Summer Sunday Night

Tonight was a perfect summer night. The little girl across the street is just a few months older than K and we really enjoy her parents' company. This evening, as the heat of the day was wearing off a bit she and her mom came over so the girls could play in the front yard. They played at the water table (which my husband graciously filled with water) while we sat in camping chairs nearby, chatting.

When the girls were thoroughly soaked (they both thought it was hysterical to "take a bath" by pouring cups of water over themselves, each other, and us) and we were all hungry, we decided to meet at an Irish pub about a mile from our houses for dinner. The restaurant was practically empty and thanks to Ohio's smoking ban we had a wonderful meal and didn't worry about the atmosphere at all! After a great dinner we decided to head over to a local ice cream shop to top off our meal with the best soft-serve around! We had an impromptu ice cream tailgate. We opened the back of one vehicle, spread towels out for the girls to sit on, and the adults stood in a semi-circle around the tailgate eating, chatting, and watching the girls enjoy their ice cream. It was the perfect night.

We are blessed to live in a great neighborhood, have wonderful neighbors who have become true friends, and have great places to eat minutes away. I can only hope that these memories are just the beginning of many great childhood memories K will look back on fondly. These times are already integral parts of the wonderful patchwork quilt that is my collection of memories. Here's to many more to come...

In the holiday mood

It seems like our family is in the holiday mood. My little one has been securely attached to a Christmas teddy bear all day today, she insisted on reading a Christmas board book several times today (although she kept calling it the Baa Baa Black Sheep book since there were sheep on the cover), and we bit the bullet and bought our plane tickets to go see my mom for Christmas.

Speaking of buying plane tickets - let me digress and rant a bit about an online booking site which I will not name...the fare on EVERY single flight I chose suddenly increased between the time I put in the search parameters, chose the times, and clicked "continue." Every fare went up at least $20 in the mere seconds it took to click a few buttons! How terribly frustrating. Contrast that experience with my wonderful experience with Travelocity 5 minutes later...not only did they have better search parameters, but somehow the fares DECREASED in the same few clicks! Not only that, but they actually took my daughter's age into account and booked a child's fare. Wouldn't it be nice if you got that kind of service everywhere?

I guess "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" in August! Now, if the Reds could just beat the Cubs tonight...

What a CUTE family (if I do say so myself)!

Signing On

This blog is named in honor of my mother who spent countless hours in the wee hours of the morning writing letters at the kitchen table with an inconsolable, cranky, screaming baby (me) on her lap. Most of the letters were never sent, but the practice gave her something to do when nothing would calm me down and she knew she wouldn't sleep until I did. She later told me that she thought of publishing those many letters in a book she would title "Letters After Midnight." Now that I too have become a mother (to another screamer no less) and find that the only peaceful time I have to myself is after midnight, I thought the title only appropriate. So, this is for you Mom! I love you so much and have only just begun to realize how much you sacrificed for me.