One month.

Our new Banksy wall decal helps bring the place to life.

One month. We’ve been in our home for one month! I think we can all agree that it feels like longer. I’ll refer back to my second blog post when I talked about the ‘settling in’ period. I think we are pretty much settled at this point. We are receiving junk mail in my name, we have a morning routine that’s solid, we’ve had the obligatory once a month trip to London, Dave has a group bike ride that he likes, I’ve found a Monday night yoga class that I think will work, K1 loves his uniform, and I’ve already made a couple Sunday “roasts” (none involved roasts) and I even threw in a French yoghurt cake this week. I know. Who am I? And why didn’t I know what a springform cake tin was before? That thing is amazing!

We’re feeling better. Dave and I even got to go out on a date this week. We took a babysitter recommendation and she was a hit with the kids.

 

K2 at the Princess Diana of Wales memorial playground

Little things are still more stressful than we’d like them to be, but much of that can be attributed to the fact that K2 is 19 months old and has NO FEAR. This is the stage when people cave and buy a child-leash. I can’t do that, but I think I might buy an Ergo baby carrier. I know he’s not a baby, but he’s well below the max weight limit. You see, K2 launches himself out of the stroller and will run like the wind into oncoming traffic or a lake. He’s a babbling ball of energy and love. Thank God for our childminder, Jenny. She’s a star and we adore her. She takes care of K2 while we’re working, along with her son and another little girl; both are two. That’s it. Daycare ratios in the UK are wonderfully low. Expensive, but I like the value. Jenny sends us photos and texts daily, spends a lot of time outdoors, and can do great voices for book characters!

 

Double-decker bus! 

Saturdays seem to be our excursion day and Sunday is the day to stick close to home. I like this. Last week we scrapped the Hampton Court Palace plan to go into London to meet friends and yesterday we ventured south to Littlehampton beach. It was about 71 degrees and we wanted to take advantage of the balmy weather. The kids are good car travelers (they are strapped in), and we enjoy seeing the countryside. We continue to be amazed with the number of roundabouts and narrow little roads. It seems there is no straight shot to anywhere. And driving on the left feels almost normal. I guess that means we’re settled.

Sitting on the longest bench in the world! Littlehampton, UK