We are moved in at Degen! As I posted last month we were packing and packing and packing. We're here and it's AWESOME! Everyone has room to breathe and be. The kids are established in their bedroom and playroom upstairs. The moms and dads are happily installed in their suites with attached bathrooms. The kids have their own bathroom as well between their two rooms. We have a family room downstairs (still being put together at the moment) for games, puzzles, arts & crafts, and a media center for kid centric activities (Wii & movies). We even had enough space to set up a little computer desk area for the kids.
The kitchen is giant with two fridges and a walk in pantry. We were able to set up a little dining nook for the kids for breakfast and homework. The dining room is set up and the living room is nearly done. The pool has been great and the kids have been loving having the access. The back yard is still needing some love but we're getting there. Front yard is under control and looking grand. Bill's office is coming along and we're all loving not having the nursery in our room anymore.
There was little anxiety over the actual move from the old houses to the new one. Siddha made the switch from crib to bed and sharing a room with her siblings instead of us fairly easily. Tre and Nani are both doing great with co-habitating and sharing parents. I think it helped we brought them most weekends to see the house while the remodel was happening so they could see the changes and really invest in the concept of the new house and blended family. I think they too were also feeling the pinch of not having enough space.
The kids started at their new school Sunnyside and seem to be doing just fine. There was some anxiety the night before but once they met their teachers everything seem to smooth out. The principal sought us out and made sure we were doing fine. It's a small school so its a shift for us - it's much more intimate than Birney. We're hoping that we'll have a better experience here than there. Wish us luck!
Pride was this month and it was wonderful. The kids were up at the crack of dawn and excited about it. We helped them get their Pride gear on (t-shirts) then went downstairs to get the nieces up to have breakfast. Some of the dads and Becca (one of my nieces) went early to set up Rainbow Base Camp. We had a great spot to watch the parade roll by. There was music, queers and fun all day. My nieces did great at their 1st Pride Parade. Our friend Yoav also joined for the celebration. We cheered and waved - ate and drank! After the parade was done we packed up and sent one group with the kids to the Pride Festival and a smaller group to stash things in the cars.
This was the 20th anniversary of the Children's Garden and it was fabulous. They had rainbow cupcakes to celebrate. They had the usual fantastic selection of craft tables, face painting, games, dance floor and karaoke. As previous years we ate lunch there and then ventured out in pairs or triples as the kids played the day away. We walked around and found a great flag for the house. We got some Pride swag for the kids (rainbow leis) while wandering the festival.
As before, it was great to see other families (new and old) at the Garden. As the kids get older it's great to see them taking in their culture and its history. How a decade ago we couldn't have formed the families we have now and how brave people are working to make the world a better place for our family. They understand how Drag Queens (blessed beings that they are) started all of this at Stonewall. They thinks they are heroes which they are and it pleases me to no end to hear them talk about these esteemed souls in those terms.
My nieces were here for six weeks and while I'm sure they were bored senseless at least half of the time but it was wonderful to have them here. We went to Build-A-Bear (kind of a tradition) with the kids and let them loose on the place. We also went to see several movies including the documentary about Katy Perry which the Tre and Nani enjoyed in particular. I think it made them feel cool to go see an "older kid" movie with their cousins. Becca wowed all with her hair styling skills and delicious culinary treats. Toria is an incredible artist - we went to a ceramics studio and she was so talented. They both were great with the kids and very patient with Siddha. A great visit all around I think.
So please come down and visit us amongst all the boxes! We actually have a guest room and bath now so you can even get a break from us and the unpacking madness. I hope everyone is doing well and we miss you all!
