Very Very Busy

As the Sandra Boyton song would say...we are very very busy.

Jake and I have been all over Blacksburg and Christiansburg. Mom leaves tomorrow. We are hoping to head out Friday morning for our first family road trip in years up the coast with a stop off to see our dear friend Chris Elkinton.

Elena had her first visits to school. Yesterday momma, poppa, and Elena went to check out the 'orange room' where she will be. Instead of being the oldest, she is now the youngest and the concentration of children her own age and aggressive young boys was a little shocking to all of us. Elena played matchbox cars and make tape roads with the other kids, then she scooted off to the well equipped play kitchen while I got a tour of the room from little Jordan. Her favorite things were the kid sized (not for gu-dtls - her speak for 'adults') water fountain in the sink and the blue berry pancakes that were served for snack. Jake and Elena went back today to participate in 'recess' - where the even bigger blue room was out on the playground. We are experience reverse culture shock....the gender roles and violent/cartoon play is common, I'm sure, but we've been quite isolated. I suppose we can't keep elena as such forever. Never fear for her safety or situluation - this is one of the top ranked programs in the nation, the teachers all have BS or masters degrees. But I guess the commercialization is hard to combat.

Elena took is all in very well and is of course adapting much more quickly than we anticipate (or than we are?). It's been a great help to have Gram here to know that she is always being very well taken care of (read spoiled rotten - gram arrived with a bag full of presents and distributes several a day). And Jake and I have really enjoyed the support.

As for the lists - the 'spare' room is now carpeted, we have a desk and chair, a car (of course), and are getting our accounts in order (lets play how many check books and accounts in different countries/institutions can Erin and Jake have).

Mean while, of course, Jake is dealing with office rennovations (as am I, but I've got less to say about it) and I've got a proposal. Two weeks on the lake is sounding pretty good. And so does the road trip - we have a handy jack in our Rav4 that plugs the ipod into the stereo and power! - we'll be blasting Bruce the whole way!

'Camping' with gram in the house.


Gram and Elena at the local library (of course!)