Why are you moving? - Part 2

We do have a very nice home here currently which is another reason why I think people wonder why we would move. One of the things we originally liked about our current residence is the fact that we are in a neighborhood with other families but our particular lot is very private. Our back yard is all woods with no other houses in sight.

On any given Saturday moring in the summer however, I might sit outside on the front porch and drink my morning cup of tea. What do I hear while I'm out there? Click, wurrrr - that would be the sound of all the neighbors central air conditioners (our house does not have central air). Not a person in sight. It's almost a little creepy sometimes. It's kind of like that all year long. Somewhere between 6 - 8pm we do see some folks walking dogs or jogging but, that's about it.

So when the isolation of this ghost town gets to us, we hop in the car and head out. When we get to the end of the neighborhood we come out to the main road. "Which way do we go?" is the question we ask on a regular basis. Go right, and get to Saratoga in 15 minutes or go left and get to Glens Falls in 15 minutes. It seems we're 15 minutes from anywhere.

As we travel through the city of our future home we constantly see people walking about. There seems to be a much better sense of community. Additionally, we'll be able to walk out the front door and walk to local parks, playgrounds, library, restaurants, pubs, stores, the kids school, and even the Civic Center.

So, reason number two for moving is community. But wait....there's more....

Family

A couple of hours ago friends of ours went to JFK and met their son for the very first time.  They are on their way home now, the last leg of the journey their little guy has made from the other side of the world to his new home and the first precarious steps of their journey together as a family.  As Harry said, this is a Big Day and I am so happy for you, Stephanie, Jay, and Jack!  Don't forget to eat and sleep, and remember that this is going to get easier as you all figure each other out.

Big Day

As I was tucking Harrison into his bed tonight I told him how happy I am to be his mom, how much happiness he brings to my life and how much joy he fills my heart with.  And I wished him a happy airplane day, because four years ago today was the day he flew to the US to join our family.  He smiled, looked into my eyes and said "Happy airplane day for you, too, Mom.  It was a big day.  A happy and sad day, wasn't it?"  And I said yes, it was both happy and sad.

My dear Harrison, so wise beyond your years, I love you.

Why are you moving?

That seems to be a popular question amongst friends and family. Be reassured I have not lost my job and I am in no danger of having my home foreclosed upon. There are a number of reasons we considered this move. Believe me, with all the crap we have in this house, I didn't take this decision lightly. So how did we get down the path of deciding to move? Let's begin with our current house. Five years ago when we built this house, it was a bare bones place with all white walls and not a bit of landscaping - just dirt.....well, sand actually. The price was right and it was place we could make our own and improve over time.

When we moved in, it was just me, Sara, our dog Riley, and our rabbit Max. We were planning on having kids, trying to have kids actually. We planned on living on one income so that Sara could stay at home with the kids but since the kids weren't coming, the cash was flowing. As we discovered our infertility problems we did what anyone would do. We got another dog, Charlotte. We were making great strides in home improvement. We painted every room in the house, we had the yard fenced, gutters put in, the driveway paved, and a water system installed.

We then made the decision for adoption. We've had lots of questions on the path we took here too. Bottom line on adoption is we wanted a child. We didn't care about race or blood lines. We didn't want to go to extreme measures and extreme financial burden for a "maybe" and putting our own bodies at risk. So, we adopted two great kids from South Korea, Harrison and Emma.

As our kids grow and are starting to become of school age, it's become obvious to us that the diversity in this school district is well...non-existent. I've had multiple people tell me that "kids won't care that he's asian". Well, that may be true but I'm less concerned with what the other kids are thinking and more concerned with my kids self image. We started doing our research and began looking into areas with at least a little bit more diversity that wouldn't be to much of a commute for me to work and wouldn't put us in a school district that is enormous. Glens Falls seemed to fit the bill.

Another plus, and a very happy surprise to us, was St. Mary's Academy also located in Glens Falls. This is the school I attended from Kindegarten through eighth grade. I haven't exactly been an active Catholic since I left my parents home, but that's a topic for another day. Sara seemed against the idea at first but I insisted we at least look into it. We attended one of the open houses and were amazed at the diversity we saw roaming the halls. After that visit, Sara was convinced. Our current plan is to have both kids enrolled there starting in the fall of 2010.

So, reason number 1 for moving. A school district with diversity for the kids. Now I understand I don't need to move right away to send my kids to private school but, more reasons to come....

Hiking: Pack Demonstration Forest, Nature Trail

These shots aren't the greatest because I was fighting a mostly dead set of camera betteries, but someone told me I have been negligent in my sharing of photos of the kids so I'll post them anyway:

Overheard

E:  "Mom, you have really pretty arm hair.  Just so you know. "

 H:  "Thanks for that kiss, Mom.  I've been waiting for a kiss for hours and hours and hours."

E: (stamps foot and grunts) "I tired of all this packing.  I hate this packing."

H:  "When I grow up I'm going to be a firefighter.  And Spiderman.  One can be my dayjob."

E:  "When I grow up I want to be a purple kitty cat.  Mommy?  You know I like kitty cats?  You know I like them a LOT?"

H:  "Do you think our house is going to float away?"  (he asked this one with a grave look of concern on his little face as he watched the rain pour down in sheets for the 24th day last month)

H:  "When I was a little kid I didn"t know how to climb the ropes at the playground, but now I'm all grown up!"

E:  "I'm having a tough day with you, Mommy.  You been bad girl."  (this after we went hiking, played at the playground, went out for lunch, and spent the afternoon playing t-ball in the yard.  I give up.)

H:  "When I grow up I'm going to be the drummer in Uncle Brent's band, 'cause the drummer he has now is old.  Like, reeeeeaaaally old."

E:  (wearing sunglasses) "Do I look like a rock star now?"

H:  "This summer is wearing me out."

H:  "They have lots of neat animals in Africa, Mom.  We should go there on Daddy's next vacation."  (watching too much Mama Mirabelle?)

E:  "It bedtime yet?  I'm exhausted of this day."