Sold!

We sold our house in TN!!!

It has been a year-long process....involving lots of time, money, headaches, renters, repairmen, and realtors. But, our hard work (& patience) paid off and we have finally sold our house in TN. As I've said in a previous post, we loved loved loved living on Foundry Circle....it was the first house we bought together, it was the house we brought our babies home in, and it was the first neighborhood we truly loved & felt a part of. So, for those reasons, we decided to celebrate our time in TN rather than be sad.

We were there on Sunday & Monday for closing, and had such a great time seeing old friends & neighbors. Surprisingly, I didn't shed a tear. But like I said, it's just b/c we have SO many wonderful memories there and that's what we wanted to focus on.

We headed to Murfreesboro Sunday morning and went straight to our hotel upon arrival. We decided to splurge and stay at the Embassy Suites (ha)! The expressions on the kids' faces were priceless as we walked in the lobby....they loved the huge fountain, the elevators, and being able to look up & see all 10 floors. Oh to be a kid again! We jumped on beds for awhile and then Abby took a quick catnap before heading to our old house to visit with neighbors.

And just like old times, we had an impromptu driveway party! Complete with sweaty kids running around, laughing, riding bikes, eating popsicles, and beers (for the adults)!

Before we knew it, it was after 7 pm and we hadn't eaten yet! So we headed to grab some Mexican food with some neighbors, and talked the night away some more. It's so nice to reconnect with old friends like no time has passed! :)

Because of that, the kids didn't get into bed until nearly 10 pm. Which probably turned out to be a blessing b/c they were WORN OUT and slept the night away in their queen-sized bed together. (This was a family first - the kids in the same bed - and it went perfectly! Abby woke us all up at 1:30 am with a nightmare, as she stood up & then promptly fell on top of Nate. All the while, her eyes were still closed. Other than that, it was an uneventful night, which bodes well for future traveling/sleepovers in hotels)!

After a good night's sleep, Abby loved pretending to use the phone and call for room service in the morning:

I dressed the kids in their bathing suits b/c we were going to head to the pool immediately following breakfast. Again, they were amazed by the fountain & the elevators!

If you've never stayed at an Embassy Suites, they have the BEST complimentary breakfast. Greg and I both got made-to-order omelets, while Nate had french toast & fruit & bacon and Abby had eggs & grits. No kidding, she actually said to me "Mommy? Jump In?" I thought she was talking about the pool but then she pointed to the grits. Um, no my dear. You are not allowed to slather yourself in grits. Though if I let her, she would!

After waiting 30 minutes to digest (I kid), we headed to the pool. We had it ourselves (big shocker) since it was 9 am. The kids had a BALL and Nate can definitely be called a fish now with his kickboard, goggles and dive rings. He was non-stop. Abby got in on the act and loved jumping into the pool (into my arms). Fun times!

Then, as if Nate's morning couldn't get any better, we introduced him to the hot tub. He was timid at first, but once Abby got in all the way, so did he. And he didn't want to get out! I seriously think this was his favorite thing on the whole trip. He is a nut!

After getting clean, we headed to our fave park in town to meet some friends for playtime & a pizza picnic. The kids got sweaty & had a blast with old friends, as did I. (Not the sweaty part, the fun with old friends part.)

Mom-of-the-Year here forgot to bring Abby some water and it was HOT, so she kept stealing Hallie's! Ooops!

Sweet Cole is just so happy to be walking now and had fun playing hide-and-seek behind the bench with Abby.

My wild thang

After lunch, we headed to Hallie's so the kids could nap and Greg & I could head to closing. Abby & Cole took 3 hr naps (!) but the older boys didn't sleep at all. I think they were too excited & just wanted to play. And play they did. I miss sweet Grant and his friendship with Nate!!

Once A&C finally woke up, they got a few minutes to interact before we had to leave. Cole tried to push his future boo on the fire truck but it was a bit heavy. (And no, that is not a fat joke!)

We gave this fire truck to Hallie to use for Cole but it holds a special place in my heart b/c BOTH kids learning to walk while pushing it. But OH MAN I do not miss the song it plays about "Firefighter Dot"....I think I heard that 2 million times. And as soon as Abby pressed the button, a lightbulb went off in her head...like "Hey, I remember this thing!" :)

Things went smoothly at closing, and then bam! We were no longer TN homeowners. Like I said, very bittersweet. We ran a few errands, grabbed the kids from Hallie's, and then started the trek back to AL. We made it home by 9 pm and the kids were excellent. They are turning into quite the little travelers! Greg immediately had to go to work b/c his T.A. was proctoring his final exam. Whew, what a day!

We are so grateful that our house sold, and to have that burden taken off our shoulders. But, even though we don't have the house tying us to TN anymore, we still have some wonderful friends there and will make a trip back soon!!