Perfecting my kick flip

We are still mostly homebound here in the cold and dreary place known as Columbus-in-winter, so are finding ever more creative ways to entertain ourselves. mtw pulled out his skateboard, and throwing caution to the wind, placed eaw on it and sent him for a ride. Turns out, eaw loves it! We found him a little skater outfit and are helping him perfect his kickflip and halfpipe technique.

We had a busy weekend - mdw attended to final work duties at Princeton, rented a minivan, and drove a bunch more stuff from the Philly residence to Columbus. The roads were clear, and the drive was good, providing much reflection for the various transitions in our lives right now. The house is getting closer and closer to being put on the market so send us your real estate vibes - it's a tricky market right now. Regardless, we will be grateful if we can break even. At least, we will stop hemorrhaging money trying to keep up two households. We are sad to leave Philly, and our incredible Philly community, but we are embracing the opportunities that lie ahead. mtw and eaw had a great dad-and-me weekend, and will get to enjoy another one this weekend as mdw returns to Philadelphia to clean and finish final projects on the house. They have plans to go to a drumming performance and a playdate with a little girl about eaw's age. Reports to follow.

mdw and eaw had a very productive and surprisingly efficient day yesterday, beginning with our movement class which included a parachute, hula hoops, and assisted backwards rolls this week. We then ventured to the Social Security office to apply for eaw's number, followed by a visit to the Franklin County probate court to initiate the stateside logistics for finalizing (finally) our process. eaw was unaware that most people in the courthouse were grumpy or irritated, and set about flirting, smiling, and waving at every person we passed. I hope he stays that way in the face of adversity in the future. Our afternoons always include a walk with the dogs, and we continue to be very grateful for the back pack from the mfd, khd, and ghd3!

This evening, we ventured out in the snow for our weekly family-night-out at a local restaurant. We are trying a different restaurant every week, and keeping eaw comfortable with being out and about. This week, mtw chose an Italian restaurant named Spagio's - the food was good, but not as good as it was pricey. eaw enjoyed buttery mash potatoes and the huge painting of the chef next to our table. So far, Champps has been the best all-around for family night (price, food quality, ambiance, service, family-friendly), followed by Red Door tavern for a close second, with Hoggy's B-B-Q third, and Spagios bringing in the rear. We'll keep you posted as we find some treasures - we're still searching for some good sushi!