Our first few days were spent trying to soak in all the good food and sights that we could possibly fit in. We visited Win's Grandma, who has a beautiful house, with Ida Mae and her husband living there helping to care for her. They welcomed us and we met Win's cousin Scott and his lovely wife Heidi. We peppered them with a million questions, peered over their car for good ideas on what we should be looking for in a family car and the kids played happily in the playroom with the other 2nd cousins.
The basement was beyond impressive... it was a whole nother house down there...
The kids played in the snow again in the backyard but still we were not able to make snow balls or snowmen because the snow was to powdery, it just fell apart like dry sand, so we were hoping for a little wet snow in the coming days.
Win and I went to a rental house that was $210 a week (including utilities) but it was pretty bad, on a busy main road and the basement was made for midgets who didn't mind spiders.
Then we looked at a house for sale in a great quiet culdesac, good school zone and great neighbours. It was beautiful and they were asking $160 000. We were pretty tempted. Especially when they said they get deer roaming freely through the meadow out the backyard and the neighbours trees have apples and apricots free for the picking....
It was a gorgeous house but perhaps a tiny bit small for what we are looking for.
Tempting though!
One of my first priorities was a hair straightener, so I asked the two girls with the best hair and they both pointed me in the direction of a Chi straightener... which I bought from Shopko a big Kmart like place.
We were very lucky that when we got here Crystal and Ida Mae had organised a whole wardrobe full of winter snow gear and winter clothes. Each of us had great snow boots, coats, gloves, hats and snow overalls. This was a huge help because we have lived in this gear this past week. I have had to tell Win that his snow boots might not be necessary for all occassions tho, because I notice that not everyone is wearing such get up.
We went to a pre-school Christmas Musical Presentation at a local elemetary school. They had cute little kids with all the girls in perfectly curled pigtails and all the mums looked like they were about 20. Win and I were pretty excited about the change in age demographics. In Australia we are 15 - 20 years younger than most other parents at school functions, but here we were totally normal... except for our strange accents.
I did ask Win's cousin Scott how these women stayed so slim eating the american diet that we were experiencing and he said that they go home and vomit.... ahhh, the secret was revealed. :)

We ate at Wendys fast food for lunch one morning with Toby... and had their chicken, pecan, apple salad.... I think that America had me at that salad. I was in love. seriously, this salad had chicken and apple and pecans and cranberries and blue vein cheese crumbled throughout all topped with a pomegranate vinegarette dressing..... the best thing I had eaten since birth.
I will add a photo but it won't do it justice unfortunately.

We tried to open a bank account that same day but when Win went to give his social security no. they said that it was flagged so we had to go all the way down to the social welfare office to get proof of his number. That was a fun experience... you have to go through airport like security just to sit in a little room and wait for 3omin to have them call your number and answer your questions... makes centrelink look a lot more appealing.
We finally got to the front of the queue and Win could get what he needed but apparently I am a legal alien so I will have to wait a couple months to be issued a social security number.... therefore I can't open a bank account here!

The boys all needed haircuts when we arrived and we were told that uncle Alan was the man to see about a haircut. So Isaiah, George and Win all braved it in his bathroom barber chair. They all looked much more presentable at the end!

Our children have taken to their cousins like leeches, if Daniel or Alex are in the house the kids are stuck to them like flies. They have been very very patient with them but I did hear Alex say that his biceps are improving from all the kid carrying he is doing!

Well, enough for now.... night!