La Joie Réside: Summary of Past Two Years (Cousin Love)

There have been so many changes, and I am feeling guilty for being so behind in documenting them. I realize it has been two years since I last posted. I so want the kiddos to be able to have something to look back on, and I know if I don't document I will forget some of the beautiful memories we have made. We spent the past two years living in St. Louis, where we were so so happy. We really believed St. Louis was where we were going to settle, but when things were seeming up in the air at my work, I went back on the job market. I applied so selectively to places, but when I got an offer, we made the decision to move to Minnesota. This was one of the most difficult decisions we ever needed to make, and it has been so bittersweet. The absolute most difficult part about leaving St. Louis was leaving our amazing Blaxton family. Lenny and Rex had cultivated beautiful relationships with their cousins. I pray that these relationships continue to stay strong even though we physically farther away from each other. As I think back on those two years, some of the highlights of being so close to our family include:
-Lenny getting to spend his days with his cousins during our first year in St. Louis. Even though traffic was annoying, I loved going to pick up Lenny. He always had the best time! He got to spend loads of time outside, and I believe it was because he spent so much time with his cousins that he learned socialization skills, imaginative play, and developed a love of the outdoors. I am so grateful that he got to do this. I also selfishly enjoyed lingering (sometimes hours) to spend time with my SIL and amazing nieces and nephews.
-Meals together. I absolutely love how food is a tool to bring family together and enjoy each other. We did a lot of meals together, and I am so glad that we never took the time we had together for granted. I have such great memories of grilling outside while all the kiddos played or doing doughnuts and brunch.
-Garwood Orchard. This was one of my favorite activities we did together... and it wasn't even my birthday! We met for apple/pumpkin picking on Julia's birthday, and had the most amazing time. For some reason, the orchard was not busy, so we really had the whole place to ourselves. We did an impromptu picnic outside and hung out until it got dark. This was also such a special time because it was one Lenny's first recollected memories. He would talk about that night for days after: "We went on a tractor. We played in the water and went down the slide. We saw the moon. We ate ice cream." It was such a special time!