May Daze

As the end of June approaches, I figured it might be a good idea to get some pictures up from May. I'm not sure where that month went. Like the rest of life, it flew by in an instant. One of the highlights in May was another special Mother's Day. Every year I get a little clearer on how I want to spend the day and we add to our tradition. This year, we timed our arrival at the Khron Conservatory Butterfly Show perfectly and had a very short wait. Next year's plan will include some brunch reservations afterward. It was a beautiful day!

A couple of weeks later, we took a road trip in the minivan. The built-in DVD player barely got a break! We headed to St. Louis to celebrate the Jacobs' graduations. My sis-in-law Julie just received her MPH from St. Louis University, and my brother-in-law Nathan received his doctorate in computer science from Washington University. The two of them worked so hard over the past five years to achieve these goals and have much to celebrate! Nathan has accepted a faculty position at University of Kentucky starting this fall. We are thrilled they are starting this next phase of life so close to us!

Maggie's not so sure about the butterfly landing on her flower

My princesses

Anna meets Nana

Three generations

Anna meets Aunt Katie

A trip to Grant's Farm with MawMaw and PawPaw

Feeding Grant's goats

Checking out the Clydesdales

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I've tried at least three times to upload this adorable video of Anna's first coo-ing sounds, but can not get the darn thing to transfer. The video was shot during a particularly rough week of mothering my three back in mid-May. Jim was traveling for work for the first time and I was struggling. I'll share the post I wrote at the time and omit the video, just so I can get back into the swing of updating the blog. So here it is:

In the midst of a stressful week with Jim out of town, I find myself focusing on the little things in life that bring joy. Claire, followed shortly by Maggie, developed Hand, Foot and Mouth disease this week with it's fever and telltale rash. My hunch is that it was picked up either at Claire's well-child check-up last week, or from the preschool water fountain which Claire visits every time we take Maggie to school.

The girls seem to be in good spirits, which reminds me that kids are resilient. Our neighbor came at a moments notice to help fix a closet door, a friend came to sooth Anna to sleep so I could take a shower, my parents took the big girls for a night to give me a break, and several friends have offered to help in any way they can.

I am taking a moment to be grateful for all the blessings and support in my life. I'm also treasuring my youngest, sweet baby girl. She's growing so fast and becoming quite the social creature. I'm soaking up all of her beautiful infant coos because before I blink she'll be talking in sentences.

40 Years and Counting

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on April 25th! That Saturday, we celebrated with a family dinner at Carlo and Johnny , a Cincinnati steak house. It was only a coincidence that the restaurant is owned by a Mr. Jeff Ruby and the 40th Anniversary gift is traditionally the gem of the same name. Our dinner was scrumptious and we enjoyed hearing stories of my parents' early dating life. After dinner, we returned to the Farwig estate for dessert and coffee, and to tuck a baby Anna into bed.

Sunday morning, with the grandkids in tow, we visited a local portrait studio for family pictures. Our photographer was great and made the kids smile easily. There were so many nice pictures that by the time we finally chose, both the kids and the adults were pretty famished. A trip to a nearby IHOP satisfied our hunger and provided the kids with entertainment in the form of balloon animals.

It was a wonderful to spend the weekend together celebrating my parents! In their 40 years together, they have been through a lot of life's highs and lows. One thing that has been steady through all of that is their love, for each other, and for us "kids." I think I can safely speak for my siblings when I say we are proud to be a part of this family - Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2+ hours of pictures and we were one hungry crew!
Balloon animals provided a small distraction from our growing hunger.

Biggest Sister Love

Maggie and Anna had some time alone together the other day while Claire was napping. Maggie was singing little made-up songs to Anna and enjoying all her movements and squeaks. Anna rarely took her eyes off Maggie. I was lucky enough to catch some of these precious moments.

Claire Turns 2!

On April 12th, my beautiful middle daughter turned two! These two years have flown by and I am amazed at how big she has become. Claire's vocabulary continues to explode every day. I marvel at the sentences she forms and delight in eavesdropping on the conversations she and Maggie have together. She can count to ten and loves to sing. Claire loves all things princess, especially her miniature "Rella" which is technically a Sleeping Beauty doll, but we're not correcting her. I think she may become a little fashionista as she very excited by new dresses and loves to pick out her own clothes. Claire is bright, funny, caring and easy-going (except when cutting 2 year molars). She is a joy to have as a daughter and I am so proud of all that she has learned and the little girl she is becoming.

Easter 2010

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday in Cincinnati this year and we were busy! The morning started with the finding of Easter baskets, followed by breakfast, then getting little girls into dresses, snapping a few pictures and then off to church. After church, a quick change into play clothes for the egg hunt in the back yard. Lunch and naps were followed by a trip to my aunt's house in Dayton for dinner, bounce house fun, and an early birthday celebration for Claire.


Mmm, jelly beans!

The egg hunt begins

Spring has Sprung

The big girls have been enjoying lots of outside play thanks to the gorgeous spring weather we've been having. Jim takes them out most often for various adventures which have included digging in the mulch, watering flowers, washing the cars, and walking to the neighborhood pond to see the ducks. Maggie and Claire have even been playing outside by themselves occasionally, leaving us most grateful the previous owners put in a fence around the yard. We're looking forward to more of that independent play to come!

Heading out to dinner after a long day's work washing cars