Dog Days

Last weekend was busy and fun-filled. On Sunday, we took an early morning trip to the Millie Bush dog park. Finally, a Bush I actually like! ;-) Kirby had a ball sniffing all the smells and swimming in the swimmin' hole. Henry loved seeing all the dogs, but we really had to watch him by the water because he wanted to jump right in!

To Henry, On Leaving Chicago

This is a poem I wrote for Henry as we took off from Midway when we left Chicago on 7-6.

Boy of mine,
sleeping high above the city
you are leaving behind.
You probably won't remember
the bend of late day rays
on the lake--
the glisten of a bean--
the giant towers, arms reaching
to
the
sky.

This place, absent in your geographic history,
will be a destination,
but never home.

What will you do with all the
space and silence--
with no El train,
blaring horns,
rustling wind,
to lull you to sleep?

Picture Time!

Thanks to my mom, I have some pics to share of life in TX so far:

First, Henry and Kirby LOVE their new yard.
Here is a shot of Andy and Me, before our 5th Anniversary dinner.

Here are some shots from our dinner at Lupe's Tortilla:
With mommy on the car ramp ride...

Going down the ride...


Enjoying some Mexican food...

And finally, playing with the new water table we got for him:

Our First Texas Play Date

One of the things I knew I'd miss about Chicago is my network of friends with kids. I don't think I could have survived being a SAHM with Andy's long commute and his schooling were it not for play dates (which is code for "let's feed the kids some Goldfish crackers, watch them play, and drink wine). Now, there was no wine at my first Texas play date today, but, to its defense, it was at 9:30 am and I AM getting together with a handful of girls at a Mexican restaurant tomorrow night for Mom's night out. Of course it's always hard to start anew, but the women I met today were really nice. Then, tonight when I was at the sports store buying my new bike, I ran into one of the gals I met today! It felt nice to actually know someone besides my son and husband.

Besides the playgroup we met up with today (called the "New to Katy Moms meet-up"), I have signed us up for MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) at the local First Baptist Church. It meets every other Friday throughout the year, and provides a child program called "Moppets" for Henry. I am excited for him to have a little "pre-school" time while I connect with other mom's of kids Henry's age.

I know it'll take time to make a network of friends, and not just those I want to have play dates with, but real friends who I can call and chat up, vent to, etc. This is what I miss about Chicago--my friends. It's really the people that make a place as the adage goes. And it's an "old adage" for a reason.

Our Suburban Evening

After dinner tonight, we went out in our driveway to give Henry a chance to ride his bike. Our neighbors came out to join us because we had Kirby with us and they wanted to see him. Soon enough, they had pulled out all sorts of ride-on toys, and Henry tooled around with them for awhile before bed. It was so fun to watch him riding his bike with the other kids, mimicking them, and laughing. Talk about a 180 from our non-existent yard in Chicago!

On another note, it took Andy 15 minutes to get to work today. Compare that with the hour + commute he used to have. Beautiful!

Howdy Y'all!

Tomorrow marks our first full week in Texas, and, so far, we are doing well. Our movers came on Monday, so we have been able to unpack and start organizing. After finishing unpacking the kitchen, Andy commented on how he couldn't believe how we fit all of our stuff in our kitchen in Chicago. It is so nice to not have to pile everything on top of each other.

We have also been furniture shopping fiends. My mom came into town to be on Henry duty while Andy and I outfitted our great room and master bedroom. Our bedroom furniture was delivered today, taking us one step closer to being settled.

Henry is doing super. He loves his yard and the new water table we bought him for the backyard--hours of fun. Kirby also loves the yard, but his favorite spot is perched on the upstairs balcony where he can guard the house. He has a view outside and below, which, apparently, is all a dog really needs for hours of enjoyment.

The best part of our transition thus far is our neighborhood. On our cul-de-sac, three of our neighbors have come over to introduce themselves, and everyone is so nice. Our neighbors to our immediate left are Midwesterners with 4 kids, and we really like them. It is amazing how convenient our neighborhood is to everything we need--Target, Home Depot, grocery stores, banks, doctor's office, etc. The whole community is so well-planned. (I guess there is a reason it's called a "master-planned community" after all!)

I will try to get some pics up soon, once I dig out my camera. For now, though, know we are doing well. Andy and I are already saying "y'all," which is going to make my sister-in-law (who is from Tennessee) so very proud!

Oh, and it's hot. Really hot.

Making the Rounds

We've had a glorious last few days in Chicago. Andy finished work on Wednesday, so we spent Thursday, Friday and today seeing our friends and bidding them adieu. I don't think we were prepared as to how sad we'd be to say goodbye to everyone. We've had some great memories here over the past nine years. In fact, we spent Wednesday going through a sort of "greatest moments" with some of our friends.

Andy and I ended our last night here together with a toast outside, enjoying the cool summer evening. This morning we went to our favorite diner, and then Andy and Kirby left to pick up my dad and head South. They are sleeping in Memphis tonight, and will continue on to Texas tomorrow. They'll drop off some things at our new home before heading to Hobby Airport to pick Henry and me up and drop off my dad at the Hilton by the airport. He flies out early Monday.

We have learned that our goods will be delivered on Monday morning, which is great news. We're also set to get our Direct TV and new washer/dryer early in the week. We have a lot of furniture shopping to do, which will be made easier with my mom in town to watch Henry while we do our errands.

So from here our adventure really begins! Goodbye to Chicago...hello Houston!