10 Things we love about Atlanta

Most of you realize that we recently moved to Atlanta after living in Boston for over 8 years. While there is plenty we really miss about Boston, we have found many things we love about Atlanta! We are very happy here, and feel it's a great place to be raising our kids right now.




1. The daffodils in my front yard start blooming before January was over. I know it's been unseasonably warm, even for Atlanta, but we have had a wonderful time enjoying the signs of spring a solid 3-4 months earlier than we did in Boston. I realize we will pay for all this wonderful weather this summer, but at least we'll have central ac! (she says with an awkward, unsure laugh)

2. Umm, the food. Wow. I love to eat, and Atlanta has some amazing restaurants. It helps that we've landed in Decatur, which is like craft beer and foodie heaven, but we continue to be impressed with all the delicious independent foodie restaurant options here at a variety of price points. My favorite burger so far is at Kitchen 155 on Clairmont. The kids love their milkshakes - they're huge, made with Ben and Jerry's, and are only $5. I am also in love with Your Dekalb Farmer's Market. Yes, Your Dekalb Farmer's Market, or YDFM. It has bulk prices, just about any produce you could dream of (they sell Durian fruit, Oil!) and it feels a little like shopping at the Somerville Market Basket.

3. The YMCA. I grew up at the Y, on the gymnastics team, and have a great affinity for the YMCA and their family-oriented approach to fitness. the Y system here "in town" is great. None of the facilities are large, but we have two very close to us we can go to. One has a great pool with family swim times every day from 2:30 to 6, and they keep the water at 87. Dex will actually swim here! We try and go once a week. The kids are also in gymnastics at the Y, and I have found an incredible yoga class. The kids will take soccer this spring!

4. The kid's preschool. The kids are enrolled in a Methodist preschool here in Decatur, and they love it. We love it. They have made many friends, and I have been able to make friends with other moms as a result. I get to volunteer in Frankie's class to help teach Handwriting without Tears, which is really fun way to help the kids learn handwriting. There really are no tears. Dex looooves his teacher, and actually looks forward to school days. For those of you who know how much Dex has struggled with social anxiety and being away from Momma, this has been huge for our family. They have music every day for 20 minutes. They come home signing all kinds of songs. Frankie spent a while yesterday singing "Valentimes, Valentimes!" to the tune of "All night, all day, Angels watching over me my lord!"

5. Stone Mountain. We're only about 20 minutes away from Stone Mountain, which provides us a great mid-week place to hike and get our fresh air. I'm looking forward to the day when we can all bike the 5.5 mile loop around the mountain together - it's where they held the Olympic Cycling event in the 1996 Olympics.

6. Plenty of Green Space. We were worried about this, coming from Boston which is known for its parks, and for having a rather fitness-focused population. We're living intown, so I can't speak for all of Atlanta, but at least the pocket we're in seems to have plenty of really nice parks for the kids, and some decent running paths. The community we're in also has a big focus on walking and biking. Many of the kids in Decatur walk or bike to school.  But boy, is it hilly!  I haven't run this many hills since my Indian Hill Cross Country days.

7. Proximity to family. We're now withing driving distance to all our extended family members, and since moving 3 months ago we've already made multiple trips to see family, or they have come to us. We love this! We even have some family in town, and I'm so glad to have our kids (and us!) be able to see family more often.

8.  Our church.  We've already started to get settled in a church here, which is such a blessing.  We've moved other places where we've looked and looked before finding a church home, but we have found the local PCA church here to be a place where we feel we can find community, grow in our faith, and worship God.  And it's only 1.5 miles from our house!

9.  The hipsters.  Like I said, we landed in Decatur, which is home to many a hipster.  While I'm not a hipster myself, hipsters usually have good taste, and I usually kinda like them.  The dream of the 90s is alive and well here in Decatur.

10.  Chris loves his new job!  Yay!

So friends, rejoice with us that this has been a successful transition for our family.  It's been a lot of work to move our little family of 4, and there are definitely things we miss (and, really, people we miss), but we are settling in here.

Brambly Hedge

I was so excited to discover on Amazon that you can now buy a hardcover complete set of all of Jill Barklem's series on Brambly Hedge for a mere $20. Do you know these stories? They have the best, intricate illustrations coupled with the sweetest "just enough adventure" stories for my preschoolers. I think early elementary aged children will love them too. They are wonderful for both boys and girls.

The illustrations are amazing. You can mull over them for long periods and find new things. The stories take the readers to a little world where the mice of Brambly Hedge have parties, get lost in the woods and have to be brave, and discover secret staircases.

Jill Barklem is a Bristish author illustrator who published these works in the 80s. They were quite popular upon their release, and then fell to an unpublished state until this past year. You may be able to find the stories at your library, but even the Minuteman system didn't carry all of them. If you want to try one, The Secret Staircase is my personal favorite.

Christmas in Ohio

We celebrated Christmas in Ohio this year. I love going to my Mom's house for Christmas - she and my Dad always work really hard to make it special for us, and I'm thankful for them!







The highlight this year was definitely cousin time. Howie, Frankie, and Dex are finally at the age where they really, really love to be with one another. And what fun they have together! There was a cousin sleepover, lots of bouncing on Howie's bouncy castle, and a few animal parades. Johnny is still young to participate in much of the fun, but he's a hoot, and will no doubt be joining in more and more of the fun in years to come. This kept happening:











The best part about this game was that Johnny thought it was hilarious, and Frankie took her "job" of putting him back on the chair very seriously. She kept patiently putting him back without any scolding (good for her!). He would giggle and repeat the process, thinking it a really fun game.



Santa came this year in all his American Christmas Glory. My kids know all about Santa, the mythology, his reindeer, the fact that he comes down the chimney. We have a gorgeous edition of The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Jan Brett. They love to sing the songs about him and ask me all kinds of questions about the how and whys of Santa.



I've never felt it necessary for them to believe Santa is real. I don't think that fact takes away any of the magic of Santa when you're 4. When you're 4, you dress up like a mermaid and suddenly you're a mermaid. It doesn't matter if you're not really a mermaid; you're a mermaid. The line between make believe and real is very fuzzy when you're a kid. So my kids know that Santa isn't real, but that he's a really fun story that we can participate in and they love to participate.


New hula hoop!

I've also never felt it necessary to demonize Santa and all he represents. He's a myth, a significant part of our culture, and a really fun one when you're a kid. I participate in many sins throughout the Christmas season: indulgence, selfishness, consumerism, lack of contentment. I can't blame Santa or our cultural Christmas for those things.



My kids know all about Jesus too. His birth, the Angel Gabriel who heralded his coming, and all kinds of songs celebrating his birth. They know that on Christmas we are celebrating Jesus' birth, his coming to save us all, the glory and wonder of God becoming flesh. This is also very magical for them.



I think the really hard part for all of us who are Christians at Christmas is to strike the balance between being a part of our culture and celebrating a time of thankfulness and generosity while also celebrating an important religious holiday. I kind of wish the two were separate events, but I think the cultural Christmas we all celebrate is also important. It's an important time to show love and care to people around you.



I do know that the time I spend participating in the cultural Christmas events (the endless string of North Pole exhibits, light displays, and Christmas train rides) was not nearly as satisfying as the time I spent with family, contemplating Jesus and the work he came to do, and celebrating those I love. I think this is where the good, the pure, and true lie.




Isn't my little sister the cutest?!?!?!


Pinky Pie, thank you Mimi!








Pawpaw!


Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jason




Nonnie and Pawpaw


Awkward Family Photo


Not so awkward!










Johnny


Howie


New toothbrushes from Santa!










Mixing up some reindeer food, thanks Aunt Becky!










Merry Christmas!

*I'd like to thank Becky and her mad camera skills for most of these pictures!

Is it Chrismas yet?!

We have an Advent calendar in the kitchen that marks the days down to Christmas. Frankie is rather sentinel in her duty to keep track of how many days we have left, so I always know the count. I love Christmas, but usually reach a point where I am ready for all the festivities to be over and our normal schedule to return. This year, I'm not sure if it's because I have two preschoolers or because we're in Atlanta (Christmas is a much more subdued event in Boston), but I think I've reached my limit. I think it's the crowds more than anything, but I don't think I can handle any more crowded Christmas-related events.

But wow, we've had a time of it this year! We started Christmas off in Knoxville at Great Gammie's house. We went to the Festival of Trees with Mimi



The kids made ornaments, got their faces painted, and rode a carousel, all to benefit the local Children's hospital.











There was a pretty impressive gingerbread house contest there too. This was my favorite:


Then it was off to Clemson to decorate gingerbread houses of our own with Maggie, Sam, and Caleb






I've been told it's been unseasonably warm, even for down here, but this has been our favorite part of Christmas in the south:


Back in Atlanta, we went to the Life College lights display with Aunt Dawn and Uncle Bob. We saw Santa, who turns out is dog friendly!



When Santa asked what the kids wanted, Frankie replied a teddy bear (?) and Dex replied enthusiastically, "A present!". Frankie decided later what she really wants is a hula hoop, which sounds more accurate to me, so that's what we got her. Sounds like Dex will be happy with anything we get him, so Chris picked out a sweet ray gun for him at Target.

Speaking of presents, I entered our bedroom the other day to the sound of ripping paper. I found Dex in the midst of the wrapping paper roll mess below, and asked him (a little horrified) what he was doing. "Momma," he said, "I found this present under your bed and I kept opening and opening but couldn't find the present."



You can't discipline a boy for that kind of hilarity.

We got a tree and decorated our house.






One of my favorite pieces on the mantel - my mom made this a few Christmases ago.

Frankie has been a veritable factory of Christmas crafts this month.


There is a baby Jesus, lost somewhere in the house. That's probably why Mary and Joseph look so anxious.


One of my favorite ornaments she made. She was really proud of the pattern she chose to do. "Momma, I did two reds and one white. Most of the other kids only did red then white, red then white." How lame of them, right?


Finally! A use for all those discarded puzzle pieces.

We've now also been to Frankie's school Christmas sing a long and Christmas party, Advent Sundays at church, the lights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and Madeline's Christmas (a theatrical production for kids, and super cute). While all this has been loads of fun and really well done, I think we're ready for a little quit before Christmas is actually here.

I'm wishing you all a restful few days before the actual Christmas holiday so you can contemplate with me the birth of our savior and all he did. For unto us a child was born.