New neighbors

I've probably mentioned this before, but last fall, one of my very best friends from college Ashley and her family (which was just Alex at the time while Hannah was still growing) moved back to Williamsburg from halfway across the country. Alex lived with Chris and me for a couple months when he started his new job before Ashley made the move. Living together was incredibly fun and made me seriously consider a communal living situation. This past year living in the same town has been wonderful. We've gotten together almost every week and sometimes several times a week to just hang out, play board games, grill, go to the pool during the summer, or just sit around. I had always joked about being next door neighbors (and still do with my friends who have not moved back to Williamsburg), but never actually thought it would happen. Well when Chris and I bought our house just before Eleanor was born this summer, there was another house for sale a couple doors down. Fast forward about four months and guess what! We are actually next door neighbors! And a couple doors down from them live our other friends with a baby girl right between Hannah and Eleanor in age.

Though I joked about this for years, I honestly can't describe how incredible it is to live next door to your best friends, especially when you have a baby that limits your time and schedule. We can just walk over in sweatpants after a 12 hour shift to relax for an hour before walking back home to go to bed. I don't have to try to catch Eleanor between her eating and sleeping schedule to strap her in a carseat, pack up a diaper bag, and have to leave if I forgot something she's going to need (like a diaper). I can just walk home, grab what she needs, and go back because it all takes about 5 minutes. Also, they built a fire pit in their back yard which is pretty much the perfect thing to have during cool fall nights.

When Eleanor and I take walks around the neighborhood, I scope out every house that's for sale here and pick them out for my friends...so friends (or family! cough, cough, Lauren!), if you're ever serious about making a move to join our neighborhood takeover, I would love it!

And a picture of the babies for good measure...this was from while I was watching the babies while Ashley was moving and right after Eleanor purposefully jabbed her head into Hannah's jumparoo and they both started crying simultaneously: