First Day of School, Take 1

Claire started kindergarten today, and Kaitlyn headed off to second grade. It was hard…but not as hard as sending Kaitlyn off all on her own two years ago. It was so sweet to watch the girls stand in the bus line, holding hands, smiling. Such big kids we have! I cannot wait to hear all of their stories in just a few more minutes…

Welcoming Baby Hartings on Stork Airlines

I've abandoned the blog for a good long while now, but the excitement surrounding Baby Hartings - Tommy and Adrienne's baby, that is! - finally got me back online here.

Johanna and I teamed up with two of Adrienne's dearest friends for a fabulous fete at the WACO Airfield in Troy, Ohio. Stork Airlines was the theme, and we carried it through from the biplanes hanging over us to the vintage suitcases and diaper-bearing storks on the tables to the little bags of pretzels and peanuts at every place setting. While the little ones ran around and pedaled miniature airplanes outside, guests wrote witticisms for late-night diaper changes and designed one-of-a-kind onesies for the future trendsetter (check on the baby Uggs and tot-sized aviators).

We cannot wait to meet "Baby Monster" in November. Congratulations Tommy and Adrienne!

Let's Do It the Hard Way

It seems that nothing is coming easy for Kaitlyn this year. She just got her first two "big teeth"…but her baby teeth refused to budge. Not even a little wiggle!

We went to the dentist to have a look, and three minutes later, Kaitlyn was getting shot up with a big ole needle of novacaine. The roots were twice as long as her teeth, but in the end, she got sent home with two beauties to tempt the tooth fairy. What a smile!

Halloween Pre-Party!

Grandma and Grandpa Hartings are in town this weekend, and we are all about partying! We headed to the Gaver Farm Fall Festival for games, slides and lots of feeding the animals on Saturday. And today we drove back to the country to pick pumpkins and taste some homegrown hop ales at Milkhouse Brewery. Yea! And now for some Halloween pre-partying...complete with costumes for the adults!

Big Kid Haircut

Kaitlyn asked to have her hair cut short this year, so I finally took her for a real, big kid haircut. She loved the salon experience: the shampoo, the head massage, the fancy chair and mirrors, and the beautifully bouncy, completely even cut! She loves it.

A Taste of Autumn in Michigan

We had a fabulous weekend visiting Jason, Sarah, Alex and baby Lia in Michigan. The air was cool, the apples were crisp, and our adventures at the farm and the children's museum were fun, fun, fun. And let me tell you, Lia is a sweet little beauty! I loved every moment.