"The framed photo of Matt Holliday holding his oldest son, Jackson, from the night he received the 2007 National League Championship Series MVP award has made the journey north, relocating to St. Louis.

The finished basement is starting to come together. Boxes are so last month. The question Tom Holliday heard his son Matt ask persistently around Christmas — "Is the treadmill here yet?" — finally has an answer. It arrived on New Year's.

After all, home is where the treadmill is.

"It's the little things like the basement, finding that grocery store you can make a quick run to, Jackson picking a school — all the little things that make a home a home, you know," Tom Holliday said after his visit. "I sensed a settling in. It's like Matt and (his wife) Leslee both know they're going to make this their home for a while."

Eleven months after finalizing the largest contract in Cardinals history and describing himself that day as a player eager to "buy in" to an organization and its city, Matt Holliday transplanted his family of five from their offseason home in Austin, Texas, to St. Louis. Entering free agency, Holliday said he wanted to find a place where he could "put down roots."

Road-weary from two trades and three teams in less than 12 months, the Cardinals' outfielder wasn't looking for another forwarding address.

In the past month, he's enrolled his oldest in school, located a gym to frequent alongside teammate Chris Carpenter, had a white Christmas, attended Rams and Blues games and unpacked that treadmill. He and his wife plan to do in the community what Holliday's teammates say they saw him do over time in the Cardinals' clubhouse — expand their presence to match their permanence.

"We can call this home, let our kids grow up here, let them know one city and one school and one group of friends. That was appealing to us," explained Holliday, who is entering the second year of his seven-year, $120 million contract. "We just decided having the blessing of the long-term contract with a no-trade clause in this business you might as well take advantage of it. … Having two houses or living in two different cities, you don't feel like you're ever home.""