Catching-Up on the Blog

This is the teaser picture to get you to read the rest of the posting.


Hello All,

We are having a quiet and sunny Fall season so far, and enjoying life in Cincinnati. I continue to be pleasantly surprised by how happy I am living here once again. I feel gratitude to be here every day! I don't think the city changed much here since before we did all of our moving in Boston and Jersey City, but my perspective about Cincinnati definitely has shifted over the last 6 years. Even after eventually falling in love with Boston (and I did, no doubt about it) there is something so comforting about living someplace that feels like home. I'm never going to be a native Cincinnatian, saying "Please?" when I didn't hear something the first time, or having some instinctual understanding of why there is a difference between the east side of town and the west side of town....undeniable, but inexplicable to an outsider. Nor will I be swayed to change my political leanings, regardless of how ill-conceived they are within our current neighborhood and community. (FYI, Chris is volunteering for the Obama campaign right now to hear Senator Obama speak at Ault Park this afternoon. I don't know what happened, Chris was a Republican when I married him...)
So, my point is, I am happy here. We love our quiet little house, our clean and safe neighborhood, our convenient 8 minute drive to the grocery store, gym, my teaching studio, and the fact that it costs half as much to have all of those things here as it did anywhere we lived in the last 6 years! Welcome to Heaven, folks. This is it.

Owen has been rambunctiously climbing and exploring his environment in the last month. He is nearly over the novelty of climbing all the chairs and furniture just because he can. He is playing pretend games with his little kitchen, and starting to play with (instead of around) other children. Just the other day we hosted a playdate for Owen and his new friend, Tyler...who makes Owen look like a dwarf, Tyler is so tall! Both boys are 17 months old, and watching them interact was really interesting. A couple times Owen took Tyler's hand to guide him towards a particular toy that Owen wanted to show. He also hugged Tyler at least 3 times, each time causing Tyler to look over with an uneasy expression towards his mom, Jackie. (Hugs from people besides Mom and Dad? Too weird, no thanks!)

Owen at the Zoo:

At the Zoo with Tyler, his Mom Jackie, and Owen, obsessed with pushing their stroller around...

Chris, Owen and I also had a lovely day at the Zoo earlier this week. We have invested in a family pass for the year, which will allow us to go as often as we like. Owen has started identifying the sounds different animals make, and he can imitate a number of them, thanks to a talking puzzle he has. Can Moo like a cow, meow like a cat, bark like a dog, and on an unrelated note, also make recordings with our DVR recorder, and turn the radio on and off. He is a boy of many talents.

This picture is from our visit to Iowa in August, but I just had to include it on the Blog. Look at that classic Owen "twinkle in the eyes"!

We were cleaning out Owen's closet, and came upon his turtle costume from Halloween last year. Here's a picture from then...

Here's a picture from now, trying it on again. Oh what a difference a year makes!


Here's a couple pictures of Owen playing with his younger pal, Matthew.



Owen's friend, Thomas came over for a visit last week. I had fun with Thomas!

Traffic jam with Owen and Thomas


Owen and his Daddy at the park. Two peas in a pod!

When he said he wanted a bottle, I really didn't assume this was what he had in mind.

A happy Boo for You!