My Suitcase Heart

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Here and Now: Week 21

Our lives this week:

Until a few days ago, Samuel hasn’t been very interested in coloring. Then one morning he woke up and decided he was going to color a picture for Jon, our “Oregon grandpa” and former landlord. With Jon as his muse, he’s been coloring for hours everyday!

Resting on the lawn after “running the bases”; Samuel likes to pretend he hits lots of home runs

A mom brought a bubble machine to the park; it’s an instant way to make toddler friends!

Double umbrella stroller for the win!

Second time I’ve made this mistake...

So proud of his “BIG load!!!” on the trailer

Pile of babies and a pile of blankets

When Elsie eats markers

Sporting his overalls from Grandpa and Gigi; he insisted on “no shirt”

Picnic lunch at the middle school; school finished on Wednesday here in Evansville

My friend, Cassey, and I are doing a summer photo project. I haven’t touched my good camera since the day we left Oregon.

Sunbeams and chunky thighs

Did I mention that Brent and I didn’t pack well for summer weather? Doing a quick mall run for a few basics. I haven’t been to a mall since Abu Dhabi!

Saturday afternoon

Although our sweet girl turned 11 months last week, I didn’t snap her picture until yesterday.

She screams for ice cream.
Loves to give lots of slobbery kisses
Is the slowest eater ever (exception: ice cream!)
Has recently become my little baby bookworm; touch and feel books and the “babies” series by Global Fund for Children are her favorites
Walks everywhere and climbs everything (which is terrifying, because she can’t seem to figure out gravity)
She is our unstoppable Elsie!

❤️, Molly

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Here and Now: Week 20

Here’s what we did in our everyday lives this week:

We had a full week! We moved out of our Monroe house on Saturday (12th) and drove to northern Michigan that afternoon. We stayed with my inlaws until Sunday nap time and then hit the road to move into our new apartment in Ann Arbor. We unloaded, shuffled stuff in our suitcases around, and reloaded our car with all that we thought* we would need for a two week work trip in Indiana.

Hello/Goodbye! This is our “dorm room” apartment in downtown Ann Arbor.

Then we drove late into the night to get as far south and as far west as we could. The babies were good little travelers, which was the best Mother’s Day present they could have given me. We made it to the job site on Monday and spent the rest of the week settling into our rental house in Evansville.

*We’re still trying to settle in... I wish we’d packed more of our everyday things, especially kitchen items!

Samuel showing off his LEGO tower: “Ta-da!”

Southwest Indiana is green, lush, and full of flowers.

Even the evergreens are sporting new growth.

Walked her to sleep

Good morning, beautiful flowers!

Stopping to smell the roses

Living my best life

Purples...

... and pinks

We call this row of bricks the “snack spot”. These two cutie babies absolutely love to have a popsicle and watch the neighbors.

Japanese maple?

Busy little bee

Shyly modeling what he calls his “Uncle David” shirt

Irises

A virtual Mother’s Day present hand grown, picked with love, and digitally sent by my dear Jillie. xx

Samuel also calls this his “Uncle David” book. Can you tell he likes his Uncle David, Aunt “Cait”, and their puppy, Watson? (Although he still has a hard time remembering his cousin, Millie.) :)

❤️, Molly

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Here and Now: Week 19

Some weeks I feel more inspired to take photos than other weeks. This week? Not so much. (It also doesn’t help that my phone memory is maxed out and doesn’t like it when I keep pushing the limits.) We’re traveling to Indiana today, so maybe the new sights and sounds will kickstart some much needed photo organization and some more photo capturing.

Pink and purple

Walking isn’t enough—Elsie is now climbing! I was helping Samuel in the bathroom and when we walked out, we found Elsie waiting for us in the stroller!

We were reading together when Samuel pointed to this place in the book screamed, “Tracie!”. We sure miss our beloved neighbors and “grandparents” in Oregon.

More picnics

Have you ever heard of a Walkability score? You enter an address on the website and it gives your specified location a rating. We are moving this weekend to a Walker’s Paradise! It will be so great for my car-less summer with two babies.