Cheers and Tears

We've been on the road for three days with one left. We've driven for a total of 12 hours with 5.25 hours left to go today. Considering the circumstances, everyone is doing extremely well but we are all ready to be reunited with Peter, home. Last night when we got out of the car, Cole went wild. Fortunately, I had forethought enough to book an Airbnb for the evening so there was room for her to roam. And run.

Before we left Memphis, two going away celebrations were thrown in our honor. The first was hosted by the Swens before Peter's departure and attended by many of his coworkers and their significant others. Erin opted for a "Fiesta" theme which was perfect. And delicious.

The second was a celebration with many of my girlfriends. The timing was perfect! It was my last night in our house before the movers packed everything up. While no one was terribly excited about the reason for the occasion, it was a great evening filled with love and laughter.

It was our dear friends that made Memphis home. And we will miss seeing each and every one of them regularly. While it's hard to spend weeks saying, "Goodbye" or, rather, "See you later," I feel like I had adequate time to do so. With friends popping in daily for weeks, our departure didn't feel rushed even though it arrived in the blink of an eye.

Memphis Bucket List: Mississippi River

Certainly no Memphis Bucket List would be complete without including a visit to the Mississippi River. Cole has played by the river a number of times. And now Ibbie has napped by the river, which may be one of the most Memphian things she's ever done.

Memphis Bucket List: Peabody Ducks

Cole got a front row seat, at the edge of the red carpet, for the march of the Peabody Ducks. Beforehand, she acquainted herself with the mallards.

Listed

With the move mere weeks away, we put the house on the market.  What a unique challenge trying to keep the house looking it's best while at home with a toddler and newborn is proving to be! I'm trying but that mostly means leaving the house as much as possible. Hopefully it won't take too long before someone else sees what a gem this house is and snatches it up. The listing pictures are better than every picture I've ever taken of our interior so I thought I'd share a few.

And, of course, if you know anyone looking for a house in Midtown Memphis send them this way. 

Memphis Bucket List: Graceland

Before we move East, Peter and I are trying to get pictures of the girls in places that are uniquely Memphis. While I have lots of pictures of the girls in Memphis, we don't have many at Memphis landmarks. And, of course, Ibbie has no Memphis pictures.

Our first stop was the Graceland wall.

Leaving Home

There are times in life when you are ready to leave home, like before going to college. You spend years preparing for the change, knowing you'll have to establish a presence in your new place. There are also times when you don't have years of preparation before leaving home.

Six years ago, I followed Peter from Clemson to Memphis. It wasn't immediate, but after two years it became home. We have grown to love this city and our little place in it. In the past six years, I have adopted the term: Memphian by choice. This city has been so special to us. Our first house is in Memphis, our first jobs were in Memphis, our baby girls were born in Memphis, this city is absolutely a part of us.  We have been abundantly blessed with a large community of people who know and love us. Still, we have longed to live closer to our families for years and that longing has been amplified by the birth of our daughters.

Earlier this week, Peter accepted a job in Maryland. We'll be one hour from my family in Baltimore and one hour from Peter's relatives in Philadelphia. While we are thrilled to be moving closer to family, we are sad about leaving our home.

Peter wasn't looking for a job, but since the position in Maryland crossed his desk in late July it has been very clear where God is leading. We are praying to embrace and understand His perfect timing. In the upcoming weeks we'll be getting ourselves organized for the move while getting to know our newest addition. Of course that will mean selling our little house in Midtown — the home we returned to after our honeymoon, where we hosted our first Thanksgiving, and first brought our children back to from the hospital.

I would love to reach out and tell our friends individually but with a newborn that just isn't an option. We covet your prayers during this transition. Our hearts are heavy knowing we'll be leaving our home, but we're optimistic about what the Lord has in store for us as we establish ourselves in a new place.

A Pride Story

It's a big weekend for our neighborhood! The annual Cooper Young Festival is on Saturday and tonight there is a 4 Miler which will bring 2,500 people running right down our street. Unfortunately, early this week the residents of one home on our block were evicted. While they took many of their belongings with them, a heaping pile of goods was left on the side of the road. Almost immediately, there was a series of emails sent between the neighbors about what to do with the pile. Knowing the festival weekend and events would bring many visitors into our neighborhood, we all wanted to see the pile cleaned up.

Before any of the neighbors took actions, there were a number of street shoppers that rummaged through the pile looking for salvageable goods. It's pretty typical in midtown that if you put something with potential on the street it'll be picked up by street shoppers within a day. Peter and I have taken advantage of this norm multiple times when we have items to get rid of but not enough for a yard sale.

After the pile had been picked over, there was still a remarkable amount of furniture and trash that remained. One of neighbors was concerned that the pile would remain through festival weekend but then Thursday came. Thursday is trash day and our trash men are unbelievable! They took everything!

There were some crumbs, if you will, that remained after the trash men had hauled away the bulk of the goods. Before the trash men were off the street, our neighbor made his way to the now empty house to clean up the remaining trash, mow the yard, and weed whack. It's really cool to live in a neighborhood that is recognized as a great place to live where the neighbors look out for each other and work to maintain pride in the community.

Family Pictures

A few weeks ago we had some family pictures taken. Since I'm extremely pregnant, we're counting them as maternity pictures too. On the recommendation of my friend Cameron, we used Jennifer from Pea Pie Photography for the session. She was a breeze to work with! The pictures of our family turned out to be some of the best of the year and the images of Cole really capture her personality. 

 

Rockin' n' Rompin' (and Kid President!)

On Saturday we went to Rock-n-Romp. Just like we did in April and May. We just love it! This month, Rock-n-Romp was a bit different because it was indoors at Bridges. In brief, Bridges is a local nonprofit that helps youth build teamwork and leadership skills. They have a rock wall that Cole desperately wanted to attempt. But, I think you have to be at least two years old to try it.

One negative of an indoor Rock-n-Romp was the volume. It was a great deal louder than the outdoor shows and we forgot Cole's ear plugs. We hung around the fringes and let Cole do some of the activities in the side rooms. In one room, Bricks 4 Kidz, a program that encourages learning in the STEM fields using legos, set up a craft area. Cole was able to draw on a paper plate while the plate was spinning. She was into it. But she wasn't into showing her work off.

A bunch of Sit 'N Spins were set up for the kids to try. Cole watched the big kids before deciding sitting wasn't interesting enough.

Kid President made a special appearance at Rock-n-Romp so we made sure to introduce the girl to him. She took the opportunity very seriously and made a case for her run as Vice President.

Chip Chockley Photography

Happy Friday

People, we have had a great Friday already! This morning Cole and I attended a second birthday party for one of her friends. The party included traditions and food from both America and Argentinia. Before noon, Cole snacked on alfajores, icing, and candy from a piñata that she whacked. What a way to kick off the weekend! 

For the weekend, I want to share a bit of lighter fare: Jeffrey Bausch who was Pregnant Husband is now Daddy Newbie! I may be late to the game on this guy but I'm glad I've finally arrived. Peter and I have been laughing at his pages all week.  Also, cracking me up is Lyz, who is a funny, funny lady. She's a few weeks ahead me in her second pregnancy which makes her wildly relatable.

The Little Fish

Last week Cole and I participated in Miss Holly's Mommy & Me swim lessons. To no one's surprise, Cole loved it. Or at least most of it. Her favorite part of the lessons was going under water. She'd bob back up and ask for more. She also thought jumping in was a blast. She was a hair less keen on kicking and pretty much hated floating on her back.

During lessons, we learned that Cole still prefers to be taught by me, which is very typical for her age.  She clung tight whenever one of the teachers was near. Still, Miss Holly was a dream teacher and was able to give me great directions. I highly recommend Swimming Lessons With Holly. We'll be signing up again next summer!

Rainbow Lake Playground

After our picnic and family picture taking on Sunday, we walked to the new Rainbow Lake Playground. We've been anticipating the reopening of the playground all summer. The Rainbow Lake Playground is located within Overton Park, which is less than two miles from our house. Overton is home to the zoo, art museum, Memphis College of Art, a dog park, golf course, two playgrounds, the Levitt Shell, and various walking areas. As you can imagine, Cole and I find ourselves at Overton for one reason or another a few times a week.

When we asked Cole if she wanted to visit the new playground, it was as though we'd given her a mission. She bee-lined across the Greensward while Peter and I cleaned up the picnic.

Once we got to the playground, Cole was beside herself. Not only were there loads of news things to explore but, because the playground's proximity to the dog park, there were lots of dogs just on the other side of the playground fence. You better believe my child was quick to point out every single one of them. The girl is an animal lover through and through.

One of the more popular features of the new playground is an old fashion metal merry-go-round. Cole joined some big girls and went for a spin (in truth, she went for many spins). Cole kept asking for more and the big girls kept asking to go faster. Fortunately, Cole loves to make new friends. One of the big girls let Cole sit on her lap while Peter spun the merry-go-round faster.

 Cole was a bit reluctant about the sandbox, at first. But, once again, the big girls made it all better. Some older girls showed Cole how to play in the sand and she caught right on. In no time, she was digging up treasures and getting her hands dirty with the other kids.

 I love that the playground doesn't feel new. While everything is notably pristine, it's not your typical brightly colored, safe, plastic playland. There are metal slides, underground tunnels, and a drum circle. The new design fits so well into the Greensward, it's clear the efforts of many, many people paid off. I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, we are spoiled by some pretty great playgrounds and parks in Memphis but I am not complaining.