"mommy, is this our car?"

It surprises me that Ariana isn't more confused than she is. In the past 3 weeks, she has been in three different beds, three different cars, two different countries. First in NY, then in Canada, now in Florida and soon back to Canada for most of the summer until we close on our house.

Our house.

Yes, we found one in CT that we really like. The contract is being worked out now and we hope to close at the end of July. Never in a million years did I think I would be living in a rather rural part of the state. At the start of our search I was adamant about wanting to be able to walk into town and not be dependent on a car. We looked at houses in "walking" communities and all I could think of was how crowded everything seemed. I didn't like the idea of looking straight into my neighbor's house or hearing their conversations.

I wanted space.

I have it.

Every window in our house looks out onto green. There are houses within sight, but far enough away that looking into their windows, or have them look into ours, is impossible. Past the house below us is a beautiful lake where we can keep a boat. It is peaceful. Which is exactly what I want right now.

Living in "the country" will require me to get over my fear of bugs. I am getting good practice up in Canada. When we first arrived, I had to summon baba san to dispose of even the smallest thing. When Ariana cried "there's a bug", I instructed her to put the word "baba" before any such sentence. Now, I am swatting them away with hardly a thought. I barely flinched when I saw a wasp at the pool yesterday, although I did suggest to Ariana that she get in the pool "NOW".

It's progress.

And now, some random pictures .......Ariana with baba san at the Museum of Natural History - Ariana is now officially obsessed with dinosaurs.....




Ariana with her friend Mia............


.....and watching an IPod with her friend Jack.....