More Downsizing Adventures

We've been here at our new place for 2 full weeks now and are feeling settled in.  I have our school cabinet pretty much organized.  This "china cabinet" sits in the wall right across from our dining table, so the location couldn't be better. I'll still need to tweak it a bit and work on making the top shelf look pretty, but I have everything we need for daily school work.

The Brownies are making friends and today we had a little of the girl drama that goes along with it.  My girls' feelings were hurt when two kids they had been playing with all last week kept running away from them.  When the Brownies asked them why they kept running, they told one of my girls she had acted like a "jerk" earlier in the week.  Oh, the drama!  Fortunately, it ended in apologies all around.  I'm sure they will be friends again.  We had our share of girl drama on Dickinson, too.

Earlier this week, Mackenzie told me that she sometimes feels like she doesn't fit in here.  I asked her why (she is one that easily makes friends) and she said, "I'm the only white kid here and that makes me feel left out. Sometimes the other kids don't want to talk to me."
Is it bad that I'm grateful for her experience?   I reminded her that the bit of discomfort she feels is what many more people feel all the time, everywhere they go and that her experience will help her remember to be kind to everyone, even if they look or sound different from her.  I'm grateful that she will have the chance to grow more empathetic and less judgmental of others.  Yes, I'm grateful for her chance to "suffer" because I know she will be better for it.   Of course, she made that comment last Wednesday and by today she was out playing with the kids, having a great time.  That is until she came in and the front door slammed on her finger, but that's another story.

Our neighborhood backs to two ponds they call lakes.  They are ponds, but I digress.  A benefit of this is that we get to see ducks come to visit in the community pool.  We also have a pool view from our living room and balcony, so enjoy seeing them daily.  Today, the kids noticed a mamma duck, daddy duck, and 9 ducklings!  After a few hours, they had drawn quite a crowd.  For hours, the mamma was going to each corner, jumping out, seemingly trying to show her babies how to do the same, but they were stuck.  A neighbor put one of the lounge chairs in the pool for the ducklings to use as a "ramp".  The ducklings certainly provided adorable entertainment for the afternoon.
While we totally miss our Dickinson neighbors and our own pool (this one isn't open yet), there is not much more we miss about our old place.  We have awesome trails here that are FLAT!  Yay!  We walk or ride less than a mile to Andy Brown Park where there is a nice playground, soccer fields, and a dirt running track.  Another 1/2 mile or so down the trail is an awesome park and community rec center.   Just across the street from that is the library.  We've never lived close enough to walk or ride bikes to the library, so we are stoked!
            
We'll keep exploring the new 'hood, making new friends, and adjusting to the new place.  So far, smaller is certainly better for our family. 

Comments

  1. DonnaApril 3, 2011 at 10:26 PM

    A great read and super pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LauraApril 3, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    We've been to the park before - it's a great place to hang out and don't mind driving across the town to go there. My kids love it there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DarlaApril 4, 2011 at 6:05 AM

    My kids definitely understand about looking different. When we would visit a new country for the first time, Lily would ask, "Will there be people there with light skin and different colored hair?" I remember the first time she saw a picture of an African American family on a box. She asked, "Mom, where do people who look like that live?" We live in a sea of brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair. I'm also thankful for it. My kids know what it's like to be stared at and I use that to help teach them as it relates to others. Love you guys! Darla

    ReplyDelete
  4. BeverlyApril 4, 2011 at 4:41 PM

    Sounds like a wonderful location! I'd love to be able to walk/ride bikes to the park, library, etc. Ted has fond memories of biking to the library when new books would come in (the librarian would call him at home to tell him!), but there's no WAY we'd let our kids do that now, ha!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SarahApril 5, 2011 at 2:32 PM

    Laura, you'll have to come down this week or next so we can finally get together!
    Darla, I KNOW your kids have experienced this 1000 times over. I'll have to remind them of your kids. :) They are excellent kiddos!
    Beverly, if only you guys were close by! We could run together.

    ReplyDelete

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