Goodbye RI

This is it. Our last night in Rhode Island. When we moved here three years ago, you couldn't have convinced me that I'd ever shed a tear over this place and yet here I am getting that lump in my throat for at least the sixth time today. I still vividly remember sitting in our bedroom one of those first February days we lived here, staring out the window at the abysmal winter weather, listening to the unfamiliar snap and bang of the steam radiators, feeling horribly homesick and absolutely certain we had made the worst mistake of our lives. But here I am on the last night and my heart aches even thinking about taking one last look around and then closing the door behind me forever. While it was only three years, it felt like a very long and very full three years. This house will always hold a special place in my heart because this is where I brought two of my babies home and because I feel like this is where we became our family. So as I think about leaving tomorrow, I have that sad and creepy feeling I get every time I consciously take a turn down a different path, abandoning another possible path forever. It's a feeling that's always been hard for me to put into words, so I'll steal someone elses:

Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future

And time future contained in time past.

Footfalls echo in the memory

Down the passage which we did not take

Towards the door we never opened

Into the rose-garden.

Last Weekend In Rhode Island

Lately our weekend routine has largely been dictated by Jack's nap schedule and his marked aversion to riding in the car, but since this was our last weekend in RI, we decided to live it up for better or for worse. We packed a picnic lunch and drove to Sakkonet Winery in Little Compton (yes, there is a Little Compton, RI), taking one last opportunity to slowly wind our way through all the charming, quintessential RI towns along the way. Wind gusts aside, it was the perfect day for a picnic and Anna had a great time chasing butterflies, picking peanut butter cups (i.e. buttercups), and taking her first crack at watermelon. (For the record, we didn't purposely dress her in that watermelon skirt... sheer coincidence). Jack sat happily in his car seat like a champ and Josh and I got to enjoy a nice bottle of red wine with our lunch.


On our way home, we decided to pay one last visit to our favorite RI beach, Second Beach. It was definitely way too cold for my taste, but I firmly believe that given the chance,Anna would have thrown on her bathing suit and made a day of it.The whole way back to the car, she kept stopping to dig holes in the sand, merrily singing the Seven Dwarves "Dig, Dig, Dig" song as she went. We gave her a good long time to say goodbye to the beach and then put our two over-tired munchkins back in the car and drove home from the beach for the last time.

Photo Update (Delaying The Inevitable)

Sooner or later I'll get around to writing something substaintial about our impending move back to PA. At the moment, however, it's all still a jumble of emotions that I can't quite sort out, so for the time being I'm just doing a plain old photo update. Of course, come to think of it, the photos themselves speak volumes about why the move back to PA is bittersweet. I'm happy to get back to family and friends, but at the same time, this is home. This is where we brought our two babies home from the hospital and this house is filled with many of the simplest and sweetest memories I've known. (tears starting... let's move on)
Recently, I've been plunking Jack in his little chair while I get Anna dressed in the morning. Now she's taken to giving Mr. Jack a fashion show following each dressing session, including commentary such as, "This is from the TV store (Gymboree), baby Jack," and "I'm wearing three hair clips, baby Jack."
Here's another picture I love. Josh, Anna, and Jack took me out to breakfast for Mother's Day and since we knew it was likely our last trip to our favorite breakfast spot, we finally let Anna order a chocolate chip pancake. She liked it. A lot.