Friends...Imaginary Ones

I wasn't sure if Justus would have imaginary friends since he had a sibling from the start.  But, he does.  In fact, there are two of them.  Moey and Parlek.

Overview of the past 2 months

We went to Chicago via Amtrak in September.  The kids loved the train ride and slept relatively well.  We met up with Dane's family there.  Several in the family went to a Cubs game.  Most of them are die-hard fans, so you can imagine the recent exhilaration (and tears...of joy) over the recent World Series win.  Dane got something rigged up at our house and we even watched the game while Skyping with the rest of Dane's family in Nashville.

More exhilarating for me was being present for the birth of my nephew, Gibson, on September 24th.  Miriam did an amazing job and was able to have a VBAC (you can look it up).  Her midwife was great.  I was the crazy sister in the delivery room!

At some point during the month of September we bought a house!  This is the place we've been looking for since we came to Memphis.  We have great dreams for this house.  More on the house later.  As you can tell from the pictures it will involve a story or two.

I offered to go to Miriam's for a visit when Gibson was 2 weeks old to "help".  I showed up with our three kids.  It was fun, but not all that helpful of a visit!  We also got to see Gran, Uncle Chris and Aunt Rachel, the cousins and some friends on a quick trip into Nashville.

We had our second camping experience with all three kids as we met up with a friend and her son to celebrate the Feast of Booths (you can look it up).  We camped in our temporary dwelling and feasted on camp food and s'mores!

Then it was off to a church retreat at Trace State Park in Mississippi.  It was a good time to be with our church to worship, play, and brainstorm together.  The kids had a blast, even breaking the rules and swimming in the lake...in October.

Next, New York City for Dane's birthday weekend.  I was originally planning it as a surprise until I gave it away accidentally.  We took Naomi along with us, but Dane's parents, sister and Miriam all shared the care of Elise and Justus.  That was a huge gift!  We stayed with our friend Hollie in her very New Yorkish apartment and just had to get Chinese take-out our first night there.  Hollie and her fiance also babysat a crying Naomi one evening and Dane and I went to see Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway.  Dane got a temporary urban fix that will hopefully last him until his next big-city visit.

And now we're here in November and we haven't done much beyond our neighborhood's border.  And we are completely fine with that.  For next week brings more travel to celebrate Thanksgiving in Kentucky.

A tooth!

Naomi at just 4 1/2 months old already has a tooth.  This is an anomaly for our kids.  Elise and Justus both waited until they were at least 8 months old.  She had a fussy evening, which is very unusual for her and I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  Next day she was chewing on my finger and there was a little sharp tooth starting to poke through her gum.  I know this is completely ridiculous but I just want her to stay a sweet little baby for as long as possible and this tooth made me a little sad.  It seemed like a big change compared to just getting bigger and chubbier which she had been doing very well.  She's over 16 pounds!  

We tried out the jumper last week...success!

Wearing her Grandpa's dress...really,

They used to send boys home from the hospital in dresses.

Teddy lovin' and finger suckin'

Elise's First Day of School

Elise is going to a Pre-K program two times a week from 8:30-11.  It's a program through our public school called Creative Learning in a Unique Environment (CLUE).  She loved it despite some apprehension yesterday and this morning.  I do have this twang of sadness surrounding this big step, but I'm excited to see her growing and learning.  I'm glad it's only two days a week.  We can both handle that!

Carolina

We went for a short but sweet visit to North and South Carolina.  Our first stop was to visit my grandparents.  It was their first time to meet Naomi.  It might be our last time to see them before they move to France.  They are getting rid of all of their worldly possessions and offered to let us take some stuff.  I requested a kitchen utensil from Grandma and a gardening utensil from Grandpa.  Those cooking and gardening parts of who I am now were largely influenced by and passed down from them to my Dad and on to me.  I am grateful for that and wanted something to remind me of them while I cook and garden.  We visited with them for a few hours before saying goodbye and heading south to my parents.

We were at Mom and Dad's for 3 days.  Not nearly enough time but we packed in what we could.  A boat ride was top priority since I had been talking it up with the kids for the past few weeks.  Dad obliged and we made a trip to Santee Lake.  At one point we were speeding over some choppy water and I had to signal to Dad to slow down because both kids were crying in terror.  It was their first time on a speed boat.  Other than that moment Justus loved it, but Elise preferred when we were done with the speed boat and swimming near the dock  Next time we need to see Grampy fly his airplanes!  We also got to visit with my Aunt and Uncle one evening and the kids enjoyed swimming in their pool.  Even Naomi!

Last weekend we were able to celebrate with Dane's grandparents.  60th wedding anniversary!  Although I don't have a picture with them, we did get a few of Elise and Justus with their cousins.  Elise and Lillian had so much fun together.  Justus and Andon will play in the same room near each other, but aren't quite playing together yet.

We were also able to visit with some dear friends that were visiting from India.  They were fellow Memphians when we lived here before.  Dane and Andy went to school together and we eventually ended up churching, gardening, etc together.  They have a little girl close to Elise's age and they hit it off.  I wish they lived here for many reasons, but one is so that Elise and Marion could be friends.  Elise needs a good girl friend.

We also received a surprise package in the mail from an old friend that I haven't seen in years.  But my mom ran into her a few weeks ago.  She made and sent a baby blanket for Naomi.  So kind!  Elise likes to use it as a shawl.

And of course, we can't forget Justus.  He is at a fun age right now and I want to be sure to enjoy it.  Yesterday I had just put Naomi down for her nap and I got Justus and Elise set up working on a craft while I went out to hang up some laundry.  Everything was under control...right?  I came back in to find Justus joyfully laying beside Naomi on the bed yelling "Mommy, Naomi is awake!"  I didn't react to him with the same joyful enthusiasm to say the least.  But that's just one of our Justus moments.  He's so enthusiastic about life!

The Three Little Pigs

Mom and Dad came to visit this weekend and they brought pig noses with them.  

They've been a big hit.  

Pig Eskimo Kiss

Two pig noses plus her own

Dad took Elise and Justus on an outing by himself.  Brave man!

Dad helping Elise with her activity book

We mostly just spent time at the house.  We set the pool up and it's amazing how much fun a little water can be.

This visit is Dad's first time to meet Naomi.  We love this girl!