Things were so busy before we moved to Florida, but we were really fortunate to have a couple weeks to spend in Dubuque just soaking up some of our favorite family activities before we left. A quick recap of a few...
The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium has been very good to us during our time in Dubuque. For a town the size of Dubuque, it's quite a nice attraction and our kids really enjoyed it. We purchased a Family Membership three years in a row and really got our money's worth. It was a great way for me to be able to get the kids out of the house in the cold winter months, even when having a new baby. Both Charlotte and Cooper spent a few visits there just sleeping in their stroller the whole time while a big sibling played in the water table areas. We also went as a family quite a few times, met for play dates, and took guests there as well. It was one of our must-do spots to hit up one last time.
Mom and Dad enjoy the 3D movies a bit more than the kids! :)
Lots of good times with the turtles!
Driving a boat on his own
In the meantime, Cooper continued to grow and grow. Babies certainly don't slow down during big life changes. This was his last monthly snapshot taken in Dubuque. Bittersweet...
This tub was one of my favorite things in our Dubuque house. It was narrow and deep, and perfect for bath time. The kid's didn't have too many baths in it all three together, but this was there last one.
MJ was sure to ask if we could visit the "zoo" before moving. I use the term zoo loosely because although it's called Storybook Zoo, it's more like a small farm and park. It's free, it's cute, and it's perfect for little ones who tire out within an hour tops. It's been neat seeing our family grow as we've visited this zoo over the summers each year. I remember seeing MJ toddle around there and feed the animals for the first time, some hot visits while pregnant, and everything in between.
Thanks for the memories, Storybook Zoo!
Saying goodbye to friends was especially hard. Mat gathered with several past students for a special going away gathering, my girlfriends there threw a surprise going away party for us (unfortunately Charlotte got so sick and had to stay home with Mat), and I had a couple lunches and girls night out with a couple closer friends. Moving on is always so bittersweet. Leaving friends is so hard but the new opportunities are so exciting. It's hard of course for a five year old to grasp that though, and saying goodbye to Brody was especially tough for MJ. Brody was our next door neighbor. He and MJ didn't even become buddies until just this past summer. Literally, the last week of school is when they suddenly connected, and they were inseparable after that. They would play together outside nearly every evening, talk to each other through the windows, and loved riding bikes together.
Just some of our going away party kid-crew.
MJ, Jackson, Skyler, Max, Kylie, Mia, Whitney, and Elliot
Last but not least, my sweet babies last nights in our Grandview house. This house holds some pretty special memories...
One of my requirements of making this move was hiring packers! Unfortunately it didn't go nearly as well as I'd hoped for. Luckily though, I didn't know that when this pic was taken. The kids and I loaded up and headed to St. Louis. We spent a week there while Mat oversaw the packers and got a head start on driving the moving truck to FL. And we're off....well, at least on the first part of our trek to Florida.
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