Sunshine

*Sigh*

I love Spring...

Blogging

Two friends of mine have started new blogs within the past month that are worth taking a look at. If you have some extra time definitely see what they've got going on.

The first is from my friend, Jason, who went to Bridgewater College with Jeremy and I. He was born and raised in West Virginia and is currently remodeling a great old house. He is also an Appalachian Storyteller, helping keep the oral storytelling tradition alive, and a ghost hunter. The blog is a lot about the new house but has a bit of everything thrown in with lots of photos. Very, very cool. Check it out:

http://www.wordsfromthemountains.blogspot.com/


And finally, finally, finally, our favorite Charlottesville photographer, Chris, has started a photography blog highlighting some of his work. He does a fantastic job and has been taking pictures of the kids since Olivia was 18 months old and Noah was 5. Take a look at the blog and if you're anywhere near C'ville definitely get in touch with him for family photos. (Tip: The on-location photos are great and really fun...have the pics taken somewhere that you love. It makes the photographs twice as special. Seriously. We've had him take photos of the kids for us at UVA, in Harrisonburg, and in Shenandoah National Park...all of them were beautiful).

http://www.cephotog.blogspot.com/

Spring Break

Ahh, last week was a much needed week off. All in all it was pretty perfect for everybody. Jeremy had a chance to have some time to himself (which never happens). And how does my crazy husband spend his 3 days alone? By eating chili and watching old movies and working. But he was relaxed and happy so who am I to judge?? :)


Because the kids were off to Granny's to spend the week I got a chance to head southeast to Charlottesville. It was so great to be able to visit with several friends and just hang out (and eat fantastic Thai food thanks to Kelly putting up with my pad thai chicken obsession - nothing quite like it here) and have some kid free time. The trees and flowers were blooming and allergies were in full swing but it was beautiful to see my beloved Virginia.

The kids had such a great week with Granny and Poppie that they didn't want to come home. There was shopping and a movie and 2 days at school with old friends and teachers. Noah had 2 sleepovers and Olivia got her hair and nails done (painted with bunnies and flowers :)). They came home loaded down with new Webkinz and books and lots of stories of adventure. I missed them terribly while they were gone but it was a good, much needed break for everyone.

We'll be back to Virginia at the end of April for a quick weekend visit to have our annual Spring photos done. I'm counting down the days already!

(That said, Ohio has been trying to woo me lately with its sudden springness...flowers everywhere, sunny skies, and perfect 75 degree days. Hmm...should I be worried?)

Thanks Dad and Denise :)

One of my favorite things about Spring:

Old Man's Cave

Another warm weekend in Ohio allowed us to go hiking for 2 weeks in a row. Maybe springtime here will change all those grumpy thoughts I've had about this state. So far Ohio has been apologizing for the long winter in fantastic ways.

Today we drove to the Hocking Hills area to explore Old Man's Cave. I've been researching the area and was really anxious to get outside to see what we could find. This trail is one of the most popular in the area and the warm weather brought lots of people out. Still, it was beautiful and quiet and a short, easy hike (good to get the kids back into it). I can't wait to try out the other trails. The gorges created by ancient glaciers, the sandstone cliffs, and the waterfalls spilling into blue pools are making me believe that maybe this area isn't so bad after all :)

Why I Should Never Live With Something Cute

I am a giver of nicknames. I can't help it. Without thinking twice I give nicknames to everybody. Maybe it stems from the fact that I've never really had a nickname myself (Oh sure...there were the Goon years and the Sharona years thanks to Dave and Jeremy, my Dad calls me She-Lynn, the girl that called me Olive Oyl in 9th grade because I was so skinny and...um...breastally challenged, and the unfortunate Hurl but none of these really stuck. Except for my Dad's and he's the only one that can call me that. And, if you ever call me Olive Oyl I'll...well...nevermind...it's true. I did look like her.) Anyway, perhaps my lack of nickname has caused me to overcompensate. The kids and Jeremy have at least a dozen each. And, of course, each pet has nicknames. But, poor, poor Maggie. She probably will never know what her name really is because I can't seem to call her Maggie. Smoochie? Yes. Nugget? Yes. Poopie? Yes. Baby Girl? Yep. And about a million others depending on my mood. It's sad really. She never even had a chance.

Hiking at Dow Lake Dam

I've been talking about hiking since we moved here. Days, weeks, months, I've had the urge to find someplace close by where we could stretch our legs, enjoy some nature, and get away from town for the afternoon. I wasn't feeling great yesterday but the weather was too good to pass up. After ice skating and taekwondo the skies were sunny, the breeze was brisk and cool, and the temperature was 81 degrees. If I had been dying I still would have insisted on getting outside. We didn't have a lot of time and so a quick search on the internet found us some hiking trails just minutes away from town. We headed out for our first Ohio hike and even though I spent last night sniffling and sneezing, headachey and chilled, it was worth it for that little bit of time outside breathing in the fresh air. Tonight the thunder is rolling in and tomorrow will go back to being chilly but the perfect Springness of yesterday will carry us through.

Turning A Frown Upside Down

Olivia has been taking ice skating lessons this winter at the OU ice arena. She has absolutely loved every minute of it. In fact, she quizzes us several times a week about how many days are left until the next lesson. 30 minutes, once a week is just not enough for her. Because we didn't know how much she'd enjoy ice skating we made her a deal. For the first set of lessons (8 weeks) she'd use rental skates. If she liked it and wanted to sign up again we'd buy her ice skates of her own. Because, seriously, those rental skates are not pretty.

Classes are winding down. Next week she'll test to see if she can move up to the next level. It's all very exciting. Except, Except, Except...this is Athens. And the building where the ice skating happens is very old and not well insulated. Which means that they only offer ice skating in the fall and winter. Seriously!?! This was a huge shock and not something I wanted to tell Olivia about. After all, we'd planned on her taking lessons year round and I knew she'd be unhappy with the news. Honestly, I thought the university was just being cheap. However, when we went to yesterday's lesson I got to see firsthand how badly weather affects the arena. It was probably 65 degrees when we arrived at 9:45 and the indoor fog had already set in...

I couldn't believe how hard it was to see in there. No wonder they can't cope with summer lessons! Can you imagine what would happen in 90 degree weather?

So, we needed to decide what to do. Drive 3 hours roundtrip every weekend for a 30 minute lesson in Columbus? Hmm...that was a lot of commitment. But, then, thanks to a suggestion from Noah's friend who is an ice skating fanatic herself we found the solution that made everyone happy.

In-line skates for spring and summer and we'll buy the ice skates in fall. Because she hasn't taken off the skates since we bought them yesterday we're thinking of changing Olivia's name to Tootie...

A Fuzzball (With Tongue)

She never, ever sits still...

Except when showing me her little teeth...

Star Student Of The Week

This week at school Olivia was chosen as the Star Student of the Week (I feel like I should cue up some dramatic music here). One of the benefits of this honor (besides making your mom send in cookies for the class) is that Jeremy and I got to go to the school to share lunch with Olivia today. It was loud, chaotic, and messy. It was also so much fun that we decided to stay for recess, too. I haven't spent a lot of time with the class (mostly just random class parties, volunteering for the book fair, that kinda stuff...nothing on a regular schedule) but these kids are the sweetest group of 5 and 6 year olds that I've ever met. It's no secret that this winter has not been easy for me. I've never lived somewhere that has overcast skies so often. The number of snowfalls has been ridiculous and it's freezing all the time. I have only met a handful of people and Jeremy's schedule hasn't been as easy to live with as I thought it would be (after all, how terrible could it be after not living with him at all for 18 months? Silly me!). But after spending just one hour with those kids my mood was the best it's been in weeks. The hugs, the out of the blue "I love yous", the handholding, giggling at all my bad jokes, the hide and seek, and my bad limbo skills absolutely made my day. Kindergarteners love everyone, find joy in everything, and are amazed by anything you show or tell them. In their eyes you are suddenly the coolest person they have ever known. I learned lots (no one likes green beans, no tag is allowed on the playground when all 3 classes are outside, pink is a yucky color, grownups drool, holding hands while sliding makes it 10x more fun, and on and on). Thank you, Mrs. P's class. You may have thought that my being there was a treat for your benefit but in all honesty I owe my happy heart to you :)

*The absolutely funniest moment? The cute, teeny tiny little boy with no front teeth and chapped lips putting his arm around my waist, looking up at me and saying (seriously), "How you doin'?"

Is It Wrong That It Makes Me So Happy?

I know that many of our friends and family members in Virginia are thrilled about a forecast calling for lots of snow on the East Coast but as someone who has seen waaaaay too much snow this winter, it makes me unbelievably happy to know that our Ohio skies are clear and are supposed to stay that way all week. Sure, it's still freezing (10ish degrees tonight) but the ground is not white and that is all I want for now. Dear March, please bring me some Spring. I promise to be good :)