We have loved our new home and over the holidays, have gotten to know our new neighbors a little better. Luckily, all four of the other families have kids and a dog, so we fit the criteria!;) Across the street from us is a sweet family with three kids ranging in age from 11 down to 8. They have been so amazingly welcoming to us, from offering their swingset to the kids when we were over checking out the building progress to bringing us an amazing goodie bag when we first moved in to helping us out whenever we have needed it. They have been awesome! The mom, Mary, reminds me so much of my sister and my mom squished into one, so we have gotten along really well. Anna and their middle child, Emily, hit it off from the start and have become best buds. Initially, I was a little nervous about the age difference (she's 9), but now that we know them better, I know she comes from a good family with similar values and she is so sweet to Anna. It's kind of neat because Emily gets to be the "older sister" (she only has a younger brother) and Anna gets to be the "little sister", which is a different experience for both of them. Anna has been so cute with her new friend and the whole "going over to play" thing. It was so strange for me in the beginning because Emily would come over and ask if she could play and then off she would go and it would be just me and Jack at the house. Weird! My little girl is getting so big! You should have seen her the first time I let her go over to ask Emily to come play--she thought she was hot stuff!
Back before Christmas, Mary had informed us that one of the neighborhood traditions is to have a Christmas tree-burning party down by the pond after New Years. One of the perks of our new neighborhood is that it has a 19-acre common area with a pond, fishing dock, picnic shelter, and fire pit. The first Saturday of the year was gorgeous, so we all headed to the pond to celebrate the burning of the trees!
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After Mr. Chris hauled his 14-ft tree down to the pond,
he brought his tractor by for Jack to get a ride.
Jack was a little timid about going with Mr. Chris,
but he was happy to go with Daddy! |
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We roasted hot dogs and made s'mores over the burning Christmas tree!
So fun!! Here are Jack and Anna with the infamous Emily. |
