More on moving

To pick back up on our moving story, last Monday we had our walk-through for our house. On Tuesday, we had our closing in the morning, and the movers came with our things in the early afternoon. The story since then has basically been unpacking and more unpacking. Also, buying and more buying. As my sister Suzanne so appropriately said, "When you move, you feel like you are hemorrhaging money". We doubled our square footage with this move, so needless to say, we needed more furniture. We have done pretty well finding some good deals and are almost totally finished setting up house.

On Saturday, Suzanne & her family and Jeff & his family came over to help out and see the new pad. We were lucky enough to have Jeff paint the kitchen and upstairs bathroom. Everyone else helped out hanging up curtains, putting in a new mailbox, cutting back trees/bushes in the front yard, and various other odd jobs. With all the new furniture, my father has also been on permanent retainer as our delivery service with his pick-up truck. I truly can't thank everyone here enough for their help!

On Monday, we celebrated my niece Katie's 2nd birthday (a little early). These events are the very reason that we wanted to move back to St. Louis. Although we enjoyed Baltimore, I was tired of missing these all-important times. I grew up with all my cousins nearby and shared in all of their milestones in life, and I want Lily to have that same opportunity. Already, Lily is developing stronger relationships with her extended family. Our location also puts us in a good position for visiting the Deetz side more frequently as well, which we have plans to do in the near future.

Overall, Lily has adjusted really well. She refers to our new house as her "St. Louis house" which makes me laugh because it sounds like we have multiple houses in various cities - not so much. She has been asked by several people if she likes her new house, and she always says yes. The only time she mentioned going back to Baltimore was a couple of nights ago. I asked her before she went to sleep if she missed Baltimore. She said that she wanted to go back to Baltimore, and then immediately asked where Ingrid was. She clearly knew the answer, but I confirmed that Ingrid was in fact in Baltimore. She then said that she wanted to go Baltimore with Ingrid. It made me sad, but I told her that Ingrid would visit us soon. I then promised to see Grandma and Papa the next day, and she was happy about that. I guess if Lily had it her way, everyone we know would live in the same town and be able to visit all the time. I feel the same even though I know it's not possible.

I don't want to leave out Terra in this update. To say that Terra loves the new yard would be a gross understatement. Before we walked Terra throughout the day, but we were only able to play fetch at the Dog Park. Now Terra gets to play her favorite game every single day, multiple times per day. She has a favorite bush in the backyard and must be coaxed back inside because she enjoys the outdoor space (and freedom) so much.

In general, we are all doing well. Carl and I absolutely love the new house and have plans to stay here a long time. I will update with pictures soon.