What is New with Us?

Well, in the months since I last posted in early June, so much has changed for us!  I'll make a "Top 10" list of what's been going on in our lives! 

1.  We have moved!  Chris got an offer for a great job opportunity for S.C. Johnson in Racine, and we have relocated to Muskego, WI.  He is still in Quality, but is working with the R&D teams to create a better quality system when bringing new projects to commercialization.  
2.  We bought a new house!  It has 4 bedrooms, is about 10 years old, and is in a great subdivision.  We are still getting settled in but would love to have visitors if you are in the area :)  It's about a half hour commute for Chris to work.  Our old house will sell on November 5.  The kids have a great playset in the backyard now. 
3.  The kids started at new schools!  Andy (second grade) and Jack (kindergarten) now go to Lakeview Elementary school.  They have wonderful teachers, are meeting some really nice kids, and seem to be adjusting really well to their new school routine.  The bus picks them up 1 hour later than what we were used to in the morning, and they get home later.  We don't have to rush around in the morning anymore. That has been nice.  Emily goes to a preschool 2 mornings per week.  She just started last week, but she has really enjoyed it so far! 
4.  Emily turned 3 years old at the end of August and we had her party here at the new house.  She and her cousin Elizabeth had a shared party.  They had so much fun!  Now that she is 3, she is going to preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, she is totally potty trained, and she continues to be a sweet, super-independent girl! 
5.  We went on an awesome 2 week roadtrip in July!  This trip will have to be multiple blogposts some day if I ever get caught up.  We worked our way to Colorado, met up with Grandma Reinsel there, visited family and friends, hiked a lot, and drove home through Kansas City to visit with family.  The kids were spectacular in the van and they had so much fun! 
6. We are getting involved in extracurricular activities in Muskego.  Andy joined a soccer team this fall and has had a lot of fun.  It was 2 practices per week and about 6 games total.  He enjoyed meeting boys his own age and he likes playing defense best.  He and Chris went to a Muskego High School game, and he thought it was cool watching those guys play.  Jack is taking Karate once per week.  He is definitely one of the younger kids in class, but he is not intimidated at all.  They even spar versus the instructor!  He looks pretty cute with his gloves and padded helmet on!  And Emily has been going to two different library story times per week.  They listen to stories, sing songs, learn rhymes, and have free play time with the other kids.    Soccer and Karate are wrapping up, and the kids will all be starting up swim lessons next week!  We also all ran the Dragon Dash at the boys school!
7.  We've had some fun weekend trips in the past couple of months.  We had a beautiful trip to Door County where we hiked in the woods and visited with family.  We visited with our good friends in Neenah, going to the pumpkin patch and to the Children's Museum.  We definitely miss Neenah and all of our friends there.  But it's less than 2 hours away, and we hope to get back fairly regularly.  We went to Madison when Chris went to the Badger football game.  (We are now less than an hour and a half from Madison now, and about a half hour from Delafield.)  We went to Six Flags Great America twice this year!
8.  Bailey turned 10 years old in September, and he's doing well in our new house.  He still loves going for walks, but also loves to nap a lot! :) 
9.  It's just Emily and I home during the day and the house is much quieter now that both Jack and Andy are at school all day.  The kids are getting too big too fast!  I wish I could just freeze time here for awhile...Hugs come frequently from all of the kids, Emily makes up little songs throughout the day, Andy is soaking up new facts that he reads in books like a sponge, and Jack is just in a happy, playful mood so much of the time.  I am now really looking forward to making some new memories here in this new house and town! 
10.  But as much as things are changing, a lot of things stay the same.  The kids are just as sweet as ever, Chris and I are finding good running routes around town, the house gets messy way too quickly, the kids are eager for Halloween and Christmas, Jack would prefer to run around in just shorts all day, Emily hates getting her hair brushed, Andy is still sensitive and stubborn, I'm biking with my dad whenever I can get away for awhile, Emily loves meeting Grandma Graham for lunch and a trip to the zoo, we found a good Thai food restaurant close by, I'll be running the Door County Half Marathon in May again, and Chris is excited to plan another mountain climbing trip.  Life is good! 

Just a few pictures, kind of out of order :)