another rainy day

It seems as though Wilmington is more like a rain forest than I remembered. Saturday afternoon was yet another rainy afternoon. This time it was like a monsoon. Ryan and Nathan decided to put on their swimsuits and play in the rain. Along with boogie boarding through the backyard, they hunted for turtles. I never would have thought that we would have such exposure to wild life living in the city - on a golf course!

They found a painted turtle. After a bit of convincing that our current turtle didn't need a friend, the boys released the turtle across the street.

Martins

Over and over again, we find reasons to be so very thankful for this house. We truly did kick and scream a little about why this seemed to be the house for us. We weren't completely happy with all the details about 4117 Appleton Way. However, God continues to open our eyes to all the blessings He had in store for us here. One of the fun things we have discovered is the Martin house in our backyard. It turns out that our neighbor actually made this house.

We have since learned that Martins love to eat mosquitoes! Therefore we love martins and we will gladly clean our their homes anytime! We are anxiously awaiting their return to the area next spring.

Peter's Birthday

I truly can't believe that my boy has turned 11. It hardly seems possible that he could be that old or that I could have been a mom for that long.

Peter continues to make me so proud to be his mom. He's kind, thoughtful, quick to apologize, loves to play, hard worker, pitches in whenever help is needed.

I love you Peter!

Neigborhood life

It's 5 o'clock here in Wilmington and all my babies have flown the coop.  It's not taken them too long to learn the ropes of neighborhood life.  Now that school is in session for us and most of year-round friends, it's party time come 3:30.  Peter's off playing basketball and soccer at a friends.  Emma, Ryan and Nathan and two friends have just deserted me for Molly's house because it is way cooler.  Molly has a trampoline.  This is all so unfamiliar and so uncertain for me but I'm beginning to embrace the rare moments when I'm alone.  It's my memories of my childhood neighborhood experiences that push me to let go.  Of course, I certainly wasn't 4 when I rode my bike to a friends house but I do feel certain that Nathan will be tended to closely by all the older guys.  We're having dinner tonight, with one such neighborhood friend of mine.  It's been over 25 years since we roamed the streets of our neighborhood but we are still friends.  I'm hopeful that our kids will experience the same types of friendships as they spend their growing up years in Echo Farms. 
Since I'm long over due in updating the blog, I'll take advantage of these quiet moments and let you in on our past month.

 The kids jumped in head first to the Echo Farms swim team.  They did an amazing job learning how to swim competitively.  I'm so proud of each of their accomplishments.  Nathan can't wait to join the fun next year.