Three Rings and a Chihuahua

Whoo. Three weeks and nary a deep breath. And this time I mean that literally, as allergens have reared their ugly heads. Since I still don't technically have time for this, here are some highlights:

• Moving with a RADling. Princess has made five other moves that I know about. The likelihood that they were good experiences is slim. You can imagine what this translated into. Needless to say, the last month has been loud and injury-producing.
• On that note, Princess has begun to take her rages public. First she had several in front of an extended family member. The next was a 40-minute kickingscreamingbitingscratchingfrothingatthemouth ordeal in the middle of Buddy's soccer field. Yep. Pleasant. And not at all embarrassing.
• I do believe Buddy is starting puberty. He's only nine, but Josh had a full beard and had stopped growing by the time he was 13, so it's not totally unpredictable. However, my sweet, loving, thoughtful, mature baby has become a morose, argumentative, paranoid "tween."
• Plus, while Princess has not actually begun puberty, I am absolutely certain she is cycling with me. I came by this information very scientifically. Here is the process I used: (month one) "wow. Princess is sure having a sucky week. I have PMS." (month two) "Wow. Princess is sure having a sucky week. I have PMS." (month three) "Wow..." Well. You get the idea.
• I have never bought a full-priced licensed-character Halloween costume. It goes against my moral code. Every year the children get hand-made costumes that are stunning and stress me out for a month. Or I get them at the consignment shop. But as I looked at the Spider Man costumes, I began to rationalize (wellllll, I think she's my last baby. She'd use it every day. That mask looks hilarious. Next year she'll be a serious, professional kindergartner). Then I forked out the cash. Worth every penny. I am not kidding, just watching her put the mask on had me rolling on the floor. She wore it to pick the kids up at school, and they all actually jumped back and screamed.
• The Cuddle Bear will no longer answer to her given name. 
• The Cuddle Bear's goodnight song now goes: "Go to sleep, Spiderman, Go to sleeeeeeep, Spiderman.."
• Peanut is livid that she has been in school for two and a half weeks and still does not read as well as Buddy or Princess. She firmly believes this is due to something lacking in her teacher.

 Josh and I are completely stressed out, two words can turn into a full-blown fight in nothing flat, two of my children are completely whacked out, one is bitter, and one is a superhero who causes evil instead of fights it.

But the house is amazing. I never dreamed I'd own something like this. A little bright spot for me in America's recession. Our original rental has a great family in it, and our former house has a family chomping at the bit to move in. I barely even hoped we'd have both places filled by October, and here we are.

My cup overfloweth.