Thomas' latest thing

Thomas announced today that he has a girlfriend. So far, the main activity in which the two of them cooperate is playing during "centers" in their pre-K class. I found his declaration that she would "always" be his girlfriend amusing and a little scary: Thomas remembers everything, and holds fast once he has set his mind to something! At least I can say that I am pleased with his choice! 

 

selling a house

It's something I have never done before, and it seems a little strange. Thomas is having a difficult time getting his head around the concept of someone else buying our house. He alternates between talking about living in Durham "forever" and coming back "home" to Atlanta. Probably the most difficult moment so far was hearing him talk about going in the pool this summer. 

We won't be going in the pool this summer. Of course, I didn't say that: Thomas is still at the age of the monologue. He's happy to do all the talking as long as he's pretty sure you're listening. I was definitely listening. It is sad to think that all the fun family times we enjoyed around the pool are over, and that sense is not totally overwhelmed by the anticipation of the sorts of things we are looking forward to doing together once we are situated in England. None of this is particularly surprising--though that doesn't make it less true. 

The big news of the week is the visit: Lewis' parents are in town, and--since they won't be reading this until after the fact, I can say--we'll be taking them to Tybee Island, along with Cedric and Sara, over the long weekend. Cedric and Sara's arrival and the trip will be a surprise for Lewis' dad, who celebrates his 80th birthday this month. Anna, Thomas and Iain are rejoicing in having a set of grandparents with us, to read and play--and to listen, in Thomas' case! I went to retrieve Iain after his nap this afternoon, and was greeted with a question: "Where's Grandad?" I see how it is... 

Beach means pictures, and I will post them. So far (Cliff and Evelyn only arrived on Wednesday evening), I haven't taken any pictures--I am swamped this week with work. That will change, of course, as the weekend gets underway and I get away from the desk! I know that the photos of the kids are the main attraction here, so I will stop now, and make a mental note to keep the camera to hand tomorrow.

superbowl?

It's impossible to believe that my last post was in November, and it's Superbowl Sunday. We are moving along slowly with the preparations for selling the house and resettling in Durham, but we plan to have the 'for sale' sign in the front yard in a couple of weeks. The next two weeks will be busy, as Grandma and Grandad Ayres arrive Wednesday the 4th and will be staying until the 20th. I do have some photos from Christmas and New Year's. And you can expect more regular posts as the transition gets underway.