Adjustments.

Life around here is a little different without Megan. There's a little less laundry, there is one less mental checkmark as everyone comes home at the end of their day, a little more room on our dining room table for actually serving dishes. I get a few more phone calls during the day as Megan checks in & gives me a little insight into her busy, new life. :) The chores Jordan shared with Megan are now Jordan's to do alone (at least in theory). We are all tweaking our lives a little with our new family dynamic. Although Ben really misses his biggest sister greatly, there is one adjustment he's enjoying a little too much.

On Sunday night, when I asked Ben to "get jammified" (aka put on his jammies & brush his teeth) he put on his King High School Marching Lions (Megan's alma mater) t-shirt & asked if he could sleep in Megan's bed. I thought that this was very sweet. Ben is a pretty sensitive kid so I thought that maybe is way of connecting with Megan & I took a picture of him once he fell asleep to send to Megan so she would know how much he misses her.

Monday afternoon after school, Ben goes off to do his homework... on Megan's desk. Later I find him reading... on Megan's bed. I don't blame Ben at all, although the room is purple & covered with big, brightly colored flowers Megan's bed is a double (his is a loft, twin bed) & really comfy, her room is CLEAN (unlike Ben's) & big (very unlike Ben's). Megan's room is also more centrally located in the house, Ben's is at the end of the hall, down by the laundry closet & the garage. So, we made Ben a deal that as long as Megan was gone, Ben is allowed to sleep in that bed & do his homework on that desk, but he is not allowed to keep ANY of his things in there, and he knows that when Megan comes home for an occasional weekend & on breaks, the room belongs to Megan alone. We have committed to leaving her room as is for a least a year, then we will re-evaluate the room situation. In the meantime, Ben will enjoy "having" two rooms...