What have we done?

We purchased a simpler home on nearly an acre because we thought it would be good for the kids. Today while preparing a few things at the house I had serious doubts about our decision. First of all the boys refuse to go outside unless they are pulling me by the pant leg. Why? Because our neighbor has a cat, and they are terrified, I mean horrifically terrified of a harmless old cat. To make matters worse, I was sitting under a tree with Aaron on the grass and all of the sudden he let out this piercing scream. "AHHHHHHH! There's a worm on my leg!!! Get it off! Get if off! AHHHHHHHHH!"

Later we passed the the brand new big house with a smaller yard that we almost bought. Aaron started crying hysterically telling me that that was the house he wanted to live in. He didn't want to live in the house with the big yard because it had cats and worms! He cried real tears and I started thinking, "What in the world did we do to ourselves? We've turned him into a city slicker!" All day I started having doubts and thought, "Wow, all this yard to maintain and the kids don't really want to play in it? I gave up a big new house for the screaming and the tears?"

Then, the girls came home from school and went straight to the backyard to swing on the swings, later the boys were out adventuring with them. Aaron went to play with his new neighbor friend, and came home with huge eyes telling me that he got to see his new friend's cow and his chickens. (Apparently he's not afraid of those types of animals). By the time tonight came, he didn't say anything about not liking the place, he'd forgotten about the cat and the worm, but he had a perma-grin from playing with his new next-door-neighbor friend. He LOVES friends.

In Oceanside, we had a beautiful house that we loved, but it was on a death trap of a steep hill. The kids were threatened with their lives not to go into the front yard. It feels good to be in a place where the kids can ride bikes around the neighborhood, they can roam and adventure in the backyard and when the front door beeps because a child has exited, I no longer worry for their lives. I hope it will be a great "kid" house. Even with all of it's oddities, it feels good and right at this time in our lives. I'll let you know a year from now, after all of the yard work, if my sentiments are still the same ;)