Raking up the leaves seems to be the one family chore that the parents actually complain more about than the kids! There's the front yard, the backyard, the assorted trees and their different shedding cycles. What a pain. These photos are from "Round 1" of raking the weekend before last. (I was fortunate enough to miss "Round 2" this last weekend while I was helping Heather-Heather--no that's not a typo, I have three Heather's in my life and that's how we differentiate!--move her belongings into a storage unit. (Silly Heather-- she still claims she's moving to France next week. S-I-G-H....but I digress.....) Anyway, what started out as a family affair quickly became a neighborhood event. Nikolas slowly got squeezed aside as these giggly girls dominated the leaf pile. Emalie enjoyed having the girls to hang out with--- especially since these girls adore her and give her every ounce of attention. (Future babysitters, I do believe.) Had the other girls across the street been home, we'd have had two more to throw into the mix. (I don't think Nikolas could have handled that!) As it was, the leaves got raked up, jumped into, thrown around, and on and on and on. (The neighbor kids might think twice next time though. We were serious-- you want to play you've got to stay and help clean up! Sheesh-- what hard a$$es we are. LOL.....) Moments like these make me think twice of the fickle balance between wants and needs. I want to move to Seattle and be near the ocean again, but our kids need the stability of home, friends and caring neighbors. That saltwater air isn't as enticing when you realize you have to pick up and start all over again.....and your kids do, too. When we first moved here in early 2011, there were very few kids on the block. With the passage of time, younger families moved in around us. We were no longer the 'young family'; we fit nicely in the range of newly married to grandparents. We are fortunate to live in a nice community with wonderful neighbors. It is a factor we'll have to seriously consider before picking up and moving to 'greener (wetter!) grasses'. We do not have family here, but the families that we've become friends with, our neighbors, intend to stay here indefinitely. The thought of watching our kids grow up together is very appealing. I suppose it will all work itself out with time. Until then, there's leaves to be raked and moments to be savored as we watch our kids enjoy their childhoods.
