It has been a long time coming.. preparing for the next step

It was a big week. This week Margery turned nine months old, we said goodbye to two families that are leaving Columbia, Greg sold his 1967 Mustang, defended his dissertation and we are about to put hour home on the market and move back to the East Coast. A lot developing here in Mid-Missouri.

The girls are growing up so quickly, and I'm blinking and missing things. Evangeline is becoming such a little lady--and terror--but I guess that is part of being three. Margery is growing, but is still a lot smaller than Evangeline was at her age.  I'm posting some photos from our recent adventures.

Tons of Trucks

Girls in a Fire Truck.

Dr. Greg with his dissertation committee.

Margery, is nine months old.

First photo of Dr. Greg!

Spring Time- March, April, early May

Spring has been very busy at Chateau Perreault. We had a visit from the Varner family and a lot of adventures around Columbia and St. Louis. It was also a landmark season for birthdays, I turned 30 in April, my dad turned 60 in April (in Texas), and Evangeline turned 18 months bringing more parenting challenges. Several of our family friends are moving this summer, which makes us sad. But we've been spending a lot of quality time with them. It was really cold this spring. Most days were 50 degrees or colder. That meant that our outside time was limited to the warmer days.

Getting quality time in with Claire at the playground in our neighborhood.

Evan and Claire playing at Claire's house.

James and Evangeline take a trip to Shelter Gardens.

My birthday outfit from Mom and Dad.

Evangeline and the shirt she won from Lately Lily.

Evangeline recently learned how to blow bubbles.

And met some fire fighters.

And went to the University of Missouri Vet School Open House.

Here she is playing with James again at Barnes and Noble.

And Wishing Grandpa Will a happy birthday.

And cuddling with her super hero daddy.

She has really gotten into stickers.

Meeting baby Gabe Varner.

Another thing she loves is the swing.

Evangeline has grown so much. She is saying a number of words and really interested in Potty Training. We hope to start that sometime this summer. She loves being outside. Especially playing on the playground slide and swings. She is learning to love drinking things other than milk and water. She tries to taste almost anything with a straw.

She loves cookies and asks for one when she sees anything that looks like a cookie. She asks to "swing" "slide" "walking." She lets you know when she needs "help," gets "stuck," or wants "more." She also says "please" and "thank you" which makes me so happy.  I love having a polite little girl, even if she is a toddler and uses the word "mine" a lot too. She's also started to say the names of her friends "James," "Claire," "Anne," "Gabe," and her teachers and friends at school.

Welcome to Columbia

So for those that do not know as of July 11 I will be living in Columbia, MO. I'm on my last visit there before we officially relocate and I've been creating my own little Arcadian Nest for Greg and Little Miss P to move into. I thought I would share some photos. The first one is of the paint colors I am thinking about for Miss P's room. We decided to go with the color on the right (called asparagus). The second is a front view of the house with a fresh cut lawn.

I've met with people on electricity and been trying to round up a washer and dryer while I am here. I hope that we can put things together rather quickly once we start to move furniture and get settled. After this trip I'll be back in DC for a little over a week. I cannot believe how close the move is getting.

Our neighbors are wonderful so far. Yesterday I met several and their children when they were selling lemonade. They gave me some great tips and explained some things about the neighborhood. I visited one neighbor today and hung out with her and her two kids for an hour or so. I love where we are going to live, and I am feeling better about the community--although I'll still miss DC. I also met with a pastor at the local Nazarene church who is going to get some people to help us unload the truck on July 11 and help my parents when they are here on July 3rd. A lot of coordinating.

I met my new Dr. today at the University of Missouri Women and Children's Hospital. It was a great experience. She has two residents as well who shadow her and work with her patients. It is great to be part of the learning process. Miss P was so active today they had a hard time getting her heart beat. I really love that she is so active.

A home for baby P

After a trip to Missouri to check out Mizzou and a few homes, Greg and I decided on Saturday that Missouri is the best place for Baby P to enter the world. It is a hard decision as we love Washington, DC. We love our church, Mosaic, our neighborhood in the Atlas District and most of all, the friends we have made here. That more than anything is going to make it more difficult to leave (see Greg's Gaelic Gopher blog here).
Columbia is what everyone there referred to as a "progressive" town. It has a lot of parks, recycling, vintage stores and a historic downtown. It was a mixture of several places Greg and I have visited and enjoyed. It will be different, but I think we will enjoy it.
Baby P is the size of a peach today. I had my second ultra sound in a week to see the baby. He/she was not as active this time, but was rather folding his/her hands in a prayer position. It is nice to know that the baby is meditative. This made me think he/she was at peace about our decision to move to Missouri in August.
Greg also got awarded an additional fellowship from Missouri yesterday. This was real affirmation that we are going to the right school. The next step is to figure out where we are going to live. Missouri is so inexpensive we're going to be able to buy a house, which is really exciting!