Out With The Old...

We bought a new kitchen set over the Christmas/New Year's break. The set that had been our mainstay since 1996 had finally given up the ghost, having undergone numerous minor repairs and re-upholstering over the years. As I hauled it to the curb (it was gone in less than an hour BTW), I thought about what had transpired around that table in the fourteen years it spent with us. We purchased it with some of the money we got from our wedding, replacing a table given to us when we moved into our apartment that had seen better days. We had that table through our move into the house we built on my family's land; both kids grew up around that table (part of why it was falling apart, actually); it's been a mainstay in our kitchen for all of our kids' lives and a good chunk of ours.

But there comes a time when something needs to be replaced, and this table had reached that time. The rigors of two (hyper) active children bouncing off the chairs, rocking back and forth (even though they've been told a zillion times not to...), playing games on the table, etc. had taken their toll on the set. The chairs were, in some places, held together with wood glue and packing tape; the cushions had been reupholstered once and in need of a second shot; the table bore scars and discolorations and, in a couple spots, permanent marker I hadn't quite gotten around to sanding out (again).

So Friday night I brought home our new kitchen set. It's the same basic set-up, natural wood stain, padded chairs, etc. - we fear change - but a little nicer. Obviously it's a new table and chairs, so there are no nicks/cuts/scratches/crayon scribblings anywhere to be found. It's a little bigger than the old set (also part of the reason we decided to buy new rather than re-refinish), and takes a more prominent role in the kitchen. We have a bumped-out area in the back of the house for the eating area, and the old table was swallowed up in the 5'X10' hemi-hexagonal area. Not so much the new table.

The single biggest change has been psychological. This is the first new piece of furniture we've bought since having kids - there have been some hand-me-down pieces from our folks here and there, but nothing new until now. It's a sea change - the kids are finally at a stage where we can invest in a new set and not have to worry about it being immediately destroyed (although we are scotch-guarding the cushions as a precaution). It's a microcosm for the kids growing up, their increasing maturity reflected in the faith we're putting in them to not treat the new table as they treated the old one when they were younger.

And they're positively shining in this regard. One of the first suggestions from BabyGirl G. was that the table needed a centerpiece, so she and Mrs. G. picked up a dozen pink carnations and a new vase. They arranged everything and placed in on the table, and TheBoy added that we should put out "the fancy placemats". It looks like a setting from a magazine, which is a definitive first for us. While it's only been a few days, the kids have behaved very well at the new table (as far as their treatment of the table, I mean; they still bicker and tease each other same as always).

It's amazing to watch your kids go from infants to toddlers to pre-schoolers to school-aged kids. Right before my eyes TheBoy is turning from a kid into a Young Adult; he's turning into a voracious reader (like his old man) and devouring the Harry Potter books - dinner time becomes a discussion of various spells and jinxes he likes from the books. BabyGirl G. is a fashionplate; refusing to leave the house unless her hair is done just so and her clothes all match and look fabulous. It won't be long before she's shoe blogging like some folks out there... ;)

This post partly inspired by the news that Justin is now a dad for the first time. Looking at that precious picture of his infant daughter, I am reminded of that terrifying moment when I realized that I, too, was a father; holding my infant son in the hospital and realizing that my life was no longer my own. Justin's got a lot of sleepless nights ahead of him; lots of diaper changes and doctor's visits to get through the first few years of life. There's the first steps, the first words, the first illness; the first couple of years are jam-packed with so many new experiences that if you blink, you'll miss something. So I try not to blink too much...

When it comes to kids, remember that everything changes, and, more importantly, it never stops changing.

That is all.