Where do I start?

Hi folks! It's been awhile! Moving across the country and starting a new job has been an all-consuming activity, so the blog fell by the wayside for awhile. Assuming anyone is still out there, I will try to post a little more often.

Susannah has handled the big move just fine (better than either Alex or I), and she continues to be the sunshine of our lives. She is TWO years old now, and if you ask her how old she is, she even says "Two!", while holding up two fingers (usually). She speaks in full sentences now, and is into absolutely everything.

While we do sometimes miss California and the west coast in general, we do like it here. While we have left behind good friends, we now live much closer to most of our family, and some good old friends, too. It has been great to have Dave (Alex's brother) and his wife Colleen and their daughter Isla close by. It is a wonderful thing for Susannah to be able to play with her little cousin on a regular basis, and nice for us to be able to see Isla grow up, too. They are just one year apart (Isla turned one in July) and as they grow, that one year age difference will become less and less significant - oh, what fun they will have!

Isla and Susannah (with Isla's other 2 year-old cousin, Natalie) having fun in the kiddie pool

Since we moved, we have also had the pleasure of seeing my best friend from college, Christine, and her family. They live in PA and were just in the Boston area recently with their three kids. I haven't seen their oldest since he was younger than Susannah (he is now almost 6!), and hadn't met their younger kids at all. We all got together at a beautiful playground in Concord, watched them all play, and had lunch. Later that night, Chris and I chatted in the hotel lobby as she held her 6 month-old - a far cry from our crazy college days, but just as good, if not better! It was so much fun, and I look forward to seeing them more often!

We had a surprise visit from Alex's parents yesterday, and will soon see my parents and Anna. Watch out, east-coasters - we're back, and we may be seeing you soon, too!



Susannah with Christine's kids: Getting four kids under the age of 6 to cooperate for a photo-shoot is impossible!