It IS the little things

But who can know what the little things are until you get there?

At the house it was:

*The ice cream truck coming by

*The boys riding their bikes in the neighborhood

*The boys hanging out at the neighbors

*The neighbors hanging out here

At their school this year it was:

*The sno cone truck parked outside the school

*A field day that really taught them they could have fun with just metal folding chairs, caution tape, and balls

At their school last year it was:

*A Spring Carnival all of us could enjoy with sno cones, and cotton candy

*A wet field day that the kids were able to cool off with

At the apartment it was:

*Barbequing by the pool during the summers

*Going on many adventures without having the work of a house to take care of

*Good girlfriends next door

The big things:

At the house:

*Having a yard

*Having an extra 300 sq.ft. in the living area (aka extra bedroom and "game room")

*Families nearby for the kids to play with

At the kids school this year:

*Not a hoity-toity school (which had it's own pros and cons - one pro being don't feel like you have to live up to the Joneses, the downside being the kid next to you talks about his drunk parents and watching sex on TV)

At the kids school last year:

*More programs for the kids

*Kids are held to a higher standard (as much as possible for a school with 600 kids and government set expectations)

At the apartment:

*Not paying for maintenance

*Having an indoor sports court and business center

*Closer to friends at school