Week Thirty-nine

Saturday I told Austin about a local monarch festival and asked if he'd like to go. He loves butterflies and drops random facts about them occasionally so I assumed it would be a perfect outing. I left mid morning to run an errand and returned to the house as Austin was announcing he would not be going to the festival because his mommy told him he needed to make better choices if he wanted to go. Apparently the appeal of butterflies was not quite enough. 

As it turns out, Lauren drove near the festival that afternoon and was held up in so much traffic getting into the event, we elected to skip it altogether anyway. Austin, who had turned his behavior around, was pretty disappointed and took a minute to be sad with Mimi before we implemented plan B. Our back up outing was a trip to the local Berry Shed for pumpkins and a cute little accessory kit. Austin had a blast and we likely saved not only our sanity but also a significant amount of money. 

He located leftover sparklers from the Fourth of July and had to play. His fascination with what he could burn with them was only slightly concerning. His mouth can't keep up with his brain; both never stop. Listening to him reason what could burn quickly, once again demonstrated his intelligence. 

Sunday Greg and I hiked the festival grounds to see if we could find any remaining butterflies. We did see a few but they were either in flight or injured. The hike was beautiful none the less.

The cup collection around here is ridiculous. These are just the ones the girls packed to take with them. 

Life is never settles around here. Ever. Lauren and Kate were moving out as Erin announced she would be moving in. We were shocked by both decisions. Lauren was ready to have her own space again and took Kate with her to also spread her wings a bit. I didn't love this and had to navigate withholding my reservations. Isn't this the way of motherhood? And then Erin listed her condo so she and Evan can buy a house before his lease expires in January. We offered a guest room in the event moving dates didn't align. Her realtor convinced her to sell the condo empty and wanted to list right away. So here we are, exchanging a dog, two daughters and a grandson for another daughter and a cat. 

I can't have nice things 

His mom set the box on the table to pack it and he immediately turned it into a car. Of course he did.

The girls moved out on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday, we stopped by to deliver some additional items. Austin was excited to show us his new bed and we waited a few minutes for Kate who had run to the grocery store so she could make dinner for Lauren and friends. 

Thursday, Erin took the day off to store large items at Evan's and move her closet into our guest room. The dust may never fully settle around here.