july 4

having experienced some truly great 4th of julys in snoqualmie made me work a little harder to enjoy our 4th in cincinnati this year.  we made plans to meet up with family at a pierce township park for a small little community celebration.  i had fun decorating the kids' bikes in red, white and blue and watching them ride around the path with all the other kids.  there was face painting and hot dogs and cupcakes and a whole lot of sweating!  this weather is so hot and humid...  immediately following the celebration we headed straight to the pool at the Y.  we had fun swimming as a family with lots of other families and kids.  we went home to get the kiddos some rest, and then we spent a quiet evening at home.  gavin and i slipped and slid all over our new slip-n-slide :)  kevin grilled some delicious burgers that we served with watermelon.  a perfect 4th of july dinner!  after dinner we enjoyed sparklers in the backyard, which both the kids enjoyed this year.  it was another great 4th!

july 3

brooke is becoming quite the little swimmer!  she loves to practice, and i'm so proud of the way she's progressing.  i'm still getting used to the fact that i only have one child in floaties.  they are both even more demanding of my attention in the pool now.  we went to the Y late this afternoon/evening and enjoyed cooling off in the pool.  i'm definitely delivering on my promise to get the kids in the pool a lot this summer!

july 2

it's so hot out!  the only time we're outside is when we're in the water.  today we visited with heather & stella.  the kids had fun splashing around in the big blow-up pool and dumping water on aunt heather's head :)  my sister is never so beautiful as when she is laughing and playing with the kids.  i can see the pure joy on her face, and it makes her all the more beautiful.  i am so happy for these moments we have together; doing a whole lot of nothing but it meaning everything.

july 1

although we don't see randall, antje, lexi & kenzie nearly as much as we would like, we always enjoy the moments we squeeze in amidst our busy lives.  this morning we met up at the hyde park farmer's market.  brooke and gavin learned what a farmer's market on a much, much smaller scale looks like :)  we strolled the square looking for yummy things to buy.  waffles fit the bill!  then we headed to the echo for brunch.  the echo has been a favorite spot for so many years, and it's even better when enjoyed with friends.  lexi and kenzie are growing up so fast, and i love to watch all of our children playing together.

june 30

brooke did it!  she's swimming on her own without any floaties!!!  this evening we went next door to help our neighbor, kendra, celebrate her 40th birthday.  we were having fun in the pool when brooke declared that she was ready to swim by herself.  i really couldn't believe it!  she was ready!!!  and she did it.  just like every single thing in her life.  when she's ready, she just does it.  she swam to kevin over and over again, gaining a little more distance with each try.  she still doesn't want to put her face in the water, but that's ok.  we'll take it.  this is just the beginning.  we're so proud of her!

june 29

today was a super emotional day - kevin's final day at p&g.  we've been mentally and emotionally preparing for this day for quite some time, but it didn't make it much easier.  kevin and i both kind of grew up at p&g.  the company shaped the persons we've become and the lives we lead.  we met each other at p&g and made some wonderful friends there.  for a very long time it's been our identity, our sense of accomplishment, our past, present and future.  i have the luxury of being separated from the day-to-day since i've been on leave for the past 3 years, but i still know exactly how kevin is feeling today.  i know a piece of his heart is breaking.  so is mine.  so there are tears and embraces and a lot of words of comfort and encouragement.  together we will get through this.  together we will create an even better future for ourselves and our children.

june 28

gavin and i were back at the pool today while brooke was at a play date at lynn's house.  it was nice to have some 1:1 time with gavin at the pool.  it's definitely a lot easier to keep one child happy in the water than it is to keep two happy!  gavin did a lot of jumping and swimming today.  we're enjoying our time at the pool this summer, and the kids love going to the "Y" (or as gavin likes to say, "hawaii" :) :)

june 27

the kids and i went to the pool today, and i was so happy that brooke was finally ready to jump in on her own :)  she tried her hardest not to go under water, but she was definitely more comfortable with her face getting wet.  it's all about baby steps with her... :)  i know she'll get there.  brooke and gavin both had a lot of fun jumping into the pool today.  we're making great progress on the swimming front this summer.  i'm hopeful :)

june 26

since we're home a day earlier than expected, i thought we'd make the trip out to costco to stock up on some things.  it's hard to believe, but we haven't been to costco since we moved back to cincinnati.  that's probably a good thing for our bank account since it's impossible to go to costco and not spend hundreds of dollars!  the great thing about shopping at costco is that i can fit both kids in the cart :)  oh, they look so big!

june 25

we were planning to stay in chicago until tuesday morning, but this morning carl woke up not feeling well so we decided to cut our trip a little short.  we quickly packed up all of our things so we could head home after taking the kids to the brookfield zoo.  we made the trek across town and had a fun day with mercedes, london and pierce.  the zoo was great.  we saw a wonderful dolphin show, had a picnic lunch, rode the carousel and visited with some animals.  it was a really good way to end a great visit, and it ended up being very convenient for us to hop on the highway and head home from there.  we really enjoy our trips to chicago and all the memories we make for the kids.

june 24

we took it easy today and relaxed around the house.  brooke, gavin and pierce love being together so much, and they had tons of fun playing outside today.  they played stomp rocket and flew paper airplanes that kevin built for them.  oh, the joy!  mercedes and i took london up to the park so i could take some 1-year pictures of her.  it truly made my heart happy to do something i love so much for my SIL and niece.  i think we got some great pictures, and i'm super excited to download them when i get home :)

june 23

what a great day!  we walked/scootered to the beach and enjoyed a beautiful day.  i never knew how beautiful chicago's beaches are!  the kids had fun playing in the sand and sticking their toes in the water, but the water was way too cold to really get into.  i thought it was absolutely freezing!  we had a nice picnic lunch at the beach, soaked up some sun and let the kids play at the beach playground before we headed home for naps.  this evening we walked up to town for dinner at a local mexican restaurant. i took this precious picture of brooke and pierce walking home from dinner hand-in-hand.  i cherish the time we spend together, and i'm so grateful for the love shared between cousins.  it melts my heart.

june 22

today we finally made it to chicago for a belated birthday celebration for pierce and london!  the kids had their last day of soccer camp this morning so we packed up first thing this morning and headed out as soon as camp wrapped up.  it was a beautiful day for a drive, but the trip got a little too long when we missed a turn heading into chicago and ended up tacking a lot of unnecessary time onto our trip :(  nevertheless, we put all that behind us the moment we pulled into carl & mercedes' house.  they had pizza waiting for us, and the kids were excited to give pierce and london their birthday presents.  the kids were happy to be reunited and had fun playing before it was time for bed.  we're all looking forward to a great weekend in chicago!

june 21

this week has been full of sports, heat and frozen treats!  we've had sno-cones and popsicles and push-ups and tonight after t-ball we stopped at the dairy corner for ice cream.  i use to come to this very same dairy corner in newtown after some of my softball games when i was in grade school!  i loved treating brooke and gavin to a soft-serve ice cream cone with lots of sprinkles and watching how messy they got eating them in the hot summer heat :)

june 20

we are really having a good time this week.  it's been a lot of work getting all of our soccer gear and hot weather supplies ready each day, but it's totally worth it.  i've enjoyed spending 1:1 time with brooke and gavin while the other one is out on the field playing soccer, and i love watching each of them practice their soccer skills.  i love sports - playing them, watching them, learning them.  sports teach us so many important things about ourselves and others, and i hope my children grow up loving them as much as i do.

june 19

brooke is doing fantastic at soccer camp this week.  she comes into the camp having just been through two different sessions of spring soccer, and i can really see her skills improving.  brooke does an excellent job listening to the coach and really giving it her all.  i'm very proud of her, especially in this heat!  she hasn't complained once :)

june 18

brooke and gavin started soccer camp this week with challenger sports.  it's a week-long soccer camp with gavin playing for 45 min. followed by brooke playing for an hour and a half.  so, we're going to be hanging out at riverside park every morning this week.  and it is going to be HOT.  naturally, it's the hottest week of the summer so far with temps forecasted in the mid to upper 90s.  we packed the cooler with lots of ice and cold wash clothes along with big water bottles and the water sprayer/fan.  we also packed lots of snacks and activities to keep everyone busy and happy.  today we were able to beat the heat, and the kids really enjoyed soccer, so i think we're going to have a good week!  brooke and gavin certainly could not have been cuter out there in their soccer uniforms.  i love to watch them in a team sports environment where they have to listen to the coach and follow his directions.  easier said than done for a 3 year-old :), old hat for a 5 year-old!  as a reward, i took them across the street for a big sno-cone after soccer :)

june 17

today we celebrate the most important man in our lives.  we started bright & early with kevin's favorite - donuts!  we had a nice morning at home before we drove up to dayton to spend the day with bob & kaye.  we had another great day of swimming, and gavin even started putting his face under water.  the weather was a bit overcast with scattered rain showers so we bounced back and forth between the pool and the house for most of the day.  we enjoyed a great dinner with bob and kaye before we had to head back to cincinnati.  it's been such a joy to spend the weekend with family and celebrate all the great men in our lives.  the kids and i are blessed beyond belief to have kevin as a husband/father.  he is simply the best.

june 16

it's been 3 years since we've been to mt. orab to celebrate father's day, and i think today was the best father's day with my dad that i can remember.  we had a perfect day at the pool watching all the kids swim.  jackson amazed us all with his swimming skills!  the kids were like little fish and spent most of the day in the water.  we all had lots of fun in the pool together playing around.  the men and boys enjoyed super soaker fights all day long :)  the kids helped jennie pick some vegetables in the garden, and she gave each of them their own little basket to carry.  it was quite cute.  we grilled out and had some great barry burgers, and jennie and i enjoyed some wonderful champagne.  everyone stayed late and made the most of a full day together.  happy father's day, dad!

june 15

my brother is on his own with the boys this weekend so we met up with them tonight at Woodland Mound for some fun at the water park.  i was nervous about revisiting the place of gavin's head injury, but i was very happy to replace the bad memories with good ones!  the kids had so much fun playing together in the sprinklers and on the water slide.  they even got me on the water slide :)  afterwards we headed to mio's for friday night pizza.  it was a special treat for us to share the evening with zach and the boys.

june 14

swim lessons + sunshine + swimming outdoors + t-ball + fun with cousins = SUMMER!!!

june 13

we love wednesdays.  i so appreciate that my mom makes time to see us almost every single week regardless of how much she has going on or how busy she is.  and not just us, but every single one of her grandkids.  my mom is one special grandma.  i know brooke and gavin think so, too.  they love to have gram vicki's attention for a few hours a week.  i love to watch them together.  the three of them laugh and giggle so much.  they have tons of fun together.  thank you, mom.  you are such an important part of our life.

june 12

we joined the Y this summer for the outdoor pool.  i love that it's less than 5 minutes from our house so it's easy to go swimming even if it's just for an hour.  today we all stuck around after swim lessons for swimming and lunch at the outdoor pool.  heather and stella met us there, too.  the water was a little chilly, but the kids didn't seem to mind too much :)

june 11

the day started out rainy but ended up beautiful.  the kids enjoyed the chance to use their cute umbrellas :)

june 10

i'm recommitting myself to getting in shape.  it's been too long since i've worked out consistently.  kevin is home most of the time now, and his last day at p&g is quickly approaching.  i'm determined to squeeze as much goodness out of our situation as possible, and i'm starting with a personal commitment to get healthy.  starting today.  here i go!

june 9

one of the many blessings of living close to family is the frequency of date nights.  kevin and i enjoy being with our children so much that we are not very good at scheduling babysitters so we can go out.  we did it a handful of times in seattle but definitely not on a "regular" basis.  having all of the kids' grandparents nearby, and particularly gram vicki who wants the kids as much as she can have them, allows kevin and i to have some great 1:1 time together.  we usually drop the kids off with mom as she's getting off work, and then we almost always head to OTR for drinks and dinner.  we love the atmosphere in OTR and the wine bar and bakersfield are our favorites for drinks and dinner.

june 8

what a fun friday!  we played around at home this morning.  i cut gavin's hair for the first time, and it was not disastrous so that's good :)  we built a big fort in the playroom and had fun playing for hours.  then we all headed over to zach and megan's for a summer cookout.  (unfortunately, heather had a stomach bug so they couldn't make it.)  the kids had a great time playing outside together.  zach, megan, kevin and i enjoyed having a nice low-key dinner together and getting a chance to catch up.  after dinner the kids played some more inside and dressed up as super heroes.  i love all of their smiles in this picture.  it shows how happy they are to be together, even now that we see each other so often.  i love that my children's best friends are their cousins :)  we enjoyed a good bonfire and had some yummy s'mores with giant marshmallows.  then when it was dark, all the kids grabbed a butterfly net and ran around the front yard catching fireflies.  it was brooke and gavin's first time catching fireflies.  it was my favorite moment of the day.  it was a midwestern summer night, and it was perfect.

june 7

gavin started t-ball today!  gavin has loved baseball for as long as i can remember.  right after his second birthday he started insisting on having a "real" baseball pitched to him.  i bought him a "real" bat way before he was ready to use one, but use it he did.  i've spent countless hours pitching and catching and instructing.  it's a special pastime for the two of us.  so, tonight brought me great joy.  his red "Y" t-ball shirt hung down to almost his knees and his batting helmet was many sizes too big.  those things only contributed to the cuteness out there on the field.  gavin was so enthusiastic!  he (and his whole team) ran after every ball.  they hit off the tee and ran the bases.  they learned when to put on their helmet and when to put on their hat.  all very crucial fundamentals of baseball :)  gavin, joey and brandon are all playing on the same team, which is going to make t-ball fun for everyone this year - both the players and the spectators!

june 6

this summer i thought i would put all of my "pins" on pinterest to really good use.  i created a small book of ideas/crafts/projects for me and the kids to do this summer.  the first one is this DIY angry birds game.  we gathered medium sized rocks which the kids painted in different angry bird colors.  then i painted cute little faces on the rocks to illustrate the different angry birds and the pigs.  we used wooden blocks to create the towers and then stacked the pigs at different levels of the tower.  we used toy slingshots from the dollar store to fire the angry birds at the pigs on the tower.  making and playing the game took up a good part of our afternoon and was a lot of fun on a beautiful day like today.  the best part about this DIY project was that it only cost me $2.00!  everything else we already had.  that almost never happens :)

june 5

spending summer break with my niece, nephews, sister and sister-in-law is exactly everything i want to be doing in this moment in my life.  simple play dates at the park.  picnic lunches.  enjoying sunshine and togetherness and the blessing that is family.  i feel so fortunate.

june 4

it's the first week of summer break!  this is the first time i'm truly experiencing what summer break is like with the kids.  in seattle brooke went to preschool year-round, but this year both brooke and gavin are off school for the summer.  i'm so excited to have them to myself all day every day.  oh, the fun things we will do!  we're starting this week with swim lessons.  brooke and gavin are both in the same class.  we're starting out very slowly, but my hope is that i have two little swimmers by summers end :)  i loved watching them together through the glass windows.  the experiences they get to share are so special to me.

june 3

we had a nice, slow day at home today.  this moment cracked me up.  brooke and gavin were both pretending to be cats drinking milk out of their bowls.  this is totally something hanna would do, so i texted the picture to anastasia :)

june 2

brooke played such a great game today!  she ran up and down the field the entire game and scored tons of goals!  i loved to see how aggressive she was in going after the ball.  her soccer skills have really improved in the last couple months!  we are so proud of her.  today was brooke's last game of the spring season.  we expected to be in chicago celebrating pierce & london's birthdays, but we ended up being in town due to gavin's injury.  we treated brooke to graeter's after the game to celebrate her great soccer season.  we continued the celebration into the evening with a nice outdoor fire and some s'mores.  i'm feeling grateful for so many things today - that gavin is ok, that brooke is excelling at a sport that she enjoys, that we have each other, that we have simple days like these that are filled with so much love and joy.  we are blessed.

june 1

tonight kevin and i unwound from our week with this pretty bottle of champagne.  we are more than ready for this week to be over!

may 31

thankfully when we awakened in the hospital this morning, gavin was feeling much better and able to keep food down.  we met with a team of doctors and nurses who told us that neurology disagreed that there was any blood on the membrane.  but blood or no blood, it was clear gavin had a concussion.  they reviewed after-hospital care and restricted activities and then discharged us from the hospital.  gavin rode on kevin's lap in a wheelchair as they were pushed out of the hospital.  i was so happy to see gavin smiling.  i am so grateful that he is going to be okay.

we were all so happy to leave the hospital, and we went straight to get brooke from heather's house.  brooke and stella had had a great time together, and stella did not want brooke to leave :)  but, we had important things to do so off we went!

the most important thing for gavin right now is to rest, so we made sure that we got him home for a good nap.  meanwhile, i got brooke ready for her dance recital while kevin made an early dinner.  kaye arrived, and we all quickly ate and then brooke, kaye and i were out the door and headed back to uc clermont.  kevin stayed home with gavin so he could get as much sleep as possible.

i was so happy to be able to be with brooke on this important day and know that gavin was going to be ok.  so much has happened in the past 36 hours!  but we put all that aside and made sure brooke had a special night.  it was a very nice evening, and we took a lot of pictures before the recital.  gram vicki, aunt heather, uncle danny, stella and ba kaye all came to see brooke dance.  kevin and gavin arrived just before the recital started.

it was a wonderful recital, and brooke danced her heart out!  it made me so proud to see her up there on that big stage doing every single dance move, this time from memory!  it felt good to sit in that audience surrounded by family, especially after all that we'd been through.  

may 30

today was the scariest day of my entire life.

this morning the kids and i met two girls from my book club (emily & ali) and their kids at woodland mound to go the the water park.  we got there a few minutes early, so brooke and gavin began playing on the playground outside the water park.  emily, tom and sarah were there, too.  emily and i were chatting when gavin asked me to come down and push him on the swing.  i made my way down to the bottom of the playground where brooke and gavin were both on swings.  i was swinging both of them as i've done so many times before.  brooke asked me to swing her higher so i gave her two hard pushes and then switched and gavin gavin a big push.  their swings were side by side so i could alternate my arms almost without looking.  as my hand left gavin's back, i saw that he was not holding on.  his arms were extended straight out, and i heard him saying "superman!" as my heart hit the floor.  i yelled to him to hold on!!!! but it was too late.  an instant later he fell straight back off the swing onto this head/back.  just a few moments before i had been admiring the super soft synthetic bark that lined the playground, so i honestly thought that gavin would be just fine.  i thought he would shake off the fall just like he always does.  but he didn't.  i ran the few paces to him, and he was screaming.  i held him tight and tried to calm him, but he wouldn't stop crying.  that's when i knew something was really wrong.  i wanted so badly for my boy to be ok, but i knew he was hurt.  he never cries for more than a few seconds.  when i asked him where it hurt, he pointed to the back of his head.  my heart dropped even further.  not his head...!  i asked him to try to stand, and he couldn't.  he was dizzy.  he immediately put his head on my shoulder and tried going to sleep.  i wanted to keep him awake, so i carried him out of the sun and back up to the top of the playground under a big tree.  emily was by my side, and i was doing my best to stay calm.  i had gavin drink a juice box to see if some hydration would help.  it didn't.  i started to panic a little inside.  i called gavin's pediatrician, and they told me to bring him right in.  my friend ali had just arrived, and she offered to take brooke to the water park while i took gavin to the doctor.  surprisingly, brooke chose to stay with my friends whom she barely knew!

i drove gavin to the doctor as safely as i could while also trying to keep him awake.  i've always heard that you should not let someone with a head injury go to sleep.  i was so scared and worried, and i was alone.  i wasted no time.  i didn't call anyone.  i just drove and talked the entire way.  i asked gavin what his name was and what my name was.  thankfully, he answered all of my questions correctly.  we quickly arrived at the doctor's, and as soon as we walked in gavin threw up all over the floor.  then i really panicked.  they rushed us right back to see the first doctor they could find.  i still don't even know her name.  gavin was really not doing well at this point.  he was so pale, and he couldn't keep his eyes open.  he was laying on the examining table, and i was praying silently for help.  the doctor told me his reflexes were good, his pupils were dilating and there was no blood in his ears.  thank you, God.  i was frantically asking if he could go to sleep because i literally could not keep him awake.  she said he could sleep, and that calmed me ever so slightly.  she told me he likely had a concussion, and she wanted me to take him to Children's immediately for a CT Scan.  i carried my sleeping baby out of the doctors office and started crying so hard.  i was so overcome with emotion.  i truly felt like there was a black cloud hanging over my head.  like everything that could go wrong was going wrong.  very, very wrong.  i called kevin who thankfully was working from home that morning.  i quickly told him what was happening, and i swung by the house to pick him up.  i called my sister sobbing and told her what was happening as well.

when kevin and i pulled into Cincinnati Children's Gavin awakened and seemed a little bit more himself.  we had to wait a little while for the CT Scan, and then they sent us home to wait on the results.  we had been home maybe 30 minutes when the pediatrician called with the results.  the radiologist thought there might be a very small amount of blood on the membrane adjacent to gavin's brain.  as a precaution, they wanted us to take gavin to the ER and be admitted.  so we did.  i called ali & emily and made arrangements for heather to pick brooke up and take her for the night.  we packed a bag and left for the hospital.  we talked to many different doctors and nurses in the ER, and we were finally taken to a room much later than i had hoped.  the doctors were optimistic that everything would be fine, but they wanted to make sure that gavin didn't have any more vomiting.  once settled in our room, we fed gavin some juice and some jello.  within ten minutes i could tell he was not doing so well.  gavin was cuddled up with kevin in the hospital bed and looked too pale.  a few minutes later he vomited.  our optimism deflated.  kevin and i were scared.  so. very. scared.

the nurses decided to put in an IV so gavin did not get dehydrated.  this was gavin's first time in the hospital and his first IV, and i wanted to wish it all away.  i did not want any of this to be happening.  but gavin was so brave.  he didn't even cry as they poked around to find his vein.  my poor boy.  how had i let this happen to him?  how did i not protect him?  it is my job to keep him safe, and i failed.

i slept in the hospital bed with gavin, and kevin slept on the pull out chair.  i held gavin close and prayed that he would be ok.

may 29

tonight family joined us for brooke's dance rehearsal at uc clermont.  since they limit tickets to the actual recital, the rehearsal is open to everyone.  brooke was so happy to see her cousins, aunts, uncle and grandparents!  it's special for all of us since no one was able to see brooke's first 2 dance recitals because we were in seattle.  brooke sat with her dance class through the entire rehearsal and did a great job practicing her routine and grand finale.  she loved every minute of it!  unfortunately, kevin was on his way to the rehearsal when his car unexpectedly broke down in mariemont :(  so far, this isn't shaping up to be our week!!!  i had to wait until the rehearsal was over so i could take brooke with us to pick up kevin in mariemont.  we were able to salvage the night with dinner at the dilly deli, while the towing company took kevin's car in to be fixed.  what a night!

may 28

after a fun-filled, busy holiday weekend, we took it easy today.  lingered in our pjs, relaxed at home and had a healthy lunch... well, gavin did anyway :)

may 27

we are kicking off summer the right way!  on friday after brooke's last day of school we went out to mt. orab to go swimming at bar bar & gigi's, and today we headed north to dayton to go swimming with ba kaye & bob bob.  the weather has been so hot, and we're anxious to make the most of our summer in cincinnati.  we have lots of swimming on the agenda!  i'm hoping that brooke and gavin will be swimming on their own by the end of summer :)  today we had a great time in the pool, and we had another seafood boil - this time lobsters!  what a treat!  this is what i call a great memorial day weekend!

may 26

i was so happy to be in town this year for randall & antje's annual crawfish boil!  it's been three years since we attended - the last time being when gavin was just several weeks old and we were on our way to seattle!  it was a hot & sticky night filled with friends and kids and yummy food.  my book club was strong in attendance this year, and we had a good time catching up with everyone.  brooke and gavin played with reese and evan most of the night.  gavin and evan were making "bad guy soup" in the bird bath in the backyard, and brooke and reese were running around trying to determine if the stories randall was telling them were true.  it was wonderful to see the kids having so much fun together.  no one wanted to leave when the party was over :)

may 25

brooke's last day of preschool... EVER!  wow.  brooke has been in daycare/preschool since she was 18 months old.  i remember how hard it was to send her to daycare.  i also remember how much we all ended up loving it and feeling like miss kimmy and miss becky were part of the family.  brooke went to the "zebra room" at CFC for one year.  then we moved to seattle and i got to stay at home, but we still wanted brooke to have an outlet outside of the home where she could develop socially and emotionally.  we were lucky enough to have SRELC right in the middle of our community, and we sent brooke there 2 full days/week for 2 years.  the school connected us to the community and a wonderful group of families who became some of our closest friends.  we all loved miss april & miss maxine who brooke was lucky enough to have as teachers for 2 years in a row.  it was hard leaving that school, too, but i had already learned to look at it as a new beginning.  so, we moved into our new house on friday, september 9th, and brooke started pre-k at mt. washington presbyterian on monday, september 12th.  i remember dropping her off on the playground that first day and watching from the car as she ran around the playground.  she literally did not skip a beat.  brooke had a wonderful year and made great friends.  mrs. lees and mrs. beck were great teachers and encouraged brooke not to be afraid to fail... to attempt everything and solve her own problems.  brooke has grown so much this school year.  i'm so proud of her, and i know she is most definitely ready for kindergarten!

may 24

we had gavin's 3 year well visit with dr. fix today.  gavin is such a good patient.  he likes to see dr. fix.  look at that smile :)  gavin was 35.4 lbs. and 39.5" tall today.  he grew 3 lbs. and 3 inches this past year.      his growth rate is slowing - he used to grow 3 lbs. and 3 inches in 3-6 months!  a sure sign that gavin is definitely not a baby anymore!!

may 23

happy birthday to gram vicki!  we surprised mom with a little birthday celebration today at her house.  the kids and i went to heather's after school, but we didn't tell mom.  not only was it mom's birthday, but it was also the day mom officially moved into her house.  we let stella nap and waited until later in the afternoon when we knew the movers would be finished.  then we drove down groesbeck rd. (past grandma & grandpa's old house) to rahn's greenhouse.  being there brought back so many memories of my grandparents.  we picked out a beautiful "lipstick" plant for mom as a housewarming gift and then went over to surprise her.  one problem.  mom wasn't home.  we waited and waited, and then finally i called her because we were worried she was never coming home!  i had to give away the surprise.  mom was at target buying some new things for the house, so i told her she had to come straight home because we were all there waiting for her!  so, she did.  and it was still a nice surprise.  we had dinner together, sang happy birthday and had cake and enjoyed a beautiful evening outside in mom's backyard.  it was a special day.  one i was happy to be a part of and one i will always remember.

may 22

gavin's last day of school!  that's a really hard thing to believe.  gavin has really grown to love preschool, and i'm so glad he had a chance to experience it 2 days a week this year.  he was the youngest in his class, but both his teachers say you'd never know it.  having joey in his class really helped, although we often got reports that they had a hard time keeping their hands to themselves and liked to be aggressive with one another.  cousins!  we'll always remember mrs. fries and mrs. brennan fondly - gavin's very first teachers.  i couldn't be happier with our experience at mt. washington presbyterian preschool.

may 21

memorial day is just around the corner, but summer is already upon us.  it's been hot.  we've been eating great summertime food like tomatoes, corn and strawberries.  we've been having dinner outside.  tonight we even found a turtle in our yard, which was very exciting for the kids.  cute little turtle.

may 20

back-to-back days of soccer games for brooke this weekend.  she had another outstanding game today, and lots of the family was there to see her.  aunt heather, uncle danny, stella, aunt megan, uncle zach, chase, joey, jackson and gram vicki all came to see brooke play!  brooke was thrilled.  brooke dominated the game, scored lots of goals and gave us all a lot to cheer about!  it was really hot out, and i was so proud of the way brooke played despite the heat.

may 19

first things first - brooke had a soccer game this morning, and she scored 5 goals!!!!  for weeks i've been struggled with the fact that brooke was very content to just run around the field and have a good time.  she showed no desire to ever get a foot on the ball, let alone score a goal.  i've been working on building up her confidence and encouraging her to focus on the ball without being too overbearing (hopefully!).  this morning i told her to remember to "run to the ball, kick the ball, run to the ball, kick the ball."  i also told her that we'd get ice cream if she scored a goal.  well, i have no idea if it was something i said or the promise of ice cream or just the fact that something happened to click with brooke today, but all of a sudden she turned it on out there on the field.  bob and kaye were there to see her, and we were all so proud of the way brooke played!  i couldn't stop screaming and cheering for my girl :)  we all headed to graeter's after the game to celebrate brooke's great game.  unfortunately, gavin awakened from his catnap in the car and proceeded to walk into graeter's with kevin and throw up all over the floor :(  kind of put a damper on things.

thankfully, bob and kaye were there to take care of the kids so that kevin and i could join the rest of my family for a night out on the town to celebrate mom's 60th birthday.  6 0 !!!!!  What a big birthday.  We had dinner downtown at the new Christian Morlein Lagerhouse.  It was a beautiful night, and the city was buzzing.  We had beautiful views of the river and a very nice meal.  After dinner we hit some bars for some drinks, music and fun.  It has been SO long since we've all been out together, and it was great to have some quality adult time with some of people i love most in this world!

may 18

so much time spent with family this week...  cousins are such a blessing!  tonight we had so much fun watching jackson's baseball game.  i was really impressed with how jackson and his team played.  it was fun to cheer for jackson and watch the other kids having fun on the sidelines.  reminded me so much of my childhood spent on and around baseball fields.

may 17

we went to the cincinnati nature center for the first time ever today.  boy, have we been missing out!  i would definitely say this is one of the best places i've ever been in cincinnati.  last year they opened this wonderful outdoor playscape, which is just perfect for kids.  rocks and water and logs - awesome for climbing, balancing, exploring, splashing!  there are trails and ponds and beauty every direction you look.  we all loved it.  it was fun to spend the afternoon there with heather, megan and all the kids.  it was as close to a perfect day as i could imagine.

may 16

gavin's last day of soccer with coach russell.  i have absolutely loved this experience for gavin.  coach russell is amazing with these kids, and gavin adores him.  we've had a lot of fun spending an hour out here every wednesday afternoon.  we pick brooke up from school, drive on over to kellogg ave. and have a picnic lunch on the lawn or in the car.  we've had chilly days, really warm days and lots of days in between.  after soccer we run home for gavin's nap (boy is he tired after soccer!), and then we turn around and come back to the very same spot for brooke's soccer practice with hammer fc and coach russell.  i think our wednesday routine has given me a pretty good taste of what it's like to be a soccer mom!