Already Missing What's Here

Some realities are starting to set in over here.

We all sat down for dinner last night as a family. Sidenote: that almost NEVER happens unless we're in a restaurant. But I made homefried potatoes and Brooks made steaks and we made a bleu cheese and onion sauce and OH MY GAWD it was so so so good. As we sat there, I wondered if it might be the last time we do that in this house.

Today I was sitting in my chair in the family room, watching the kids play (I moved the table out of the room again - thank GOD for no more staging!) and I thought "I'm going to miss this". I'm sure wherever we land they'll play and I'll sit. But it won't be the same. As much as I've bitched about the uselessness of our family room and how it's not really big enough to be living AND dining but really too big to be all living, it's been great for the kids. They have their own area to play in and I can still watch them from "my spot" and even watch a show if I want. I don't know that our next home will offer that luxury. I hope it will. But even if it does, how many years do I have before they want to take their playing private and retreat to their rooms? I guess it's more than just about the move, it's the end of an era of sorts. Grandparent types always tell me that this stage is hard, but fleeting and there will be a day, a day full of teenage boys likely, that makes me long for these days of small boys and exciting Lego creations. I'm really trying to make a conscious effort to enjoy them and not rush them by.

I started packing this weekend. My goal is to do a few boxes or an "area" a day on the weekends and just have the essentials to pack at the end. I can already tell that there will be tough days ahead. I'm ready for what comes next and definitely excited at the prospect of more room for this brood, but how do you leave a house so very full of memories?