Settling

What we love about our new place, in no particular order.

1. The natural trail going through the woods near our house. It is exhilarating to run at sunrise on a winding, twisting trail. We see deer every morning. It's beautiful. It's by a lake a stream and the kids love it almost as much as I do.

2. Visitors! We live closer than we ever have to family. I've had my brother and sister and their families already for a visit. I love it. My brother is less than 2 hours away.

3. The farmer's market. Every Saturday we start at the French baker's booth for breakfast, eat by the lake, grab a bag of kettle corn, and buy a week's worth of produce. At my first visit I bought a half bushel of apples and peaches, going for the deal, and ignorant of the amount of food I was buying. We didn't have a problem finishing it off. The peaches are the best I've had for years.

4. The playroom.

5. The deck and eating outside.

6. Big yard and long driveway.

7. Seven minute commute for Luke.

8. Trader Joe's and other fun places to do my least favorite chore.

9. A house full of boys for Spencer to play with. He is seriously in heaven and they live right next door.

10. So close to a fun city with tons of free things to do.

Here is a little news on the kids.

After nearly 6 months of working and saving, Spencer finally bought Lego Star Wars Wii. He is only allowed to play for 2 hours on Fridays, but he spends a lot of time making his own Lego Star Wars fighter ships, etc. He even made a little video with Uncle Jared. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmC6PaZBWOA

He’s also learned the joy of playing outside all day with neighborhood friends. He’s never had that before. The kids and their parents are really nice, but I find myself wondering what sort of rules we should have to regulate his play. He starts school on the 7^th.

Camille misses her friends. I know we have neighbors her age, but I haven’t met them yet. I need to look out for some little girls at church this Sunday. Meanwhile, she is my little best friend, helping clean and make bread. Right now she is sitting next to me coating her feet with pale pink, sparkling eye shadow. No serious mess yet. She can hardly wait for ballet to start. I can hardly wait for preschool to start…

Elizabeth is still as round as ever, has a penchant for accessories, and is becoming very verbal. She’ll repeat anything the kids tell her to say. They get a real kick out of it. It’s fun to see them almost falling off their chairs while laughing at her.