Grand Central Station

That's what our yard has turned into... from about 3:30pm 'til dark, each day.

Two days ago, there were 10 neighborhood kids, ranging in age from 3 to 13 years, running around playing freeze tag in my backyard.

Last night, there were only about 5 kids running around... and then the neighbors from across the street brought their whole family over... and Nick had both dogs out... and then our landlord stopped by, with her mother and kids... and then another neighbor and her son wandered over.

I'm tellin' ya, by the time the sun finally goes down and everyone starts wandering in for the night, I am BEAT.

Of course, the kids absolutely LOVE that our yard is the "hotspot" in the neighborhood. And I know it's good for them to get out and run off some energy and socialize a bit. I've enjoyed meeting a couple of the neighborhood moms, too.

It's just kind of a culture shock for us... we went from living in the middle of a cornfield, with no neighbors anywhere near us, to this.