a quick one

I don't have much time. The boys are sleeping (the little boys, that is). I'm living amidst boxes, and that needs to change. I'm in-between paint coats on a furniture project in the garage. But I'm feeling the urge to update the world - if only to provide some evidence of our existence.

We're here in our new home safe and sound. Our neighborhood is charming. The neighbors are so kind (minus the oldies nearby.... but we'll work on that). The nearby park is perfect. The grass is green and plentiful.... I had almost forgotten what it was like to run and play on such a thing! Things are good.

That's not to say we haven't had our bumps along the way... Ryder and Cannon have been so wonderful throughout all of this craziness!

We barely.... and I stress barely fit everything into our 16ft truck. All of the credit goes to my amazing father-in-law. I guess 14 moves in 11 years will make you an expert in some things.

We made the drive north in two days - Cannon cried 99% of day 1. Poor kid.

We turned his seat around for day 2 (shhhh, don't tell anyone), and he did a bit better.

What we didn't know was that poor little Cannon was coming down with.....

Can you guess?

Drum roll please....

Chicken pox. Yes, Cannon has the chicken pox. My kids never have been very kind with the timing of their illnesses. Do you remember this incident? Not to mention Ryder's second episode at church during nursery. And the kids' two recent fevers while away from Todd. I'm coming to think Todd's absence is causing the sickness.

The spots revealed themselves our first morning in our new home. I have no idea where he contracted it.... somewhere in the big, windy San Fran city.

At least Ryder was immunized and is in the clear. No such luck for our Canny-man.

Really, there's nothing that makes my heart and soul ache more than to see one of my boys so miserable. It looks even worse in real life. Just believe me. But thankfully, he is feeling better!

My in-laws are now gone, and I'm sad. Their presence was such a blessing. I'm pretty sure I would have checked myself into a mental facility had my wonderful mother-in-law not have been here to pack up my entire kitchen, distract my two beatufiul/crazy/active boys, make me laugh, and just help me see it's okay to slow down. I love them.

Things I've learned about our new home so far:

A super moist, yummy loaf of bread is only $1.33 (as opposed to our nearly $4 in SF!)

A gallon of milk is $1.99 (as opposed to our former price of $3.69-ish)

The weather is great - brisk mornings, a brief rain (and some thunder!) and then sunshine. Do I dare say, today is even hot!

The parks are awesome. I even run around and climb all over the playgrounds.

Paying for garbage and water sucks. Excuse my language. But it's true.

Recycling is incredible. It's amazing how much of our garbage can be recycled. I'm feeling really guilty for the rest of my 27 years of non-recycling life. I'm on board now. Sorry earth.

the view just a hop skip and a jump away from our house.

Today is Todd's first day of orientation. The weather is amazing. And I'm determined to get some boxes unpacked... but I'd rather sit on the front porch in our camping chair and watch people walk by. I'm a people-watcher. We need patio furniture. Yes, I said need. One day it'll happen. Mark my words.

More later.