Orion's New Ride

August 19, 2012: Orion is 2 years, 1 month old.  A week of waiting for Austin FreeCycle Network moderators to approve my request to join passed by.  I love contributing and finding things in FreeCycle so it's disappointing to me they are not following through here!  I finally succumbed to visiting the local ToysRUs.  I've been wanting to get Orion a "foot-to-floor" ride on toy ever since Orion did fabulously on a ride on toy my parents had in Washington state.

I love that he is interested in sitting up on it and he explores the ridiculous, unrealistic features on it.  So, I got one here for Orion.  The cool part is that there's a ring around the top of it so Orion can hold onto it to stabilize himself.  He will not need that forever.  It has buttons, things that pop open, a turn key, all of them make noises when pressed. When he was wearing his CI processor, he laughed at the noises but I don't think he realized where it was coming from.  It's a good, fun start for him.

Skyler admires Orion on his shiny new ride. Austin, 8/20/2012.

Orion checks out the one from Grandma and Grandpa's toy lot. Bothell, WA. 7/16/2012.

Our New Time Zone

Thomas and the kids

It's been a BUSY summer, no real time to relax and then to blog. It's been really fun, tho!

Among the last few blog posts a few months ago, I'd shared that we were planning on moving to Austin, Texas.

*whirrring, whoooooooossssh, clank!*  We're now in Austin!  Central Standard Time!

Thomas drove here from Maryland earlier this month.  The kids and I flew here nonstop last Thursday (Aug. 9th) after 5 pleasant-weathered weeks in the Seattle, Washington area with family.

The kids with Grandpa Dan and Grandma Hildy in Bothell, WA.
Can you read the braille on Skyler's shirt? (Photo by Grandpa Dan.)

As we were approaching Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, I looked out on the geography.  Not the geography of Washington or Maryland.  I thought to myself, "This is home."

We're not visiting this time around.  This is it.  This year we're going to learn a lot about the system here and a lot more about each one of our kids.  We are looking forward to meeting their new friends, families, teachers, support service providers, consultants, etc. Like an old Girl Scout song (yeah, I was a Brownie and Junior), we'll remember the support and friendship from the places where we've been...

Make new friends,
But keep the old,
One is silver 
and the other's gold.

A peaceful moment in the air.

It's been a mellow hanging-out-in-air-conditioned-spaces-watching-the-Olympics week as we're getting ourselves set up the best we still can for a family not yet in their official place of residence.  Later today, I will head over to Anastasia's new school to get her registered.

Thankfully we were allowed a dip in our apartment-to-be's swimming pool last night.  The water was just right.  I tossed Skyler up the best I still could, Tasia practiced blowing out of her nose underwater, Orion was glided through the water and the three of them splashed with their hands.  It was cute.  Then at night Orion was physically busy anyone could be while laying down.  Something tells me that plenty of pool time's going to do wonders for Orion's physical progress as well as Skyler and Anastasia's swimming skills after we move in the apartment on the 28th.

Until next time, stay cool!