Favorite Things

It's been 18 days and the kids are pretty well settled into the new house.  So far, these are some of their favorite features (in no particular order):

*The Breakfast Bar.  Who knew that sitting on a stool and eating off the counter instead of at the dining room table could be So Much Fun?  They absolutely love the breakfast bar.  Each morning they sit up high and nibble their food, ask for more juice, and chat with me while I putter around the kitchen/eat something.  And because this arrangement puts them side-by-side instead of across from one another, they can really get on each other's nerves by touching, poking, kicking, and even just looking at each other.

*The Pool.  While it's officially closed for the season now, we did manage to get in it a few times.  The kids loved the idea of it.  They'd beg and beg and beg to go in on a sunny 78-degree day.  They'd stay in the 68-degree water for all of 3 minutes before shivering and asking to switch to the hot tub instead.

*The Hot Tub.  We had one at the old house and they made good use of it.  But this one is bigger.  Tai tries to swim laps while Quynh tiptoes around the middle--water up to her chin--with a huge smile on her face.  Oh, and then they argue incessantly about whether to turn the jets on or not.  Not the most relaxing atmosphere, but they have a good time and always need to be cajoled, bribed, or dragged out after about 20 minutes.

*The Rock.  There is a large rock out front, just the right size and shape for two kid bums.  It's about the same size, shape, and color as our dog.  Several times Minh and I have mistaken the rock for Buttons and wondered momentarily how she got out into the front yard.  It's also good for one kid to stand on and subsequently jump off of.  And Quynh frequently picks up mulch and scrapes it all over the surface of the rock for some reason known only to her.

*The Wildlife.  Every time we walk the dog around the neighborhood we see bunnies.  Every.Single.Time.  And what's better than bunnies?  Frogs.  Because you can catch them and hold them (wild bunnies rarely stand for that).  We've relocated a total of 5 frogs from our pool/hot tub to the nearby conservation area.  I wonder what the neighbors think, seeing us dump frogs from tupperware containers into the tall grass then walk away?  Finally, there are the spiders.    Boy, do we have spiders!  Luckily they are almost all in dark corners of the basement, but they are large and they are numerous.  Tai is fascinated with them and even suggested the other day that perhaps at his next birthday party we could organize a game of Spider Hunt for his guests.

I will now commence waiting for the phone to ring as you all chomp at the bit to come visit our new place, spiders and all.