Home for the holidays

It's strange to look out of the second-story window at my parents' house out over the yard of our old house--which we still own--knowing that it is mostly empty.

We have a few off-season clothes and outgrown nursery items upstairs, a few kitchen and office supplies downstairs, lawn and garden items on the back patio, and a basement full of camping gear, old tools, holiday decorations, shelving units, and a computer graveyard. That's it, although it will still probably take a small U-Haul truck to move it. You never truly realize how much shit you have until you move. You also discover items you didn't know you had!

At any rate, it was sort of creepy walking through the house. Without furniture, the rooms sound different, cavernous.

It really is a lovely home and beautifully-maintained yard with gorgeous landscaping. I'm sad to leave it. Of course, we couldn't afford something like it in Louisville. I do hope we sell it soon; I don't really want to be paying two mortgages next year. We just won't be saving any money any time soon. At least you get the principal part of the payment back when you sell the house, and you get back some of the interest portion through the mortgage interest tax deduction. Otherwise, though, you're losing a few hundred dollars a month. Plus, you're paying to insure it and keep the utilities on at a minimal level.

More firsts

In the time that has lapsed between posts (due to the household moving process), Isabel has experienced her first Halloween and her first tooth, and is about to experience her first Thanksgiving.

For Halloween, we dressed her first in the cute knit red devil pants that Sherry made for her. Later, she wore the denim overalls that Kim decorated with Halloween patches and funky purple furry trim.

The teething process...What can I say? It bites! Literally. Webhamster claims that Teh Is has bitten his foot twice in the past week. Not quite an ankle biter, but getting there?

Isabel and I went to visit Caroline and newborn Anneliese Riley last week. AR had the cutest "My First Thanksgiving" romper and bib. Cara showed me a photo of herself as a baby. It could have easily been a photo of Anneliese.