This Indian summer that we've been having has been really lovely. It feels like one last "hurrah" before the cooler 60s hit and the leaves fall. Some of these photos are the very last ones that I took at our old house in Pennsylvania, and some are from the beginning of our time here in Indiana. After being here a month, part of me thinks, "Well, that was a nice vacation. Let's go home!" and part of me is very excited about the friendships and memories that will be made here.
Almost all of the big moves that I have made in my life have taken place at the end of the summer. Moving to Nebraska the day before my freshman year of high school, moving back to Chicago to start college, moving three times with Steve during grad school, and now moving to Indiana. These have been some of the best summers of my life. Because we were moving, people were more intentional about spending time with us, and they were more honest about how much we meant to them. I'm so grateful for the love that we were shown this summer!
An ice cream run to our favorite spot. Under $5 for four generous cones!
Two sugar-obsessed little boys!
Since we moved, August sleeps in his own room. But I still miss the closeness of having his crib right next to my bedside!
Give me all the Queen Anne's Lace. :)
Up with the sun, building forts in their bedroom.
Macaron practice... with raspberry buttercream filling this time. Now, the question is: will an electric oven cook them as well as the gas oven did?
This was baby August's 7 month photo!
I love this age right before they start crawling because they are so cute and they're learning so much, but they can't get into much trouble yet!
My garden was just about to hit its prime when we left. We had hundreds of tomatoes about to ripen, and raspberries just starting to turn red. I've been sad about my garden many times, but I know that the house's new residents really enjoyed the harvest. :)
August's last farmhouse sink bath.
The sink = another thing I cry about.
Kidding. . . sort of.
Steve finished putting up the shelves in the pantry. They were really nice!
Pennsylvania is very lush and green, with ample trees. Indiana is browner with endless cornfields and a big blue sky. Both are good, but definitely different.
Ivy, always looking for snacks in the kitchen.
We went to our street's first annual block party. It was really fun to get together with neighbors and share dinner with them. I got to run the cotton candy machine, which was very popular, and the boys tried the sugary treat for the first time. :)
We met up with friends for lunch in Punxsy. That sideways cap!
We found some cute painted rocks.
6 boys between my friend Briana and me!
My friends threw me a going-away party. It was the best! This was our "Last Supper" style photo.
So, I get really sad when I say this, but we left our Ivy in Pennsylvania. Although I know we made the right decision for her, I miss our big girl so much! Steve and I had her for eight years, since our first year of marriage. Ivy has grand mal seizures brought on by stress, and we didn't think she would survive a big move. She now lives with Steve's parents, across the street from our old house, and I am sure she is happy to be away from the craziness of three little boys. I really miss her though!
On August 15th, we loaded up the U-Haul and hit the road! Steve drove the truck, and I drove the car with the three boys. It was a big day, but everything went off without a hitch.
Phil and Dana and our nieces were waiting for us at our new house with pizza and flowers. We are very grateful to be living near them! The boys love their cousins SO much.
Smiling in his sleep :)
My favorite room in our new place! We are in a rental for the time being, so we can't make any updates to the house. But it's only about 15 years-old, and it's bright and pretty. We went from a house with two floors (plus attic and basement) to a ranch. It's kind of fun to have everything on one level!
We found a real-life (red) Luigi in the Aldi parking lot.
I was growing corn back at home, but we didn't get to eat it yet, so I was happy to be given some delicious Indiana corn!
First day of school (at home) for the boys!
Ephraim is doing three-year-old preschool. . . also known as, wanting to do everything Nolan does.
And Nolan is in kindergarten! His curriculum is actually more first-grade level, since he's already six and reading, but officially, we'll call it kindergarten.
We love veggies in our house!
Out exploring on a beautiful night.
After we'd been here two weeks, Ephraim asks me, "What day is today?"
I say, "Thursday."
Ephraim: "And what day do we go back to our yellow house?"
Me: "Honey, we aren't going to go back. We live here now."
Ephraim: "The yellow house said, 'See you later alligator!'"
Moving is kind of a crazy and confusing concept for a three-year-old!
On the last day of August, I turned thirty! The boys and I did some schoolwork, watched Thomas, shopped the clearance aisle at Target, baked a chocolate cheesecake, and ended the day eating a pizza at the park with Daddy. It was wonderful.
My mom sent me a sweet package with 30 things in it! She also came out to visit the following week, so I'll have to share about that soon.
Everything else is going well. Steve really likes his new job! He teaches two composition classes and two literature classes at the university.
Hope you liked this recap of our last few weeks! Tomorrow, I'll be doing a music giveaway, so be sure to check that out. :)
Hope you liked this recap of our last few weeks! Tomorrow, I'll be doing a music giveaway, so be sure to check that out. :)
