Home Sweet Home

We have been home for two weeks.  We were gone for almost exactly 10 months.  It was really an exciting adventure and I feel really blessed that we were able to go on it.  Ten months really isn't that long to be gone and it has been really easy to just pick back up with friendships where we left off.  It is fun to see everyone's kids a little bit bigger and more developed.... but aside from that, things are more or less the same. 

It has been a lot of work to get re-settled.  It is much different to move back into a 30+ year old house that we own rather than moving into a furnished rental.  Turns out, we have to mow our own yard again.  And there are just lots of little things that we need to take care of.  Ahhh... home ownership.  :)

We have our wonderful dog, Kiley back in our family.  We weren't sure what Gavin would think of her, but he after a few days of shouting "DOG" as in "Don't you people realize there is a giant dog in our house?" he really likes her.  Unfortunately, we now know for certain that Kiley is the cause of Elijah's intense allergies/asthma..... so that has been an added source of stress.  :(  We're working on that.....

Sharing toys with Kiley.  I'm not sure she is too impressed.

It turns out, we have really enjoyed having a big backyard again.  I did not realize how much of a blessing a swing set, sandbox, and a lot of sticks could be for little boys.  Not to mention the crazy squirrels that are always backyard.... along with the occasional fox.  Our fancy pants house in Bend was great - but not very conducive to little boys.  I am no longer worried about the landscaping or the hardwood floors being ruined.  *Breathe sigh of relief - both for me and the boys!*

We weren't sure how it would feel to back, but we now definitely feel like it was the right choice for us.  Marty is enjoying his new/old job and we are enjoying reconnecting with our friends/family.  We love to bike, so the fact that we can easily bike around the neighborhood, to see Marty at work, and that Marty can bike to work is a big plus for us.

Now that everyone is sleeping again, the kids seem to be transitioning well too.  That first week was rough, but it is just feeling like home again.   

Happy boys

So, I guess that is the end of our family adventure 2011 blog!  Thanks for reading and following along.  Now I need to go do some research on how exactly to turn our adventure into a book.  :)