Life has been busy and good. Anders is getting so big and we have noticed some nice changes in his almost 5 behavior. He still has a HUGE imagination and loves guns, battles, sling shots and all things battle and boy. He is getting more empathetic with a little help from me and Chris although we are still working on that character trait! When we moved to this back house in October he went through a rough patch with all of the changes. We had to really crack down on being a friend, kindness, (not hitting, throwing things or harming anyone). I really struggled with guilt and wondered how in the world to tame this little savage! It turns out that with consistency and time these things work themselves out.
Life has gotten into a nice cadence and we are truly enjoying the atmosphere of our life. We love living so close to our friends and their nice daughters. Anders is learning all kinds of things about friendships and life here. The backyard is a fantastic place for adventures and fun and I love watching the kids play while I'm doing dishes.
Chris is doing well too and is enjoying his work. He has been able to take advantage of the train which is a nice stress free commuting option. The L.A. freeways can take their toll!
We have been going to church down the street from us where some friends of ours have been involved for a long time. They had been inviting us to come and when we found out how close it was we couldn't refuse. We miss Malibu Presbyterian but the drive was just getting too much to do so often. Anders still goes to school there a couple of times a week and I am involved with MOPS as well. Next year we will be staying closer to home and I'm looking forward to less driving.
As a side note, this month Chris and I celebrated 5 years of Marriage by spending the night up in Solvang. We came to the conclusion that Solvang is a "drive through" kind of a place. We were immensely grateful to my parents who took Anders for the night to give us a little break.
Here are a few pictures that I've been snapping lately.
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| Super Boy! |
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| This is a still shot from a video I took of our neighbor Kate and Anders playing in our house. |
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| Cowboy |
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| Anders and his friend Stella at pre-school. They'll miss each other next year. |
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| Letting Anders play in the bubble water to kill time. This window is my view of the back yard. |
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| We've had some rainy days lately. This is my view from the couch |
