Bluegrass Balloon Fest

Friday night we went to a secondary, small local airport to see the balloons. They didn't fly, but stayed on the ground to glow for us. Pretty neat.

Project

A couple of weeks ago, Levynn's teacher sent home with her a plain posterboard paper doll and a note that said, "Please work with your child at home to make this doll look like her. You may use whatever you like. Most of all have fun with it! Please complete your doll and return it by Sept. 28."

So, much unlike Mom's usual procrastination, she and Lev got started on the project today. During quiet time, Mom made some cutouts of shirts, pants and dresses, cut out shoes from magazines and gathered all the crafting supplies in the house at the kitchen table.

Levynn was very curious to see what Mom was up to.

We talked about how the blank paper doll looked like her because she had arms and legs but how she didn't look like Lev because she had no face or shoes. So we decided the doll should have blue eyes, a red mouth, green ears and an orange nose; those were created with watercolor paints by Lev. She needed some hair, and Lev cut with her little scissors lengths of narrow red grosgrain ribbon. Lev glued those to the head. and then she tried all the different shirts and clothes on the girl to see what she liked best and what would fit her. We trimmed a dress to a shirt and got it all glued on.

She needed shoes and then Lev decided she needed hands, "just like mine." Hmm, Mom hadn't thought of hands. Lev said they should be pink and Mom was considering what to do when Levynn reminded how she likes to have her hand traced on paper. So life-sized hands it was. And in her hands Levynn said she should be holding a book, so we made a miniature replica of a book they'd made in class this week.

The paper doll turned out lovely, just like our girl.

Mom tried very hard not to get all Martha Stewart about it, and to really let Lev lead the way. We seemed to have accomplished the goal of having fun with it, because Levynn asked to do another one tomorrow. Of Mom and Dad and Lincoln.

11 weeks old

With Levynn standing by with the rattle, Lincoln looked up today, holding his head up to watch her. He's getting more and more steady and building those neck muscles.

September weekend

This weekend Gram and Aunt Rach visited, Mom and Dad celebrated Dad's birthday at a restaurant where Mom intentionally but reluctantly took a bite of tomato, and Mom and Dad went to Todd's "after-wedding party" where she accidentally ate a crab wonton. Yikes!

(the tomato was an "heirloom" one in a salad Dad ordered. It looked like a peach, it was so bright and orange and juicy and pretty. It looked like a Martha heirloom tomato so Mom agreed to take a bite but immediately regretted it. But she was proud of herself and said to Dad, "I put a tomato in my mouth!" Dad was proud, too.)

Gram and Rachel were fun for Lev to have around, and Mom and Dad appreciated them babysitting for their two nights out. What a treat!

Lincoln has found his laugh and it makes Dad laugh and laugh. Mom sneaked up on Lev reading to herself during quiet time today; Lev really can recite almost all of her books by memory.

The week that was

Last week Lincoln had his two-month checkup. He's still growing! He weighed 12 lbs., 15 oz, and he measured 24 3/4" long. That actually has him slowing down on the weight a little, but very tall for his age. Dad did a great job getting Lev to school and then to the doctor. Mom never doubted he would do anything else.

However, maybe Mom bragged on him a little too much because the next morning at 8:45 when her phone rang at work for the on-the-way-to-school call, she was greeted with these words: "I'm locked out." Da, Da, DUM.

Locked out of what? The house? The car? Both, as it turns out. Dad somehow managed to pull the back door shut behind him without his keys in his hand. He had both kids on the back porch with him and with superhuman effort did not say a bad word.

Mom called a locksmith who said he'd be there in 15 minutes. Yay! Mom thought. Levynn will be late for school! Dad said. Babe, Mom said, we've got to get you in the house before we can worry about school.

Well, it was a long morning. The guy took about45 minutes to get to the house, and almost an hour to get the door open. (Mom could have come home from work on post by then.) Dad understandably stayed frazzled for most of the day, but eventually recovered.

Yes, we do have a garage. No, it does not open to the house. Yes, we did have a spare key at one point, but somehow we don't any more. Don't worry, getting another set was the next priority.

As soon as we can get to it.

Labor Day weekend

Whew! What a weekend!

We started off Friday afternoon when Mom got home early. We headed to the zoo since the weather was much cooler than it had been. Lincoln seemed to enjoy his first trip there.

On Saturday, we headed downtown for Worldfest and intended to visit the Peanuts Play Baseball exhibit at Slugger Museum. Though we decided not to fight the crowd for that, there were inflatables and free ice cream outside, so that made us all happy.

On Sunday we waited until the evening to head back downtown for Fall for the Arts, a preview of the coming seasons of the Louisville ballet, orchestra and opera. It was outside at the riverfront and a very nice night.

Today, it was an early start to get, yep, back downtown for the Mayor's Healthy Hometown Hike and Bike. We started doing these holiday walks about two years ago; he also does one on Memorial Day, and in October, a hike at a park forest. And it's free T-shirts! Anyway, today the route was a 3-mile loop across the Clark Memorial Bridge (Ohio River to Indiana) and back. So fun! Mom was a little apprehensive about the stability of the structure and considered life jackets for the kids, but of course in the end it was all fine. We got back to the finish line sweaty but pretty exhuberant, proud of ourselves for keeping a good pace.

Overall a very fun and eventful holiday!