Photos: September & October Highlights

Photos that never made their way to the blog.

New chandelier and Edith, Sept. 2, 2017

September 3

September 26

October 17

Mud! October 20

October 21

October 23

October 27

October 28

Learning Spanish

Edith and Atticus aren't quite bilingual, but they are on their way toward learning language No. 2.

The recreation centers throughout the city of Columbus offer a wide range of classes for kids and adults, and we've signed up for a few -- a couple of gymnastics classes and a clay class in particular. This fall I saw a class that excited me: Spanish for preschoolers. Atticus was too young to formally enroll, but he came along for the ride during Edith's classes. And to sweeten the deal, the classes were free.

They ended up being the only ones there. After less than two months of classes (half an hour apiece, generally twice a week), Edith knows Spanish colors, numbers, shapes, body parts, greetings, a handful of animals and is working on days of the week. Even Atticus has picked up most of the colors!

It's fun to hear them use it when I least expect it. ("Look at that naranja car!") And the class is refreshing the Spanish basics that I haven't used much since my last Spanish class in high school. We're starting a new session of classes in November.

Double Trouble

When Atticus crawled into this tight fit at COSI last week, I snapped a photo as soon as I could. I just knew I had one of Edith around the same age, and sure enough I do!

Oct. 13, 2017: Atticus, 2 years, 6 months old

July 13, 2017, 2017: Edith, 2 years, 8 months old

Ten Years Ago, New York

Not long after a friend on Facebook this weekend asked for tips on maneuvering around New York City with a toddler, Facebook alerted me that it was 10 years ago that day that Paul and I moved to Brooklyn.

Ten years. Wow. It seems like yesterday. And so much has happened in the last decade. A daughter, a return to Columbus, a son. A switch from a journalism job to one in marketing, and now a thriving freelance career. New friends, a new house and new ways to spend a Saturday night.

A lot of people say that high school or college were their happiest years. I have no real complaints about either, but they weren't the years that I would relive. Those six years in New York were some of the best, and certainly the most carefree. I remember very specifically thinking -- feeling -- knowing how lucky I was. I was living in a city people dream of visiting, take time out of their busy lives to play the tourist in. I loved it.

Of course, I'm content now. I have a happy marriage and two wonderful kids. Really, things couldn't get much better. But I still miss New York every day.

Except the Laundromats. I'll never miss those.

Atticus at 2.5

Atticus turned exactly 2.5 years old yesterday -- not really a milestone in the scheme of things, but something to think about nonetheless. When Edith was 2.5, she had a 6-week-old brother!

So what is Atticus like nowadays? Nonstop. The alone time while Edith is at school has been good for him and for me -- we can sit down like two normal people and read books or play calmly. But as soon as another kid is in the room, sister or not, he's constantly on the move. He's a handful.

We constantly get comments about his red hair. "He lives up to it" is my go-to response.

But of course he's also loving and kind and likes to snuggle whenever there's a book in your hands (especially if it's one about trucks). I like how daring he is -- when he's not trying to give me a heart attack anyway.

He's talking more and more every day, and he already has quite the imagination. I have no idea what the coming months and years will bring, but they won't be boring.