I’ve been trying to take the kids out to the property more now that the weather is warming and the ground is drying out.  I had hoped to go quite a bit last week since we were taking that week (as well as Holy Week, but we were visiting my Mom and busy at church) off from school, but illness got in the way of that plan.   Now that we’re all mostly better, we went there for several hours this afternoon and enjoyed the spring sunshine.

Gregory and I planted radish and lettuce seeds (it is so cute to hear a two year old say “night night, seeds!” as we covered them up with soil),  I picked up construction debris and also took some measurements for the wall behind our woodburning stove.  Emma discovered some sort of larvae in her little “pond” (really a deep hole made by the grade-all when it got stuck in the mud back in December and since filled with rainwater and snowmelt).  She hoped it was dragonfly larvae and I suspected might be mosquito larvae.  Sure enough, a quite Google search once we got home revealed that we are currently harboring mosquito larvae.  I guess it is time to fill in our little pond…

We all really enjoy being out there on the property.  It really is great for the kids (and for me, for that matter) to have that space to explore and romp around.  Every time we’re out there I’m so glad we’re doing this and so looking forward to living there.  But then I get back to the apartment and look at Quicken and our spreadsheets and I think this is the dumbest, most ridiculous thing we’ve ever decided to do.  I also wonder how we’ll ever be able to pull it off so that we can actually finish the house enough that the county will let us move in. *sigh*  It is sometimes hard not to think that things look pretty grim.  Matt’s started suggesting, half-seriously, I think, moving to the property again once our lease on the apartment is up in early summer.  Let’s just say I’m not enthused about the idea of moving back out to the property with a newborn in tow!  I’m glad he’s not entirely serious about doing it, because, really, at this point I just can’t imagine doing the tent thing or the trailer ever again.  If that makes me a wuss, so be it.

So, really, I don’t recommend this whole process to anyone, unless you’re either independently wealthy (or at least a hefty bank balance), have no children (or grown children), and/or live somewhere other than CA where you can move in a lot sooner and not have anywhere near the same restrictions and requirements.  Really, all three would probably be best, but I think it is doable so long as you fulfill one of the above criteria.  I find myself really looking forward to a year or so from now when I think things will be quite a bit more settled and not quite so scary.  I have no idea though how we’ll get from here to there.  I guess we’ll just keep taking it one day at a time and I’ll keep praying that everything just continues to work out.

On a less depressing note - have you ever heard of a two year old who will come up to you and ask you to wipe his nose for him?  I certainly haven’t, but I have one here!