Holiday Train Display

Before winter break ended, we headed to the main library in downtown Columbus for the annual holiday train display. Atticus was enthralled and especially enjoyed going to the second floor to watch the trains from above.

Winter Break

Winter break went fast ... until the end.

We spent the first few days with my family in Defiance, followed by Christmas in Columbus. And then we were home. 

And home and home and home.

The kids played with friends and did crafts. Paul watched football. I read. Atticus started school again last Thursday, and Edith was supposed to go back yesterday. Supposed to.

Then she got sick at midnight. Luckily it was one and done, but she still stayed home from school. Winter break got even longer. Break was fun, but now I’m ready for a routine again. 

Another Year, Another Santa

Our favorite place to visit Santa is at the Ohio Statehouse, during the annual holiday festival. This year was no exception. The result was much the same as last year -- both kids happy to see St. Nick, but Atticus not venturing too close. Close enough to tell him what he wanted, though!

Gov. Mike DeWine was there for the tree lighting.

The Holiday Season Begins

The long holiday weekend was so full but relaxing that I nearly forgot that it was blog day!

It's been a busy week -- last Tuesday Edith had some eight girls over after school to celebrate her birthday. Wednesday we purchased a new dishwasher. Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course, although it ended up being very relaxing since it was just our family and Paul's mom (although that didn't stop us -- ok, mostly her -- from cooking up a full spread). Friday we decorated for Christmas, inside and out. Saturday was the Ohio State-Michigan football game, followed by another trip to visit with Paul's family to celebrate his mom's birthday. And Sunday I didn't leave the house -- although I did read nearly 200 pages of a book that's been sitting on my bookshelf for longer than I care to admit.

Most Christmas presents are purchased. Decorations are hung. The weather is cold but not bitingly so. Just less than three weeks of school before break. The holidays are in full swing, and I think I'm ready for them.

Visit to Santa 2018

Merry Christmas! Our annual visit to Santa was earlier this month, with mixed results. This is about as close as Atticus would get to the man in red.

Photos: November, December & January Highlights

Photos that never made it on the blog -- and a good reminder for me to pick up my camera once in a while since there's nothing of note in January!

Nov. 2, 2017: Edith and Atticus swinging

Nov. 21: Edith painting with her new earmuffs

Nov. 26: Edith's birthday party

Dec. 6: Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Dec. 7: Cruise ship parked next door in Nassau

Dec. 22: Atticus stealing the spotlight at COSI

Happy Ending: Tale of the Broken Ornament

On this day after Christmas, it seems very appropriate to tell how the tale of the broken ball ornament came to such a happy conclusion this holiday season.

You may remember that about a month ago I wrote how Atticus accidentally broke an inexpensive but meaningful Christmas ornament.

I searched online for a replacement without luck, and even posted in a couple of local Facebook "for sale" sites without much hope.

However, the first week of December -- on our way to Baltimore to board our cruise, in fact -- I got a surprise message in my Facebook inbox. A woman in my neighborhood had found the same ornament and wanted to give it to me.

When I went to pick it up about a week later, she refused payment. Instead, she told me how she came to find a replacement. From what I understand, she saw a listing on eBay, but it was taken down. She reached out to that person and was told that there were some chips or whatnot on the ornaments and they had been discarded. But the seller found one more and sent it her way.

A Christmas miracle! And this miracle, I have decided, will stay far from Atticus's fingers for a long, long time.

Visit with Santa

We finally squeezed in a visit to Santa this past weekend at Oakland Park Nurseries, and I think for the first time ever there were no tears! Edith got comfortable with Santa just about the time Atticus was born, so then it was his turn to make a fuss. Although he was looking forward to meeting the man from the North Pole, it was still hard to coax a smile. I did the best I could.

Tale of the Broken Ball Ornament

The tree wasn't even up for a full day before the first ornament of the season was broken.

I thought I was careful about only hanging the ornaments that could withstand a 2-year-old and 5-year-old. Nevertheless, Atticus found a red Ohio State bulb ornament that I bought the first quarter of my freshman year in college.

I gathered the broken pieces on the ground, had a bit of a cry and set them aside. I wasn't ready to throw them away.

Ebay and other Google searches for the same ornament didn't yield much. The next morning I decided to give fixing it a try. What did I have to loose.

The 13 pieces came together like a puzzle. With Elmer's Glue, a toothpick and lots of patience, it started to look like a remnant of its former self. When I noticed a tiny14th piece was missing, I even found it too under the tree.

It's still fragile, and I still have one tiny piece to add on. But I salvaged it. Never to be hung on the tree again!

Photo Friday: Gingerbread House

A few days before Christmas, Edith and I made a gingerbread house at our nearby rec center. It seemed so far away when we signed up for it weeks ago! They provided the house, frosting and a bag full of decorations. We created a masterpiece to take home.

Photo Friday: Christmastime at Walt Disney World

In the Grand Floridian hotel. (Nope, we didn't stay there!

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Epcot, day and ...

... night.

Magic Kingdom castle in icicles

Photo Friday: Visiting Disney Santa

We were on vacation during the Ohio Statehouse Christmas celebration that we usually attend, so we visited Santa at Disney World's Hollywood Studios instead.

Photo Friday: Christmastime Is Here Again

Christmas Continues for Edith

Christmas has continued well into January in this household. In just the past week, Edith and I have "completed" two of her Christmas presents.

The first was perhaps my easiest, most brilliant idea for a present -- dessert mixes with decorating supplies. Edith and I made cupcakes last week, and she decorated the results with frosting, gel and sprinkles in two batches. She's having a blast, and we all get cupcakes. Win-win.

Another of her presents was a ticket to see a 50-minute production of Rapunzel by the local children's theater. The show was made for kids her age and slightly older, with lots of audience participation. We read the fairy tale a few times before the show, so she was well aware of "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" She wasn't enthralled by it as much as her trip to the movie theater a few months ago, but it's fun to introduce her to new experiences.

Plus afterward we went to North Market, a couple of blocks away, and got small piece of chocolate rugelach before heading home. Again, win-win.

New Year, Same Good Times

A new year, and everything is the same and everything is different.

Our Christmas holiday was spent the same old way, and that's definitely not a complaint. We saw dozens of relatives and spent the day with my Hilliard in-laws and Defiance family, followed by a long weekend staying with my parents.

Our New Year's holiday was spent much differently than normal: with a party at our house. Around 25 adults and kids gathered for food, drink and fun, and a few of us even made it til the ball dropped. Those few included both Edith and Atticus, who "napped" for an hour at his normal bedtime but woke up, surely thanks to the noise and excitement. Who can blame him? So we rang in the new year as a family of four.

Of course, last year brought a new kid. It seems that he and his older sister are constantly changing. Every day brings a new skill for one or both. Yet the days, one after another, don't seem that different. Storytimes, playgroups, activities galore - the routine stays the same.

My life is pretty happy right now -- a wonderful husband, two kids I adore (and who seem to think I'm OK too), the opportunity to spend my days with them while continuing my freelance writing on the side. Last year was pretty great, and it's looking like 2016 will be more of the same. This is where I knock on wood, right?

A Family of Four Christmas

Christmastime is always exciting for me. Of course there are the presents, but I look forward much more to spending time with extended family ... and stuffing myself silly with cookies.

While our Christmas routine won't much change this year, I think the holiday will be even more fun than usual. One kid will be celebrating his first Christmas, while the other will be celebrating it for the first time with at least some inkling about what the holiday really means.

At almost 9 months old, Atticus would be happy unwrapping an empty box. And the get-togethers and new faces may very well be overwhelming. But I'll remember the significance of the day for him.

Thanks to my sister-in-law for the photo!

Edith just turned 3 and kind of understands that Christmas is the day that Jesus was born. And she definitely understands the concept of opening presents!

For this one, too!

And so the season has been a tad bit more magical than it has been for many years. I look forward to many more.

Picture with Santa

Image courtesy of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

It was our third annual trip to visit Santa at the Ohio Statehouse, and for the first time we have a success story.

Even if the kids weren't smiling, they weren't crying. That's success as far as I'm concerned.

I was in such a hurry to take my photos that I forgot to focus on the kids' faces, so they are a tad bit blurry. Happily, the official photographer standing next to me got some good ones, although the best of the bunch features a blurry Mrs. Claus hand. But the photos are free, so I'm not complaining!

Photo by me. Notice the pink shoes --
I realized at the last minute that her fancy black ones didn't fit!

Photo by me.

Edith seemed neither scared nor happy, just interested. Atticus, of course, had no idea what was going on. I'll take it.

Image courtesy of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

Image courtesy of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

Photo Friday: Edith's Second Visit to Santa

Edith's second visit to Santa on Tuesday went just as well as her first visit last year. That is to say, not well at all!

This little photo collage sums it up well.