Its Official...

We have moved. Please keep up with us at

http://dandelionsinthedesert.blogspot.com/

Saying Bye For Now

This will be my final post to my Nashville Newcomers blog. Seeing as how we are no longer in Nashville, much less newcomers, it seems only appropriate to move on. I will post a link to the new blog as soon as I actually put something on it.

It seems strange to say good-bye to Nashville. It was harder than I thought to lock our front door for the last time. We made so many great friends there, had some fun adventures, and most significantly we had a child. I suppose the city of your birth will always hold meaning, Parker's birth certificate will always be from Tennessee no matter we end up. Our two years there were great, the city was welcoming, our children changed dramatically, and of course Hailey's twang will hopefully stand the test of time. But it was time for us to move on, more adventures to be had, new friends to make. Thank you Nashville for bringing us in with open arms...we will miss you but we will be sure to visit!

Packing and Playing

So, back to Nashville...

When Mom and Dad came to help us in July, they took the kids to a hotel so Jona and I could pack, pack, pack. It was the most amazingly helpful thing that anyone could do. Packing with Hailey and Parker was not easy. Hailey 'helped' by putting whatever she could find into open boxes- her dirty clothes, sippy cups full of juice, snack wrappers...you get the idea. Parker 'helped' by taking things out of the boxes that I packed and dumping the then empty boxes over onto his head. And of course, he gave us the added extra assistance of learning how to crawl at full speed right before the real packing began. Thanks guys for all that you do, but I think you will have SO MUCH MORE FUN with Gammy and Grampy!

My brother, Chris, and his family came up for 4th of July weekend along with my sister Kim and her kids heading over for the festivities. So along with packing came lots of playing! After Jona left for his first drive to AZ, I moved to the hotel and we concentrated on the fun. Carly and Laney spent the summer with my parents so we were able to spend some extra time with them.

Parker went on his first carousel ride. He didn't like the idea of sitting on his own horse, but the spinning in my arms was GREAT!

Carly and Laney have grown up so much. They are two beautiful young ladies!

They were both HUGE helpers with Hailey and Parker- I miss the extra hands :)

We took them to the Aquarium Restaurant where you can touch and feed stingrays. Everyone talked a big talk before we arrived, but both the girls totally wimped out when it came to feeding time! Grampy was the only brave soul in the bunch.

We also spent our last day on Old Hickory Lake. This place was one of our favorite spots in Nashville and sitting here in 105 degree weather, I MISS IT!

These girls are just too cute.

Its weird to think that I can't just climb in the car and be there in 20 minutes. Such a great spot...see ya later Old Hickory.

She doesn't ever stop...not even for a minute

Me: "Do you remember the little girl at the mall?"

Hailey: (gesturing flamboyantly with her hands) "Oh yeah, she was totally upset and being very unpleasant to her daddy."

Me: "Did you just age a year?"

Hailey: "Mom, I remember things. And it totally bums you out."

She does remember things, a lot of things. Sadly those things rarely include what I have asked her to do or told her not to do.

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While driving to IKEA and listening to a toddler sing a long CD...

Hailey: "Mom, its Bobley Marlin singing."

Perhaps this is Bob Marley's wife, I'm not entirely sure, but there was a lovely woman singing. Stir it up little darlin', stir it up.

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And then there are conversations with Parker...

Me: "Good morning precious little man."

Parker: "Dadadadadadada."

Me: "No P. Diddy, Mamamamama."

Parker: "Dadadadadada."

Me: "Dude, just try it. Mamamamama"

Parker: "That."

Me: "MAMAMAMAMAMAMA!"

Parker: "Hailey."

Me: "Good night."

Not Even A Real Posting

Sorry guys, no internet at the house until next week. And I haven't even downloaded any of the pics I've taken. Get over it, we're busy!

4th of July

It rained on 4th of July in Nashville. And I don't mean a little sprinkle, I mean a downpour. Short lived, but lively. And we were all outside. I should start by mentioning that my brother Chris and his family came up from Mississippi and my sister and her kids came over from North Carolina for the weekend. We all planning to go to Crockett Park for the outdoor concert followed by fireworks, same thing we did last year. As we parked the cars, the automated warning system began announcing that lightening had been detected in the area and everyone should seek shelter. There is no shelter, not an option. And the hundreds of other people didn't seem to be bothered so we wandered to a great viewing spot, settled in, and then decided to move the cars. As I was re-parking, I could see the lightening flashing off in the distance and the thunder started. And although the hundreds of others did not mind it, I decided that in any other circumstance I wouldn't allow my children to be outside so this should be no different. None of the other adults agreed, so I took Hailey & Parker, and Carly & Laney to mom and dad's car (the Johnsons weren't there yet) and my mom joined us just because I think she felt bad for me! And there we sat. In air conditioned luxury, for about 30 minutes. Only a few sprinkles fell, so we hopped out when it looked better and found our blankets.

About 5 minutes later, when all the sandwiches were unwrapped, everyone had drinks in their hands, and the roll of paper towels were being passed around, the heavens opened up. We had 3 umbrellas, one of which was Hailey's Dora umbrella.

I don't have a picture that really captures the moment. I took this when all had settled down. During the real rain, Bryce was holding tight to Dora.
Mom broke her toe about 2 days into being in Nashville. Then Kim stepped on it. I LOVE these faces!

Chris and Sarah after the rain. Ready for the show!

Don't they look festive?? We won't let a little storm get us down.

Hailey adored being with her cousins. Every once in a while, probably once a day, she gets a little sad and says she wishes her cousins were here...me too!

This picture was a total mission on my part! Bryce does not enjoy photos- such a boy. I had to threaten posting a worse shot on facebook to get him to smile at me.

Parker was exhausted well before the fireworks started but he was a total champ about it. He fell asleep on Jona's shoulder about a minute before the first big BOOM but didn't flinch. Just opened his eyes and took in the show.

And proof positive that I AM IN THERE SOMEWHERE!! A little curl action to honor the mamasita.

Hailey's Story

Hailey has been working on her computer skills and getting very proficient with the mouse. While we thought she was entertaining herself with Elmo and Dragon Tales, she was actually conducting a massive internet search for her dream job.

After an extensive search, she found just the right fit, found a place with a view, and moved out...

and never looked back.

Parker is heartbroken.

I know they aren't Arizona pics, but you have to admit, they are pretty cute :)