Howdy

As of yesterday, we finally have internet!!  And we don't have to steal someone else's signal, either!

We did get to move in back on the 12th.  And we love our house.  Love.  Our.  House.  We've played in the backyard all but one day since we moved in (the cold rain yesterday kept us inside), and the kids are delighted to have swings, a sandbox, slides, the water table, and all the other kids from the house join in on the fun.  In particular, they've become good friends with Estella, the 5 1/2 year old who lives upstairs from us.  The language barrier is no barrier at all for these kids.  They've done really well, even though they can't communicate verbally.

The other families in the house have all been welcoming and kind.  I baked chocolate chip cookies for everyone the first weekend we were here ... they all seemed to think it was a nice gesture, but a bit odd.  :)  The same expression crossed their faces when I made them some bread one afternoon when all the kids were outside and everyone was lounging around.  Dietmar (Estella's father) was really confused as to why I would bother baking my own bread when there are 6+ bakeries within a 4 block radius.

Edison continues to grow and grow and grow!!  He's now undeniably in 6 month clothing.  I was able to squeeze a few of his 3-6 mos clothes on him for a little while, but not anymore.  He's much more inquisitive and expressive now, which is typical of 4 month olds.  He interacts well, smiles a lot, laughs at almost anything, and will sometimes play with toys.  (The girls are enjoying his toys immensely, however.)

Hayne is working long hours, which is hard for all of us.  It's a good day when he's home for supper.  It's hard to believe that he's already scheduled to head back to Spartanburg next month for a week.

I'm currently getting repeated requests to untangle headphone cords, look at a special rock found in the yard, feed an infant, attend to my own growling stomach ...  Aaaah, life with little people.  Hope all is well back home.  We miss you!
~m

ps - we'll post some pictures and videos once we download them off our cameras.