Hotter than blazes.....

Whew! It has been hot this week! Holy moley! We are all sweltering in our no a/c house....even though I am sure we would have been hotter at our old house minus that lovely central air. This house is much cooler...I think honestly, even though its in the city it is a cooler spot....less massive parking lot in front of the door and many more trees and big grassy yards which are very relieving. I know that not having a solarium facing our parking lot helps a lot too. That solarium kitchen sure was nice in January but in August....not so much.

Even though its been so hot, it still seems good to get out for a little bit of time every day. Five children, four and under is a lot in one space, however rambly the house. Mommies start to slowly melt down if there is no outdoors time. Today we took a little stroll through the nearby business district (neighborhood exploring!) and found all kinds of good things: Cuban food, Guatemalan food, karate, Chinese take-out, a drugstore, a laundromat or two, convenience stores, and lots of other great little assets.  

It was also Nib's first time ever in a stroller. He liked it quite well and promptly slept through pretty much the whole walk, snuggled down in a corner. Cute man.

Also of note: Last night he slept through the whole night. He's three months old! I can't believe it. I'm not saying this is any kind of pattern, I'm just saying its amazing....that's all.

We're getting to the end of the cousin visit. Tomorrow they pack their rental car and head off for parts further south to say goodbye to the other side of their family before they head home to Germany to get ready for their Daddy's return from Iraq. We're so honored to have had them visit, we've all been having so much fun together and we've been having a blast the last day or two recounting all the lovely ways our kids have influenced each other....from eating more fresh produce to learning how to teach your baby doll to walk, there's been fabulous give and take on both ends.

Girl cousins are the best. How else is a fellow to learn about these sorts of things?

I also had to share this shot of our tiniest cousin, hugging Nib. She can't keep her mitts off him, hugs and kisses and pats on the cheek without end...I have taken to hiding him on top of the dining room table or back in the mudroom sometimes so he can get a little breathing time from all the love. Its hilarious how "motherly" she is to him, rocking him in his bouncer and kissing him when he's crying and putting his pacifier in....nevermind that she just learned to walk and is only 11 months old herself, he is clearly a baby and needs lots of mothering.

I also blasted through another last legion of boxes (not that I'm done yet....far from it) and I finally have another room completely clear of packing materials. Am starting to get the mad, mad decorating itch so, it will feel really great to finally get through all this putting away business and start slapping paint on the walls and adding the right hardware, rugs and paintings. Am just so dying to get into that part!

Here's a couple more little shots of the house. I need to take some with no macro lens. Sorry for the lack of pulled back, "big picture" style shots. I will try to get some of those with my other camera. This first shot is looking into the kitchen from the dining room. You can see one of the two kitchen windows, one of our fabulous radiators and the creamy tile floor in the room.

Here's the uncovered dining room floor, another little peek at that beautiful wood that was hidden by hideous carpet. You can also see how I need to add wood trim on the bottom of the wall to come down and cover the big crack between the wall and the floor. A little moulding should do the job, all I have to do is pick just the right stuff, in just the right size and paint and trim it to fit. Heh. Am slightly nervous but trying to not let on.

Here's a closer shot of one of the dining room radiators. Lovely old things. I can't wait to glossy paint them all again. They're so elegant looking.

And here's a couple of (urgh) close-up shots in the room I finished today which will be our homeschool room/playroom. It has all the toys, most of the kid books, and a little desk with a beautiful old Underwood, found at Goodwill typewriter on a desk for typing experimentation and letter learning as well as mechanical observation. Ru was thrilled and said something like "Oh wow, Mommy!" when he walked into the room for the first time.

The girls were most taken with the storybook corner and all the cozy cushions to snuggle in with books. Pretty lovely to see how enchanted the kids were with the space. I can't wait for paint and curtains and the like!!! Have big cool dreams for this space.