Bye, Bye, Baby . . . stuff

Took a giant, adult step today . . . I parted ways with our giant inventory of baby supplies. You name it we had it. Bottles, blankies, strollers, carseats, bouncers, etc. I had never come to terms with getting rid of all that stuff, so I just kept it . . . storing it in every closet possible. Moving last month seemed like the perfect chance to finally do it. We had the largest garage sale today . . . the largest I believe in Central Illinois history. Three other families joined us, so it wasn't just our stuff . . . but the selection of treasure was almost overwheming. It will probably sound really silly to many of you, but saying goodbye to tiny fuzzy jammies that still smell like a sweet baby, is one of the hardest things to do. It's just so hard to release little toys that play familiar little baby-hood songs - songs that I've come to know as the soundtrack of my babies' early days. The sailboat-adorned swing that both of my boys napped in for hours every day lead the parade of Graco, Little Tykes, and Playskool memories that made it's way up my driveway. We even sold the little oak Mission Style crib that both of my boys logged in 7 years of combined sleeping time in. I have to say that seeing what a blessing it was for some of our "shoppers" who were excited to find those important supplies for their babies, at garage sale prices, was pretty great. I thought about this throughout the day . . . it's so much better for someone to use the stuff, than for me to store it for sentimental purposes. Baby days are gone for our family ( I believe), and now I need to focus on the present and future of these boys who will grow into men before my eyes. I am so thankful to God, for that sweet time He gave us as parents to enjoy our babies when they were so tiny and new. . . how every day was about watching them grow more and more into little "people." I guess I don't need all their "stuff" to remind me of how sweet and amazing those days were. (we have a few leftovers still lingering, though, if anyone's in the market . . . )

Settling in . . .

We've been in the house almost a month now. A month next Tuesday. And we're still quite sure we made the right choice on the home we bought. I'm glancing out the patio doors at the grape arbours, blueberry patch, apple trees and lots of green grass and green breezy trees as I type. It's one of the most relaxing places I've been. We've been plotting a way to turn our back deck into a stage and have parties with live bands and all. Small town life sure seems to be a whole lot better so far than the way we had been living. What a whirlwind the whole month was leading up to the move, though. It was so crazy . . . waiting to close and all. In the midst of the move we had Robb's wedding and I wrecked our van on the day of the wedding. Nobody was hurt . . . just the minivan's butt. Hee hee. But life is calm now. We are thinking of taking a vacation this year. Just to celebrate and rest as a family because of all that's happened this year. We're just not sure where yet, though. The budget is small . . . that whole buying a house thing and all. Any ideas for the most relaxing family vacation you've been on . . . that also wasn't too expensive? I'm taking suggestions so we can get this thing underway.