The heart of a neighbor...

Aug 29, 2014

In one of the last few mornings of living in our La Mirada home, Scarlett and Dominic pulled out of the garage in their BMW, drove down the drive way, across the cul-de-sac, parked in our neighbors drive way and strolled right into their front door.  Chris watched from across the street with a cup of coffee and a smile.

Our neighbors were the number one reason we were so sad to leave our previous home.  We lived there 13 months and after some major upgrades and a lot of paint, our house became a home, and our neighbors were a huge added bonus. Before we left they made it extremely clear that they needed a proper goodbye, so even after being moved out for over a week we made the trek back to La Mirada for a final "see you later".  We left with a bag of frozen homemade tamales and very full hearts.

The love they showed our family, and especially our children, in 13 short months has given us 1) a desire to live in a family friendly neighborhood, and 2) to be the kind of neighbors that open their home and put an effort into forming meaningful relationships. 

Within the first week of moving in we have met all of our neighbors and we are thrilled that we have not only been accepted, but that relationships are already being formed.  We are hopeful that in these next years we will be able to watch our children grow and that the neighbors will be just as excited for the chance to grow along with us.

Changes...

Aug 27, 2014

These two have actually started playing together.  Now the playing almost always last no longer than 20 minutes and always always ends in someone screaming (uh hum...Dominic).  But they are playing.  Scarlett mostly does her normal imaginary play which consists of barking orders and making up unfollowable rules and Dominic just follows her around saying "yes" or "no".  It seems to work for them now, but I am interested to see what this will look like when Dominic has a higher vocabulary and actual opinions.  P.S.  Enjoy the little, tiny, sneak peak of our kitchen. 

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Cousins...

Aug 25, 2014

This was easily the hardest goodbye.  This move was a hard decision but the hardest part by far was knowing that our kids would be separated from the constant companionship of their cousins.  Chris's side of the family is huge and constantly growing and every single one of the cousins means something special to Scarlett (and Dominic).  She asks about them frequently and my heart dies a little every time she asks if we can go to her cousins soccer game sometime. 

I drove away from this goodbye with the thankful knowledge that it is actually more of a "see you later", and there is always facetime. 

But seriously...how cute are these kids?


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Meow...

Aug 24, 2014

What do you do when you have a crap ton of cardboard boxes...build a kitty house of course. 

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According to Chris this is a thing...I was simply amazed by his crafty building skills and the ability to fulfill my dreams within days of our arrival.  A month ago, when I walked into this home, number 6 of the 20+ that we looked at in two days, I was sold.  This was my perfect Washington home.  I swooned over the kids play set and the fire pit and the grass...oh the grass! I dreamed about decorating the play room and watching Dominic master the two levels of stairs.  I envisioned spending hours sitting by a fire while the kids laughter swirled through the air.  And on this night, I was blessed with all of my dreams and more. 

We are just starting this adventure and if the days keep looking as beautiful as each one before it, this is going to be the most exciting adventure of our lives. 

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Cricket, cricket...

Aug 12, 2014

We are still here, Chris left for WA yesterday and Scarlett, Dominic and I are ticking off the days until Thursday when my mom and I pile the kids in the car and try not to lose our minds at any point during the 20 hour car ride to our new home.

So hang with us as we make this transition...I promise there will be plenty of updates coming soon.