I LOVE This Neighborhood!!

When we look for houses (whether it was in AR or here) schools and neighborhoods are our first concern. We narrow down the city we want to live in (based on the school district) and then work hard to find what we think will be a good neighborhood for the kids. In AR, we found a good neighborhood. The problem, which we did not take into account, was the road. WE figured that the fact there was a huge 90 degree turn in front of our house, traffic would be slow through there. Well, Paul was hit head on on this curve. It did not slow people down. It just made me nervous about the boys playing outside. I felt like I had to stand over them at all times.

As hard as it is, I try to give them a little space. They need to learn that I will not always be standing over them and they need to learn to make the right decisions, even if I am not there to tell them the right choice. This is not always easy in today's world, but I still feel as though they need the chance to be boys.

That is why I LOVE our new neighborhood. Both sides of the street are lined with sidewalks, all around the neighborhood. There are kids EVERYWHERE, of all ages. I feel comfortable letting them go outside and play with me staying inside cooking, cleaning, or whatever. I have let Caleb ride around the neighborhood (the neighborhood is basically a circle) with friends. It is not just that their are sidewalks and lots of kids, but people drive slowly through the neighborhood. They just about all have kids and they WATCH for other kids. There is not any traffic other than the people that live in the neighborhood. There is only one entrance/exit, so there are not people cutting through the neighborhood.

Don't get me wrong, I am ALWAYS watching the boys. THEY just don't know it. When they get a little too "brave" and decide to ride their bikes in the street or go further than they are supposed to, I go out and "remind" them of their boundaries. The boys are LOVING their new freedom though, and so am I. I don't feel like they have to stay inside all the time anymore and their bikes have been used more in the last month than they have since they got them at Christmas!

Everyone is very friendly too. The kids all play together, no matter the age. We have kids that come over and ask if the kids can come out ranging from Caleb's age up to eighth graders. They don't mind playing here or close to here. They understand that our kids are not as old and do not have as big of boundaries as they do. And these kids don't JUST play with Caleb. They play with ALL of the boys.

Best of all, all the neighbors watch out for each other. That is one of the FIRST things we were told when we moved in, and from what I have seen, seems true. After the hurricane we had several people come and check on us.

I am glad we tried SO hard to get a place in this neighborhood. We just had such a peaceful feeling when we came through here looking.