I gave Erik a demo of our back pack. We thought it would be great for him to carry Ryan through the caves in. Since Dylan's very used to the backpack, I used him for the demo. Well, my little lazy boy then refused to get out of it. So, I was a pretty silly sight for a while - a big ol' pregnant lady carrying around a big 2 year old!
After looking at the pretty pheasants they have and feeding the deer and ducks, I convinced Dylan to get out of the pack and walk around. It was time to head to the caves!
Dylan and Justin did an amazing job of climbing up and down all of the stairs (and there are TONS of them) and were brave little boys adventuring through all the caves. Mike, Jessie and I accompanied the boys in all of the caves but Erik and Ryan only went through a few. The backpack wasn't working all that well for him since he was a) not used to it and b) pretty nervous about knocking Ryan's noggin' on the rocks. He also came to the decision that Ryan was far too heavy to carry while climbing through the caves. So, they patiently waited for the rest of us to go through the caves.
I think the timing was perfect for the trip. The weather was great, 2 out of 3 kids were big enough to walk through with assistance and I didn't get stuck anywhere (a few more weeks along, that might not have been the case)!
After all that climbing, we stopped at a gazebo on the grounds for some snacks. And since everyone did such a great job, it was "Polar Cave High Fives" all around.
Back out towards the entrance, we stopped again to watch the ducks. The boys really enjoyed them. Especially Dylan.
And we had one more attempt to get a family picture by their bear statues. Dylan wasn't into it so you just have to be happy looking at Mike and my mugs.
After our adventure, we stopped at a sandwich\pizza spot for lunch. With full bellies, it was time for naps all around (since the previous night didn't give any of us a good night's rest). And by all around I mean in rounds. The kids napped while some parents did then other parents napped while the boys were taken outside to play for a while. Then we fed the kids and got them to bed. The adults stayed up for a while talking....probably too long since the next morning called for an early start and a long day. We were all going to Storyland!
I took off the Friday before last for the 2nd annual Hines\Lee NH trip. Last summer, we had Mike's cousin and his family (Erik, Jessie, Justin and Ryan) up for a trial run of Storyland fun. And while it was fun, it was also really blasting hot. With that not a distant enough memory, we opted to try for a 2nd annual trip when we might be in for a little cooler weather. So, back in the spring, we picked the weekend in September to be the time. Little did we know then that it would be our last bit of fun before moving madness.
Thursday night, we all arrived late and just unpacked and got kids in bed. Friday morning was when the fun would begin. And what's more fun than pancakes for breakfast followed by the Polar Caves? Almost nothing!
 |
| Ryan, Justin and Dylan Waiting for the Grub |
 |
| Dylan, Preggo and the Bear |
 |
| Feeding the Deer |
 |
| Erik, Ryan and Justin |
 |
| Smooch on the Kissing Bridge |
 |
| The Lee Family |
Dylan and Justin did an amazing job of climbing up and down all of the stairs (and there are TONS of them) and were brave little boys adventuring through all the caves. Mike, Jessie and I accompanied the boys in all of the caves but Erik and Ryan only went through a few. The backpack wasn't working all that well for him since he was a) not used to it and b) pretty nervous about knocking Ryan's noggin' on the rocks. He also came to the decision that Ryan was far too heavy to carry while climbing through the caves. So, they patiently waited for the rest of us to go through the caves.
 |
| Cousins in a Cave |
 |
| Justin and Jessie on the Descent |
 |
| Mike and Dylan Following |
After all that climbing, we stopped at a gazebo on the grounds for some snacks. And since everyone did such a great job, it was "Polar Cave High Fives" all around.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)