I guess we need a new title

My heart hurts a little as I sit down to FINALLy write on the blog. What do I call this thing now? 'Andy and Meredyth in Dallas' is really just nowhere near as exciting as 'Meredyth and Andy in Scotland'. I just don't think I'm quite ready to change the name, so you'll have to bear with me...



But, alas, we are no longer in Scotland -- we're deep in the heart of Texas. We've been in Dallas 2.5 months already. Tessa is 5 months and Kort is 2 years and 2 months. Time seems to be racing by. Halloween is in two days and my dad is already making plans for his trip to Dallas for Thanksgiving. I can't keep up.



In the past couple of months...

• We moved into and out of our temporary house in Old Lake Highlands. The house was so good to us after a rough trans-atlantic move--it had a huge yard, two bedrooms and was fully-furnished. Kort and our dogs got pretty settled there, so it wasn't easy leaving it.


• We moved into our NEW house and depleted our bank accounts fixing up the garage/guest quarters and buying lots of big-ticket items like a new fridge, washer/dryer, and two new cars (international moves are expensive--even with the company is moving you!)


• We spent a couple of weeks in Colorado in August (at least Kort, Tess and I did. Dro had to work. He has to work A LOT!)


• We started a kid gym class, a three-day school program, and have tried to meet some mom friends.


• I have done a part-time work gig for an education group in New Orleans. It's been fun and challenging to get child care lined up (babysitters are expensive these days!) and back into the professional world. All it's done, though, is make me miss New Orleans SO much. I'm trying to figure out a trip to the big easy for our family soon, because it's killing me not to be there.


• Kort had his second birthday and we're currently working with all of the things the two's bring with them, including behavior problems at school (I think we've nipped this one in the bud--2 days with NO timeouts!), lots of independence (I hear tell that when I was this age I often said "I do it myself!"...he says the same thing with "no, mama, at the beginning of the sentence), and lots of communication (I swear, I forget I'm talking with a two year old sometimes he has so much to say. Today he told me he was ready for sleepytime, ie. nap. Well alright, then...)


• Tess has gone from a sleepy newborn to an active five month old (still petite) little person. She is incredibly happy and such a sweet baby. I love having some time to be with her when Kort's at school, and luckily she loves her new babysitter. She's started solid food this week--rice cereal, we love you so. And, I don't think teeth are too far in the future--she's got both hands in her mouth and slobber dribbling all the time.


• We've (I've) been on a roller coaster of emotions since leaving Scotland. Some days it feels like living there is a distant memory, and sometimes I miss it so much I can't stand it. On rainy, overcast days like today, Scotland is all too close in my memory. Right now, the days are short, cold, wet and dark in Scotland, so I definitely don't miss that! And, Andy unequivocally does not miss our teeny tiny mini-fridge and combo washer/dryer in the kitchen cabinet...

So, we're getting settled in Texas and it looks like we're going to like living here. While there are no castles and whisky distilleries, family is close by and we're still wearing shorts in November, so it's not all bad. Lots of pics from August/September and September/October are posted and more to come soon.