Officially Coloradans

We are officially Coloradans, I guess. I still consider myself a California girl at heart. Probably always will, whether I live there again or not. Of course, we've only been out for a month, so it's too early to tell! We registered our cars last week, and were handed the plates right then and there. With Brandon's help, Brian put them on the cars this weekend.

I find it funny that the license plates on both cars end in OWT. When the first set was put on, I thought "OWT. At least I'll be able to find my car in the parking lot." Since everything is unfamiliar, I've been relying on the California plate to guide me to my car. Our SUV, both make and color, is extremely popular here among the mom set. With similar license plates, I'm glad I'll be able to find either car, since the car I drive on weekend errands depends on who has the kids. I also find it funny that our license plates end in OWT... which is the sentiment I get from about half the population of this area. There is a group of people who think that too many people are moving to Colorado, and the urban sprawl is just getting out of hand. Also, the people moving here are driving up the home prices. I'm sure none of them has ever been to California. Urban sprawl seems to be the trend there, and here there are laws to prevent it. And, at least in Silicon Valley, people move in from all over the US and all over the world, which in turn drives up the housing prices. More often than not, I couldn't talk with the people I use to meet on my walks around the old neighborhood. They didn't speak English. Not a word. Not even "I don't speak English." I do meet a lot of people who aren't from here originally. Some from California, some from other places in the US. While I bemoan the lack of Indian and Persian restaurants here, a friend from Chicago bemoans the lack of good Greek restaurants!

So, this is our life right now. We've made progress on the house. Upstairs is great. Downstairs, not so much. I sometimes feel like I live in corporate housing, since the setups here are temporary and not really what I like. We are getting into a June schedule, with Brandon's preschool class and MOPS. I'm sure it will change month to month until September, but a little routine is nice. We've been trying different churches, but have not settled on one yet. Brandon's schooling may hamper any weekday mom's groups I might join if they're not close by, so I hope we can find something that's not too far away (or that meets on Tuesday or Thursday). We've gone to two we like in Boulder, but that is a drive when you have traffic. I don't have to worry about that yet, I guess. I'll just keep local for now. It will be nice to have friends in the future. I miss talking to my girlfriends, especially the ones I saw on a regular basis (Leanne - every week. Chris - almost everyday!). I spend the better part of my day reasoning with a 3 1/2 year old, and trying to get my 17 month old to talk!

Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of Caitlin's favorite activity - pushing something down the street. Bikes, trikes, firetrucks, push-toys - it really doesn't matter. We went around the block right after I took this picture. You can see the joy on her face!

When it's time to be done pushing toys around the block Caitlin throws massive, screaming fits. When I pick her up she kicks her legs and throws her body back. Luckily, I'm expecting it, or I might drop her. I usually let her lay on the floor to finish her tantrum. Brandon's highly disturbed by all of this (his little outbursts are nothing like the textbook ones Caitlin has). I'm hoping it will end soon. I've had to hide most of Brandon's trucks just so she won't see them. The tantrums also happen, though not to the same degree, whenever we are in the garage and she sees a toy. Since we can now park in the garage, this is becoming a daily issue. I rely on my favorite phrase: "This too shall pass." Although it doesn't feel like that when you're in the middle of it!