Saturday, October 12, 2013

Mama Mornings



There are quick a few Mama Mornings that haven't yet found their way on the blog. These are the Wednesday mornings  that I spend with Beatrice - just the two of us - since I work on Pacific Time on Wednesdays (aka "West Coast Wednesdays). On most Wednesdays, she asks to go to the Zoo. I almost always oblige because the zoo in the morning is such a lovely, peaceful place to be. Other times we hit the park, Museum Center, Aquarium, or just hang out together around our home. I treasure this weekly routine with Beatrice, and I am so grateful that I've found a way to work full-time and still have special time like this with her like I did when I was only work part-time when Josephine has a toddler.

Here are some Mama Morning Highlights:










Quick Quote: "Mama, Please I kiss this goat?"



Quick Quote: "Whoa. That guy has two backs!"




7 days of Lou




A big part of our October so far has been Lou's birthday. That's because this year we decided to spread out his birthday for a whole week & celebrate "the 7 days of Lou." We kicked off the birthday week with a really, really special (albeit somewhat soggy) occasion - The Last Reds Baseball Game of the Season!

Some of you may immediately be wondering why on earth we risked taking Josie, peanut-allergy-and-all, to the land of peanuts & cracker jacks! Well, get this. Our dear Cincinnati Reds hosted a peanut-safe game day - complete with a full section roped off with a warning & only peanut-free snacks sold - and it was perfectly timed with Lou's birthday weekend.  (It was really, really cool that Josie and all of the other kids in the whole section with peanut allergies had this opportunity to experience something that so many other families take for granted. And also just really, really sad to see all the kids who are affected by peanut allergies. And also just really, really fun to hang out together at the Ballpark! Thank you Reds!)










In addition to celebrating with the girls, Lou & I also snuck away for a birthday lunch at our super-duper favorite restaurant in the city - Django Taco - home of the best chile relleno on the planet (oddly yes, the best chile relleno on the planet is in Cincinnati, Ohio).


One of the highlights of the celebration was this cookie cake we discovered at Whole Foods. Bea was so taken by the idea of such a cake that I only got this one smile before she stared at it for the rest of the trip.




Each night we gave Lou a special surprise and it wasn't always a traditional 'gift.' One night we surprised him with a phone call I arranged from the best friend he hasn't talked to in way too long. One day a special package from an old friend who now lives in San Francisco who sent Lou a t-shirt of his band (that he no joke wore 3 days in a row) & his latest album.


The girls also made special name plates for each of us, out of the extra Citiblocs that never fit back in the box, by painting & gluing them together, since "setting the table for Daddy while you guys cook is one of Daddy's favorite things."

It was a super great 37th birthday for the special guy in our lives. 
Happy Birthday Papa Louie!