SUNDAY
The week started off with a visit from Grandma Durham (“ama” as eaw says), who flew in on Sunday morning after some business commitments in Indianapolis. We got to the airport a little bit early, and eaw thoroughly enjoyed the perfect view from the cell phone lot for watching the planes take off. It was such a treat to have her here! Her visit, although brief, was full of helpful and significant contributions: she played (and played) with eaw; furthered her interior design of the evolving living room (come back soon – you are a source of inspiration on this front!)’ helped mdw navigate a tricky work situation; provided time and space for mdw to finish her final paper; shared meals with us – including treating us to sushi; and softened the blow of losing Odin with her love, compassion, caring, and generosity for all of us. On the night of her arrival, we bought some good steak and asparagus and enjoyed it deliciously prepared by “ama,” setting up an impromptu picnic in our backyard. eaw especially enjoyed sharing mango treats with ama!
MONDAY
As our faithful readers know, Monday was challenging with Odin’s departure (see post below). I am grateful for all the days I had with him, and am finding peace as eaw and I talk about him and discuss what happened. eaw makes me smile as he says “odin see loulou in henen (heaven) – his leg no hurt – my kiss it better.” We’ve printed out a bunch of pictures and eaw spends quite a bit of time looking at them, talking about them, and asking questions. Our vet sent a lovely bouquet of flowers (twice actually), which was really thoughtful. I really miss his calm and constant presence.
TUESDAY
Tuesday brought some distraction at COSI – one of eaw’s favorite spots. He had fun “flying” me and ama in the helicopter, and running around the different play areas in the under 5 room. We drove my mom to the airport later that day and can’t wait for our long holiday trip to Utah in December.
WEDNESDAY
Following the theme of departures, mtw and Samantha left at the crack of dawn on Wednesday for his six-week commitment at the American Dance Festival. We are grateful for the extra work and are hoping it’s a good time professionally and personally for mtw. eaw and I are ichatting with him frequently so that helps with the many absences we are processing right now. We ventured out later in the day on the tricycle. eaw was fabulous – making it all the way around the block by himself. We have been going on a lot of walks together, now that there are no dogs to walk (well, that’s not true - we walk our neighbor’s puppy during the week), but still – the dogs have been so much a part of our structure and schedule.
THURSDAY
On Thursday, I pulled eaw out of daycare early for a playdate at Chuck E Cheese with some of his friends from his Toddler Language Class. We had a lot of fun with the over-stimulated and under-nutritive environment, especially enjoying the mobile bus with our friend Sam. Today marks the first full day of my tenure as single mom and/or ADF widow for the summer. As evidenced in the below photo, I've got everything under control:
FRIDAY
Friday evening, we joined our friends Barbara and Hathaway for a swim playdate. eaw hadn’t been swimming in almost a year and he was quite hesitant about it all at first. Of course, by the end he was resistant to leaving, as he begged “more pool,” “more pool – me swimming!”
SATURDAY
Saturday included an early morning lawn mowing session (By the way, I’ve figured out the secret to single motherhood – you do it all); after which our neighbor Colby came over for about an hour to play with eaw. They sure have fun together, and eaw completely looks up to his older buddy. I really enjoy Colby’s mom, so it’s fun to have good neighbors! Saturday evening, Barbara watched eaw for me so I could attend a rehearsal, and by all account, eaw and Hathaway had a blast playing in her sandbox and kiddie pool.
SUNDAY
That brings us back to Sunday. eaw and I found a beautiful place in Columbus – Inniswood Park – the first Metro Park we have found that is NOT adjacent to a busy road. It is designated as a botanical garden, and has nine separate gardens plus trails within its borders, including a magical “Sister’s Garden” that houses seven small, imaginative gardens for children. The highlights were a frog listening marsh (where we saw and heard frogs!); a turtle maze; a secret garden (with mist and trickling water); a woodland garden (with a treehouse built out of a hollowed out stump); and a wild fruit garden. In the larger gardens, we loved the rock garden and waterfall as well as the train garden with a miniature train driving through it. It was a lovely place, and would be great for any cousins who might want to visit (hint, hint). I was able to think a lot about Odin on some of the wooded trails, remembering our many Emigration canyon and Wissahickon hikes. This afternoon, we spent a few hours over at Colby’s backyard just passing time and playing.
We’ve got a big week this week. eaw will be at daycare full time for the next two weeks, so he may be a bit EXHAUSTED. mdw is (hopefully) teaching at a summer festival for the next two weeks – enrollment is low so it may be cancelled. Either way, we are enjoying the warm (but not too warm weather), and are grateful for our full lives.
We had a weekend that left us spinning (pun intended). Our Friday night swimming ritual with Barbara and Hathaway was rained out so the four of us attended an opening of a new artspace in Columbus, called Floorspace. A photo of the festivities can be seen on my Facebook page. Barbara gave me tips on preparing salmon and we enjoyed a delicious meal with salmon, pasta and fresh zucchini before heading to the opening. At the artspace, we participated in some impromptu dancing and revelry.
Saturday morning brought a playdate with eaw’s friend Nate from daycare. We met at Schiller Park in German Village for some energy expenditure, followed by a pb&j jazz concert at a local topiary garden. Unfortunately, our schedule was off so eaw and I only made it for a story time at the library and missed the jazz concert. We had to get back home to nap and prepare for our evening outing at Our Lady of Peace Festival, a fundraiser by our neighbor’s parish that includes rides, bbq, music and fun. 
We drove over with Colby and his mom and had a great evening. eaw loved the fish ride, the carousel, the ferris wheel (yes, my 2.5 year old son went alone with 2 4 year olds), the jumpy castles/slides and the yummy food. Yes there were some struggles over waiting in line and yes the skies did open up halfway through the evening and downpour, but overall – it was a fantastic evening. I love watching eaw’s eyes light up with new experiences and fun activities. I can’t wait for the amusement parks. I love being his mother.
After a late night, we woke up early and prepared for a day trip to Deer Creek State Park south of Columbus, again with Colby and his mom. It was a beautiful day – not too hot, overcast with some sun, and a lovely breeze. We enjoyed a nice hike with both woodland and lake views, followed by a picnic and playtime on a playground. Living up to its name, we also saw several deer – eaw and Colby were especially impressed with seeing Bambi. The full weekend caught up with the young men as evidenced by the parting shot:
