New Nest

Finally, after a month of moving and unpacking, I have time to show you our new place!  It only took 2 weeks for Linus to stop calling it "Ellyn's House" (his buddy Ellyn used to live here) and now he calls it "Our New House".

Spring is a tough time to move into a house with such a big yard, because spring yard cleanup is in order.  Here's a view of the massive backyard from the patio, as well as the screened-in porch.

Gus keeps an eye out for squirrels while we work on raking.

Here's another view of the yard that really shows how big it is.  We have a huge tree in the backyard, complete with a resident woodpecker.  Of the 2 woodpeckers found around here, it's the smaller species, so we've named it "Little Pecker".  (It's a Downy Woodpecker for those actually interested.) We've done a ton of work in the yard so that will have to be another blog post altogether.

Not long after we moved in we decided to celebrate Guster's 7th birthday with a party.  It had been 3 years since we last threw him a party.  Oh, th eneglect!  The boys (John, Magnus, and Emilio, all 6-7 months old) were ready to celebrate!

 Gus got his own little birthday cake, complete with sprinkles and a candle.

 We sang "Happy Birthday" and let him at it.

 The kids even took turns signing a card for Gus, and here Maben is handing it to him.

 Then, onto the real fun-- cupcake decorating for the toddlers!

 At the end, it seemed like Gus just wanted all the kids to go home.  He may only be 7, but on the inside he's really just a grumpy old man.

Lastly, I wanted to give props to our old neighborhood in Arlington.   While we were cramped in our little apartment for 2 1/2 years, we really did enjoy living in the Virginia Square area. 

Many of my friends back West may not know that Arlington is home to quite a few influential organizations.  Just down the street is The Nature Conservancy, conveniently located next to the US  Fish and Wildlife Service.

The National Institutes of Health may be in Bethesda, but both the National Science Foundation and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Agency) are based in Arlington.  Outside the NIH, NSF and DARPA are the 2 other major scientific funding organizations in the US.

Also across the street from us is the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC).  You know, the corporation that insures your bank deposits and also takes over failing banks?

And down the street is George Mason University School of Law, a top tier, public law school.  For most of the time we lived in the Virginia Square neighborhood, Founders Hall (the new building to the left) was under construction, giving Linus lots of cranes, bulldozers, and excavators to gawk at.

 

So while we are very happy in our new nest and neighborhood, we will very much miss our old stomping grounds.  

April is a month full of outdoor activity (mostly yard work) and family visitors! And this Friday I leave for my first vacation since having Magnus-- a weekend in NYC with my mom.  Hope everyone is well!  We miss you!