Back to the Future

Today we ventured out to a vintage baseball game played by the Ohio Village "Muffins" at the Ohio Village, sponsored by the Ohio Historical Society. It was quite a find - an entire old fashioned village circa the 1800's. We visited the schoolhouse, physician's house (where mtw played the pump organ), and church before settling into the game where the rules and attire of the 1800's are in play, including only good sportsmanship (no yelling, spitting, or lewd behavior such as baring one's forearms). The participants were very friendly, educating us, and thanking us for coming out today. I kept hearing "if you build it, they will come" in my head as I watched the players in the old fashioned uniforms. eaw loved being out, and mtw got pretty excited about it all, considering joining the league in the future. We will definitely return to the Village for some further exploration.The present is pretty full for us these days - eaw started daycare last Monday (our wonderful babysitter took a full time job). He is there the same number of hours - only nine per week- and by all accounts, he seems to be loving the (over)stimulation. Despite the requisite cold he now has from exposure to new germs, he seems really responsive to the peer interaction, activities, and new toys at daycare. They have Spanish and yoga for the kids and serve only organic food so he should be on track for his college applications...

mtw signed his official offer letter this week to make his position a permanent one, so it looks like we will be here for a bit. mdw went to Philly and Princeton last week for a concert where her choreography was being performed. It was a good visit. I was able to create some "closure rituals" - saying good-bye to the house; walking in the Wissahickon; driving along Kelly Drive; retracing paths walked with Loulou, Odin, and Sam; and taking a dance class in center city. Quite honestly, it feels like I am in the middle of a break-up with Philly. I am grateful that it turned out to be such a good place for me, and for us as a family.

Playtime

eaw proves the most creative of little boys. He passes the hours in wonderfully creative play, investigating the banal and turning it into a wonderland. His most recent game involves post-it notes and any surface to which they will attach (notice Samantha's extreme tolerance - we are grateful she is so fond of eaw, and vice versa). The other object of desire during playtime is mom's sunglasses - he keeps telling us his future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades.

Happy Birthday mtw!

So mtw is now deeply entrenched in his thirties...and he claims to be feeling it - fatherhood, breadwinning, full time employment, etc. He is thriving from where I sit, although he deserves the space to feel the crisis of "aging." This was our first family birthday celebration since eaw arrived, and so we celebrated as a family. The evening started off with a haircut which eaw still protests despite the toy car seats, video distractions, and colorful walls. This is his third haircut with us - he is really becoming a little boy fast. We got a balloon for dad and stopped off at one of our favorite watering holes (the Rusty Bucket). As you can see from the picture, eaw's walking improves hourly, although he swaggers like a drunken sailor. Good thing mom was driving. After appetizers, we headed to a sushi restaurant that had been recommended. The sushi was okay, but mdw is still searching for some great sushi in Columbus - perhaps we are too far inland to find good sushi. I 'll keep looking. Despite the average cuisine, we enjoyed celebrating together, and eaw demonstrated his drumming skills with the chopsticks. He enjoyed exploring the textures of the sushi as well.

One small step for mankind...

...one giant step for eaw!



or, if at first you don't succeed, try try again:

Thanks Gma Durham!

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Gallery Hop

Our exploring of Columbus continues. On Saturday, we attended the Gallery Hop downtown where all the galleries and restaurants open up for browsers. There are street performers and people watching in abundance. eaw very much enjoyed the different artwork and all of the people. We found several pieces we really liked, including some intriguing pencil drawing and some embellished giclee works. Unfortunately, it was all out of our price range. eaw was especially interested in a hanging mobile that cost about $6500...start saving that allowance. He has started pointing to things of interest, including airplanes, dogs, and birds. mdw and mtw had a great time being out and about as a family - perhaps we will find our way in Columbus.

Save your money

We have some pretty fancy toys for eaw, some purchased some given, and some handed down. We are grateful for each one of them, and they are being enjoyed (many of them by Samantha who doesn't understand that the bright plastic objects on the floor aren't for her).

Still, the favorite toys most often prove to be the measuring spoons, pens, and of late, the laundry bin...

Non-toxic

Well, mdw thought drawing would be a good Sunday afternoon activity. eaw thought it might be a good snack...