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...

Happy Birthday to My Girl!

I have never known anyone to buy in so completely to the "because it's my birthday" schtick as this girl did. Of course, I have no idea why I was surprised.

 

After our Open House on Sunday, we went to St. Louis to spend the night in a hotel to celebrate Sophia there the next day. Hotels may very well be Sophia's favorite thing. The Millenium is a crappy hotel. Clean but crappy. Half of the lamps had no shades. The other half didn't turn on. I'm not exaggerating. The beds were on makeshift frames and the walls were paperthin. But Sophia thought it was fantastic! She wanted to stay again tonight... Today, Erick and I had made plans for two move-related activities. One apartment visit to The Marquette and one preschool visit to South City Community School, with a visit to the Public Library in between (as seen below). Both official visits went well but weren't homeruns. So we'll continue the search.

 

After those two visits were complete, the day was Sophia's. She decided the bookstore was her first choice. We spent over an hour in the bookstore, strictly in the kid's section. She ended up buying three books after reading nearly every one on the shelf. It's a good pasttime, but it can wear one out.

Next was lunch at P.F. Chang's, her choice. Followed by Crate and Barrel, her choice. Seriously. Weird kid. Next followed a more normal kid choice - the St. Louis Zoo.

All in all it was a perfect day to celebrate a well-rounded four-year-old. We have, however, decided that she won't be joining us on future apartment and school visits. Not surprisingly, it seemed to get to her pretty quickly and wear and stress her out. So we'll save her the stress in the future.

I just can't believe that she's only been in our lives for four years and that she's already four years old!!

Smells like cake

 

No reason for that title other than the fact that currently our house smells like cake. We're having an Open House on Sunday, and now I wish I had the guts to make a cake just before the doors open because it smells soooo good and homey. Sophia and I made cake because she has a birthday coming up. I have been trying very hard not to let her birthday get swallowed up by this whole moving thing, but it's a challenge to say the least.

I am so excited to celebrate Sophia tomorrow with our friends and family. Every time I think that, the thought immediately follows, "...for the last time in Columbia." There are many things we are planning that precede that statement. It is such a weird feeling and one that I have never experienced before! We have lived in Columbia for our entire marriage. Our whole adult existence. We are not the same kids who moved into Broadway Village eight years ago, but the people we meet in St. Louis won't know that.

On a side note, eight years is the longest I have ever lived in one city. Galesburg, Illinois, and
Columbia, Missouri, now tie for that record.

When I think about the fact that people will only know what I tell them about myself, it really freaks me out. It also makes me look at people that I meet for the first time very differently. Of course I have always been aware that every person has a very long and winding path before I meet them, but it has never felt quite so glaring. Who were they five years ago? Ten? My friends know who we were. My next neighbors won't. Weird.

See, this is what happens when I try to think about Sophia's birthday party. I don't have compartments...

Address Change

 

Let's just say that yesterday was a hell of a day for Sophia to learn her address at school...