A visit from G and Grandpa

Dash's parents (aka G and Grandpa) cruised into town this past weekend for some tennis and we were lucky enough to occupy their free time. G and Grandpa have been there, done that with historical homes, so it was great being able to hear about their experiences and get advice for ours. They also got to see Mason crawling all over and he shared many of his precious smiles with them.


In our front yard, we have an impressive magnolia tree that is as ancient as our house. While Grandpa was here, he put up a swing for Mason. See the small red swing?




And we're already reaping the rewards!

G, Mason and I checked out a park close to our house called The Children's Park. It's a very serene park with no play equipment but instead has creeks to wade in and waterfalls to splash in. It's dedicated to children and babies that have passed away. As a mom, I got mixed feelings - sorrow for those parents who lost little ones and I was reminded of the huge blessing that Mason is to us. We'll go back but maybe when Mason is a little older and can enjoy it more.

Dash is heading to Laredo this week with his players, so Mason and I are packing for Austin to spend a week helping Nanny and Papa set up their new home. I hear it's just beautiful so I can't wait to see it!

From our house

Another room is complete and others will be following closely behind. We spent one night recently hanging things around the house. This doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment, but when the fete involves lumps in your wall the size of your head and trips to the old storage building out back with a creepy animal (or small cat) that makes your husband run, it indeed is a great accomplishment!

Take a look around our living room, one of my favorite in our home (and Maddy's too, if you can't tell).

One of the fun things about living in a historical (sounds so much better than old!) home is the original features that give it personality. Here are some from just the living room.

Discovering Tyler

With a few found hours of sunshine, Mason and I strolled over to a few shops in our neighborhood today. Our first stop was Brady's Specialty Coffee, where I enjoyed one of my few cups of coffee since we arrived in Tyler. It was great and even better on the walk home. Mason enjoyed being the center of attention and an elderly lady told me that "he made her day" with his smiles and giggles for her. I love how my little man makes friends with everyone. Then we meandered over to Brick Streets Pharmacy where we discovered a fun collection of greeting cards, more strangers who oooo'ed and awww'ed over Mason's eyelashes and Blue Bell ice cream. Blue Bell ice cream just a few minutes walk from my house, we could be in for some trouble. My legs need to get used to this small town living as they are complaining to me right now, but this is slowly starting to feel like home.

If you come visit us in Tyler, keep an eye on the road for my husband. We knew one of the changes we were going to have to make when we moved to Tyler was to get rid of one car and the car loan that came with it. We held true to our word and are now sharing our CR-V. But Dash did get himself another vehicle to get to and from work and I think he's rather proud of it. I even offered to pick him up from work the other day and he turned me down!

Taking it out for a test drive...

Posing to satisfy his wife and looking thrilled about it...

We learned a whole new vocabulary when we went shopping for the bike in Dallas. As you can see, we splurged and got the helmet and front and rear lights. Dash decided to hold out on the padded biking shorts, but if he finds out he needs them, don't worry, I'll be sure to make him pose again. :)

From our new home

We've arrived. Actually, I've been here over two weeks now. That's hard to believe. We've been busy cleaning, unpacking, cleaning, setting up and cleaning our new place in Tyler. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little OCD with it comes to other people's dirt. Ask my husband and he'll roll his eyes and tell you that I never take my flip flops off in hotel rooms and refuse to touch the comforter. You can roll your eyes now too. Lucky for me, the person who I inherited my OCD tendencies came to my rescue. My mom spent the better part of last week helping me clean every cabinet and drawer, every piece of furniture and every floor. There's still some left to do, like find a breakfast table or a dining table or both so we no longer have to eat on our laps and Mason's high chair can leave its prominent place in our living room. But our new home is coming together well. We do have one room completely finished. Let me introduce you to our bathroom (yep, just one!)!



The owners have updated the important features in the house - the cabinet hardware, windows and blinds, sinks, faucets, but kept most of the original light fixtures that give the home character. As you know, Dash found this house for us and I only saw it in photos until Mason and I moved up here. The home is even better than the photos, as historical charm is present in every room. And I'm happy to report that I walk barefoot in our house. Well, almost the whole house. Flip flops are still required in the pink and white tiled bathroom.