Twenty one in twenty twelve...Happy Birthday Anna!

My dear daughter is absolutely, quite officially, 21 years old.

Anna has celebrated her birthday with social gusto since forever.
When she was little, and given the option of a really excellent birthday gift or a party, she always chose the party.
Always. 
So it was no surprise that during our visit yesterday, she was wished birthday happiness a multitude of times by so many friends. Making our way across campus with Anna on her birthday was like being a part of a walking party...with someone new wishing her a big happy birthday every ten feet or so.

She is absolutely not shy about letting people know it's her big day, which made it very fun for my mom and I as the three of us bopped around together.

I am incredibly fortunate because I got to spend the whole day with two of my most favorite people in the world... my mom and my girl. 

Here is Anna and her grandma on the gorgeous Queens campus.

"Awww... look,  they decorated the Diana fountain for my birthday,"
 Anna exclaimed, overlooking and then ignoring the fact that Diana was dressed in signage celebrating an upcoming diversity day event instead of a "happy birthday Anna K." motif.

Photographic evidence of Anna going to class on her 21st birthday.

My girl and I posing in front of the really rather scenic Queens parking garages.

She mentioned a few times that this would be the last year that she would be able to make a big deal out of her birthday. She thought that if she attempts to make a huge event of it next year, she said her pals will be all...   
"So what? Whatever. Big deal, you're 22."
Somehow I doubt this.
Instead I think that Anna will continue to embrace her birthday with joy and good friends until she's 100 and beyond.
Happy Birthday to my dear daughter who made me a mom 21 years and a day ago.
Love you lots.

Go Bucks!

What could my boys so obviously be missing as they prepare to cheer on the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium aka "The Shoe?"

GIANT FOAM FINGERS!

and 

of course,

The youngest Buckeye amigo, 

Ryan B.

aka

Major B.

I am so grateful for Erika and Mike realizing that my boys were in desperate foamy finger need and making this purchase.

 (Exactly as dutiful godparents do for a sad and foam fingerless godson...we chose Jamie's spiritual guides well)

Mary K. and Anna G.

As a special bonus feature we all had a chance to visit with one of my favorite teenagers, Anna G.... Mary's bestie who I have had the honor of living in the same neighborhood as, since she was just a little girl. 

(sigh and pause for a nostalgic childhood memory of little Anna)

And now it does my Buckeye heart proud to know that Anna is lucky enough to attend Ohio State, and in fact, live in the tower of the shadow of the stadium. 

(if you attended OSU as a freshman after 1965, you are likely very familiar with this tower)  

Go Anna...Go Bucks! 

(woot, woot!!!)

All for One!

Lily, Jamie, and Henry aka The Three Musketeer.

There was a lot of swashbuckling sword fighting in our house this evening after the middle kids went to see The Three Musketeers at the Playhouse in the Park this afternoon.

En Garde!

It was a fantastic show for kids... more action and fight scenes then "boring talking"  which is

what my boys label any dialogue more then a couple of lines.  

What made it even more fun was the Young Musketeers class that the Playhouse held for kids before the show. 

In the class the kids were taught some very cool stage fighting moves by two very cool and funny stage fighting actors. My kids alternated between fighting and belly laughing over the hilarity of learning the proper technique of sword fighting.

 

 They also learned that a ton of attitude is needed to be a musketeer.

 

 After the show they ran out of the theater to a nearby grassy knoll, where they proceeded to beat each other up with their foam swords and had a blast doing it.

The fights ensued for quite some time and thankfully no one was injured in spite of the numerous battle cries from all three musketeers of "prepare to DIE!"

A picnic table truce...

photo courtesy of Citybeat

The Three Musketeers in running for another couple of weeks, I highly recommend it for any young swashbucklers and their parents. 

Here is a link to the Playhouse for more information... 

http://www.cincyplay.com/

 

A huge thank you to Hulafrog for the recommendation of the performance and for letting me know about the pre-show Young Musketeers class for kids. My kids especially thank you for keeping us up to date on all the great opportunities for kids in the community.

Here is a link if you would like to sign up for email updates or you can friend them on Facebook- they have done all of the research on fun events for families for you... enjoy!

http://cincinnatieastside.hulafrog.com/

Life is too short not to wear a tuxedo to picture day.

Jamie has some very strong opinions about what to wear to school on picture day.

He appreciates a fellow who dresses sharp and to him, the day when the fellow from Lifetouch Photography sets up shop in the school library is the day when you should look your personal best. His siblings and classmates don't agree with him, to them picture day is a day when you don't have to wear a uniform, but who really wants to dress up fancy?

Jamie does. 

For years now, he has made sure that he has a bow tie ready to go the night before picture day, but last year he really wanted to take his look to the next level of tuxedo. 

I said no. 

I don't think I sounded unreasonable...

I'm sorry Jamie, but renting a tuxedo for 3rd grade picture day seems a little over the top, your tie is perfect... I'm sure that you will still be the most dressed up kid in school.

He was disappointed but did his best to mimic the tuxedo look by wearing a dark tie and sport coat... close, but not quite fancy enough for Jamie.

Jamie G., third grade.

For the following year Jamie argued that...
"a white suit is the most stylish look a guy can have."
and
"If I pay for it myself, can I please rent a suit with a white jacket for picture day NEXT year?"

Indiana Jones- Jamie's personal hero    

This is the fashion he had in mind... 

He has a point, the white dinner jacket does ooze class and charm.

And admittedly, Jamie can really hold his own when it comes to swagger and style...

After a full year of listening to Jamie's passionate argument of why he should wear a white tuxedo to 4th grade picture day- we agreed to it. 

And so I found myself at Folchi's Formalwear on a Tuesday evening having my 10 year old son fitted for a tuxedo for picture day.

And I was really happy to be there.

Because who knows... next year he will be in middle school and maybe that confidence about what he thinks is cool and important will be replaced by different ideas... 11 year old middle school guy ideas instead of his current 4th grade style.

  So for now... I don't mind helping Jamie with a little dinner jacket attitude.

   And it was fun to have breakfast with James Bond Jr..

(as you can see- Henry does not share his brothers need to dress up)

This young 007 doesn't mind riding the school bus.

At the end of the day, I asked Jamie if wearing his tuxedo was as cool as he thought it would be.

His reply...
"cooler."

Henry's Weary Guns.

Henry's second grade gym class is preparing to take the presidential physical fitness test.
(remember those gym tests from grade school?)

He showed off some of his better moves in the living room this evening.

I'm really good at sit ups.
(he proved it... remarkably, he was able to nail those sit ups)

And then on to the push ups,
(where stouter fellows are more challenged)
This is what this second grader had to say about his presidential push up test...

My arms grow so weary so fast, and then they go all shaky, which means that I'm really working them.

So true...
Weary, then shaky muscles mean that our Henry is working hard on his guns for the president and his ultra fit first lady.

Hello 45.

 My very first act of my 45th year was to step my bare foot directly into strategically placed bedside dog barf this very early morning.
(thank you dear schnoodle with a tummy ache)
To remind myself of dog puke free moments, I would like to happily post some summertime photos of those days back when I was 44.
So here, without order or direction, and only because I enjoy them... are some of my favorites. 

My little sidekick.

Lily and Anna shark hunting in Hilton Head.

Rose in profile

Jamie with his mustache.

Mary with young friends in Guatemala.

Karl playing the rainy course at St. Andrew's.

spotty ponies and their girls

Lily

Jamie

Henry at the zoo

Mary and I in Guatemala

Jamie falconing in West Virginia

Group hug for Anna

Henry and his big fish

Miss Rosie G.

Art for All, (even schnoodles!)

 

Changing Pasture, 

(Anton Mauve)

To celebrate it's 80 anniversary, the Taft Museum of Art hosted a citywide art exhibit over the summer called Art for All. The Taft put 80 weather resistant reproductions of the museum's work in 80 unexpected places. While my kids are invited to visit the originals in the museum, Penny the schnoodle will likely never see this kind of art in her doggie life, so she very much embraced the opportunity to gaze upon the work of the masters. 

Here she is contemplating a pastoral piece at the dog park at Otto Armleder Memorial Park.

 

The Trout Stream, 

(Joseph Mallord William Turner),

with

My schlumpy crew at Newport on the Levee.

 

Mrs. John Weyland and Her Son John, 

(Joshua Reynolds)

with

Rosie posing at the Kilgour fountain in Hyde Park Square.

 Anna Sinton Taft,

 (Raimundo de Madrazo Garreta)

with

Jamie, Lily and dear Mrs. Taft at the Zoo.

Mademoiselle Jeanne Gonin, 

(Jean-Auguste- Dominique Ingres)

with

Lily, a buddy and a schnoodle who now appreciates fine art.