The neighborhood is overrun

With kids. It's amazing to see -- every night after dinner, there are as many as eight little biters riding, running, yelling, chasing and playing up and down the block. To understand why this is a big deal, flash back five years ago to when Lisa and I moved in and there were exactly zero families with kids on our street.

What happened? Obviously, NoDa as a whole is changing, with more people feeling comfortable enough to both have kids here and let them run around outside. On our block specifically, though, the catalyst was the arrival of the three-child family across the street, all of whom are fun, active and spend tons of time playing outside. When they moved in last year, the point tipped and munchkins almost literally raced out of their houses to join what is now a nightly block party.

Which is exactly what we'd hoped for when we first imagined TheGirl's arrival: a neighborhood that doubles as a living playground. For now, we walk her over so she can watch the older kids play, but this time next year I imagine her running around on her own, following the big girls and being one of the gang.