Everybody loves a parade!

Our neighbors invited eaw and mdw to a local Memorial Day Parade (mtw was in an all day rehearsal for a piece in which he is performing – yes, he is dancing – during the first weekend in June). We had a blast and had front lawn seats, arriving early and riding bikes and trikes in the parking lot before the parade began. Colby and eaw clapped and cheered for the many veterans, marching bands, and clowns – well eaw wasn’t too sure about the clowns. It’s been so fun to see him in such diverse social settings over the past little bit. I hope he is always lucky to have good friends in his life. It also gave me pause to remember the people in my life, past and present, as well as the people who have fought for my freedoms, past and present. We are particularly grateful to still have Odin with us – he is slowing down, in some pain, but living strong. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Licensed for fun

We attended the birthday party of one of eaw’s classmates at his daycare today. What a delightful family. The dad works at the Wexner Center, installing and arranging many of the shows that come through there. As such, he has a lot of cool “toys” that he acquired as leftovers. The hit of the party was toddler size motorized convertible red mustang that had been used in a puppet show a year ago. It had a working stereo and was fully equipped. eaw got a quick driving lesson from his buddy Nate and the two of them were off, taking a break only to go eat cake (after which, driving while under the influence of too much sugar they ran into Nate’s 2 year old cousin). Fortunately, the mustang only travels at 2mph so she was more surprised than injured. We'll try to upload some video of the boys driving - it's pretty funny. Watch out world, here comes trouble…

Last Day of School

eaw had his final day at the Toddler Language Class today. He has simply thrived in the classroom, and we will miss his friends and teachers. mdw, especially, will miss the “mom’s social hour” as she was able to spend time with other moms as we sat in the observation room. In lieu of a final picnic, one of the families graciously sponsored a day out at “Sunshine Farms” which proved a fabulous afternoon. It was really fun, with a bouncy castle, a little pond with paddle boats, swings and a playhouse, motorized kid’s jeep, pony rides and a petting zoo. I might keep it in mind for a future birthday party – really understated and contained with lots to do. Although tentative, eaw got on the pony and soon after his ride ride began, he decided “my like it” and “horse bouncy.” Here are some shots from his adventures:

Mom rules!

mtw is out of town – performing, recording, and rejuvenating in Philadelphia and New York. Since dropping him off at the airport 36 hours ago, we have been to two birthday parties, the park, the little gym, the zoo, and walked the dogs six times (not to mention work and daycare). We’re also getting a little lax at the dinner table. Let’s just say, while the cat’s away…

The Greatest Show on Earth

...and how! We took eaw to the circus (THE circus – Barnum and Bailey’s circus, that is) this morning, and had a great time. Eaw was a little overwhelmed at first by all the stimulation (true, he did pee his pants at the beginning and wouldn’t get out of my lap the entire time), but he ended up having a fabulous time – dancing, clapping, pointing, oohing and aahing! mdw had more fun than anyone! We had great seats, huge smiles, and no problem shelling out $12 for cotton candy (which we shared with the family sitting in front of us). Highlights were the elephants, the seven motorcycles in the steel ball, the elephants, the goats riding on ponies, the trapeze artists, the elephants, and the contortionists. What a show – and completely compelling - mdw, especially, wants to know more about the history and culture of the circus and how it has arrived at its contemporary identity. We’ll let you know what we find out. In the meantime, we need to wake eaw up from his 4-hour nap following this morning’s adventure!

El Dia de la Madre

Today was a lovely celebration of mother’s (always mamas, mother nature, birth mothers, foster mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends). We met up with some friends (new parents as of last March) at a lovely restaurant for brunch, followed by a walk in the woods. eaw, mtw, and the dogs gave me a very generous gift certificate to Whole Foods (earned by mtw the night before by playing as a traveling minstrel for a wine tasting event – video to follow). Plus, I had time to scrub the toilet and do some reading for my class – all in all, a very successful day. We enjoyed brief hello’s and/or electronic messages with mothers, grandmothers, and sisters. I am grateful for the abundance and variety of mothering out there…

I love being eaw’s mother. It is challenging, fulfilling, rewarding, stretching, and exciting on so many levels. Today (as with each day) I am grateful to his tummy mommy for sharing him with me, and allowing me to be his always mommy. I tell him each night how grateful I am to be his mother.

Grandpa D visits!

We had the sheer pleasure of Grandpa Durham coming to visit for nearly a week. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect with mdw’s performance week at Oberlin. The two hour drive (one-way) got a little old by the end of the week, but the performance experience itself was very rewarding. Grandpa was able to drive out on Saturday and see the performance to boot! eaw LOVED (LOVED!!!!) having his Grandpa here. We all headed down to Kirtland, Ohio on Sunday morning and enjoyed a beautiful day touring the historic sites. eaw was on his best behavior, although he didn’t make it through either visitor site video. Grandpa was generous with his time, affection, and talents. He spent a morning with eaw at his daycare, took him to the zoo, ran errands, provided groceries, cooked a delicious pork chop + asparagus dinner, filled cars with gas, brought Kodiak cakes, bought Great Harvest bread, and walked the dogs…no rest for the weary here! mdw was able to finish her second paper (receiving another A, by the way) for the PhD course she is taking due to Grandpa’s help with the daily living activities. And, mdw and mtw were able to celebrate their 4-year anniversary by themselves over a romantic sushi dinner. We were so grateful for your kindnesses “ampa”! Come back soon! He’s on his way to meet up with Grandma Durham in Durham, NC to celebrate her retirement from the Duke board. We love you both!