Keeping up with the movers

I feel bad that I haven't been posting on the blog all of our fun tales of getting to know our new home.  I really have been just way too busy with my new job.

We have done some fun things with the kids.  We have visited many beautiful parks and playgrounds.  One had a zip-line that Grandma Carla, Xander, and I absolutely loved!  We've also visited both the Puget Sound (salt water) and Lake Washington (fresh water) beaches.  There was a little swimming; although, I suspect that'll be done for the year as its a bit chilly.

The kids are doing well in their new school.  All the teachers love Aria.  She is apparently quite a ham doing goofy things to get attention.  Xander's teachers are impressed with his computer abilities.  I'd say most of his ability arises out of complete lack of fear in technology.  He will trial and error any piece of software (since he can't read) to figure out how it works.

Dolphin has accepted a new position at a game development company and will be starting his new position in a few weeks.  The new company is very lucky to have him as Dolphin has been quite the hot commodity once he unleashed his resume. 

Back in Austin, our home is quickly moving through the sale process.  We received 3 offers within 12 hours of putting our house into MLS.  Two were higher than we were asking.  We quickly accepted one contract and had a back-up contract as well.  We've passed the inspection phase on the house and based on the good progress with financing, it looks like we'll be closing early.

I surely do miss some things about our old home.  Aside from our wonderful neighbors and friends, I miss having a two car garage (we have to park in open spaces here because our garage is full of stuff).  I really miss our awesome dishwasher (so quite, so effective).  I  miss knowing where everything is.  Right now, I wish I had X-ray vision to see into all the boxes to find what I'm looking for.  I kind of miss 75 MPH speed limits, too.  Not that traffic would ever be clear enough here to go that fast.  There's lots to love about our new home, too, so I'm still glad we did move.

New home

The kids and the dogs loved checking out our new townhome and the backyard. Right behind the fence, through the gate, is a blackberry bush.  They grow like weeds here!

I didn't notice when picking this place, but it is right next to a park.  The kids played on the playground and there were lots of  other families.

Good-fry Austin

 

On our last day in Austin, we had an hour to kill and needed to go so place dog friendly. So, we hit up our favorite sausage place at Uncle Billy's.  It was so hot that I was worried that Aria wpould overheat .  I took her shirt off.  Will we come to miss this kind of heat, I wonder.

Best husband

I write this post as the best husband ever tries to sleep on a bed much too short for him. His feet are literally hanging off the bed.

My amazing husband has supported me not once, but twice through career relocations.  He gave up jobs that he loved to do this.  Granted, he's been nagging me for 10+ years to move to the Pacific  Northwest.  So, I would say this recent move to Seattle is rather win-win.

During our trip to Seattle, he was amazing.  We would not have made  it without him.  We knew that flying with two dogs, two kids, 4 checked bags, and carryons was going to be challenging, but we did not anticipate me getting a raging sinus infection right before the trip.  Dolphin had to do a lot more kid entertainment on his own because I was  wiped out.  He let me sleep for a good hour on the plan and a good half of a day the next day.  With this recovery, I might just make it to my first day of work on time.

For a 4 year old

I recently took a house hunting trip to Seattle.  While I was there, I tried to take photos of things that Xander would like.  What simple things can mean so much to him.  At a breakfast diner, they had a full basket of fruit jellies that I could just imagine Xander drooling over.  I showed him the picture, and he immediately said "I want to go there.  Can we go there in Seattle?"  So, we keep telling him all the good things about Seattle to help with the transition, but we have to remember to think like our 4 year old.

Please

Whoever invested the sign for please, surely was not envisioning the average toddler.  Aria is a messy eater like most toddlers.  When she asks for more of some food, she says "peez" (please) and then swipes her hand across her chest to sign "please".  This results in whatever food she's been eating being plastered all over her shirt.  Stains galore!  I remember Xander did the exact same thing.

What I'll miss about Austin the most

I think this may be one of the things that I will miss about Austin the most.  Austin has a plethora of days where it's so hot that nothing beats cooling off with a sprinkler.  More over, most homes, like ours, have a high privacy fence so when the kids strip down to nothing, no one cares.  Xander and Aria had an absolutely blast after dinner on Friday playing with the garden hose.  It was certainly more entertaining then giving them a boring old bath, and they came out just as clean.