Retrospective: September

September is the new July these days, what with all the festivals and the lovely weather it brings to Cleveland.  This year, in all its busyness and change, was no exception.  

Headed straight from one lake to another... to take in the tail end of the Air Show, from a pretty good view on the shoulder of the highway...

Next up- Woofstock.  Always one of my favorite days of the year.  This festival gets better and better all the time, withfood trucks and an impressive beer garden and main stage live music, plus SO many booths of crap.  And, of course, all the beautiful, friendly dogs. One of these years I am truly going to clear my calendar for the day and just settle in.  One of these years when I am less busy, that is....

If it's the first Friday of the month, we are at Cocktail Choir.  Our crew of "regulars" increases every month and it is always such a wonderful, warm, joyous event.

Meanwhile, September also found us settling into the school year.  I have the very sweetest little crew of kiddos this year. Plus a few energetic first graders who are... an adventure...  :) 

Here I am with some of the sweeties, on our "STEM day" when we made and tested paper airplanes.  

I am endlessly grateful to do the work I do.  I may be tired and stretched thin this year but being with my students is centering and fulfulling, and a gift. 

September in Cleveland is pretty. 

Thurdays are for the barn...

... and the second Friday is for the Homecoming parade.  This girl marched with the golf team, and let Holly and I sit near her for the halftime show.  I love seeing all of "my" Heights kids out there on the field... and catching glimpses of Jack holding court with his friends up at the top of the bleachers...

Time for Chalk Fest! Another one of the best days of the year, and the glorious weather this year just took it over the top. 

Nat and I tag-teamed the event as Ivy and Lillian committed for the duration to create their masterpieces.  He snagged this photo of the sweetest moment later in the day...  apparently children had been "feeding" acorns to Baby Squirrel all day.  My heart could burst.

While she finished her perfect chalk butterfly, Holly and I spend a few hours creating the next iteration of Ivy's room... She'd outgrown the "book cave" under her raised bed, so she came up with an idea to turn the whole bed into a book cave.  For the finished effect please visualize the floor of the room completely comvered in clothing and other random items. ..

Next festival--  the Waterloo Arts Fest.  What a wonderful event.  Yet again (theme of this year) time was too short to enjoy it fully but it is going on the list of "clear the day for it" festivals in the future, for sure.

Here's my gorgeous boy off to his SENIOR YEAR Homecoming dance with his besties.  Just look at these grown up kids.  I love them.

Holly and I took Lillian and Ivy to the Asian Lantern Fest and had the BEST time.

September is for beach days...

... and visiting the Chalk Fest again, at sunset...

Monday nights are for Orchestra Chorus... and after rehearsal-  the Kensington with our besties...

Some of us don't love photos... but we all love this comfy little bar where we've become regulars and where the manager (a late middle aged guy) is a lifelong Indigo Girls fan and our favorite server brings us our drink orders and a plate of pickles without being asked...

Took Ivy to see Les Miserables and she absolutely loved it.  I am a big fan of this girl's love of musical theater.

 Next festival-  the Flaming River Comi-con with these cuties and their mommas.  We went out for Ethiopian food midway through the day and all the kids loved it!  We bought too many witty stickers and enjoyed being surrounded by a wonderful, free-spirited, loving community of people.

I can't remember if I wrote about our ill-fated attempt to see John Legend over the summer?  The time when there was such a torrential downpour that we didn't even get out of the car, and then the whole show was canceled due to thunder 30 minutes later? 

Well, it got rescheduled.  And... it rained again.  But no thunder AND we were gifted excellent pavillion seats by a Chorus friend who could not attend on the new date.  It was a magical night.  We ran into friends, and enjoyed every minute of John's singing and stories.  I may or may not have ugly-cried when he sang "All of Me".  Couple of emotions wrapped up in that song...

September is for an occasional evening at home, having dinner on our porch with homegrown hydrangeas on the table.

And for picture day, with my sweeties...

And for one more festival to round out the month-  Ingenuity Fest!   While I have bee more wowed by this event in the past, it was still a great time.  This year we found ourselves playing ping pong in a wood shop and building and flying balsa wood planes in an odd, empty room with striped linoleum... one never knows where the night will take them at Ingenuity...

Hey hey, it's Apple Day!  Year 15 for this tradition and it wsa relaxing and wonderful as always.  I am so grateful for our "friend family" and the chance to watch these kids grow up amongst the apple trees over the years...

Back to Ingenuity with my lady.  Wore a sequined mini- dress that I picked up at a goodwill on our road trip because if you can't wear that ti Ingenuity, where can you?  Ended up getting lots of compliments... I may have to find more excises to wear that dress!

So grateful for this full and beautiful month of festivals and family abnd friends.  

Retrospective: Labor Day Weekend at Farley's

 Let's just let go of the fact that you haven't heard from me in this space for 2 months, shall we?  Thanks.

Time to reach back and record a few memories of this busy, beautiful fall. 

Labor day weekend at Farley's

In the heart of the back to school madness we made time for a long weekend at the lake.  It was my first chance to be there this summer and I soaked up every minute.  I love watching my kiddos in their happy place. We took out the raft for the season, went out in the new boat a few times,  swam and kayaked and chatted in Adirondack chairs, went to a winery and visited Great Gully. We read books, th dog wandered off repeatedly, and we shared big meals with family...  all of summer in a weekend! It was really nice to get to spend time with Claire and Betsey and Barb, and we even got to see all three of the triplets AND Lauren- a rare occurence!  Such a delicious spot, this little community is.   

(I don't know how this chair has gotten so small)

Retrospective: Seventeen

It was crazy to be back to work two full week's before this boy's birthday.  I remember so well the night of August 27th in 2007, when I was 5 days overdue and so restless that I decided I would report for the first day of school the next day if I still wasn't in labor.  And this boy took that as his cue to finally get a move on... 

Between school busyness and Jack's lack of interest in large gatherings, birthday celebrations were simple this year. A festive gift table and dinner with just the four of us, then some time trying out his new driver out in the yard (the new driver which would then be exchanged. Twice.  because once this boy knows what he wants he is very particular and certain...)

This cute kiddo of mine.  Who towers over me.  Who worked all summer at Cumberland and who has a girlfriend and who is an AP Scholar of Distinction.  Who is so ery grown up. 

I love it when I look at him and see the same impish grin he gave me at 18 months old.  The little side smirk, the twinkling eyes.  Still my little boy.  Still absolutely himself all the time and in all the ways...

At seventeen Jack is inscreasingly considerate, well spoken and kind, but with a quick dry wit always at the ready. His love for video games is deep and abiding but thanks to work, friends, school and Vivian (his sweet girlfriend) he's out being social busy far more often than we ever would have expected from the little introvert he once was.  He is still good friends with his crew from seventh grade and I love that for him.  He's also a very good driver and is taking his sister to school this year.  He is becoming a very good writer and is excelling in his classes. He is enjoying taking art, and remains committed to swimming.  He's still a softie for animals.  he still teases his sister (but more gently these days).  He still says I love you and gives us hugs.  He still waits til the last minute to decide things and do them. Luckily, after seventeen years of getting to know this child, I am no longer worried about that, because I know once he does a thing he will do it well.   My bright and capable boy.  One more year with him at home... I am soaking up that sweet smile evey chance I get, though those chances are few and far between with his busy life.  He is doing the thing, growing up and separating from us.  I am trying to do the thing where I support him absolutely and love him with every one of my cells and also let him be free to go and thrive and shine in the world...

At seventeen, Jack is my Jackie-bear, the baby who took my sleep and made me a momma, the toddler who tested my patience and charmed it all back, the little boy who took my breath away with his brilliance,  and the young man who makes my heart swell with pride...

Happy birthday, my sweet, smart, wonderful son.