Occupant No Longer at This Address

Well, as I suspected, the promise of our internet connection moving to the new house the same day as the rest of our possessions did not become reality. Apparently no one was home when the cable guy showed up. Funny, I seem to remember being here....

But all's well that ends well. We're connected now and we only needed one trip to Caribou to use their "free" wi-fi (as in, $7.50 in fancy drinks later, you can connect for the ten minutes you need to check your email).

The move went really well. Our movers were great - super-efficient and very careful. Enough of you out there have helped us heave boxes (or at least listened to us complain after we've done our own heaving) that I'm sure many of you will breathe sighs of relief when I declare that next time I'm totally hiring those guys again.

(Because it's our family - of course there will be another move. Heaven forbid these nomads settle at one address for longer than 18 months. Seriously, I hope you all write our address in your address books using pencil, although by now you've probably worn through the "JKL" page with all the erasing.)

And a big thanks to my in-laws, who surprised us by coming earlier than expected on moving day and gave us the best moving help ever - childcare! Nothing says "helping" for someone in the loose teeth set like staying out of the way.

No sooner had The Husband's parents arrived, that they left (or so it seemed). They took our kids with them (whoop!), so we're footloose and fancy free this week. Being as rockstar wild as we are, that means teaching ESL last night (for me - The Husband set up the TV) and cleaning out the old house tonight. We're just that crazy.

The school transfer continues apace. I have such a mixture of emotions. Changing schools sooner rather than later is really the best thing - this new school is top-notch, and it is the feeder school for the only middle/high schools in the Twin Cities that offer French subjects (our previous school ends after grade 5). So, theoretically, transferring them now gives our kids a much longer time to develop relationships with the kids with whom they will ultimately graduate. Staying in their current school would only delay the inevitable leave-taking of friends, and make it that much more difficult when it happened.

Plus, our munchkins are (thank you Jesus!) tremendously adaptable. We are amazed by their ability to make friends quickly, and want to take advantage of that ease while they are young as these things become more difficult the older one gets.

Of course, it's still not easy. The Girl's beloved first grade teacher was going to teach second grade part-time this year, so that is a loss. The Girl's BFF will need to be replaced, and it may take time for The Girl to integrate herself into already-established social groupings.

(The Boy wasn't a huge fan of school last year, so we aren't anticipating too much sadness on his part. Plus he gets to ride the bus every day, which will make him happy I'm sure; I'm already gearing up for the inevitable phone calls from the school regarding disorderly conduct.)

And I'm mourning the loss of what I thought was going to be a smooth transition back to a school I actually knew. It's just as tough to be a parent of a new student as it is to have those first-day-in-a-new-school jitters. There's all the logistics, plus negotiating all the new relationships with other teachers and parents. There's the inevitable requests for playdates with unknown children. Plus you have to keep it all together and put on a positive front for your kids who are struggling while quashing that little voice inside that whispers, "are you sure this is worth it?"

But.

This is what we wanted and we are grateful. Transition is always difficult, but this one holds the promise of rendering life a bit more stable on the other end. And, if all else fails, I know of some great movers.