We told the kids today that an offer was made on the property and that we're seriously house hunting. While they've grumbled about living so far from their friends, I expected there to be a goodly amount of complaining about the actuality of moving; they surprised me. The first thing they all wanted to know was where we were looking and if they would be closer to friends/Grandpa/Erin & Miko/TK/Dack & Theresa. When we said yes, that it made no sense to move and still have them so far removed from the people they want to be near, there were smiled and Alex declared that we couldn't have given him a better birthday present.

I halfheartedly pointed out that meant I didn't have to give him an actual present and expected him to back peddle, but he shrugged. He wants to move. And while he wants to move to be close to all those people, he also wants to move into a single story house because Stoner can barely make it up the stairs anymore, to the point that Alex often sleeps in my dad's downstairs room so that Stoner doesn't try to climb them.

Stoner is an old, old dog, and I doubt he has another year left in him, and when he's gone Alex will be crushed.

But, I'm not bringing that up with him now. The kids are happy, and today Char and I saw two houses we want to take the kids to see after school tomorrow. I'm 90% sure I know which one they'll prefer; it has a huge back yard, with a pool, and they'll still each be able to have their own bedrooms. Best yet, there are two bathrooms besides the master, so they won't have to share all the time. I suspect Rachel will lay claim to one, and I don't think the boys will mind.

Tomorrow is Alex's 14th birthday. In some ways it doesn't seem possible that he's been alive this long, but in most ways it's hard to believe that he's only 14. Aside from a few new-teenager hiccups, he's turned out to be fairly mature and responsible, and I can only guess that he gets that from his mother because he sure as hell didn't get it from me.