Thankful: one.

Often, people ask me if I miss my parents, siblings and extended family living so far away from them. I think the assumption is that since I moved across the country, I must have been trying to escape them. But, no. Not at all. I miss my family every day. I absolutely adore them. And, I often find myself wavering between being so content here with my awesome husband and kids, and just wanting to teleport everyone to the same place. But, I'm working on contentment and joy, so I am just going to focus on how thankful I am. Thankful for all of these people, who I only see occasionally, but are so dear to me:

I am so thankful that when we were in Indiana, we got to eat, drink, and be merry at two family parties. I am thankful that I got to chat with my cousins about what's going on in their lives. I am so thankful that Griffin and Diego played happily with their cousins. And, I am incredibly thankful for the time to just be with my parents and siblings--though we really missed Duke! Thanks for all the love and joy, family!

This and That...

1. I am obsessed with this recipe for Chocolate Frosting Shots. Whit recently blogged about Chocolate Covered Katie--her recipes are good, seriously good. She has a ton of vegan and lower sugar dessert options that are incredibly satisfying. Mainly because (obviously) they're chocolate.

2. I'm really enjoying living in a smaller place. I love being able to look from the kitchen into the living room and the boys' room at the same time...now that Diego is on the move, you never know where those boys will be. Jose is really enjoying not cutting the lawn or fixing sprinklers.

3. Pilates Central...I'm missing it. Every Saturday and often on Wednesdays, Pilates was my meditation and release, my refocusing. I'm apprehensive to try a new studio. What if they don't laugh during class? What if they do footwork and the ab set and hundreds completely differently? And, which one do I pick? I should just go...right?

4. Belleview Park is the bees' knees. A train runs the perimeter of the park, complete with conductor, the stream is filled with splashing kids, and a bunch of goats and sheep lie around in the petting farm. The best part is that it is only about 10 minutes from our apartment. Yea, Littleton!

5. My friend, Anna, invited me to Canvas and Cocktails for her birthday. It was a blast. I don't even know how long it has been since I attended an art class--maybe when I made a floor cloth at the Munce Art Center in Zionsville during college--but, I came home with a fun painting and had a lovely time celebrating my sweet friend.

Our First Apartment

We have moved. That seems like an understatement based on what the last two months have been. But, we are apartment dwellers. No longer homeowners. After living at 9210 Jackson for eleven years, Jose finally decided it was time for a change. It is so tricky to know what is the right thing to do sometimes. He wavered between wanting to keep the house until it was paid off and possibly renting it along the way to just wanting to get out.

I was more ready to move than he was, but there was still that twinge of pain and loss as I removed the last of the frames from the boys' bedroom walls. And, there was the overwhelming task of sorting through all of our stuff--trash, giveaway, move, store. We definitely could not have done it without the help of Jose's parents and Jerry and Jake and the Majewskis. There is no way Jose and I could have moved our treadmill or couch or washer without them...and I think we would have been about four times as stressed if we had had to do all the moving with the boys underfoot.

But, we did it! I know people move all the time, but it still feels like such an accomplishment. We are settling in at our little apartment home and feeling pretty good about it. There are going to be some adjustments for sure--I may have to talk quietly during the boys' naps if you call me...we have about a third of our stuff in storage...and Diego might be sleeping in our closet right now--but we'll figure all of that out. I feel like it's our time to simplify, to just enjoy being together, and to pretend that the pool that is about thirty steps away is our private pool. So, hey, why don't you come over for a swim?!

And here's a little tour of our place:

9 Months.

Little Stegosaurus

9 months and 2 and a half together...

Today

Dad,

As I stood over the stove making bacon in my iron skillet this morning, I couldn't help but think of you. Thinking of the Saturday mornings when the perfect breakfast was in order--which meant a grocery run--and you'd look at me and say, "You comin', boop?" And, I'd run upstairs to get my shoes or sweatshirt and settle into the heated seat in your car, feeling special in this alone time with you. Those moments when it was just the two of us are some of my favorite memories from my childhood.

They involve riding in your car...maybe because you were a captive audience then. We were driving back from a cross country meet when I was in middle school. The fields around us had been harvested and were glowing golden with the evening light. You told me it was your favorite time of day because of the way the sun gently lit everything. I remember feeling like you were like me and that made me happy.

Or...paddling in a canoe, while you fished and I asked you questions. I tried to be quiet so I didn't scare the fish away, but I loved knowing that you would tell me about how mile markers work or how you knew when to keep a fish and when to toss it back.

So, on this Father's Day, I want you to know that all of those little moments really mattered. You encouraged and inspired me, educated me and loved me through the everyday. Thanks for always being there.

I love you.
Ash

This and That.

Griff and Diego got to meet their great-aunt Irma and great-uncle Lloyd. They're in town visiting from Washington and Griff was absolutely delighted by their presence in our home.

Griffin is all about chatting with his dinosaurs. I've got to brush up on my dino names.

Diego seems to be as happy as his big brother outside and is confidently sitting up.

While our house was being inspected, the boys and I played at Cranmer park--one of the parks Ike and I used to frequent when we lived in Denver. Griff was fascinated by the sundial.

My dear friend, Anne, made some time for us before her family headed to Estes Park this past week. I was so grateful for the time to connect and talk and laugh. And, especially happy for her to meet Diego. It should be noted that she read about 100 books to Griff while she was in our house for 36 hours. What a good sport!

Working up the guts to run through the sprinkler.

Seriously, Diego? Look at that face.

And, Jose's great pride--Griffin and Jose hit the courts together for the first time. According to Jose, these are the best tennis photos ever.

Well...hello!

I kind of forgot that I had a blog for a bit. But, I'm back! And, I come bearing photos from a super fun weekend at Whit's place in Atlanta.

I have always felt so at home at Courtney's house--I really will be sad when they move out and on to Texas--and I thought that was simply because it was such a friendly, tidy, happy place. While I'm sure that is part of it, I think that the real reason that I have felt so content there is that I always feel at home with my siblings. It is definitely true of Whit's little corner of Atlanta. I think I could have just called in Jose and Griff and stayed at Whitney's little house for a while...I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten in the way!

It was such a delightful weekend and it was wonderful to get to meet important people in Whitney's life, who were only names or Facebook photos before, and to spend some time with Duke and Ry and Court and their kids and my mom (missed you Dad and Sam!). As you can tell, we pretty much worked out and played outside--it was perfect. Thanks for hosting us, Whit and Katie!!