Oregon Update

Well, I have to say it is hard to believe that we have been in Keizer for two months already.  It started out a little rough since we had to deal with pink eye, ear infection, and bronchitis shortly after we got moved in.  The official move out here, however, went quite smoothly thanks to the help of both of our parents. The girls did pretty well with their first experience travelling by plane.  The first few weeks here Claire informed us multiple times a day "I love my new house!" Both girls have adjusted quite well.  I was a little worried that sleeping patterns or stepbacks with using the potty might be an issue with the girls, but I guess we got lucky. Every once in a while the girls tell me that they miss family, friends, or places back in Minnesota, but they sure have been troopers with all the change.  We are starting to get our bearings and explore the area and meet new friends.  We have gone to the coast multiple times.  We have joined the YMCA where the girls are currently taking swim lessons. We have found plenty of nice parks for the girls and even a dogpark for Reggie close by.  Our neighborhood really seems to be a good fit for us.  The whole area seems to be mainly young families with kids around the girls' age.  Many people have stopped by to introduce themselves and welcome us to the area.  We have gotten into the routine of going to the nearby elementary school (it is just down the block and it is where the girls will be attending preschool this fall) almost every night to play at the playground.  Doing so, we have met many parents from the neighborhood and the girls have made some new friends.  The girls have already been invited to four birthday parties that our coming up in July. Thankfully we have had some familiarity among all of the newness around here.  Lance's parents have been down to visit multiple times while looking for a new house in the area. We also had the pleasure of getting a visit from my cousin Kim who came down from Des Moines, WA.   I suppose this is a very abbreviated version of all that has been going on around here, but I am sure nobody wants to read a novel.  My parents will be making their second trip out here in a couple of weeks, so we are anxiously awaiting their arrival.  Meanwhile, we are planning to visit Lance's parents in Lakewood, WA next weekend, which we are also looking forward to.  Happy Fourth of July everyone!