Reunited and it feels so good.....

There's still much organizing and fitting in to be done but  I'm taking a much needed breather from the boxes to catch you up to speed.  Most of the boxes are out (except for the ones that we hid from ourselves at the storage unit we had to rent... lol) but man, what a mess.  Seriously.  I think I've said, "I hate moving" at least 20 times in the past month.  Enough griping.  It's going to work out.  It always does.  It just seems to be taking longer than usual this time.   I'm just about ready to move back into our little camper.  We loved staying in it.  It was so much nicer than staying in the hotel.  Much smaller, yes, but more freedom and it felt like a mini vacation and I'm missing those days now.

The big news right now is that Daniel is home from camp.  We picked him up yesterday.  He was supposed to have one more week but school starts this Thursday here and he wanted to start with his classmates.  He also missed his privacy and his stuff (which he hadn't seen since the movers picked it up in Germany in April).  We went to see him for Family Day last Sunday and it was so great.  We saw a marked difference in him.  More mature and easy going.  Here's a shot we took when the brothers who normally argue most of the time found out just how rough it is to be without each other for a while:

It's just so good to have him home again.  The first couple of weeks were really rough on me.  It's a good thing that we had the house to keep us busy (though I think I would have been okay just a smidge less busy).  The Camp Director was very good about writing daily newsletters and posting lots of photos online.  Daniel was in at least one photo almost every day.  We only got to talk to him every other Sunday night for ten minutes and then his Head Counselor would call a couple of hours later to let us know how he was doing and what all was going on with him.  So now it's the mad dash to get him ready to start Middle School on Thursday.  The program at this school is awesome and I'm so excited for what's in store for him.  I was kind of hoping we'd living closer to the school but that was not to be so we'll just deal with it.

I'm going to be really bad about replying to comments and I apologize for that but if any of you are ever in the West Point area, come on by and we'll chat while I organize! lol.  I have to say this.  I have WAY too much wool and yarn.    I've sorted through all of my knitting books and will be having a 1/2 off sale as soon as I can get my act in order.  I'll probably be parting with quite a bit of wool also.  I just simply don't have the storage for it here.  (Of course I'm still going to Rhinebeck, Silly!    It's less than an hour from our house.  That's what I call a huge score.  Hope to meet lots of you there)

Well, my friends.  That's about it for now.  I'll leave you with some pictures of Daniel at camp:

And one picture of my girl, Aggie, taken at the Keukenhof in Holland, where we went over Spring Break (can you believe she'll be two a month from today?!):

 

Comments

[Joan]

Yay, Jean is back! So glad all is working out well in NY, well, aside from the dreaded unpacking. Horrendous, I agree. I was a summer camp counselor for 7 summers and we'd have the kids in 2-week sessions, some for longer. It was always the greatest experience for the kids, very liberating to be away from parents and great opportunities to develop those social skills we all need in life. Glad you are all back in the US. ;-}

[Kathleen in Florida]

So glad to see you back and hear about the family. Very excited to see Daniel at camp - looks like he had a blast! Have fun getting settled into a new home (I'm guessing your winters are going to be a tad milder and your springs a LOT warmer). Greetings to the family :) Kathleen

[willowcaroline]

What a wonderful surprise today to click your link and see that you are back... and not just to blogging, but back in the states too.. Welcome home, and good luck with the unpacking, back to school, getting settled routine!

[Thimbleanna]

Gosh, I've been gone for 2 weeks and I'll never get caught up with my bloglines, but I'm SO excited to see you posting! Glad to see you're getting settled.

[VickiW]

It's great to see you back online again. I had almost given up, but for the heck of it I gave Scottish Lamb one more try today, and here you are again. Welcome back to the USA.

[Christina]

Glad to hear that your back and getting settled again. I'm so happy to hear that everything is falling into place!

[bri]

Seeing that smiling face of Daniel's shows how great an idea the camp was! Good luck settling in before the start of school.

[bets]

Oh Jean, he looks so grown up! And mugging for the camera! It looks like he had a great time. Glad you can post occaisionally.

[Theresa]

Good to see you posting. That picture of Aggie is awesome! I can hardly believe how much your son has matured...you can see it in the pictures. He doesn't look so much like a little boy anymore. My friend's son has Asperger's and he went to a camp in Canada this summer and I thought about you and hoped that your Daniel was having a great time. I honestly wish I was there to help you. Nesting is my favorite part of moving. I am 41 and have moved 30+ times and I have been in one spot for 8.5 years now and it is kind of strange in a way. I hate the packing up, but I love the organizing and making a house a home instead of just a place to crash. I hope that you will fall into a rhythm and meet wonderful friends and enjoy your new home!

[Janet]

Glad to see you are back online. Just by chance I googled The Scottish Lamb today and found you. Welcome back.

[Anne]

I so well remember the chaos of moving back from Germany to the States after 11 years - and I didn't even have a family. I can only imagine. I'm in the Hudson Valley too! Are you going to wear a Scottish Lamb T-shirt at Rhinebeck so we can recognize you?

[sockladyspins]

I am so glad to see you and your family back together and you back blogging, have missed you.

[Wool Winder]

The one good thing about a move is that it forces you to go through everything and simplify. I'm trying to do that on my own and it's really hard to keep motivated. Hang in there. The boxes will eventually be empty and life will find a routine of sorts.

[valerie]

Good to see your post. Am glad things are going well. Daniel looks great...and so grown up. IMO, no need to reply to a comment that isn't a question.

[Robin in VA]

Love the photos of Daniel...what a "ham"! Who loves moving, that's why I've lived in the same house for 22 years! Not to mention the size of my stash...I can't part with any of it!

[Jennifer]

What a great post. I can almost feel the family excitement. Enjoy these last few days of summer!

[marti]

Only 20 times on the "I hate moving"? I am quite sure that it would have been at least that many times per day for me! Good luck with middle school.