Every New Beginning

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the thing that redeems this latest goodbye. It's hard to say goodbye and hello in the same sentence, but that's what we did this last weekend. It's a very unique neighborhood that we have here, so it makes sense that we'd experience a unique situation or two in the mix.

As Jenny and Aaron drove away, I wiped away my tears (and Sophia's). Then I watched a very good friend walk into that very house as the new owner. Wow. Weird. It actually makes me choke up again.

So now we begin a new chapter on the street, in which Niki and JP are the proprietors of the cute corner house. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome this part is. There could have been a high-priced lottery to determine who would be the lucky neighbors of these kind, fun and easy friends. Luckily for us, Niki has had her eye on the house before she had her eye on JP. So here we are.

Welcome to the street, guys. I considered myself lucky when I was just your friend. To be your neighbor is more than I could have hoped!

It's Happening Again

We are being forced to say adieu to someone else that we care about. Because we care about them, we're happy they are moving onto something awesome. But it doesn't necessarily make it any easier, now does it?

Aaron and Jenny moved onto the street less than a year after we did. They fit in instantly with our talk, action, fun, everything. Aaron does a little too much actual work in the yard, but I'm willing to overlook that because he has other qualities. Plus, he's a doctor, which has come in handy over the duration. Jenny has the most genuinely sweet spirit of pretty much anyone I know. Now, if you're thinking that you probably have a sweeter one, then clearly you don't. All that to say it's going to be difficult to say goodbye to the Grays.

 

There is no denying that we've had some pretty awesome times together over the past three years. Last night we went out together to celebrate and mourn, although we denied most of the mourning. So glad that we have such great memories with these neighbors.

 

Sunday with Sophia

Erick played golf on Sunday morning (at my insistence), so Sophia and I had a weekend morning to ourselves. Even though we have every morning to ourselves, the weekends are just a little different.

We spent the better part of the morning outside, and lucky for me, Timothy from across the street was also hanging out in the sun. Tim is just about six weeks older than Sophia, and this spring has really awakened them to one another's presence. I think they have each hit their stride in imaginative play, and they seem to work it out together very well. He is a very sweet boy, and he also has a stinker side that I expect will come out more as we watch them grow...

Just take a look at that face.

 

Maybe it's just the look he had on that particular day, but he insisted on keeping his hand in his pocket the entire time I had the camera out. That and his collar apparently made for an irresistable combination for Sophia. She just can't get enough of that kid.

 

Then Erick got home, and we spent the day in a nearly vegetative state. Relaxed would be an understatement. It was nice. I had planned to go for a walk/jog, but Sophia flipped out at that prospect. Instead, I decided to do yoga. This is her version of one of the stretches.

 

She is much cuter while yogaing than I am...

 

Anyway, Sundays with Sophie are tons of fun. Looking forward to our summer!

Henri's First Visit to the Big Park

We have our own park up the street. It's a great park. It has a sand volleyball court which serves as a great big sandbox (at least after checking that it isn't a great big litterbox) and playground equipment. However, it has a serious lack of swings. That poses a problem for Sophia's enjoyment.

So on a beautiful day like this, we can be found at big parks like Bethel Park. They have recently added a fantastic playground area that dwarfs anything but Cosmo Park here in Columbia. The other thing about this park that I sometimes overlook - is the lake.

 

Anyway, today being the beautiful day it was, Casey and I decided to load up the kids and head to the park. This being Henri's first outing to the big park, imagine Casey's pleasure at discovering that he so enjoyed it! He slept, but we could tell he liked it....

 

After some kids started spreading cottonwood or cattail fuzz or something on the wind, we decided to take a walk around the lake. That was a great decision. The three big kids really enjoyed the nature hike. We realized we're biased, but goodness...

 

Also, I swear we saw an otter in that lake (it's really more of a pond). Does that happen? Do beavers look just like otters save their tail? I don't think any of us got a good look at the tail. Regardless, we felt like we had made quite a discovery! The boys rushed to the other side of the pond just to see if a log sticking out happened to be the elusive creatre. No such luck.

 

It was a gorgeous day. As always thankful for such great playmates for Sophia within a stone's throw (literally, although that's not a good idea. The same kids who were spreading allergens had earlier been throwing rocks at the playground equipment while some little girls climbed on it.... Sigh.)

Treats Galore

Since Sophia has been wearing her Cinderella dress for months (and spreading around the glitter...), I guess I expected her to be somehow less excited about dressing up for Halloween. I was very mistaken.

Just before nap tonight, she told us, "When I wake up, it will be Halloweee-een!" That gave us a good idea that she was up for some fun tonight, and she really was!

First thing, we got her dressed up in her gitup and headed downtown. It was a little windy, so she needed daddy to hold her for a while.

 

We met our friends the Chandlers and hit all the stores. I love Trick or Treating in the District. You get to see lots of great costumes and families and all the people in the shops are great about showing lots of interest in the kids. It's fun.

 

We went to Hy-Vee for some more treats and for supper. Yum on both counts. Then headed home to trick or treat at the few houses on our cul-de-sac. Since our kids, plus one, are the only ones who come to the houses around here, they make quite a haul. The family on the corner bough 7 ounce Hershey's chocolate bars for all four kids (except Henri) on the street. Here are three of them.

 

Needless to say, it was a heavenly evening for Sophia. She so enjoyed being a princess, although with all the super heroes and strong boys around her, she would often flex her muscles and say, "I'm a strong princess!"

 

Happy Halloween everyone!

Peace

At least I'm hoping that with Henri's triumphant homecoming to Timbers Court that he and his family can find some peace in their new routine...whenever that gets started!

I am so relieved that he's finally at home. Sophia was thrilled to get to see him today. She has declined all offers to go to the hospital. She associates that with her hand or something still. So we didn't push. Today when we started across the street, she asked if we were walking there. Then I realized she still didn't understand that Henri was home. When I told her that we were just going to William and Aaron's house because Henri's there, she gasped and said, "Oh! I can't wait!"

She was in love immediately. And seemed to just think this was like any other day. She held him for a moment and then moved on to play. She already apparently can't remember life without Henri. When we walked into our house, she said, "When Henri was gone at the doctor's office, I missed him! Now he's back and I can see him every time!"



I can only hope that she falls deeper and deeper in love with him...before he starts chewing on her stuff. It seemed to work well in her situation with the boys. They put up with that phase, and now they're great friends!

Can't wait to be a part of this beautiful boy's life!

Proof of Henri

Here he is. Love this little guy so much. I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do once we can get our hands on him. Of course, that is contingent on getting him out of Casey and David's hands. I'll give them a while to make up for their own lost time.

Making an Entrance

Well, I guess it's safe to say that Baby Henri likes to make an entrance. It's not my story, so let it suffice to say that after a little drama and some chaos, Henri David VanDyke has arrived, all 5 pounds, 9 ounces of himself. I haven't talked to his Momma today, but she has held him, so that's enough for me.

He'll spend a little while (I'm being vague because I don't know today's answers) in the NICU to have some help getting his lungs fully developed. He's beautiful. You're going to have to trust me on that, though, because all the pictures I took of him were on David's camera. So all I have is a picture from the night before.

Niki, Lori and I stopped by for a few minutes before bed (Niki spent the night) so we could have one last visit before Henri arrived. It's not Henri, but it will have to do...

Great Finish to a long month; Great Start for a short one

January was one of the longest months I have ever had the privilege to live through. I don't know why, but that's definitely a fact. So I was pleased to bid it farewell. The month ended in good style for us, though, so that was fun. We started by celebrating our neighbor Ernie's birthday on Thursday evening. I had a new recipe for white chili. It was so good that I can't wait to make it again. It may even happen this week!

Sophia helped make Ernie's cake, and she was particularly proud of it. I was slightly worried when I realized (after the cake was in the oven) that my canola oil expired before Sophia was born. Apparently that's not a problem. We didn't get sick and the cake was gone before I got my second piece!

Saturday was our chance to get outside for a few moments before winter caught up with us again. It was great just to wander around taking in some fresh air. It's amazing how stifling recycled air can become, even before you notice!

Our Saturday evening was spent with our friends/Erick's co-worker's family, Matt, Kate and Jim. Jim was Sophia's first love. You can catch up on that endearing story HERE. They had a really great time together again. Here they are making their own pizza. Sophia would pile cheese on top of any topping that Jim would place on the pizza, he'd top off her pile of cheese with another topping, and the cycle continued. So Kate flattened out the cheese mountain and it turns out they made a pretty good pizza together!

Sophia did sneak in a good night kiss before we left, but Jim was sleeping so he'll have no memory of their first kiss.

Super Sunday was so super relaxing for us that I didn't even bother to record it. Sophia stayed in her pajamas until lunch. We ate and played and hung out with David, Casey and the boys all day. It was really great. I was disappointed in the outcome of the game, but mostly just for Kurt Warner.

Hopefully since February is off to such a great start, it's a good indicator. If you just heard something, that's me knocking on wood.

How could such a lazy day leave me so tired?

That's the one question I have after a fabulous day yesterday. It was perfect weather here to celebrate outside and just enjoy the company of the neighborhood. A large part of the entertainment for the kids came in the form of water guns. We were all very impressed at how good they were at keeping it to themselves, although they were more than willing to oblige should you request a cool-down blast.

They quickly found other uses for the refill bucket.

Because of various naps and resoaking, Sophia went through about four outfits through the day. She loves a good fashion show.

She also went under water in the pool a couple of times. Once while in the pool, and once from outside. You would be amazed at how quickly that daddy of hers can jump and run. Of course she's fine, and still not afraid of the water. *knock on wood* Here she is with her hero.

Great Start to the Weekend

Yesterday, our friends welcomed their second child and first daughter Caroline into the world. We were so happy to finally meet her. She looks a lot like her big brother Will, with extra feminine charm, of course. Her dark, curly hair is a departure from his fiery red locks. The family is all doing well and enjoying their new addition. She seems to enjoy her new perspective as well. She was so alert! It just reminded Erick and I how lethargic Sophia was in those first few days - on account of the jaundice. We are very happy for our friends.

We capped our evening off with our neighbors, and enjoyed an Italian feast, complete with a delicious and meaty Italian casserole from our hostess Jenny and homemade bread from Casey. The wine complemented our meal delightfully. Sadly, the women of the 'hood couldn't come through in a rousing game of Cranium, and the guys were able to eek out a victory. Sounds unpleasant, doesn't it? It was a good time anyway.

The rest of our weekend will be spent doing nothing. Sophia is a little under the weather, and she's also trying to figure out her napping schedule. It's got us all confused. I have little hope of finding an answer any time soon. Fortunately, Erick is the Director of Weekend Naps, and she does a lot better for him.

Two of my Neighbors

Today wasn't a normal Tuesday. On account of the troublesome bug running amok in my system (really not that bad), I didn't keep the boys today. Usually on Tuesdays, Casey and I switch an hour or so of childcare to give one another a little break from the kiddos and connect with our heads or hearts or God or whatever might be needed in that moment. What I didn't anticipate was how much I would come to enjoy that time of hanging out with Aaron and William. They are so much fun. Even if we just enjoy a movie and cuddle a while, it's a great time. Casey still watched Sophia for me today, and the report - in Casey's words, "Well, she doesn't have to be perfect all the time." Anyway, the point of the story is that we all enjoy a little auntie-kiddo time. It is really a privilege to get to have this type of relationship with kids who mean so much to me. I just wish I could do the same with all of them.

Spring Tease

It was so beautiful today! We had a wonderful day together. We went downtown and walked around after lunch. Sophia ran around in the grass, and we realized that this may be the first time she's ever walked in the grass without being attached to us! She was a little unsure of herself, but kept talking about the grass and obviously enjoyed herself.

When we got home, we played in the street for a long time with David, Casey, Aaron and William, brushing up on our football skills and whatnot. Our other neighbors came and went, too. It was a lot of fun. As always, it makes me so excited for spring. I just get so tired of being cooped up in the house all day! I'm looking forward to another beautiful day tomorrow, but I have indoor projects that should keep me busy. Who knows, though. Who can resist the call of a spring tease?