house hunt

We drove to Cincinnati over Memorial Day weekend with two goals: to get acquainted with the city we'd soon be calling home, and to secure a place to live once we got there. The first objective would be easy enough to accomplish, but the second was a little stressful.

Ever since we knew we'd be relocating to Cincinnati, we'd been researching neighborhoods and suburbs and casually searching for rental homes in those areas. But about a week before our scheduled trip we buckled down and got more serious, narrowing our neighborhood focus and contacting agents whose homes we were interested in seeing. Most of our search centered on the northeast suburbs, but after a tip from a former co-worker, Blake started searching in an area just east of downtown that offered excellent schools and a much shorter commute.

Because it turned out to be such a coveted area, though, there weren't many options in our price range. We found a few, though, that we thought might work, contacted the agents, and then held our breath with the hope that they wouldn't be snatched up before had a chance to see them in person.

But our hearts stopped when we stumbled across this one:

Twice our current square footage (plus an unfinished basement) for about $300 less than both what we currently pay and the high end of our budget; all of the amenities we were hoping for, including an enormous yard; ideally located right next to the best park in town and across the street from the YMCA; and absolutely dripping with charm and character. We knew we couldn't get our hopes up, but it was really hard not to when the agent contacted us a few hours later to schedule a time to show it to us the following weekend when we were in town. Deep down, though, I had a hunch that this was The One, and I proceeded to mentally arrange our furniture in its rooms.

The week proceeding our trip was a roller coaster, with homes dropping from our shortlist almost as fast as we could add them. But this little parsonage (it's owned by the church whose property it sits on) stayed steady. By the day we left we had three places scheduled to see. We had been hoping for more, so as to make sure this trip was successful, but only one needed to work out, so we kept the faith.

The first place we saw was a dud, but we went in suspecting that it would be. The second place was amazing in many ways, and it was ours for the taking, but its more remote location and higher price tag kept us hopeful for the next day when we were scheduled to see the parsonage. In the meantime, we drove around, both the township and into downtown, stopped to play at the park, and started to fall in love with hilly and tree-filled Cincinnati.

Sunday was the day. After attending church (in what ultimately turned out to not be our future ward), we headed back to the parsonage. We were a little early for our appointment, so we parked the car at the house, then walked the five minutes to the park. As we walked the trails around the playground and sports fields, I got a little tingly, both at the prospect of getting to live in that charming little house and nervous at the thought that maybe it wasn't meant to be.

But when we met the landlord and she walked us inside, I knew at once that this was it. The inside was everything I imagined it would be. It was beautiful, and I wanted nothing more than to get to live there. Before we knew it, we were beginning the process of getting the lease drawn up, and by the end of the day it was ours (or, well, it will be come July).

(Pictures below taken from the Zillow listing.)

 Front room

 

 Stairs

 French doors off the living room into a small bonus room (playroom!)

 Dining room

 Kitchen, with access to the basement

 Eat in kitchen and access to the backyard

Quirky little bathroom

 Master bedroom

 Second bedroom

 Third bedroom

Backyard

More backyard

I was afraid, as we drove into Cincinnati, that I wouldn't like it there, but the part of town we'll be living in is everything I wanted it to be -- and more, since we also get to live in the most charming house ever built. I'm still going to miss Brooklyn terribly, but I'm getting even more excited to get settled into this new home.

a new chapter

After nearly eight years of living here, the Brooklyn chapter of our story is coming to an end. As difficult as it’s been sometimes to live here, Brooklyn has been very good to us, and we are going to miss it terribly. We’ll be relocating to Cincinnati in July, and are looking forward to a new adventure.

one year

Dear Daniel,

Has it really been a year since you made your rushed, dramatic entry into the world? If there's one thing I've learned about you these last twelve months, it's that when you make up your mind to do something, it must happen now. And it started with the moment I went into labor. You have a stubborn determination to do what you want to do, no matter how hard I try to persuade you otherwise. Your singleness of mind is disturbingly impressive.

In the last few weeks you have developed a firecracker personality. At one moment you are happy and giggling, and the next you might explode in a fit of frustrated rage. In essence, you've become an adorably squishy ticking time bomb with a shrill shriek to boot. And yet you can also be just as ready to start smiling and flirting again. You are adept at picking up social cues, and have even mastered the art of the courtesy laugh. You continue to absolutely hate being pinned down for diaper and clothing changes, but you're still generous with your wet, open mouthed kisses. Your curiosity about the world around you is evident in many forms -- the path of destruction you leave in your wake, the way your fingers like to wander their way into my nose, and the pleasure you seem to derive from sinking your teeth deep into my skin to see my startled, pained reaction.

You're growing up right before my eyes: you prefer the independence of a sippy cup to being held for a bottle, you get around the room on two feet, whether it's by cruising along furniture or pushing your push wagon across the floor (you're not quite ready to take independent steps), and you love to join in with the whatever the big boys are doing. It's been a good first year with you, Danny Boy, and I'm looking forward to many more to come. You are such a joyful part of of our family, and we would not be complete without you.

Happy first birthday!

Love,
Mama

We spent the day at a playground with friends. You spent your time exploring, climbing, and sliding.

 "What? For me?!"

Yay! New toys!

His big present was a collection of Schleich farm animals. I think it was a winner.

"Gimme those cupcakes!"

He really wanted to touch the candle. We really didn't want him to.

Judging by the mess he made, I think this party was a hit.

three years

Happy 3rd Birthday, Matthew!

"Every family needs a Matthew." That's what I like to tell people. Even though in recent weeks you've been asserting yourself more forcefully, you are still so tender and mild-mannered, it's often very hard for me to resist sweeping you up, holding you close, and stroking your soft, soft cheeks.

Now that you are three, I'm suddenly noticing how tall you've grown, as well as how much more interested you've become in joining in with your big brothers and their goofy antics. I love your frequent plea of, "How 'bout me?" when you want to be included. You are a sharp little boy, and very observant. You love to put puzzles together, and you are forever sorting things by color and kind.

Your favorite thing to do each day is play. It is your work, and you are so good at it. Playdough, Legos, cars, animal figurines, kitchen toys, and magnets are some of your preferred things to play with; and they keep you busy for hours. You also love to have stories read to you -- and I love it when you curl up next to me to listen when I read them. When you pick the books, you almost always choose Mo Willems' Pigeon books. But as much as you love reading, you are a sucker for your shows. You're addicted to Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Blue's Clues, Little Bear, Curious George, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and anything with a minion in it.

Routine and familiarity are your two comfortable companions, along with your Snoopy and your cloth. Every day at lunch you request crackers, cheese, applesauce, and milk, after which you take a nap (though I think your napping days are slowly coming to a close). You like an order to things and get a little put out when something is different -- like when you see a toy put away in the wrong spot and shout, "Hey! That not belong here!"

But I love that your hand still belongs clasped in mine as we walk through the neighborhood. Every family needs a Matthew, and I'm so glad that we have you.

Love,
Mama

Matthew woke up to find his very own scooter.

 Helping me make a birthday cake.

And sporting a chocolatey face in the process.

I made him a Ding-Dong cake (decorated with a Hostess cupcake swirl). Between the two cake layers was a layer of cream filling, and the whole thing was topped with a chocolate ganache. It was almost too tasty.

 Opening a few more small presents.

Happy birthday, Matthew!!!

eleven months

Dear Daniel,

The countdown is on! In one more month, you'll no longer be an infant. I can't decide if this realization makes me happy or sad. On the one hand, you're getting so adorably big, incredibly wiggly, on-the-go, and independent. But on the other, you're no longer so adorably tiny, and I sometimes find myself yearning for the completely helpless baby you were not so very long ago.

Your personality has reached a new level. You make it quite clear (with easy to interpret writhing and back arching) when you want to be let down, and when we do --- zoom! Off you go! Your favorite place to explore is the trashcan in my bedroom, and when you're not digging through there, you're cruising along any piece of furniture you can find. Though you have not yet been brave enough to let go, you are standing upright far more often than you crawl around on all fours. Whether you do it for sport or just can't help yourself, you love to use your six teeth (four on top, two on the bottom) to take bites out of the things, and people, you love. It's painful to be on the receiving end, but the drooly grin you dole out after you're stopped makes this new hobby a little less awful. You babble with the best of them, and sometimes I think I hear you saying a few words -- "mama," "all done," and "banana" -- in context. But in a family full of delayed talkers, I hesitate to claim that you've actually said your first words, so in the meantime I'll just keep pretending I'm hearing things correctly.

Sifting for treasures.

 

 

And he found one!

Perhaps because your dad has been away a lot of the last few weeks, either working late hours, traveling for business, or helping Grandma Joyce as she battles leukemia, you've become a real mama's boy. You get worried when you can't find me in the house, and the first place you come looking for me is behind the closed bathroom door, even when I'm not in there, where you park yourself and and claw at the door as you scream in panic. When I come around a corner calling your name in an effort to console you, you turn around as you laugh through choked sobs in utter relief to have found me.

The other night you woke up very unhappy. Dad went to try to calm you, and when that didn't work, he retrieved you from your crib and brought you to our bed. All of his efforts to stop your tears were unsuccessful, so he handed you over to me. As soon as you were sprawled horizontally across my body, you stopped crying, sweetly tossed and turned, your dark beady eyes occasionally catching mine, until you finally got comfortable and fell back to sleep. It was the first time in a while that I didn't mind my own night's sleep being interrupted. In fact, I almost wanted that sleepless night to go on forever.

No matter how big you grow or independent you get, a part of you will always be my sweet, helpless baby boy. But even so, I fully intend to treasure these last few days of your infanthood. I love you, Danny!

Love,
Mama

easter fun

Our Easter weekend was filled with all the usual activities:

There was a classroom party ---

They painted eggs, and while Caleb's female classmates flirted with Daniel, Matthew got to pretend he was a kindergartner, too.

We went on an egg hunt ---

It's not a stick.

Excited for his first egg hunt.

This hunt was organized by my friend Whitney for all the kids in the ward, and held at a local playground. It was postponed twice because of late spring snows, but we finally found a nice day, scrambled to change the date at the last minute, and it was awesome.

And they're off! (Pint sized version.)

 And they're off! (Big kid version.)

Turns out that if you plop Daniel on the grass next to a bucket and a few eggs, he knows exactly what to do.

Examining their loot. (Not pictured: whining that they "only got jelly beans." Those jelly beans nearly got confiscated for their totally unacceptable tears. Good grief. Because free candy...hello!)

Daniel would shake his eggs until they popped open, spilling tiny candies all over the grass, then move onto a new egg and do the same thing. It was obviously great fun.

Daniel and Matthew with their little friends, Rudy and Shirley.

We dyed eggs ---

 Nothing fancy. 

 But still fun.

 Daniel picked up the egg...

 ...examined it...

...then chucked it across the kitchen, which is why the carton was moved to just beyond his reach.

We were visited by the Easter Bunny ---

For the first time ever, the boys were absolutely itchy with anticipation for the Easter Bunny to come. This year he brought them summer toys -- squirt guns, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and a chocolate bunny for good measure. They were thrilled.

We watched the house next door slowly get torn down ---

Because isn't that what everyone traditionally does on Easter weekend?

Since it was also the first weekend in April, we watched General Conference ---

Our beloved Sister Dorsky joined us for a few sessions.

The boys strung Buzzword Bracelets as they listened.

In between sessions, we went to the playground ---

After a long winter, it was good to be back.

We donned our Easter duds ---

 Handsome Easter STUDS!

We ate an incredible Easter dinner ---

(I don't have a picture because I was too busy cooking and then eating it, but if I may say so, it was divine. A brown sugared ham cooked in the crock pot, sweet broccoli salad, funeral potatoes (or "see you later taters," depending on who you ask), rolls, and carrot cake for dessert. We'll be drooling over the leftovers for days.)

And we remembered the beautiful reason we celebrate Easter in the first place ---

Happy Easter, everyone!

Or Ester. Whatever.