General Update

We have been in Spokane for two and a half months now, and I have to say, we really like it. Perhaps the best thing that has happened since we moved here took place last Thursday night. A large moving van parked itself in our driveway. Out came the dad and two of their three boys. Mom arrived an hour later.

We officially met them the next day and we have been hanging out ever since. Obviously, those who know me and talk to me often, knew of the heartaches and general horribleness of our previous neighbors. Ever since they moved, I prayed that our new neighbors would be good, kind, normal, decent human beings. Okay, that is not entirely true. The truth is, I actually prayed that the place would stay vacant for our year tenure in Spokane. I guess our landlords did not like that suggestion. Can't imagine why...

A vacant house is clearly not what I, or my children, need. I'll tell you what we do need though: the exact family that moved in.

The dad is in law school, the mom stays home. Their boys are 7, 5 and 3. They are polite, friendly, sharing, and super awesome people. They are possibly only in Spokane for a year also. Plus, they brought with them a huge trampoline. It is our backyard and it is amazing. The boys play Indiana Jones, Army, Star Wars, and any other "boy" game they can come up with. They even entertain themselves by watching each other play Lego Star Wars. They explore our swamp, the surrounding woods, and each other's rooms daily.

It is crazy to admit this, but their move into our duplex will make my year in Spokane fun. After my friend Lesley and her boys moved, there was a serious hole in our lives. Even if we did not see them everyday (which I really liked if we did) just knowing that Levi's best friends were a 10 minute drive was comforting. We still miss them. This new family is a great transition.

Okay, enough ranting and raving about my perfect neighbors... Other things.

Lately I have made some serious decisions regarding eating habits. The first thing is that I have decided to ban conventional cereals in my house. Sorry, I just cannot justify spending $4-5 on a box of cereal! Unfortunately, my children love cereal. Fortunately they love granola. And double fortunately the recent issue of Family Fun Magazine (love it!) had the best home-made granola I have tried. So far I have made three batches and it disappears fast.

The other decision I made is that I am going to ban dairy from my diet. I kinda think that I am lactose-intolerant, barely. Anyway, I have not eaten cheese in a while and I was slowly decreasing my milk intake. When I was younger my mom used to make almond milk. It was super yummy. I will make some Monday.

Levi and Claire finished up swimming lessons on Friday. At the end of class, the teacher gives them a progress report. Oddly enough, the stubborn traits that my children have always possessed were clearly obvious to their teacher. They are graded in 5 categories:

1. Is confident

2. Listens to instructions

3. Follows directions

4. Accepts constructive suggestions

5. Demonstrates caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Since the sport of swimming involves water Levi scored pretty low in the confidence section. A 6. Claire? A perfect 10. I would expect nothing less of a girl who can put her entire face under water for 30 seconds. And loves doing it. Again, and again, and again.

Naturally, both of my children got 10's on being caring and respecting persons.

How about listening and following instructions? This is a no-brainer. Claire: 7's in both. Levi: 9's in both.

We will take another round of swimming lessons. Plus, Levi has expressed an interest in soccer, so he his signed up on a team through the Y.

We are staying busy, enjoying the rotation Josh is on now, and having fun. I am enjoying the development of my domestic diva skills: quilting, canning, sewing, baking and blogging. Life is good!