I had such a wonderful time on my "lil overnighter to Charlottesville. It was amazing to wander around our old stomping grounds without worrying about nap schedules and toddler meltdowns.
My first stop was to Whole Foods for shrimp bisque soup. Not only does it taste amazing, but that soup is pretty special to me. The night before sweet Dave was born I was too tired to cook so we stopped by Whole Foods for some takeout. Mike got sushi and I had the soup. We took it home and watched a movie with Kyle. I remember snuggling on the sofa with my two boys and being so grateful for life. I just remember feeling so thankful for God's blessings.
About eight hours later my labor started with Dave and then we were a family of four! We joked that the shrimp bisque was what got labor going. I was so thankful for that night of takeout and a movie to celebrate or last official night as a family of three. Our life took some crazy turns and spills over the next few months as we immersed ourselves in the world of Down Syndrome.
After Whole Foods and a little shopping I headed down the road to Orange. The last time Mike visited our old house was it was in pretty bad shape, but I was so happy and thrilled to see that someone bought it and fixed it back up!!! This is a wonderful house and I have so many happy happy memories here. I am such a senitmental sap. Obviously the folks that have put so much TLC into the house also think that it is cool to put antiques on the porch, but I was so thankful to see a swimming pool, playground, and picnic table in the yard. It looks like the people that live there are enjoying it as much as we did. I was aching to knock on the door but I really did not want a police escort out of Orange County!
Not clear why this picture is hazy (darn new camera) but here is the front view of the house. I realy loved this house with its beautiful and original hardwood floors and I loved the kitchen cabinets.
The pool and the playground. I t0ok major self control not to knock on the door and meet the folks that have put so much heart into this house. This house deserves the love and TLC that they put into it.
Next stop was this building. This is the middle school where Mike worked as a principal. It has since been turned into the school board office. I went inside and saw many many old coworkers and friends. I was so warmly greeted and it made my day to see the people that Mike and I both worked with. The superintendent heard that there was a visitor in the building and wanted to meet me-I guess my loud laughter caught his attention!:)
And then I met my ladies for a wonderful dinner. I honestly cannot remember how my food tasted because I was so into my conversation and visiting that I just didn't pay attention to the food-it was secondary to my company. These three ladies were a very big part of my life when I lived there. Lynne (in the cool grey sweater) was pregnant with her daughter, Anne when I was expecting Kyle. Anne was her third and Kyle was my first so you can just imagine how many franctic calls I made to her house asking about baby poop, nursing schedules, and fevers. She is exceptionally wise and I just enjoy her company so much. When the doctor told us that David had DS, she was one of the first calls I made. I remember just blurting out "umm can you pray because this baby may have DS." She showed up in my hospital room the next day to visit and said the most amazing prayer over my son. I do not remember the specific words she said, but all I remember is how it made me feel.
Tracy (in the orange sweater) was Kyle's kindermuzik teacher and Mothers Day Out teacher. She is a gifted musician and an amazing and genuine person. I adore her and we went on a very amazing road trip together to see Beth Moore:) Sabrina (in the pink) has a sweet boy a month older than Kyle and she was my running around pal. We went on many excusions together all over Central Virginia trying to entertain our sweet but rambuctious boys. We had a four hour dinner together and I loved every minute of it.
On my way home I stopped off in Radford at my Mom's to pick up Hope and found her in curlers!! They had played beauty parlor and evidently my daughter loves having rollers in her hair! She did well without us and enjoyed grandparent (and great grandmother) attention while I was gone.
The main reason for my trip was my doctor's appointment. Mike and I have both had bouts of skin cancer in the last five years so we are pretty religious about visiting the dermatologist for head-to-toe checks. There was a place on my face that I was concerned about and the dermatologist said it was nothing to worry about. He did remove a mole on my back (ouch) and I have to return in February to have a cyst removed. I walked out of there feeling on cloud nine because he found nothing suspicious! I celebrated with a burger and fries at Five Guys!
It was a sweet reunion when I returned today. The boys were actually out of school due to snow, so Mike took off from work to hang with them today. They went to lunch, went by Mike's office, and even stopped by the barber shop.
Despite missing the kiddos, I really enjoyed my little trip. I actually got scared in my hotel room alone and I made myself feel better by pulling a big chair in front of the door-I know I am weird:) I even took a picture of my silliness and sent it to Mike so he too could laugh at me! I was so excited to sleep in a bed all alone in the quiet, but frankly I could not sleep well at all. It really is hard to sleep alone when you are used to your hubbie and various children in your bed:)
Dave decked out in this Armor of God plus the elmo bike helmet and super star sunglasses?!
Kyle in a Home Depot apron from Brett's birthday party like five years ago and his STeelers football helmet:)
Hope just being cute:)
Dave did convince her to put the helmet of salvation on! I want to try to remember fun and silly times that the kids had around the house. There were actually no fights during the dress-up and play time which just might be a record for these two.
