Muddy Play

This post was written a few weeks ago. Unfortunately Blogger has been problematic, and my timing has been bad. Every time I've tried to get this up, Blogger was down. Since then we've had lots more rain and some cold days that necessitated the heat being turned on again. Not very Spring-like. But we are so fortunate to have been spared any catastrophic weather like others around the south and midwest. My heart goes out to those living through the devastation and those who have lost loved ones.


It feels like we skipped over spring and jumped right into summer here in Ohio. We've had a few 80+ days in a row. When it's that hot the garden hose becomes a favorite thing. With all the cold and rain we've had the ground is totally saturated. What does that mean?

MUD!!!!!

Ellery was hesitant at first. Mud between her toes is a new sensation!

Cooper found a stick that quickly became a crocodile. 

The croc is making a move on Ellery's mud puddle.

The croc prepares to dive into the mud 

(and maybe eat Ellery's toes!).

When the kids get wet clothes tend to get discarded. 

Here they are resting and soaking up some Vitamin D.

Ellery lovingly checked in on her resting brother. 

She's stroking his head. The love they share makes my heart melt.

I hope Spring is treating you all well!!!

Together Again

A few weeks ago we had an incredible treat: two sets of visitors from our old home, Pittsburgh. For the three years Cooper lived in Pittsburgh we were a part of an amazing play group. The group of mothers became my closest friends, friends closer than any I've had since college. As children grew up and entered elementary school, the play group dissolved a bit. But three of the kids stuck together: Eleanor, Ryder and Cooper. Heather, mom to Eleanor, and Lee, mom to Ryder, lovingly gave me a beautiful shower before Ellery was born and are two of the best friends I could have ever hoped for. Without knowing it, Heather and Lee planned back-to-back trips to Columbus during their preschool spring break. Their visits were the warm rays of sunshine that have been missing from our spring.

First to arrive were Lee and her two boys Ryder (4) and Keller (2). Ryder and Cooper fell right back into playing as if it had been only a couple days, as opposed to almost 2 years, since they last saw each other. Keller joined in the play, and Ellery did her very best to tag right along with the big boys. While the volume in our house was decidedly louder than usual, it was so refreshing to see the boys cooperating and playing together, independent of the motherly interventions that were such a part of our playdates when the boys were toddlers in Pittsburgh. While the pictures are blurry (since I only have my iTouch camera and seem to have a great deal of difficulty holding still), you can get a taste of the fun had by all.

Cooper, Keller and Ryder

The crew reluctantly sits still long enough to snap a few pictures

Ellery and Keller run.

Next, Heather and Eleanor arrived, over-lapping their visit with the others for about half an hour. It was utterly surreal to see Cooper, Ryder, and Eleanor, along with Keller and Ellery all in our front yard. We sadly said good-bye to Lee, Ryder and Keller and Cooper and Eleanor quickly fell into step.

Eleanor and Cooper shared a special closeness when we lived in Pittsburgh. When Cooper was just 1, Eleanor used to feed him pretzels by hand. We saw Heather and Eleanor just about every week, and our friendship runs deep. After we moved, Eleanor still held a special place in Cooper's heart. The first Christmas after we moved here Cooper thought he spotted Eleanor at church, and tried desperately to catch up with her, only to have his heart break a little when he realized it wasn't her.

The pictures, though blurry, show how these two feel about each other. An amazing friendship indeed.

Don't you wish you could hear what they are talking about?!

Serious Lego builders

Cooper shared many hugs

I think you can see here that Eleanor didn't mind too much.

This is what Cooper looks like when he sees Eleanor.

Happy kids.

And then, before I knew it, it was time to say good-bye to Heather and Eleanor. 

Saying good-bye was incredibly difficult for me. I loved the picture I got of what our friendships, and our kids' friendships, would have been like if we hadn't moved away from Pittsburgh. 

When we moved from Pittsburgh to Ohio there were so many things to worry about. There was packing, cleaning, so many details, along with being a mom to a 3 year old and a 3 month old. I was also excited to be reunited with Erik, who had moved 6 weeks earlier. In retrospect, I didn't really let myself say good-bye to my friends, to really let it sink in what I was leaving behind. 

When Lee and Heather left our home in Columbus to return to their homes in Pittsburgh, my heart cracked open and I said both the good-bye I never said when we moved along with the tough good-bye that seeing them again necessitated.

Thank you Lee and Heather for coming to visit. It was amazing to have you here.Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for sharing your incredible children with me and my children. We will have to do it again soon. Girls weekend?

Ellery is 2!!

It's been a busy week with visits from much loved family and friends. Here is a small taste of Ellery's 2nd birthday. I can't get enough of this video. I hope that you enjoy it too.

Spring is FINALLY Here

We enjoyed amazing weather yesterday. It was more like summer than spring, with temps reaching near 80. It was amazing, glorious, and so freeing to enjoy being outside without worrying about coats, hats, and other tools for staying warm.

In honor of the warmth, and to keep us all busy while Erik was being an amazing rockstar at The Midwest UX Conference (which he co-founded, organized, and presented at!) all weekend, the kids and I set out for the Columbus Zoo. We arrived close to opening, and the crowds weren't too bad. Can't say the same about when we finally left around 2pm. It was packed!

Here is Cooper planning our attack.

Both kids loved seeing the Komodo Dragon. For those of you who don't know, this is huge progress for Cooper, who up until yesterday would walk past the Komodo Dragon exhibit with his hands over his eyes. The giant lizard was amazing, walking around and "smelling" the glass right in front of the kids.

We left the zoo exhausted and just a little bit sunburned. Time to get back in the sunscreen habit!

Most of the rest of the day was spent outside too, doing some Spring cleaning yard work and playing soccer and tag.

Here are Ellery and Cooper, sun-kissed and tired after a full day of fun in the sun.

And here is where I ended my day, soaking up as much warm air as possible, enjoying my first Bell's Oberon of the year and strategizing on big things to come.

Where've You Been?

You say I'm the one who went missing? True enough. Yes, I took a long, unintended but necessary break from this space, for a few reasons. But now I'm back. Did ya miss me?

It was a long and cold winter, but that didn't slow us down. There's been lots of art, picnics in front of the fire, a big birthday, learning, building, growing, and loving life.

It feels really wonderful to be in this space again. I also have some really exciting things in the works. Super exciting things. I can't wait to share them with you and bring you along on the next big journey in my life. 

Hurray for Spring!!!!

Oh, October

Delicious autumn! 

My very soul is wedded to it, 

and if I were a bird I would fly 

about the earth 

seeking the successive autumns. 

Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot)

Fall has arrived, though I'm not sure how that happened. Time has been flying away from me. I'm sure it has something to do with school five days per week and a husband traveling for work for 3 weeks in September. Now here I sit in mid-October. Wow.

When I come to my computer and indulge in my daily blog reading habit, I find myself going towards words to inspire and feed my soul. Like many, my reading of blogs (and writing) ebbs and flows, along with my feelings about this whole blog world. There have been times that reading blogs has actually made me feel less than, down on myself, like I don't do enough as a mother/woman/wife/etc.. I think that has something to do with the sincerity (or lack) of the blogs I was reading. These days I find myself savoring blogs that inspire and sooth and bring peace to my soul. One in particular is Threading the Light . I love what these women are offering up to the world...mindful reflection in the midst of the busy-ness that surrounds our days. I am especially drawn to their project, "Piece Together Peace".

Here, I join their mission. I do believe that Peace can come from each and every one of us, that if we bring Peace to ourselves, we will thereby bring it to others. As a mother, I think of this often. An image that I have tried to remind myself of is the instructions given on airplanes: if the cabin looses pressure, parents should put their oxygen masks on first, and then put masks on their children. If we deprive ourselves of oxygen, how will our children breathe?

So here is my small piece for October. I have taken the time to unsubscribe from every solicitor that enters my email box. How does this bring me Peace? Because it helps to eliminate the incessant and sometimes overwhelming wanting that advertisements can bring. I no longer have realtors emailing me housing listings (we aren't even looking to buy a house, but this made me long for something I couldn't have), William Sonoma doesn't beckon me to buy a panini press, and Boden will no longer tempt me with their clothing. By quieting the wanting, the desires, the wishes, I also eliminate the dissatisfaction with my current life and open myself to acceptance and appreciation for the joy and beauty in all that I do have. Sure sounds like a lot of Peace to me. And Peace that I hope to teach my children as well.

If you are moved, I encourage you to read and join the "Piece Together Peace" project. Let me know if you do.

Macy Gray - Beauty In The World

A little inspiration for your day.

Back to School/Back to the Blog

Cooper had his first day of Preschool for the year today.

He returned to First Community Church and will attend five days per week this year, plus stay for their Lunch and Play program two days per week. A new adventure for our growing boy. I'm hoping for another year of incredible growth, that he continues to learn to balance his big emotions, and that he makes some close friends.

I stepped away from this space for the last few months. Turns out I needed summer vacation too. I'm still not exactly sure where I want to go with this space, but sometimes it is best to figure things out as you go. At least that is my loose plan for now.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer and is ready for all the excitement that fall brings.

Welcome to Our Summer CSA!!!

The Dahl family has joined the CSA revolution as new members of the 2 Silos meat and produce CSA. We picked up our first meat share a few weeks ago (2 cornish hens, 1 chicken, 4 mutton chops, 1lb ground mutton, and 1 rabbit). Last week we picked up our first produce and egg share, which included 4 quarts of strawberries and some lovely lettuce. And this week? Look at this beautiful bounty!!

Snow peas, strawberries, eggs, zucchini and golden zucchini, and green tomatoes. Yum!

The challenge? Keeping up with the bounty in the midst of moving craziness. We are moving on Saturday. Good thing the local, fresh produce lasts and my parents are coming in town to help eat it all.

I'm looking forward to sharing our CSA adventures in eating healthy, local, fresh, delicious food all summer long.

More On My Birthday

I got a wonderful stack of books for my birthday, gifted by my much loved mother and husband. They know me well, and know to check my Amazon wishlist around birthday time.

What I like most about this stack of books is how well it sums up where I am right now, who I am, and who I am becoming every day, as a woman, a wife and a mother.

Here's the list, in case any titles aren't clear in the picture:

Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life by Karen Maezen Miller

Circle of Stones: A Woman's Journey to Herself by Judith Duerk

Buddhism for Mothers: A Calm Approach to Caring for Yourself and Your Children by Sarah Napthali

Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist by Meg McElwee

Pints and Purls: Portable Projects for the Social Knitter by Karida Collins (my knitting class teacher!) and Libby Bruce (owner of my local knitting store)

A Swedish Kitchen: Recipes and Reminiscences by Judith Pierce Rosenberg

Buddha at Bedtime: Tales of Love and Wisdom for You to Read with Your Child to Enchant, Enlighten and Inspire by Dharmachari Nagaraja

In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects by Amy Butler

Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee Mclean

Moody Cow Meditates by Kerry Lee Mclean

I would love to know if you have any of these books, and what you think about them. I may even provide some reviews in the future.

On Turning 36

I'm a strong believer in how you start something is how you get to live it every day. With that in mind I chose to begin my 36th year achieving a new goal -- running a 10K.

The morning starting with a kids race with one very enthusiastic 4 year old participant.

The kids started with some serious stretching and a quick explanation of the course.

And they're off!!!!

Here they come, nearing the finish line.

Don't you love how he is looking straight at the camera?

After Cooper received his "first place medal" it was time for me to race. Things started a bit roughly as my iPod had some technical difficulties. I ended up having to fiddle with it for the first couple minutes, cursing technology and myself for not preparing everything perfectly.

Here I am fiddling and cursing.

I eventually got the iPod working and found my rhythm. I nearly made my goal time of finishing in under 1 hour, crossing the finish line at 1:00.33, wearing a big smile on my face, proud of my achievement and so grateful to see Erik, Cooper and Ellery waiting for me and cheering me on.

Here's to a strong, active, love filled, goal achieving, creative, hard working 36th year of being ME!

Ballantrae Park

We had a glorious time yesterday at Ballantrae Park in Dublin, Ohio. Cooper lost himself in the water play. Every time I glanced at him he was talking to himself, his imagination taking him on all sorts of adventures. Ellery was more timid with the water than I would have guessed, but she too loved the park. We will definitely be heading back there this summer!