moving south

So moving from Long Island to Tennessee has been interesting.  Good, and also interesting.  Having been here for over a month, I'm beginning to find my way around (seems easier than LI - traffic, what??) and I'm losing some of those 'weird' feelings of being in a new place.  But here are some differences I've noticed:

1- Our house is normal.

So, so normal.  This is our third house in three years of marriage and the first two were quirky and memorable and had some definite oddities.  One had four full bathrooms, the other had only one, period.  This one has your standard two and a half.  See - normal.  It's in a neighborhood with houses on three sides.  My first night here, I felt the creeped out by those houses and their occupants as I fell asleep.  Quite a difference from not needing curtains for the past 3 years.  But now I enjoy it.  There are always kids out in the cul-de-sac and in some ways, I feel like I just moved to America.  

2- People are nice.

After my first trip to the grocery store here (which is, of course, a different grocery store than I had there), I came home and asked Matt if I looked funny or had something on my face.  As I explained it to him - people were looking at me in the eyes.  I felt like they knew me and I was supposed to know who they were but couldn't remember.  It was nice but unsettling.  I don't feel that way any longer, so either I'm getting used to it or there was an exceptionally personable crowd at Kroger that day.  

3- The wildlife is aggressive.

No longer do I have to protect my garbage cans from raccoons (see #1- I now live in a neighborhood.  And I have a garage).  But my first few weeks here we had an extremely high number of spiders in the corners of this house.  And then there was the afternoon when Matt was mowing the backyard and came tearing in the front door, screaming my name and ripping his shirt off.  He was covered in yellow jackets stingers.  He had run over a nest with the mower and they came out and stung him nine times!  It was terrible.  Hundreds of them swarmed around the mower for the rest of the evening.  Later, when I was taking his shirt to the wash, one came out and stung me on the finger!  Umm, it hurt SO bad . . . some tears came out.  I don't know how Matt got stung that many times.  I am a real baby.  And my finger swelled up like a sausage. 

That was also the night of a certain finale of a certain summer TV hit in which the girl gets the guy and I couldn't watch it because we decided not to get cable.  So we sat on the couch covered in ice packs and were miserable.  And properly terrified of the lawn.  So the grass got really long before Matt could spray them dead and get to grass-cutting.

So that was some drama.  

We've already had visitors - My friend Erin and her little boy Haddon came for a night.  The following is an idea of how the boys have grown since their meeting a year before:

It is no small task getting two toddlers to sit for a picture!

Moose has adjusted just fine to his new home.  One day I looked down to realize he'd gotten all fancy:

These guys are still buddies:

Or at least Bo is in love with Moose.  Moose is just tolerant. 

My little Bo keeps growing!

It kind of seems like he never stops eating. 

I started to get concerned when he polished off his plate in half the time of his older cousins.  

And then started to eat what was left of their food. 

Like he's going to be a bully who steals other kids' lunches in the cafeteria. 

My sweet little guy?!?  I hope not. 

vacation nation

So... to my four loyal readers I must apologize for the hiatus.  Oddly I didn't even miss the ole blog . . . there were/are many things going down here in the 615 and writing/checking blogs got pushed to the back burner.  Where it should be.  But seeing a lonely little (1) next to July 2012 makes me a bit sad!  So, I'm back!  

A couple weeks after we landed in TN, we packed the Maxima full and headed off to Missouri for vacation with my family.  

 

I was a little worried about the 7+ hour drive with our little bambino but when he wasn't geeking out with board books, we kept him entertained with the SAME episode of Little Einsteins played seven times.  I have learned my lesson (and yet the theme song still reverberates in my brain ... "we're going on a trip - in our rocket ship!) and got a movie for the ride home.  Also some creative thinking was needed to keep the old iPad in place because we are first-time parents who still have their kid rear-facing the majority of the time.  En-Knee-Whey...

We made it to the lake without incident and settled in for a week of boating, skiing, golfing, grilling, sunset watching, and resting.  And when your brother has a fancy camera, all sorts of good pictures result.

My brother thinks falling pictures are hilarious ... and let's be honest, who doesn't?

Bo . . . well . . . he didn't love the boating experience.  

Which was mostly due to the life jacket.  

It just makes moving really difficult.

But I offer these as proof that he was not wailing the whole time. 

(He looks at least six years old in the above picture!)

 

There was also some tubing, jet skiing, and pontooning, and wake boarding.  

aka - I start to really feel my age.  It really seems like not long ago that I was jet skiing and and loving the thrill of speed and skimming across the water . . . unfortunately the reality is, it was about 10 years ago and I am suddenly much more fearful.  And my body does not seem as resilient.  

Among the memorable moments was our last day there, when the boys went golfing and the girls took Bo to a nearby nature park, which is owned by the owner of Bass Pro Shops.  He has done a great job restoring this canyon and we rode bikes through the park and took a tram ride to see the elk and long-horned steer they keep there.  You can see Bo's little head next to those giant antlers!  Elyse and I also went on a little horseback ride . . . unfortunately my only pants were of the yoga variety so I don't think I had anyone fooled into believing I was anything like a cowgirl.

 

Also of note was that it was Bo's first time in a bike trailer and all went well until I hit a bump and he was suddenly dangling upside-down from the harness.  After that I let my mom pedal him.

Watching the fishies at Bass Pro:

 

My grandma was also there, but I didn't want her to get mad at me for posting pics of her on the boat so here's a glimpse of her behind my Monopoly piece:

Someone felt bad for Bo as it was evident he hadn't had anything to eat for 14 minutes and gave him the rest of this ice cream cone.

Well, vacation, you were pretty nice.  

one thousand miles

Well, a lot has changed in the last seven days for our little family!  We live in Tennessee now!

Phew.  

It makes me tired just to type that.

It really does seem like a month ago that Bo and I were going to our favorite spots and meeting friends for goodbyes.  

Remember this moment, Bo.  It's your last view of the ocean and the last time you'll ever wear a jacket in June. 

We said goodbye to some and "see you later" to others.  Even though we really won't see them later . . . not until we make plans to cross state lines.  It just gets hard and tearful and nobody wants that.

Our last family night in Long Island we went for ice cream for the first time this year . . . and also the last time . . . but it was a walk we had made many times over the past three summers and it was a perfect farewell to the island.  Also we were heckled and honked at.  But that's Long Island.  

And this very flattering family picture. 

And the next morning I was gone.  Bo and I were on a plane by 6:30 am.  

Goodbye little white house.  In the best of times you were a romantic cottage by the sea, nestled in a meadow of wild flowers and visited by fawns and fairies.  In the worst of times you were a crumbling shack in danger of being swallowed by a field of poison ivy housing an army of ticks, 85% of them carrying lymes disease.  

Me, overreact?

Even though I sometimes felt like that house would be the end of me, I know that in my memories it will be seen through rose colored glasses.  It's only been a week and already I remember it fondly.  It was home to our little nursery that we worked so hard to get ready for our sweet baby boy.  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows out in that meadow and watched the sparks drift upward towards the stars.  We watched deer creep up to eat outside our window and owls swoop down for their dinner.    The crunch of tires on dirt that meant I would soon see a flash of white and Matt's truck would appear in the driveway.  Watching the swans circle in the bay and the sun set into gold water.  

Goodbye.

And then, there we were.  In Nashville.  Bo and I spent a couple days in Murray while Matt and his brother and dad loaded and drove the truck down to us.  They drove through Virginia right after the storm but God provided for them by way of a gas station at JUST the right moment and a cancelation made way for them at a hotel with power.  And then it was 105 degrees when they arrived and unloaded in the heat of the day.  

But we slept so well in our climate-controled rooms.

No roaring window units here.

I know some of you were probably worried about this guy:

Well, he's just fine.  He travels better than the rest of us.  

We are moving just down the road from this little man.  He is an excellent helper at moving, very strong, and can really make his cousin Bo laugh.  

So we're really pleased with our house . . . but it looks like this right now:

It's a bit rough but I just have to glance at the dishwasher to feel cheered.  Or listen to the quiet hum of the central AC.  Of course those are just material things but after a couple years without them, we are appreciating them!!

I leave you with this- a laughing Bo in his Radio Flyer on the 4th of July.  

Now y'all get down here and visit!