Nicholas & Chachi

Not that Chachi. Chachi is the name he has given to Jenny, his ISR/swim teacher.  If you recall from early 2009, he took extremely intense anti-drowning lessons.  I say that, as they really aren't teaching him how to swim at that point so much as they are teaching him to react to falling in a body of water.  In other words, teaching him how not to drown, but instead to float until he reaches help or help reaches him.

One might consider this extreme, but I have always thought the above to be an invaluable skill.  I knew that once the ISR lessons were completed, we could begin regular stroke work (paired with ISR brush-ups), and he would presumably be an early, faster swimmer than his sisters.  Not to stoke the fires of sibling rivalry, but both girls had an intense fear of sticking their head under the water from about age 2, and I never wanted that to develop with him.

We tried every type of swim lesson under the sun with them (Mommy & Me, group classes, one on one), and nothing worked until they were older and had a better understanding of the sport (read: surrounded by pools open year round in Iceland). I remember wanting Caitlin to take ISR lessons when she was an infant, but the only teachers at the time were in Miami. 

Fast forward to Kelsey's infant/toddler-hood and instruction was now available in Virginia Beach.  Unfortunately, that was still a bit of a hike. I was also a tad bit overwhelmed, as Peter was on the 'detail' and trips were fast and furious.  He loved the travel, I loved the over-time, but I was essentially a single parent and we had other pressing things to think about.

I could have waited with Nicholas, but thought I would at least give it a try.  There was a school just around the corner in Danville, and what better time than the present?   We are generally near the water a lot during the summer, and I thought the sooner we start, the better.  I signed him up for the official ISR course last winter, and graduated with flying colors on his birthday. It was nothing short of amazing to see him be 'pushed' into a pool fully dressed, and to watch how he instantly kicked himself into a float.

Last fall, once he was a solid walker (or runner), we signed him up for stroke and review lessons.  He is amazingly happy in the water now (earplugs needed for first few weeks of ISR, not so much these days), and thoroughly enjoys jumping in and swimming to Jenny.  I realized yesterday that I did not have any recent photos, and figured I should add a few for posterity.

If you are wondering, the teachers, Brian and Jenny, also work with children who simply want to improve their strokes, whether for competition or simply to be stronger swimmers.  Kelsey has been seeing Brian for the past few months, and has made amazing strides in her lap swimming.  She has declared an interest in a recreational swim team, but wanted to really "know" her strokes.  It was this or group lessons, and while the group lessons were okay, these have really boosted her confidence.  Regardless, all of the lessons will come in handy this summer, whether at pool in Maryland, at the beach, or at the pool in our new (old) neighborhood, which happens to be right across the street.

If only trucks grew on trees,

Mr. Quinn would be a very happy boy.  I think between the rain and sheer exhaustion (on all of our parts) of the past week, we were all quite happy to sleep in late, pad around in our jammies, and just relax as a family.  And, yes, design new style parking garages.

Yesterday was another long travel day, to include a four hour layover in Salt Lake City, and between that and the long (but fun-filled) week, I was ready to really sleep in. The layover was longer than I am used to, and I am fairly sure I got quite a few looks spending over an hour walking through the terminals just to stretch my legs (here's a thought: gyms*/workout areas in airports!). 

It's funny how there are so many places to sit, so many places to get a cup of coffee or a beer, so many places to eat (though, granted, not always that tantalizing), and, yet, unless you are under the age of 5, very few places to stretch one's legs.  Two terminals had kids play areas, but I realized without having a toddler in tow, I would look pretty silly asking if I could play Little Tykes basketball with the rest of the pint-sized bunch.

What about a library of sorts…a book room/coffee house where one could hang out, read available books, and just chill until one's flight.  Or local food places?  I know, I know, it's just an airport, but still, after several hours, you start wondering.  I did appreciate the exhibit on the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and noted it as a possible leg-stretch stop this summer on our much-anticipated drive across the country.  I should note, these are tips for any airport..as a whole, SLC was quite nice (especially the re-charging stations), and the views of the mountains were breathtaking.

I made it home just a tad later than I should have, and had quite the welcoming committee.  One Little Guy was loathe to let go once he attached himself to me.  Naturally, when he decided he needed to get down, he immediately ran at break-neck speed toward the exit.  Peter got his work-out running after him, and the rest of the folks got a good laugh watching the both of them.

After a lengthy wait for the luggage, we headed home and most of us went straight to bed (including the Little Guy who crashed half-way through the ride home). Given Pete's lamentations of getting nothing done all week, the house was in very decent shape, and there was even a fresh bag of coffee waiting for me. I didn't even try to plan anything for today, and glad for that.  Oh, we spent some time looking at pictures of the new place, and reviewing our travel schedule, but nothing terribly heavy.  Sometimes I think one just needs a day for everyone to unwind and do nothing more than imagine a place where trucks grow on trees.

*I realized after typing this post, that I needed to consult my best search friend, as perhaps I was, gulp, incorrect, and such a thing does exist.  Enjoy this:  I was *squirms in chair for several minutes*… wrong. Click here, and you will find a list of airports with gyms, and those that have them in fairly close proximity.  I still think in-house (read: past security) would be best, but if you have a long enough layover, could be a good way to spend the time.

Status: Contingent

with no kick out.

Possibly the sweetest words I have heard lately.  Well, no, actually, those words were,"Hi, Mama!" while on the phone with Nicholas and Kelsey today.  The above phrase does offer me a great sense of relief, though, and while we still have much to do, I can check one large item off the to do list.

The irony is that "the" phone call came as I was looking at rentals in the area where my hosts for the week live.  I found two equally as great homes here, and would have had a very tough time trying to decide which to live in, if the Virginia deal had not worked out. 

So, now what? A huge thank you to everyone who has helped me this week!  I know I probably fretted a bit too much, but the underlying reason for the hurried house-hunting just set me on edge.  I know it probably shouldn't, but I am sure other friends would agree that this can be an extremely stressful time.  Given that, it was such a relief to have so much assistance from the Salty Dogs, my Realtor*,  Shannon's Realtor,  everyone who has been so supportive online, Delta for frequent flyer miles, and, most of all,  a certain someone who kept things running smoothly back home:  a big thank you to the Little Guy! 

Just a pint-sized joke there.  Of course,  I meant 'thank you' to Peter for forcing me to take this trip, holding up the fort back home, and being such a great dad and husband.  I managed to not only find a house, but had a chance catch up with so many people, and realized that I am actually pretty excited about the upcoming year.  I think it is safe to say that we all feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we are almost looking forward to moving in, painting, arranging furniture and the like.  Oh, and for those of you in the area:  can we say open house and BBQ sometime in July? 

*Carolyn is not only a former Foreign Service spouse, but also the very same Realtor who had our previous house under contract in 19 days in June of 2007 when the market was not so hot.  She was not challenged by the fact that we still had renters in the house, and went above and beyond the call of duty, despite having never met us in person.  Everything but settlement was taken care of through email.  Yes, we highly recommend her!

The contract

was signed, sealed and delivered (or emailed, rather) this afternoon.  No word as of yet, but we hope to hear something by the morning.  As much as it is seems to be such a large decision on our part, it must be equally daunting for the seller to contemplate.  For that reason, I will just bide my time and think happy, cheerful thoughts about the quality time I get to spend with "Baby Nate" tomorrow afternoon! 

Make offer?!

was the text I received today from Pete.  I had just urgently sent him a text as my iPhone was about to die (note to self: write that letter to Apple about ridiculously low iPhone battery life) that I loved the second house we saw.  We had finished our tour of homes for the day, and had reached a time for decision-making of sorts. 

After my late-night trolling of sites, my back and forth between renting and buying (still looking at rentals, I know this isn't a done deal, and the rentals are in a gorgeous area), waking up too late, and frantically hitting the road, I made it to the Realtor's office in the nick of time.  We had a list of 7 possibilities, an email with Peter's thoughts, and my gut feeling that I knew which one I would like the best.

Now, the Realtor, to her credit, offered that we might get a better deal and more selection in June.  However, given the very short amount of time we have between our arrival here and Peter's departure for his unaccompanied tour, we want to have as much time as possible to get properly settled in.  So, we gathered the listings, and off we went.

We stopped at house #1, just outside the beltway, and explored the three level townhouse.  It was originally the top contender on my list, but changed when #2 popped up on Realtor.com.   It was primarily a case of the photos being a bit better online than in reality.  The kitchen looked spacious and updated on the screen of my laptop, but in reality was a bit worn and not quite as roomy.  The master bedroom was not tiny, but not what I hoped for and other areas needed more updating than I originally imagined.  We still had quite a list to work with, and viewing a storage room that took up over half the basement (not much room for anything else), we departed for a neighborhood that was a bit more familiar.

Yes, the second house is in our old neighborhood.  I admit it, I really like it, and since this could be our third house there, apparently, we just can't get away.  I didn't necessarily like the floor plan in our old house, but I the construction was solid, and  I loved that it backed up to a nature center and woods.  The playground and pool were both a bonus, and we made so many great friends living there.  When house #2 popped up on Realtor.com Monday night, I was stunned.  Not only was it the model with the garage (yes, it trumps a 4th bedroom for us), but the layout allowed for a generously-sized kitchen and roomy bedrooms.  These models are rarely available, and generally tend to go quickly.  I pointed it out to my Realtor, she agreed it looked quite promising, and it was added to the list.

We parked in the driveway, she fiddled with the lock box, we walked in, and I knew this was it.  It was confirmed when I found the kitchen, and realized the photos didn't do it justice.  From the Corian counter tops (with matching cutting board) to the pull-out shelves in the pantry and cabinets, I was in heaven. 

Did I mention the breakfast bar?  I could already envision the kids having a pre-school nosh or enjoying a snack (the scent of chocolate chip cookies wafting in the air..) after school.   The extra counter space would make dinner prep so much easier for all of us.  It would be especially useful when the girls cook, as they tend to need a bit more room.  The kitchen also allows for a generous amount of table space,  and perhaps even room for a small desk  and the kitchen play set for Nicholas.  Oh, and a gas stove…

The rest of the house did not disappoint, from the spacious master to the cozy, low-maintenance patio (though still room for a small garden and compost bin…), and the garage which as already been outfitted with pegboards, a work bench and the old kitchen cabinets (excellent storage that little hands can't quite reach).  We left after discussing the pros (many) and the cons (few), and hit the 5 other houses on the list.  While not bad, each seemed to lack that certain something, or had issues that townhouse didn't have.  Whether it was road noise, too much lawn for my taste, or stairs to the basement in the kitchen (no door, just stairs), they were items that either could not be fixed or not without much work (and $$$).

Tomorrow I head back to McLean with the  checkbook, and will hopefully (fingers crossed) have a signed contract by early afternoon.  Now, I know things go wonky with real estate issues all of the time, so by no means is this a done deal.  I also have other options if it doesn't work out, and when this finally smacked me in the head today, I felt much of the stress melt away.  It has also helped immensely to have so much support from friends and family. 

Oh, and I know we haven't signed the dotted line, and don't yet hear the jingle of the keys, but did I remember to mention the window seats that come with what would be the girls' rooms?  I can already see them curled up on cushions, reading for hours…

“Mama?”

was the first word out of Nicholas's mouth yesterday when he awoke from his nap.  Kelsey was nearby and quickly reminded him that I had left on the airplane that morning.

The next utterance:

"Baby?"

Yes, I need to be quite clear:  95% of the reason I came to visit is this absolutely adorable new Little Guy, Master Nate (short for Nathaniel).  I have house-hunting to do, but I have been extremely nervous about that and would much rather spend hours playing with this sweet wee one.  Yes, the notion of buying or renting a new house is exciting, but the fact of the matter remains that I am obtaining the house for the four of us to live in and for Peter to visit.

If we are lucky, he will spend a sum total of 40 days (give or take) in said house over the next year.  When I have asked for his thoughts on the matter, his response was that I knew best.  Translation:  he won't be living there, so his opinions shouldn't hold as much water.

On the contrary, they do.  Not only will this be a landing pad, should we come back to the area for training (well, theoretically), but I really, really hate making big decisions like this by myself. We are married, it will be our house, so we should both have a say. Therefore, I am quickly preparing a list of homes that we are slated to visit tomorrow, so he can send his yea or nay before he retires for the evening (don't forget, he is three hours behind).  And, I absolutely, positively, will not stay up until 4 a.m. tonight trolling real estate sites.  Not that I did that last night, though technically, it was only 1 a.m. for me…so, really, I went to bed early, or at least on time.

Given that  I spent most of the day on planes, though, I was alternately wired and exhausted.  I schlepped from Oakland to Salt Lake City to Minneapolis to BWI.  I have to say, for the most part, it was extremely smooth sailing.  I expected huge lines and delays, and found next to nothing in both departments.  Oh, except for the passengers who refused to sit down or turn off their electronic gadgets despite many requests from the flight attendants for cooperation (we are talking 15 or so minutes worth of repeated announcements).

Now, it may seem like a number of stops, but I enjoyed stopping in two new states, and although the terminals were a bit of a distance, who doesn't need to stretch their legs after a long flight?  What I don't understand?  How only 6 or so hours of flying can make one so darn tired.  Maybe it was just the lack of shut-eye Sunday night, but I easily slept through most of each flight, no matter how much background noise or turbulence.  Though I did stay awake long enough to realize that the woman next to me on my third flight was reading the exact same book as the woman next to me on my second flight, and the exact same chapter.  I know, completely unrelated to the story, but just struck me as so interesting.  Now the question:  do I find and read this book (particularly that one chapter) that is so captivating my fellow travelers or assume it was just a fluke?

Shannon, hostess extraordinaire, met me at the airport, and we hurried home to meet the baby of the hour.  Little Nate was in a semi-sleepy state, but blinked hello and dozed off and on while having a bit of nourishment.  We had much more quality time today and I not only got several smiles, but also quite a few giggles out of him. Considering he really only met me yesterday for the first time (not sure he remembers that Skype call when he was a week old), I was pleased as punch.  And, I must say, way more fun than fretting over real estate listings!  Which, reminds me, back to the list…

Wow!

What a day!  I thought somehow the day was just going to whiz by, perhaps because we were going to early mass, or maybe due to the fact that we didn't have a lot on the agenda.  Instead, we just kept going and going.  

We did not get up at the crack of dawn, but hadn't planned on much other than a light breakfast and basket perusing before church.  We had sour cream coffee cake and bacon, both farmers market favorites, and the kids were excited to receive their baskets and treats from the grandparents in the form of Peeps, chocolate bunnies, gold coins and $5 bills.  There wasn't too much time for candy consumption, though, as we had to be at church by 10:10 a.m.

The girls sang in the Children's Choir today and I am not sure which was better…their voices or Nicholas shouting, "Yea!" and clapping each time they finished a song.  Yet another item I will have to add to next year's to do list: a church with a children's choir.  They are enjoying this one so much, and Caitlin is being asked to add to her responsibilities within the choir.  No word on what she will do (for sure) just yet, but you can be sure it will be noted here when the time arrives.

After mass, we headed home for several sessions of Skype with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  Nicholas alternated his time between showing off his basket, and trying to quickly stuff the entire contents of said basket in his mouth.  Meanwhile I spent almost an hour trying to prepare a lunch that was almost entirely pre-made.  It makes no sense whatsoever, but despite getting most sides from Whole Foods and a Honeybaked Ham, brunch still took quite a bit of time to prepare. 

Nicholas decided to say lead us in the blessing (he simply repeated after me), and I only wish we had gotten it on camera.  Afterward, we feasted on ham, a Greek salad, marinated and grilled artichokes, rice pilaf, and mashed potatoes.  Despite the lengthy preparations, dinner went fairly quickly. I think, perhaps, the girls were more concerned we might never get to the egg hunt, especially considering we still needed to prep the eggs.

I suppose we should have completed that task yesterday, but we just ran out of time.  We thought it could be just as much fun to do it on Sunday, and that turned out to be true.  We ended up just using regular dyes, despite my best attempts to try and do it all.  I had planned on using veggies again this year, but it just didn't happen.

It was Nicholas' first time participating, and I am pretty sure he is sold on this version of Easter fun.  We planned on actually using the eggs in a hunt, however, realized that A. it was never going to stop raining, and B. no matter how dry the eggs were, I was still nervous about an egg hunt with recently dyed eggs on the carpet (we have the world's most easily stained carpet, hands down). 

I realized a hunt of filled eggs might be more fun anyway.  Due to the massive amounts of rain, all activities would be inside.  I quickly filled my cache of plastic eggs  with assorted change and one paper dollar per child.  Other than having to remind Caitlin that it wasn't a race, the hunt went pretty smoothly.  In fact, we were all so in awe of Nicholas's egg-finding skills that he ended up getting most of them while we just stood and watched.  

Though it sounds fairly fast-paced, we didn't finish the hunt until close to 6 p.m.  The girls then took a walk in the rain, while Peter gave Nicholas his water-go (bath in Nicholas speak) and I realized I needed to start with the packing business…which I now need to finish and then try to get some sleep…oh, heck, there's always the plane.  Good night and Happy Easter (again)! 

Hop to It!

Have a happy, safe, blessed, and Holy Easter…

Love, Jen, Pete, Caitlin, Kelsey & Nicholas Q. Dinoia

P.S. Nope, we cannot be taught.  Our son does not like sitting on the laps of large, jolly looking characters, and yet we keep pushing the issue.  Though, to be fair, this is the first time he has ever even seen the Easter Bunny in person.  Thank goodness for the laps of sissas!