Love

Tonight before bed, Chipmunk said this to me:

"Mommy, I love you because you're my mommy. I love my sister because she's more fun than my toys. I love daddy because he can pick me up and throw me in the air."

Love according to Chipmunk. So simple. So precious.

Alice and Pablo

This is Alice and Pablo.



No, those aren't their real names. They've just been calling each other by these names. It all started one day when Chipmunk informed me, "My name is Pablo, and this is my bear, Teddy."

Pablo made sure to tell his sister of his decided name change. She smiled and replied, "Then you can call me Alice."

Pablo and Alice. Of course, I asked them what made them decide on those names.

Pablo answered, "Well, Alice is from Alice in Wonderland, and Pablo is from the Backyardigans."

I don't know if it's because of the name change, but Alice and Pablo have been getting into a lot of mischief lately. They've been coloring on their faces (See above picture).



They've been playing with their food.



They've been hiding my purse and leaving strange messages (that make me laugh, of course).

They have been a lot of fun...

Getting Settled

"How's your new place?" "Do you like it?" "How are you/the family adjusting?" My most common response to these questions is, "It's quiet here." I can't seem to find other words to describe our current situation beyond the lack of noise for some reason. Perhaps it's having lived in a more urban area for seven years, and being used to hearing traffic at all times, but this place is just so eerily quiet. At night I hear owls hooting in our backyard. Owls. Hooting. Yah. Last night a car alarm went off in the middle of the night. Matt and I hopped to the windows to see what was going on, because...well, that was the most exciting thing that has happened in our neighborhood since we've been here.


This little guy (with a few others) meandered past our yard and quietly grazed. Meanwhile, my kids were hopping up and down inside the house yelling, "It's a DEER! It's a DEER!" Running errands is a kick, too, because along the way we pass fields where we often see cows, horses, and deer scattered about and
ruminating.



See...horses. And this picture was actually taken from my backyard.
But all kidding aside, it is nice here. It's green, there's ample room to run around (Chipmunk has been loving it!), and slowly we're adjusting to the quiet life. I still miss our old stomping grounds and more the people who live near those stomping grounds, but slowly, surely, it'll become more comfortable here.