I took Adah to toddler story time at the Westover library today. She loved it. Poor Adah doesn't get to go to nearly as many toddler activities as her brother did at her age. And he was never actually very interested. He was always one of the ones running off down the aisles instead of listening to the story. Adah wouldn't take her coat off or stand up for any songs, but she sat in my lap, clutching my thumbs for dear life, completely enrapt. She would get a huge grin and clap as hard as she could while still holding on to my thumbs. I really need to take her to more of those things.
This particular library branch is out in the McKinley neighborhood, where we considered living when we were moving down here. The neighborhood is much different than our current one. For one example the crowd at the library was about half moms and dads (okay moms and dad) and half nannies. At our library it would be nearly all nannies. For what we currently pay in rent we could get an actual house there, with a backyard. We actually drove past a house we considered renting. It would be walking distance to that library. Also to the Lost Dog Cafe, which is awesome. There are sidewalks and trees and parks and room to ride bikes. I had to think really really hard about how AWESOME Levi's school is in order to not have a mild panic attack.
I worry so much that we are ruining our children's childhoods by making them live here in an apartment with no yard, not much good in the way of walkable parks and a bunch of neighbors that hate kids. I love Levi's school and I can only hope with all my being that it's worth it.