We have been in Des Moines for over 5 months now, and in our house for four. I feel like we are getting settled in well.
Our house is coming along nicely. I feel like we have taken care of all of the immediate things that needed to be done inside – including some painting and room re-working. Our bedrooms our set, with the kids in one bedroom and us in another. They have been doing great on their own.
As the weather gets nicer we are starting to turn our attention outside. There is a lot of landscaping that needs to be done as things have been neglected for a couple of years and there are several vacant spots in the yard. We also need to do some gutter work and paint our trim, both of which I plan to tackle.
Susan’s Bean Sprout Parents & Tots class has had three classes so far, and has gone well. She has really been enjoying it and the kids have as well. It is really neat to have the class in our house and it also gives us a nice excuse to clean every week. I feel a little like we are getting ready for a showing every time we have to clean.
Andrew has been playing soccer for the first time, and he has loved it. He just has a great time running around. He is not in a school yet here, and we are not sure what the future will hold in that department.
Mari can’t wait until next year when she is able to play. She loves to be as involved as possible with Andrew’s soccer, which is nice. She is not nearly as athletic as he is, but she has a great time.
Elliot has been doing well also. We still think of him as our baby, even though he is two now. He is a very quiet boy, unless he is talking about animals, sees water, or I am trying to get him to sleep.
My work has been going well. I feel like I have gotten into a bit of a rhythm and have found the right communication balance to keep things flowing. I have been working on some fun projects and I have more coming up.
We spend most of our free time outside when the weather is nice. We all like to ride bikes and play in the back yard. Whenever it is reasonable I have been trying to ride my bike instead of taking my car, which has been sitting idle a lot lately. We have a nice bike trailer for Mari and Elliot and we recently stole Mary’s tag-along (which they no longer use), to make longer rides possible with the whole family.