The Neighborhood Hangout?

Hi everyone,

I'm happy to announce we're all moved in and finally online again. I didn't realize how much I used the computer until I didn't have it for over a week! We've been busy, busy unpacking and getting settled in. We've had a few problems with the new house (nothing the warranty doesn't cover, thank God!), but I think things have finally come together enough to let us relax a little bit. The kids are enjoying the extra space and are excited about picking out the new paint colors for their rooms. Right now Kayla wants "purple, pink, and yellow" and the boys want "just a sky and grass" ... we'll see! (First they wanted an ocean scene and when I told them I wasn't artistic enought to paint whales and things they said, "oh, that's ok. We just wanted sharks and sting rays...").

So, this weekend we met a lot of neighborhood kids. While we were moving in last week a couple of boys from across the street came over and introduced themselves. Sweet boys, except for the fact they tend to barge right in without being invited! Well, to get back to this weekend, Kayla was allowed to have a friend from school come over for a couple of hours. She's a sweet little girl named Emma who Kayla knew from church even before we moved to Carson. They seemed a little bored (since Kayla's toys are mostly still packed) so I let them play out in the backyard. Almost immediately we had a little girl pop her head over the fence and say hi. We met her parents and she and her sister climbed into our backyard to play with our kids. (The old owners had cut a piece of the fence out and added a pool ladder so the kids could safely climb back and forth, since their kids were friends). So, anyway, here we are with seven kids to watch. Eventually we had to send them home and go shopping. When we got back from shopping, the little boys from across the street, along with their older sister, came right over and right on in as we were unloading the car. The next thing we knew the girls behind us were climbing over the fence again! 9 kids! We were a little overwhelmed to say the least! Somehow we managed to kick everyone out without hurting any feelings and got a peaceful dinner. I hate to say it, but the next day we kept the shades drawn and didn't let our kids go outside. It's definitly something we'll have to get a handle on, fast! However, it will be wonderful for out kids to grow up in a neighborhood like this. It just a half a block down from where we lived before but a world of difference! Kayla now has a few more kids added to her birthday party list! We're celebrating it Sunday. I'll post some pictures afterwards...