Adler's Sleeping Arrangements

After almost 10 years of sleeping in our room at night, Adler has decided to change up her sleeping arrangements.

The past several nights she has come upstairs to bed only to go back downstairs 10 minutes later to sleep on the carpet.

Now I know we bought some nice carpet for the family room and she likes to lounge on it during the day, but I never imagined she would want to be that far away from us at night too.

I might have chalked it up to old age aside from the fact that she comes upstairs initially and I have seen her enthusiastically bound down the basement stairs. I am hoping it is just a phase because it makes me sad that I don't have to climb over Adler to get out of bed in the morning anymore...even though it is much easier.  Maybe I stepped on her one too many times! Although she never held it against me before. Maybe it's because of that box of  mac n cheese I accidentally dropped on her head last week? Either way I miss knowing she is near.

Dear Dad, Mom, Peyton, Hailey & Adler

Yesterday, when we sat down for dinner there were nicely decorated envelopes at each of our seats. Austen instructed us not to open them until we were all sitting down together. 

When we were finally sitting down, Austen gave permission for each one of us to open ours. Peyton went first and Austen read her note. She beamed from ear to ear especially when Austen said she was good at hide and seek!

Tom went second and read his. He is learning what his dad does and is more and more interested each day.

I went last and read mine with a huge smile on my face and in my heart. Maybe we will have another writer in the family!

We are not done, Austen said as he pointed to Hailey and Adler's envelopes carefully laid out on the table since they don't have a seat. I had to write them one too, he proclaimed, they are part of our family!

They were sweet notes to a sister he has known only for a short time and a dog that he has known all his life.

This time is fleeting, I know. How much longer will my son write love notes to his family unprovoked by a birthday or another occasion. Just in case it is sooner than I want, I am keeping every single one

Small Town

I am not used to living in a small town. For the past 16 years I have lived in the third biggest city in the U.S.  Even while growing up I lived in towns that easily had more than 20,000 people. 

When we picked our new town to live in, we did a lot of research and were interested in a certain pocket of the town.  I didn't really grasp the magnitude of what being in a town of only 8,000 people means. My college class was probably bigger than my whole town!

Last week, on my walk to the train, a woman had just pulled her car out of my neighbor's driveway when I left my house. I waved (because everyone here does that even when they don't know someone) and started my 7-minute walk to the train. At the end of my street, the same car that had been in my neighbor's driveway goes by and the lady offers me a ride. I say okay, mostly because you shouldn't say no in this town and because I was tired of trudging through snow, ice and cold to walk to the train. As I approach the car, she tells me she was just dropping off something at my neighbor's and she is on her way to church. I felt better for my city instincts not kicking in and willingly get in her car.

As soon as I am in, she tells me she used to live at my address for 15 years, two owners ago. She asks me if we kept the shed in the back (we did - her husband built it); if we had kids (her husband is the town's fire captain and is certified installing car seats; who Austen's teacher is (she walks her dog); and what we built on top of our garage (a size able deck).

We chatted for a few minutes more when we arrived at the train station and exchanged full names before I got out of her car marveling at what it means to live in a small town. 

The magnitude of moving here starting to sink in; this place is like no other place I have ever lived before.

Puerto Rico

I finally found the Blogger app and downloaded it to my phone. They must have updated it because last time I remember using it, it was awful so I deleted it. Now, it actually works so I will be able to use my commute time to post blogs and pictures. Videos are a little more complicated for some reason so I have to do that from my phone.

Why am I telling you this? One, because you will have to excuse the typos as my phone likes to believe it knows what it is spelling and it's not always right! And, two, my updates might not happen on Sunday nights anymore. 

Anyway, just returned last week from Puerto Rico for work. I was there for six full days! Missed Hailey lots as she is so young. Good thing she decided to roll over right before I left. We Skyped though and the time went by slowly. 

When I returned, Tom had gone skiing with friends (which was planned) and I had the kids all to myself:) I took them to places they wanted to go punctuated by places I needed to go. So we went to the library, Costco, grocery shopping and the restaurant where the train delivers your food. 

It was a fun weekend of catching up and spending time with my kids...and Tom when he returned on Sunday night.

Hailey Rolls Over

Sorry for the delay in posts. Work has been busy and I am currently traveling so not much time to do a whole lot else. You would think I have a lot of time not having the kids but somehow it doesn't work out that way.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that Hailey rolled over on Friday at four months old. Yay Hailey. Our baby is 

already growing up so fast. Here is the video.