Settling into life in our new place!

So we've been in our new house for almost 4 weeks and getting settled right in! I included some pictures below in case anyone is interested (sorry for the bedroom pics, I was too lazy to clean all the rooms and put away the clothes!). We still have to finish up a project in the family room (the first room in the pictures) where there is a gap between the bookshelves. Brian needs to cut up some plywood for shelves up top and we are gluing some Lego baseplates onto a piece of plywood and making a Lego table for the kids there as well. It's nice to be so close to done, I feel like it's been forever since I've just been able to relax and enjoy my home!

We spent last Saturday at Remlinger Farms! We went last year and the kids really liked it so we went again. This year, Nathan was more interested in some different rides, and we convinced Adam to come on the big train ride with us! Yay! Better than last year, when he did not participate in a single ride. Next year, I am aiming for ONE other ride for him! Other than that one outing, I feel like we haven't gotten out too much in the last few weeks. A few trips to the park, a trip to a beach, some trips to the gym (okay that doesn't really count as an outing!). I've been preparing to get my kids back into school and I think we are pretty close to ready! Nathan has a backpack and he is ready to start preschool on Wednesday! I also signed him up for indoor soccer starting next week, so we are getting ready to get right into the swing of things:). We took Lynsey to a different gymnastics center on Wednesday and I loved it, but she thought the other place she tried once last Spring was more fun (Brian had lots of reservations about that place). So what to do! Be the tiger mom and tell her she needs to go to the place where she is the most likely to improve her skills or let her go to the place that she thought was the most "fun" (we're not sure at all this "fun" would continue, it was very dependent on her teacher showing off and who knows which teacher she will get). The bottom line is if she refuses to go to the place we like then it's just not going to happen, so we need to seriously work on our negotiating skills to convince her that she will enjoy this new place just as much. She was the only kid there on her trial class, so I do think she would have more fun if there were a few more kids (which there will be starting next week). We'll see what happens!

What else is new with us . . . not a whole lot! I am searching for how to best use my time when Nathan is in preschool, and I have submitted my form volunteering myself to Lynsey's school PTSA. I am hoping to get involved a bit there, and also perhaps finding a morning Bible Study somewhere (if I don't find one, I might start one!). I'm sure that when it comes right down to it, three free mornings a week will get filled up quickly, but I do want to make sure I'm using that time wisely. I know I'm looking forward to being able to do errands kid-free - I might actually do some clothes shopping in the mall again! I have been buying pretty well all the kids clothes on line the last few years, which is fine, but it will be nice to have the flexibility to also be able to browse some stores again!