aftermath

Well, we survived Christmas and New Years!
Yes, the kids got so many gifts I thought they would never appreciate anything ever again. Yes, the traveling wore us out. But the kids were (mostly) very well-behaved, especially in Pittsburgh, and not only appreciated the gifts they recieved but started cleaning out their toy box giving old toys to charity! I have to say I'm very proud of Catie - she is a ruthless weeder when it comes to getting rid of old toys and books. With my mom's help, she got rid of three laundry baskets full of stuff she no longer used. Daniel mostly watched.
All this clean out was for a good reason (besides helping the less fortunate).For Christmas, my dad gave up his office so my kids could have separate bedrooms. After the wedding in September, we will be moving to our new house, where the kids will have their own rooms as well. Since my kids need time to get used to changes, Mom thought it would be a good idea to get them used to sleeping separately now. It's going more smoothly than I would have guessed, but Daniel did something that just killed me the first night. Mom and I had been talking about how this is like training a puppy to sleep alone - give them a ticking clock to simulate the mother's heartbeat, a warm water-bottle to snuggle with, etc. so they can sleep more comfortably. The kids have shared a room for a long time, and were a little nervous about being alone at night, so I made sure the nightlights were ready to go and their beds were made with cozy linens. Daniel fell asleep that night very quickly, and I went in to check on him. He had fallen asleep with his (ticking) alarm clock under his cheek!
Catie's classroom is now in her bedroom, which has freed up the dining room for... er... dining, and the toys have all moved up to their rooms too! The downstairs is so nice and clean ! Actually, so is the upstairs - the rooms even seem bigger.
Thank you, Mom and Dad.