We found out about the twins and decided to move to Baton Rouge on a really short schedule of 9 weeks. We didn’t have a lot of time to search for a house. In fact, we put an offer on a house without Jim ever seeing it. When he arrived from his 2-day drive from North Carolina today, it was the first time he had seen the house we bought! I knew it was a great house for us, but I really wanted him to like it too. So this is what I did to ensure that the house made a great first impression:

1. Buy a great house in a wonderful neighborhood
2. Invite Jim’s family (parents, sisters, grandmother, cousins, etc) to surprise him with a welcome party
3. Buy his favorite cake from Baum’s, make pimento cheese sandwiches and other snacks
4. Stock the “wine cooler” with expensive, tasty beer he likes. (The refrigerator isn’t here yet.)

The verdict: Jim loves the new house! So does Patrick. In fact, Patrick told Aunt Liz that both of the kid bedrooms were for him and the twins could have the closets. HA!

We also met several wonderful new neighbors today. I can’t wait for the moving truck to get here so we can make it our home. A big THANKS to all the family who stopped by to welcome Jim back to Baton Rouge!