A Month in San Antonio

Well we have been here 4 weeks now. We still don't have internet or TV (not a big deal, but there are some football games we would have liked to have seen). Our home is in an area with such new construction that no one is servicing here yet. It's getting frustrating, and no one has any answers or estimated dates when it will be available. 

So far Texas feels a lot like Vegas - hot! I'm also being reminded of what it's like to not have a typical fall. Waaaaaa! Nate took the kids on a real short walk a few weeks ago and Emmy came back red and sweaty. 

And this is old news, but the kids are back in school and doing really well. It starts at 7:40 which is a big change from our 9:15 start time in Maryland. We are slowly adjusting. I drive them to school and they take the bus home. Jansen had a bit of a rough start with some behavior issues at school (nothing big), but we have him on track now and I'm really proud of him for making some changes. Nate and I laugh because Jansen is the same person whether at home or at school and sometimes we wish he would alter his behavior a little more at school. Natalie on the other hand is a total pleaser and angel at school but a bit of a stinker at home. I think I was that way as a kid.

At the moment Natalie likes school so much she says she'd rather be there than at home! Ha. I am very impressed with the principal, teachers, PTA, etc here  and feel grateful to be in an excellent school district. When I drop the kids off in the morning a safety patrol student opens our car door for us, says good morning, helps the kids out, tells me to have a great day and shuts the door. Great service. :)

We've also been celebrating birthdays. Natalie turned 7, and her most exciting gift was roller skates. She's been very diligent about learning to skate (meaning she practices in the house). 

This cake was a bit of a disaster, but not so much that Natalie even noticed. She loved it. 

She wanted to celebrate by going swimming and getting Happy Meals for lunch. That I can do. 

Awwww, babies in swimsuits...it's hard to  handle the cuteness.

We are really enjoying our neighborhood pool, and so far we are usually the only ones there.

Leah was sleeping ok right after we moved here, but then things went haywire. She was waking up like 7-8 times a night and I was losing it. It was not good for me mentally or physically and I just felt like I wasn't being the mom I should be to the my other kids. It was SO hard, SO very hard, but I let her cry it out and she is sleeping much better. It's a long road with lots of ups and downs getting kids to sleep well. Oh and she's liking her new-to-us jumper.

I got lucky and this blowout happened while I was at the school for orientations and Nate had Leah. What a mess.

But what a cutie. Leah is still not the most content baby, but she has improved so much from a couple months ago that I feel like I can't complain. 

Jansen also had his birthday and turned 9. Birthday present highlights were probably his remote control tank and a big Lego set.

He wanted to swim and ride bikes on his birthday. And have Raising Cane's for dinner (yesssss). I don't know who planted that idea in his head...

I was going to keep Emmy home with me this year instead of sending her to preschool (she has 2 years till Kindergarten), but she really needed some social interaction. I'm not the best playmate. And she was always making me be the dad when we played "house." She is going to an in home preschool that she just loves. Notice the sunglasses tucked in the side of the amazing My Little Pony backpack.

Now she's telling me likes school better than home too! She stole that line from her sister...

Leah is a typical 4th child and is always getting pulled out of bed to take someone somewhere. It just kills me to wake her up, but I don't really have a choice. 

We haven't done much exploring of San Antonio yet. Leah makes it hard, it's still very hot, and we are still catching up on lots at home related to moving. I'm looking forward to adventures and memory making soon though!