First First Day of School

Matthew had his first day of Kindergarten today! He looked so big (yet at the same time, so small) carrying his huge backpack and walking into his school. It was a successful day, despite the fact that I have been dreading it for months. I'm not sure what I was so worried about, but I do know that Matthew can be very stubborn and likes things to be his idea. I'm also kind of used to having him around, so I knew I'd miss him a lot. Things were quiet at home with just Anna and me, but we enjoyed ourselves and I only checked the clock a hundred times to see if it was 3:00 yet! But Matthew had a great day and is looking forward to going back tomorrow.

I hope Matthew will have a great year and that he'll learn a lot, educationally and socially. It is fun to watch him grow up and to be able to experience all these new things with him!

Texas

We are slowly getting settled into our new home here in Texas. Everything went well and we are all together and happy! Although, I admit it has maybe been a little bit of a shock. We have moved from a place with eight million people to a place with just over 100,000. We have moved from a place that was green and covered in trees and two miles from the beach, to a place that is very flat, very dry, and has severe water restrictions. We have moved from a place where cars honked constantly, to a place where people wave at you when you drive by. We have moved from a place where it took an hour to drive 15 miles, to a place where there is no traffic and Joseph's commute is five minutes long. We have moved from a place where we lived in apartments and were always surrounded by people somewhere, to a place where we have a whole house to ourselves and rarely see anyone in our neighborhood at all (probably because it is sooo hot!). We have moved from a place where we have been parallel parking on the road for four years, to a place where we have a garage. We have moved from a place where we saw ducks and turtles at the lake up the street, to a place where we have wild rabbits running around in our backyard. We have moved from a place where everyone walks or takes the bus, to a place where you drive even just one mile to work and everyone has at least two cars.

I could go on and on about the differences of here and there. But we are ready for the changes, and for whatever Texas is going to teach us. We love the quiet and the space and our home. Joseph will have a very busy year, but I guess we are used to that. Matthew will start full day kindergarten in a week, and then Anna and I will have to figure out what to do with ourselves all day.

Most of the boxes are unpacked and we are finding places for everything. I know we will be very happy here and I'm sure we have a great year ahead of us!

Moving On

Our summer has come to an end. We are headed to Texas early in the morning, and we are so excited to be reunited with Joseph! We are looking forward to getting settled into our new home and starting a new job and kindergarten. But we've had the most wonderful summer and it is hard to leave family after being with them for so long.

We spent a weekend in Star Valley, Wyoming, and it was perfect. We picked peas at my great aunt's house, played with kittens, visited family and friends and enjoyed the beautiful landscape.

Anna also had her third birthday this week. We had a great day and we really love our little lady.

Luckily, we'll be back in less than two months because my big sis is getting married in October! We are so excited, and it is great to know we'll all be together again soon for such a happy thing.

We are so grateful that we've been able to spend the last two months with our families. They helped us and fed us and loved us so much. We will miss everyone, but we are ready to experience life in Texas!!