Our New Home

Here we are in our new home. The last few months have been crazy and fun and stressful, but we all knew that it was time for the Pimental clan to get a home of our own. So after much searching and prayer and heart-softening and help from family and friends, we finally landed in Richland, Wa. This home of ours is a three level duplex just a couple blocks from Dante's school. Dante is very excited about the three levels. It has a nice little fenced yard for playing, and there is a park just a block away. We also have loads of space--two bathrooms, four bedrooms, two storage rooms plus a shed, and even a laundry room and a rec/TV room. It is also very nice to be close to Grandma and Grandpa, as well as other family and friends. We are loving it and hope to be here for a long time.

Dante's new teacher is great. He seems to be doing work at a higher level than in Kent. He already has friends, of course. The weather finally cleared up in the last few days, and we have brought out the bikes. It has been fun to ride them to take Dante to school. Dante and Mom have also started a very difficult puzzle, which we work on after the girls have gone to bed. It has been a good bonding time for us.

It looks as if Constance may finally be potty trained. She is becoming more and more independent, getting herself dressed, buckling herself into her carseat, pouring her drinks. It makes me smile--and growl when I'm in a hurry. I know that this is an important step in her development, though. Constance has also gained a desire to cook. She helped make scrambled eggs the other day and did most of it by herself. She gets frustrated playing with others, but she plays so well by herself. She has such an imagination! And I'll ask her to help do something, like clean up or empty the dishwasher, and she says, "No, thanks!" Constance is always asking to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It almost drives me crazy, except that she is such a happy, funny girl.

Emily keeps going a mile a minute. She loves the stairs and is great at getting up and down them, though she seems to get frustrated sometimes at being left behind. She can sign "more" and "please" and nods her head for yes. She usually doesn't have any trouble communicating what she wants. She is such a helper, too! She likes to help put dishes away and hand me hangers and clean up. She actually helps more than Constance does! Emily also got in her third tooth, with the fourth (and probably more) shortly behind.

So we are all getting settled in and meeting new people. It's a bit exhausting having to drag all three kids around with me anywhere I have to go, such as dropping Dante off at school or choir practice or midnight runs to the store for coughing medicine. It has been a good bonding time for all of us, though, and I think this will be good for us.