Things I Will Miss about Greenville

Recently, Julie and I talked to our property management and told them that we would be moving by the first week of July. Where we are going is still not decided (I haven't received any job offers) but we're leaving Greenville regardless. I won't lie when I say that Greenville hasn't been a particularly easy place for Julie and I to live. Neither of us had lived in a smaller town before (not including my mission where it didn't matter how few people lived around me) and it was a rough transition to do so. On top of that, we moved into a home far away from the center of this smaller town and have been pretty isolated as a consequence. But, as the time draws nearer to us moving, I think it is important to reflect on what we have liked about Greenville and some of the things we will miss. So, in no particular order, here are some of the things I will miss: 

B's Barbecue: Nothing quite says "Southern" as well as this joint does. Dilapidated building, greasy meat and parasites acquired only add to this diner's charm. 

Somehow this place scored high on the sanitation inspection...Pretty sure a little money changed hands to make that happen.

Winslow's Tavern: There is a reason almost everyone in the South is heavy (including me) so it should not be a surprise that much of what I will miss here involves food. Winslow's has good food but the atmosphere really makes it cool. It is a very old building (used back in the day for boarding horses) that has been renovated and turned it to an uber cool hangout place. Julie and I enjoyed many meals here in one of the few remaining hangouts in old downtown Greenville.

ECU Sports: It would be a lie to say that I ever became an ardent Pirates fan while I was here. I did not really care all that much whether ECU won or lost the games I went to. However, I will not ever forget all the bonding that Eloise and I got to do (for free!) at the baseball and football games. While I was in school, these were often the only times I got to spend alone with my daughter. Plus, the football team running out of the tunnel with purple smoke around them with Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" blaring was pretty cool. That, and the jacked guy who dressed up as a pirate and put a sword in the ground.

If I don't get employed soon, this is up there for my dream jobs.

The Greenway: Throughout the city, there are trails that are part of what they call the "Greenway." These trails run along the Tar River--aptly named since it's one of the nastiest, dirtiest rivers I have ever seen. While the Tar River looks like poop (literally) the trails that ran along it were beautiful. They were also shady which made them a favorite of mine during these hot summer months. 

Obsession with Pirates: All around town, there are pirate statues. I've got to say that pirates make for a very good mascot and nickname. I particularly like that they are purple and gold (supposedly; their logo looks very yellow to me) pirates. I don't know of any other college in the US who are the Pirates and if they are, they are definitely not rocking purple and gold.

Cubbie's: Another restaurant. The Cubbie's Cheeseburger with bacon is probably my favorite burger of all time. That is saying something. Plus, it is the place where I grew my fondness for hush puppies. Again, there is a reason everyone here is overweight and has diabetes. 

Why is the bear wearing a bow tie? Anyway, Mom got a shrimp sandwich at this place that she highly recommends.

The People: Julie and I really could not have asked for better people to be associated with in my program. So many of them touched our lives in a very positive way. I felt like I had 12 surrogate mothers for Eloise and I met two of my best male friends while here, whom I had many a Blitz nights with to escape all the estrogen in the atmosphere. My co-workers at the hospital were very supportive, as well. My classmates and co-workers gave me a lot of strength, laughter and courage to handle the sometimes overwhelming occupation of being a family therapist.

Our ward was great, too. They immediately made us feel welcomed by helping us move into our home in August--anyone who has been to North Carolina knows that is no small task. They have been great to our family and we're going to miss many of the families who offered their friendship to us. Greenville, it's been real, it's been fun, even if it hasn't always been real fun.

 

Eloise Jayden: 1 Year Photos

I finally am getting around to posting these! I also took them a couple weeks late, but she is still 1 year old, so I think we're good. :)

Oh, Miss Eloise, we love you so much. We have been so blessed this past year to have you in our lives, to learn from you and experience this deep and lasting joy that comes from being your parents. I am so grateful that I get to stay home with her every day. I get to see all of her milestones, see her little gears work in her head as she figures out new things, see her start to mimic me, and show her every day how much I love her and cherish my time with her. It's not always roses and lollipops, but I wouldn't trade this time for anything. It goes by faster than anyone can prepare themselves for, and pretty soon you have an opinionated, won't-sit-still-for-anything little girl with such an amazing sense of humor and an active and alert mind that probably understands way more than I give her credit for.

She has started shaking her head no when I ask her if she wants something (or nodding when she actually wants it), trying to stand on her own (unsuccessfully so far), and wants to push her baby stroller everywhere.

Her favorite things are:
-unraveling toilet paper rolls. I don't like the idea of closing her out of rooms, so we just move the toilet paper higher and higher out of her reach. Ugh.
-taking baths (at least once a day, usually twice, and sometimes three if that's how it works out)
-drinking. She is the most well-hydrated baby ever. Drinks anything and everything, from straws, cups, sippies, the palm of her hand, water bottles. And has the wet diapers to prove it. She has stacking cups in her bath that she will drink her own bath water from constantly if we don't put a stop to it.
-reading books. But not having us read them to her. She has LOTS of board books that she works her way through every morning and several other times throughout the day. I love this about her.
-chewing on, carrying around, and sucking her own spit out of toothbrushes. Unfortunately, she doesn't love her own as much as ours, so she demands ours as soon as she sees them in the bathroom, and wants to pull them out of our mouths mid-brush. We've chosen to forget about all the germs she puts on to them as she drags them around the house. Ew.
-listening to music. She loves toys with buttons she can press and hear music, and starts shaking her little booty when she hears fun music. She giggles in church when the hymns start playing and people sing.
-stacking things. She has just started doing this, but is quickly figuring out how to stack cups inside each other, stack her wooden rings up, put books on top of each other, etc. Positive step towards less destroying and more organizing (I hope).
-playing with other babies/kids. She LOVES being out in public, and 'chatting' with other babies. She gets so sad when we leave the playground, or a friend's house. She is still pretty shy when adults try to talk to her, but still in that coy, smiling, endearing kind of way.
-holding her baby doll. She got a couple baby dolls for her birthday, and one tiny little one in particular she has grown very attached to. She almost always has it in hand when we get her up from naps or in the morning, and loves holding on to her and dragging her around. Big step for her, since she hasn't liked stuffed animals since she was 4/5 months old. But my mom had given her a stuffed teddy bear for Halloween that started the love story all over again (phew! I am so excited about this)
-holding on to things. She doesn't have one thing in particular that she is attached to, but just always loves to have something in her hand. This is especially true at naptime or bedtime. She will go to bed with the most random things in her hands (comb, polar bear, book, medicine dispenser, toothbrush, cream tubes...). Always funny to see what is left in her crib in the morning.

Least favorite things:
-getting diapers changed, getting dressed
-eating. still not much of an eater, and cannot be persuaded otherwise. She does love fruit, though, but not much else consistently
-being put down for naps
-having things taken away from her
-being shut out of the bathroom
-getting put in her car seat
-when she can't figure things out on her own, or do them on her own
-coming in from outside
-wearing bows in her hair
-dogs getting too close. She LOVES animals from a distance, but gets so freaked out if they approach her.

Warming up for the shoot, and she apprehended my chalk. Didn't EXACTLY love the taste of it. Good.

And now begins our comedic portion of the event. She kept making all kinds of funny faces whenever I pointed the camera at her, and luckily I captured them all. You know, for future posterity to laugh at? She gets this from both sides of the family - making goofy faces for pictures is in her blood.

And there's my beautiful girl...

Goofball

I call her my Monkey Moo. She crawls normally most of the time, but has adopted this way of crawling when in a dress, on uncomfortable surfaces, and just whenever she needs a good workout, I guess.

I think this one is Dylan's favorite

Our little chatterbox. This is her saying "bah-bah-bah-bah"

Oh, the scheming mind behind this look. Can you just see her as a teenager?

With her birthday sign (from her party). It's still up in our kitchen, so I snapped a couple with it. I love it, and her, and commemorating her year milestone.

We used a ball to keep her happy at this point in the photo shoot, and this is her clapping in anticipation of Dylan throwing it at her. Such a happy girl (most of the time)

Not too thrilled about the party hat. But she was so darn cute in it!

Yesterday, our baby girl turned one years old. In some ways, I can't believe that it has already been a year since she was born. However, it is hard to remember what life was like without her. I am sure that it was less enjoyable, fulfilling, hilarious and interesting than it is, now. Since this post is already starting off overly sentimental, I will continue on the feelings train and cite some of my favorite things about our daughter.

1- She laughs--A LOT. Lately, Eloise has become a social laugher. She laughs whenever other people are laughing even if she has no idea what is supposed to be funny. She recognizes the word funny, now, so when I point to things and say "isn't that funny?" she laughs in response. I am glad that she's learned from such a young age that laughing makes life so much better.

2- She loves books. I started reading to Wheezy when she was really little. I think I mostly just wanted a way to keep her still for a few minutes. She learned how to turn the pages from a relatively young age and now loves to look at the pictures (to go along with point number 1, she laughs at every picture).

3- She acts like her Mama. While everyone says Wheezy J looks like me (somehow she pulls it off a lot better than me), she acts more like her Mom. Since Julie is my favorite person in the world, that is definitely a good thing. My Mom was just remarking, today, about how Lo Lo may be the most engaging one year old she has ever seen. Eloise has been interested and curious about everything since Day 1. She was born sunny-side up with her eyes wide open--I think that is fitting in her case.

4- She is independent but loves other people's (particularly other kids') company. She can play by herself and keep herself entertained for long stretches of time. However, she is very interested in other people and is observant of them and what they are doing.

5- She is stubborn. This characteristic of hers has lead to some sleepless nights for everyone in the Cannon household. But, Julie and I both were (and some say are) stubborn people. I love that she has her own opinions, already, and doesn't give in easily. It is a personality trait that will serve her well in the future.

6- She is ours. Even if none of these things were true about Eloise, I would love her all the same. She is mine and Julie's. We wanted her, we prayed for her, and we couldn't be happier to have her.

Pumpkin Patch-ing in October

Eloise and I went with our friends Kendall and Halle to a pumpkin "patch" in New Bern last weekend. It was at this really cool old (as in, built in 1719 OLD) episcopal church, and was just set up really well. Apparently pumpkins don't grow in North Carolina, so none of the pumpkin patches are real "patches," just pumpkins set up in one area. Regardless, we loved looking at all of the pumpkins, and taking pictures (it's mandatory, no?).
Besides one minor mishap *coughEloisepoopingherpantsonthewaytherecough* it was a good morning adventure. Eloise just happens to be pant-less in all of these pictures :) That just makes it more memorable, I guess. And these pictures of her are some of my favorites of the entire year. As my mother-in-law said, she just has SO much personality, and it shows in pictures, which I love. I'm so happy we'll be able to remember what her little face was like at this age, years down the road.

They set up all of the little pumpkins on these flat, old grave markers (from the 1720's). Eerie, but fun!

Didn't love playing in the dirt, but insisted on playing in the dirt. Kids.

**favorite of the day**

See? Personality exploding out of her.

Little buddies. So seriously considering their pumpkins

We call this her 'George Costanza'

GORGEOUS little church

We do the Mash. We do the MONSTER Mash. (also, uh, hello, Blue Eyes)

Just some of the cool pumpkins we didn't bring home. Too expensive. Guess that's what happens when they have to haul in pumpkins from far away. Sad :(

Not her happiest picture ever, but I think she looks so much older in this picture. I can picture her as a 5-year-old+ from this photo

HA! Love this girl's faces so, so much

Ah! Where is your mother, and where are your pants, little girl?

Happy happy day

Eloise Jayden: 11 Month Photos

Our girl is almost a 1-year-old! I just can't even handle that thought. So for now...she's just my little baby who happens to be 11 months old :)

(11-month stats coming soon. I just couldn't wait to share these pictures!)