Ernie, the new neighborhood, and the zucchini

We're settling in to our new home, new neighborhood, and, frankly, new life nicely. The last 6 months have been a blur at best.  I have already played bunco - 2 days after the moving truck left!  Dru and Ernie and Evelyn have already had their first playdate - with the nicest person I could possibly imagine meeting the first day we were here. She has 3 awesome kids, each about a year older than ours.  When arriving home from our playdate, 3 more neighbors came by the house with amazing chocolate chip cookies, lots of kids, and we played some more.

The next day another neighbor dropped off brownies!  And a day later more brownies.  And another playdate!

God is good.  Really.  This could have been a disaster.  The market is tough right now (understatement), buying a home is riddled with uncertainty, but God put us right here and has put his arms around us and made this our home.

Yesterday afternoon it was gorgeous - 70 degrees, windy, the kids were playing outside. I was going to setup our new composting bin in the back yard.  Dru and Ernie had just been whisked away to a playdate by some new friends. Our neighbors behind us came out to sit on their back porch (they were great friends with the former owners) and had drinks in their hands.  We had a couple of Sunday afternoon cocktails instead of doing what we set out to do.  And it didn't matter.  We love our new neighbors.  All of them!  What a warm welcome everyone has extended to us.  Our neighbor was concerned about the kids cutting through our neighbor's yard - they didn't know each other because the ages of their kids was so different.  Issue solved! As long as the kids go under the arbor, they're welcome! Yay!  Now no one has to wonder, or feel bad, and if they change their mind they can tell us easily.  

Gene made some shrimp.  Bob and Janet were pretty thrilled.  Then Amy came back with Dru and Ernie.  She asked, "Do your kids always eat raw vegetables?" I was thinking, what did he eat a raw Jicama or something?  Apparently it was dinner time and the boys needed to come home, so Amy walked them through Bob's yard, where we were on the back porch.  She was astonished that Ernie ate raw zucchini.  Oh boy. He saw her cutting something and asked if he could have some.  No butter, no steam, just raw like crudites.  I suggested to her that she send her boys (she has 4) to my house for a week ;)

I'm still missing my buddies in NC. It will take quite a bit of time before I don't.  And it will take a while for me to know where to go and what to do here, but we'll get that worked out.

Sadly, I'll miss Dru's first little league practice, I'll be on a plane to go see my mom finally.  She's made miraculous progress.  Bless her heart and the time she's spent in and out of the hospital, ICU, rehab and nursing facilities. One heck of a winter vacation she's had this year.  She just wants to be home.  I get that.  For all she's done for me and my family, I can't wait to sit by her side, get her a cup of coffee, give her a hug and listen for a while.  

Pictures will start flowing again soon - I've been a little preoccupied.  And, as luck would have it, we're all sick again.  I'm hoping to stave off the sinus infection, but Ernie, Gene, and Dru are taking it pretty hard.  Ernie's had a fever, Dru and Ernie's asthma is in high gear, and Gene feels like garbage. Maybe it's from the pool last week and it will self-resolve?  One can only hope.  So, I was hoping to not need a GP and pediatrician right away, but it looks like God's got a different plan.  Alrighty then, we'll get right on it!

Yours in cookies, brownies, and zucchini,

M