Selling Our House

It's not news, I know. We're selling our house. Last week, we put it on the MLS with our friend and excellent REALTOR David Townsend. Since being relieved of the responsibility of actually selling the house, I feel more able to grieve the fact that it's happening. Not the move, in general. That's a different kind of grief. But the fact that we are selling this house.

I wasn't blogging when we moved in, so I can't just link to a post that tells you how we felt. I'll have to try to put it into words. We moved when I was six months pregnant. The week before we moved here, Erick and I went to Memphis for the weekend. It seemed like a good idea at the time. That's because at the time, we didn't know that I was a human water retention basin. Seriously, I swelled up that weekend in July and never returned to normal size until Sophia was here. There are advantages and disadvantages of moving while pregnant. The very obvious advantage is that I didn't move a damn thing. The disadvantage was that the huge deal of buying our first house was overshadowed (literally and figuratively) by my pregnancy. The room I was most excited about was the nursery.

I think that is a big part of the reason that selling this house is not easy. It's all part of the biggest change in our lives. We became homeowners and parents within months of each other. This was the weekend before she was born. Enormous, I know. I was only 34 weeks pregnant. I'm not kidding.



Her first everything was our first everything in this house. Here we are enjoying our first Thanksgiving. Apparently, it was a balmy day.



What I'm saying is that it's not going to be easy to leave this house. It feels like another old friend who has seen us through some tears and has been our playground on the chilly or rainy days of the past four years.

But, do you want it? 'Cause, really, you can have it. It's a good place to make a life.

The Pumpkin Patch

Sophia had her first field trip yesterday. Her preschool went to Peach Tree Farms, and I went with them. It was my first foray into field trips, and it was exactly what I thought it would be. 7 parts insanity, 2 parts brilliance, 1 part misery. That may be a slight overstatement, but that may be exactly what it felt like!

Sophia had a great time once she got past the "scariness" of the goats. (She's meant for city life.)

She asked her friend Ella to ride with us, and they were two peas in a pod. Ella kept up with Sophia's incessant rambling and matched her crazy remark for crazy remark. It was entertaining to say the least. The two oldest girls in their class, they look a little alike too.



Next came the highlight of the trip for Sophia - the hayride! It was the highlight for me as well. As a few of us moms stood around waiting for the wagon to come back, hoping none of the children had jumped, we remarked on the peace and quiet of the moment.



That didn't even last until Sophia could get off. Here she is telling me all about the ride and her ideas about what to do next.



Sophia was also very excited to pick out her own pumpkin. The first thing she told Erick was that Elliott's dad had cut her pumpkin off for her. All the kids were very excited about that part. Sophia and Jimmy are showing each other their names Sharpie'd on the bottom of the picks.



No visit to the pumpkin patch would be complete without a stop to visit the rabbits. No visit to the rabbits is complete without... making funny faces at them? Apparently, that IS the case.

Long, Wonderful Weekend

Erick and I had a wonderful weekend that just ended today. I love Columbus Day and the fact that my mom's in banking! That worked out more than a little well for us this weekend. We left Saturday morning and made a quick turnaround in St. Louis to check out an apartment. We got back to Hermann early afternoon on Saturday and stayed until breakfast this morning.

I can't begin to describe how perfect it was to spend that much uninterrupted time just the two of us in this ever so heavenly setting!



We took some nice long walks in Hermann. The weather was perfect, the leaves are turning and the scenery was captivating.



We ate at a restaurant in the middle of woods called The Cottage. Homecooking meets German cuisine. Delicious and unique!



The Hermann Hill Inn was the location of one of our walks, and here is a shot of Hermann from their vineyard.



When we came home today, we met Sophia in this sweet little dress. She had chosen the pattern and material for this, and Mom had done the work to make this beautiful dress. I am always surprised at her sense of style and how much it matches my mom's. We are so grateful to my mom for hanging out with Sophia this weekend so we could have this fantastic weekend. It won't soon be forgotten!

Our Park

One of the things Sophia and I will miss when we leave is our park. It's less than a block from our house, and we almost always have it to ourselves. Mind you, I will not mind having other kids around to chase Sophia so I don't have to, but I will miss the chats that we have while we lie on the playground or the bench. I have taken pictures of Sophia here since she was not walking yet. She doesn't chew the mulch any more, but she's just as cute - even though she's four. That's right. Four.



Fall is my favorite time of year at the park too. No bugs. Lots of acorns to provide collecting distraction. And beautiful colors all around.



And yes, she is wearing leopard print pants. There's a jacket, too. We don't have many clothing options for this in-between stage. Too warm for a coat or sweater. Too cold for t-shirts and shorts. So I took her to get one of my favorites for her - a velour track suit. I let her choose the color. It was purple, pink, black, blue and leopard. Never occurred to me that she'd choose the animal print. Should have known. She does not get her fearless style from me, but maybe it will rub off...



On another note, the neighborhood we're looking into right now is called Clayton/Demun, and it has a great park too. Click here to see it. Like everything else, it won't be bad. Just different.

A While Back...

At the end of August, Erick, Sophia and I took a day trip to my grandma and grandpa's farm in Illinois. It's a long drive, which makes for a long day, but just being in that place brings a smile to everyone's face.

 

My grandma and grandpa moved into this old house when I was a teenager, so it will never be the same as the house I made so many great memories in, but this one has a wonderful vibe. The windows are constantly letting in the prairie sunshine and occasionally a sweet smelling breeze.

 

My grandparents have always had a dog around, but in my lifetime at least, they've never cared for one like this one. Probably because he's handy to have around and is more loyal to them than to any of us. Although he does have a soft spot for me...

 

No one tell grandma that I snapped this picture and PLEASE don't tell her it's on the internet for the world to see. But this is my grandma. In her flowers, taking care of someone or something else.

 

Honestly, one trip to my grandma's house can provide enough peace in my soul to draw on for months. Of course, I wish I visited more often, then I wouldn't have to draw for so long, but you know what I mean. I'm about due for a refill. It's been a stressful month...