moving forward

Wow.  Just...wow.  My feet hurt, unfamiliar muscles ache, my house has that clean but destroyed from a constant flow of people look, other people's things are laying about after a frantic departure yesterday morning, leftover party food in the fridge and my entire family is still asleep.  I'm exhausted...but my heart is full from it all.  It's a familiar feeling I had hoped I could get to here in this new place.  And like every bit of joy this year,  I had to work hard to earn it.  It's a tough year, but the lessons I'm learning are life changing.  How did we get here again?  


60 days of "settling in", unpacking and feeling out where we are and how we fit into this new place. 


One last trip to Minneapolis to clear out our house to get it ready for the lovely family that will move in and fill it with their own brand of family energy.  It was a task I took very seriously, I want to hand them a home, not just a place to crash for the next year or so.  They may be renting, but it's their home for as long as they live there.  And it's a great home, I'm so pleased they will be the family to take care of it.  It is really a match made in heaven, this family, our house and us.  Even though we had only communicated through email over the last several weeks, when they entered the house, it was hugs instead of handshakes.  It was laughter, smiles and fast, lively chatter, questions about each other's children and lives.  It was marveling about how the universe brought them to the craigslist ad I posted and all the signs that this was meant to be.  


I was surprised how heavy my heart was as we did a final walk through the house.  Happy to be handing it over, but realizing that I really really miss my kitchen window, with the bird house view.  And I miss getting ready in the morning in my bathroom with the window wide open, listening to the traffic and airplanes.  I was always aware that people were cruising over my house, on their way to somewhere.  That energy I was constantly bombarded by when we lived there, felt good as a visitor.  


No regrets, but lots of reminders of why I love that house and that city. 


That is how we got here.  At the point where we are finally, officially, fully here.  And to celebrate this commitment to being 100% vested in our new gig, we brought our style of crazy to the University of South Dakota homecoming weekend.  Enthusiastic, loud, unorganized, go with the flow, face painting, dancing, the more the merrier style.  Gather people together and see what happens, no expectations, no pressure.  Just have fun with it.


Liam brought his grumpy, screaming baby face and Annika her oh so angsty and embarrassed by her parents face.  Brandon brought his confused but patient daddy face and I my endless enthusiasm for all things cheesy, like parade mixes on the ipod and spontaneous dancing...face.  It was us through and through, so now they know, this is how the Schapekahms roll.  Usually a little late.


A party, a parade and a college football game.  All at the end of an insane work week.  And a week that included pink eye and a couple of kids with colds.  Yup, full heart, tired, tired body.

My Week by Fricka

Giving the house a new "do" for her new family.

Brandon wants me to tell you they were in this position for 6 hours that day, head and arms up.  Never put wall paper on a ceiling.

Wallpaper is truly the work of the devil. Seriously, what kind of NASA space glue is used to put this on?

Thank God for my girl...she always pulls through.



But for every ying, there's a yang. For every craptastic home improvement project, there is family improvement time.


Liam needed some Cece time.  The second we pulled into the driveway at 11pm, he knew we where we were exclaiming "Cece!!!"







It did my heart good to see both babies settled back in the loving arms of my broski for the weekend.




Even the tub is fun when you visit Cece.



Back in South Dakota we are submerged in Fall Fabulous.









And how do you make fall fabulous more fabulouser? Enter Daddy coming home from work:




Mommy thinks it's pretty awesome when daddy comes home too. Just saying...



Which brings us to the last couple of days. The days we became joiners, part of our new community. A coming out of sorts. I picked my comfort zone... fall, floats, parades and football.






And Oh My God...to see my babies invite their new friends over! There may or may not have been a moment that I snuck away to shed a happy tear.






To see my family welcome new people into our home, our lives. It felt good.

Angsty

I had another tear filled moment though, taking photos.  I again recalled the time before we moved, when I realized how different my photos would look from now on.  And indeed, here were a bunch of beautiful new faces to capture.  But the faces that were missing would have been such a perfect match for the activity and I missed them all day long.  And I sent them a text telling them as much.  And they...sent me their faces:)

<3

In conclusion, life is good.  I leave you with  the picture that sums up the spirit of the weekend...



Have a peaceful, lovely Sunday. XOXOXOXOXOXO

the sweet spot

I'm in a familiar space...in the sweet spot.  I've spent alot of time this year taking and talking about "time off' of travels and plans.  But today I packed my bags, kid bags and dog bags and lined them up by the door.  The plan is to get up and go tomorrow.  We haven't been on a road trip in two months, has to be a record for us.  And this one is super duper sweet because I get to see my husband, hug my parents and sleep in our new house.  It isn't going to be exactly as I envisioned it.  It will be better.  It will be piles of love under one roof, working and living together to plan the future.  Just thinking about it makes me feel strong, makes me proud of my family.


"Suck it up and get it done."  That's what my Dad said last week on the local news (so proud of him all the time) and that is exactly what we will do.  It's just...how we roll.


So yeah, this feels a little monumental, like another step out of the funk and back into the world.  The play lists are cued up, road snacks packed, movies ready to go.  Toss on some comfy clothes and hit the open road.


I know I've typed that before and it feels awesome to type it again.  I've never been one to complain about the long haul to my family.  I really do believe that getting there is half the fun.  Even though the roads to SD are well worn and not full of surprises, I find comfort in every landmark that tells me we are that much closer to home.   I love stopping at the same places to eat the one favorite item only they make or to stop and use the best bathrooms.  I can even tell you which truck stop has the warmest bathrooms in the winter.  I'm the walking road trip to South Dakota survival guide right here.


Big trip tomorrow:)


Big trip a couple of weeks ago.  To Dragonfly Bay.

A weekend rental on the lake with an extra "party room" building.  A big house, party room with a piano and video games, docks to fish from, hiking trails, hot tub, message bed and sauna.  A gift of relaxation for an extended family that has taken quite a beating this year.  A time just for us and our babies to welcome spring and summer in with lazy mornings and completely unplanned days.  Work forbidden, points ignored, make up optional, belly laughs required.






The girls each brought a friend. This is their first traveling sleep over with friends, what a fantastic gift from the best Uncle ever. I spent so much time just watching them, realizing that they would remember this weekend forever. I remember the first weekends I spent away from home with friends in the summer, how free it felt to sleep in a new place, to have no rules about bedtime or a wake up call. I was keenly aware of making sure they got the whole experience, that this would be the benchmark for a weekend at the lake.




There are so many things people try to tell you about being a parent before you are one. And when you are pregnant it's all about the sleep deprivation jokes and warnings about how fast they grow up. But no one tells you how funny your kids will be and how someday after poopie diapers and night terrors, you will want to hang out with them. They will become people who's opinions you respect and who's style floors you.


And our girls have such fantastic friends, who dip a toe in the nerd pool and upon finding it pretty warm and cozy in our family...don't hesitate to jump right in. They contributed desserts and babysitting, dance recitals during our talent show. They take hugs and give them right back, it felt like we just lucked into the best biggest family ever.








The weekend activities flowed organically, inspired by a sight or sound, a quiet moment, the presence of the lake and the absence of any "have tos."

What I did on Memorial Weekend...by fricka:

I had sunrise breakfast every morning with my baby boy, just the two of us early birds.


I laughed until I peed at the monkeys for the monkeys. My mom sent fun stuffs for the babies ahead of time and they got to open them the first morning. It is a shame we lose the ability to get this excited about a stuffed monkey.


Or warm bubbly water...


I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up. Let slippery cold mud coat them, cool green grass scrub them "clean" and the warm sunshine bake them toasty warm.

The little feet did that too.

I also just took it all in. Quietly soaking it all up, letting it fill my heart.

Who is the absolute coolest Uncle ever?  I think you know the answer.

Nature makes city babies sleepy.

Yes, we will remember this weekend for a long time.









My favorite moment? It's hard to say. They Murder Mystery dinner set a high benchmark. So cool it will get it's own little blog post in a moment:)


But I let me show you one that may take the title.


My baby girl has had the fishing bug for as long as I can remember. She loves to fish, the peacefulness of it, it calms her very busy soul. And as I stood on a hill, getting ready for a hike, I looked down to see her bathed in fishing peace.


They were not talking, there was no noise, just the two of them quietly fishing.


And catching fish:)




We are a family that loves traditions.  As us "kids" get older we have begun to establish new ones, like the "parting shot."  A snapshot to commemorate that these people were here together for a time...and are joyful because of it.


Dragonfly Bay 2011 Baby! WOOT!