Evelyn started her new Kindergarden class at the Montessori here (amazing school - I've been so excited to have her go there). She transitioned seamlessly, as you would expect Evelyn to - and has even had a playdate already with a little girl who fell in love with Ev in the first week.
 |
| Evelyn featured in the school flyer, looking right at home |
Emerson is now 4 mornings a week in a Toddler class; he took to it like a duck to water. "My class rhooom!" he happily exclaims when you ask him about his day.
 |
| checking out his new classroom on the 1st day |
Paulina came back from Poland to our Tiny House and will have a nice, big au pair network here in C'ville -- she's already taken advantage of the improved geographical location (better airport options) with trips to Chicago and DC and Philadelphia.
Drake, our wonderfully patient realtor, has been helping us with our house hunt... the options are not awesome in the price range we'd like to be in. We knew cost of living (housing) would jump with a move here, but it's become brutally clear that we are going to have to suck it up and take the big plunge with a large investment. There's a house we've fallen in love with in a planned community that will meet all our needs: yard (c'ville size), 4 bedrooms + room for guests, an actual laundry room (yes, a luxury here), tons of open space (even a workshop for Tag), and a 2 car garage, in a kid friendly neighborhood. Plus it has a stunning view off the back deck. So far so good -- we have agreement on a contract. Now we need to get the financing locked in and the clock will start ticking down to a March 30 closing. Here goes nothin' !
We're happy in our Tiny House neighborhood - we can walk to an amazing french bakery, several cute parks, and we can drive downtown in 2 seconds. The people are active and friendly -- there's always foot traffic up and down our street. The dogs have really made themselves comfortable in their little backyard and on their long front porch -- we have visitors who want to "meet the bears" and I'm proud that our puppies are so well behaved and friendly.
To ensure we were properly inducted as new arrivals to VA, storm Jonas hit us with an epic, record breaking winter storm that dumped LOADS of snow in just a day and a half. With all our snow gear in storage (oops) we've had to be creative -- and lucky -- we went sledding in the blizzard at nearby Washington Park, and on our way there (cardboard box in hand) a man peeked out of his home and offered us use of his sled (so cool!). Poor Em was freezing (no snow suit) so we had to check out early, but we flew down the slope a couple time -- Emerson giggling the whole way. Tons of folks were there at the hill, including Ev's friend Addie and her sister Lilly, so she had a ball sledding with friends. The deep snow piled up fast, and everybody was worn out pretty quickly, especially after the trudge back to the house (so many hills around here!!!).
  |
Snow Seats   |
Emerson's enunciation is improving so fast these days. He's moved from "ayee" to "evee" and from the early days of "na na" to "pahna" to the impressive "paula" and even "paulina." He can introduce himself, "I ayson!" And he's talking all of the time. We don't always understand him right away, but he can generally make himself understood. And of course, as comes with the territory of a 2 year old, he can throw ultimate fits when he doesn't feel understood or feel in command of the decisions that impact his toddler life. His big fat tears are hard to tolerate... I swear that kid melts me. At night, with the stress of the new job and the uncertainties of our housing, I miss having him snuggled up next to me...the awareness of him and his health, his vitality, his sweetness, and his sister just down the hall - that always brings me peace and I can drift back to sleep. Now that he's sleeping soundly through the night in Evelyn's room, I miss my little snuggle-bug, but I can peek in on both of them via the video monitor and that helps.
No comments:
Post a Comment