Giant Grinning Dog.

Meet Tony.

He belongs to my parents and is roughly the size of a small polar bear. 

Ginormous.

Tony is a sweet dog with a really great skill.

He smiles.

He will wrinkle up his nose and grin broadly if you ask him nicely. 

But only if he is in a happy mood. 

Thankfully for the universe, Tony is often feeling good enough to share his smile upon polite request. 

And really, the world is a far better place with this giant grinning dog, 

celebrating all that makes his golden retriever-ish heart happy.  

Holy Moly, My kid is 23!

Anna and Nate and Henry
Summer of 2014.


 My dear Anna, my kid…my first kid. The kid who turned me into a mom is now 23 YEARS OLD!!!
That seems kind of crazy to me. But…true fact, my kid has a job, an apartment and a whole awesome life in a different state than mine.
So my kid is now a grown up.
So happy happy birthday to grown up Anna!

Anna
Summer of 1992

Young Bucks!

A little Ohio State football advice for Buckeye parents everywhere...

Go to the alumni band day for three times as much of a band and pick a game with the potential for a lot of scoring. 

We took this crew to Columbus last weekend where we got to cheer for a 66-0 Buckeye win AND watch the most amazing half time show ever with five times the band with the addition of the alumni band.

The black uniformed band around the giant flag is the student band, all of the red shirts are the more than awesome alumni band. 

It was beyond impressive to see everyone marching on the same field.

My kiddos also had a great time semi stalking the OSU cheerios, who didn't seem to mind the attention from their youngest fans.

This photo was organized in approximately 3 and a half seconds…. 

"girls each hold a pom, buddy, take this megaphone, ok here we go... GO BUCKS!"

I think the Ohio state cheer squad should contract themselves out as wedding and event photographers, they can pose a photo in record time. 

There is something about seeing your kids at a football game that make you think forward a few years.
I can imagine Ryan in this same pose in about 12 years and enjoying it even more.

And I can see Rosie and Lucy having too much fun together in the not so distant future while Lily and Mia are on hand to keep things a little bit regulated. 

Until then, these two are enjoying their new Buckeye fanship and are happy to prove that you don't need to be born in Ohio to be a Buckeye…O-H-I-O!

Thank You IMPACT 100!

 Laura Jekel and John Morris Russell, a most remarkable duo, delivered an OUTSTANDING presentation last night asking the women of Impact 100 for their support. 

And this afternoon when they meet, the young musicians of MYCincinnati will receive some amazing news.

 They will learn that their dedicated teachers did whatever they could to make sure that they will have instruments in their hands and a safe place to practice everyday after school and now their program is even stronger than it was yesterday. 

They will KNOW without doubt that the people of Cincinnati believe in them just as much as their teachers. 

These hardworking students will also know that their very good friend John Morris Russell, will stand by those teachers and ask anyone who will listen to help support these young musicians in bringing something beautiful into our corner of the world.   

Thank you women of Impact 100, for agreeing with Laura and John and offering your support. 

This is truly a transformative gift that will make an enormous difference in the future of Cincinnati's most dedicated young musicians.

Bravo!

Happy Birthday Pony Rides.

I am a very lucky mom for many reasons, but on this happy Tuesday morning I am feeling especially fortunate to have been able to celebrate my birthday weekend 

(why just one single day?) 

doing something I really love with my favorite people in the universe. 

I got to take Lyle to a horse show at the Kentucky Horse Park, which is the most gorgeous place to ride ever, and, even more terrific, my mom and my rider girls came too.

So really, very much like my 5th birthday party in 1972, I got to have pony rides with my mom for my birthday.

Rosie is fortunate to be taught by the most patient and kindest trainer ever, it was a treat to watch Jess get my girl ready for the ring in the early morning light…Kentucky sunrises are the best. 

Rosie got to ride sweet and patient Cocoa Puff over walk trot poles on the same grounds as where the best riders in the country train… and very likely started out with these types of "jumps" too. 

Somehow Lily went from being a kid to a really brave rider over the summer… it's been so fun watching her and I'll admit, I'm more than a little envious of her strong teenage body and brain that can remember more than three things at once. 

Here are Lily and Seville posing with their ears up and smiling… 

For my birthday dinner, Mom, Rosie, Lily and I celebrated with utter gusto at a Kentucky Cracker Barrel, which was completely full of awesome.  

And then, to continue the celebration, my guys (well, Karl mostly) made an I Heart Mom birthday cake from scratch which was waiting for me when we arrived home from Lexington.

I was so excited about their thoughtfulness and baking skills, that I bossily insisted that Karl take my picture hugging my party cake before anyone touched it. 

(pretty cool, right?)

But then I was able to step away from the cake for long enough to gain perspective and ask Karl to take a photo that included the kids instead of just cake.

And my youngest wombats were really nice about standing close to their momma and smiling for the camera even after playing second string to dessert.

Thank you dear family for making my birthday weekend perfect in every way!

A Little Lupita-ish.

Rosie has many celebrity heroes who are either animated or princesses, or both. 

And so she was absolutely thrilled when her big sister gave her this awesome Elsa blue fancy dress to wear while lounging  about the house. 

Which she does often, because why NOT wear a ball gown if you have one readily available? 

But she was even more thrilled about her look when I pointed out the very obvious similarities between her and and the very real, and very beautiful… Lupita Nyong'o.

You have to admit, she looks more than a little Lupita-ish rocking her fancy blue evening gown.  

So thank you dear Lupita for being you and having your gorgeous classy self splashed across so many magazine covers which I will always buy so that Rosie can and decorate her bedroom walls with your beautiful face.