Settling In in Colorado Springs

First of all, sorry! No pictures yet! Our computer is now at the shop, but they said it could be two weeks before they will get to it since they have only one "laptop guy." So once again, I will post pictures as soon as I can! By then our carpets will be replaced and maybe some paint will be on the walls so it will all look nicer anyhow.

The family is settling into the new house nicely. The boys like this bigger house a lot; Josh keeps saying "I love our stairs." Zach loves having his own room and his big full-size bed, but his room right now has linoleum (who knows why!) so he is counting down the days 'til the carpet guys come; it is amazing how much warmer carpet can make a room! Zach is also patiently waiting for us to start on finishing our basement (around Memorial Day). Josh also loves sharing a room with Ben now, instead of being on his own, and surprisingly we haven't had any bedtime issues from those two whatsoever. Ben is in heaven in our rock-filled backyard (we do have grass, but much of the landscaping here also involves large amounts of river rock) and keeps breaking the bigger rocks into smaller ones using other larger rocks just like his friend Jonah showed him back home in WA. The boys have made a friend across the street named Graham, but he is no Ian or Evan! We miss those guys! And Josh has asked a few times "Where is our new Beth's house?" (or Jen's house, or Nana's house, or so on and so on). It's pretty sad. Luke developed a serious chest cold two days after moving in which has since developed into an ear infection and sinus infection, so he has been pretty miserable and we have been pretty sleepless. But he seems to be doing better now, so we are hoping this is almost over with.

Zach's new school is pretty cool. It is a school that is certified International Baccalaureate, which means it is geared towards kids who may have some schooling outside of the US (there is a lot of military here). Many times schools in Europe and elsewhere outside of the US require fluency in at least two languages for graduation or enrollment in University as well as a global awareness that kids from the US often don't have. Anyhow, the program is really enriching and on top of that Zach has four days a week where he gets half-hour French lessons! It's fun hearing the things he is already picking up!

We have unpacked all the basics, and the kitchen is completely done, but we are waiting for a lot of the unpacking until the new carpets are in, so there is less to move off the carpeted areas come installation day. Some neighbors told us that the people who lived here before us had five dogs so it is no wonder we thought the carpets needed immediate replacement! Ew!

Since I love lists, below is a list of things observed about living in Colorado Springs:

1. We need to invest in a lotion company! It is so dry that we are cracking and scaly! Yuck!
2. Colorado Springs calls itself "Tree City, USA" Um.... OK. The person who came up with that nickname must have only lived in Arizona, South Dakota and Nebraska.
3. Scooping the poop is easier since it dries out in about 2 seconds.
4. My (thick, moisture-filled) hair also dries much faster.
5. Josh's curls are still cute, but the static electricity in the air makes him look like he has been rubbing latex balloons on his head.
6. Ditto for Ruby's long lustrous locks.
7. The YMCA here rocks! The kids clubs (the place you drop your kids off to work-out) have rock climbing walls, pirate ships and swimming for kids over 6!
8. Brown is Colorado Springs' favorite color.
9. Uh, windy much? While Seattle has varying shades of grey, Colorado Springs has varying shades of wind.
10. It is really nice having Adam's work so close to home. He has picked Zach up from school twice in the last week so we could keep poor sick baby inside (out of the WIND) and it takes him all of 10 minutes from the time he leaves work until he has picked Zach up, dropped him off at home, and returned to work.
11. Driving out towards the prarie side of Colorado Springs (East) could make any mountain-loving, tree-needing girl feel like she is going to float off into the vast emptiness of it all. Yipes!
12. It can be a sunny 65 during the day, snow at night, and then be 65 the next day and no one here thinks that is weird.
13. There can be too many Walmarts in one town (we have counted 4 off of one main road, no kidding).

Don't give up, pictures and more regular blogging coming soon (two weeks at the most, laptop guy!).