We've known for awhile that Cate loves music-- like her Mommy and Daddy. In fact, if she keeps showing such enthusiasm for music (or art or dance or theater), Cincinnati Public has an awesome magnet school for the performing arts for K-3. It's even rated Excellent by the state of Ohio, a rarity in CPS.
Lately, Cate has been singing. A lot. In the car, in her stroller, when she's playing. The girl just sings and sings. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Jesus Loves Me" are two of her current favorites. However, our church put out a kids' CD recently to go along with the "FREE" journey that I've blogged about and Cate sings along with a couple of those songs as well.
I've had a really hard time capturing her singing on video though. As soon as I get the camera out, she stops singing. Finally though, during a jam session with Daddy tonight, Miss Cate cooperated and I got a few videos of her singing and making music with Daddy.
Enjoy!
~Melody :-)
And yes, I know that Cate's birthday was almost three months ago and yes, we still do let the Elmo pinata decorate our piano.
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. - I Thessalonians 1:2
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Back to Work
Tomorrow I go back to work. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. Spring break has re-energized me and given me the rest I need to gear up for the remaining 8 weeks of the school year.
Over the weekend I traveled with Cate and my grandma to Hudson, OH. My awesome hubby stayed here and cleaned the entire house....like really, really, cleaned it (and bought fresh flowers). He even endured some of the colder night temperatures we had here to keep the windows cracked so that the house would really air out.
I did a little sewing on my mom's machine while I was up there (pictures to come later), graded a few papers, met a friend and her son for lunch, and did a little reading (I started Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge-- hubby and I are reading it together and it's great so far-- as well Brief Encounters with Che Guevara by Ben Fountain-- a book of short stories that's also captured me so far).
But my real reason for making the trek up I-71 was for one of my dearest friend's bridal shower. Her sister went to culinary school so the food was to. die. for. It was great to see her and the other bridesmaids as well as to meet some of her family. I wished she lived closer because she got some awesome kitchen gadgets and she cooks well too. I'd be over there every night for dinner.
You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you that I didn't take a single picture the entire weekend, but that's the truth. I pilfered this one of me with the bride (the one standing next to me with the ribbon bouquet I fashioned as she opened gifts) and 3 of the 5 other bridesmaids from Facebook.
The wedding is two months from tomorrow, which means I really need to start practicing walking in these heels-- the shoes all the bridesmaids are wearing for the ceremony.
It was a good trip despite Cate's upper 2-year molars deciding to make an appearance and rendering her grumpy. We'll be heading back up in a couple of weeks for my sister's sorority family day. I'm looking forward to more time to spend with family.
~Melody :-)
Over the weekend I traveled with Cate and my grandma to Hudson, OH. My awesome hubby stayed here and cleaned the entire house....like really, really, cleaned it (and bought fresh flowers). He even endured some of the colder night temperatures we had here to keep the windows cracked so that the house would really air out.
I did a little sewing on my mom's machine while I was up there (pictures to come later), graded a few papers, met a friend and her son for lunch, and did a little reading (I started Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge-- hubby and I are reading it together and it's great so far-- as well Brief Encounters with Che Guevara by Ben Fountain-- a book of short stories that's also captured me so far).
But my real reason for making the trek up I-71 was for one of my dearest friend's bridal shower. Her sister went to culinary school so the food was to. die. for. It was great to see her and the other bridesmaids as well as to meet some of her family. I wished she lived closer because she got some awesome kitchen gadgets and she cooks well too. I'd be over there every night for dinner.
You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you that I didn't take a single picture the entire weekend, but that's the truth. I pilfered this one of me with the bride (the one standing next to me with the ribbon bouquet I fashioned as she opened gifts) and 3 of the 5 other bridesmaids from Facebook.
The wedding is two months from tomorrow, which means I really need to start practicing walking in these heels-- the shoes all the bridesmaids are wearing for the ceremony.It was a good trip despite Cate's upper 2-year molars deciding to make an appearance and rendering her grumpy. We'll be heading back up in a couple of weeks for my sister's sorority family day. I'm looking forward to more time to spend with family.
~Melody :-)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Around Town and Then Some-- A Sort of Random Post
Yesterday we met my friend Emily for lunch downtown at Fountain Square. 
Cate loved playing around the fountain, and the wind had picked up so much that she pretty much got a shower from the mist.
Mommy, Daddy, and Emily enjoyed lunch from Bagel and Deli. The Bagel and Deli in Oxford, where we all went to college, is one of my favorite Oxford haunts. It stayed open well past the bars' closing times, delivered food, had a lighter chained to the counter so it wouldn't get stolen and sold cigarettes individually (if you're into that, which I wasn't). It also looked like it had about every health code violation imaginable. But man-- it. is. good.
The new Bagel and Deli downtown also stays open late, but there isn't a lighter chained to the counter and it is much, much, cleaner. Still, the steamed bagel sandwiches are amazing.
After doing some research online, I found that if you aren't in Cincinnati or Oxford, you can get similar sandwiches in Chicago, Indianapolis, and even Charlotte, NC.
Today we headed to Maysville, Kentucky to visit a great college friend, Rachel, and her six-week old daughter, Maddie. Maddie is absolutely precious and Rachel is a natural momma.
Cate wasn't too keen on me holding Maddie at first. She tried to push Maddie off of my lap and said "no like it." After awhile though, she warmed up to the idea and wanted to tickle Maddie's feet and neck.
And did you notice the new haircut and highlights?
I've never been much of a hair girl. I mean, the same woman cut my hair and styled it for all of the dances in high school, but I never really latched onto anyone. In fact, I'm usually the "wait until it annoys you and then go get it cut" kind of girl. But after winning some highlights and a haircut at the Stop Traffick Fashion t-shirt launch party a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to start being a grown up and go to a real salon.
I think it looks pretty awesome. And yes, I did schedule an appointment to come back in 10 weeks to keep up with it. My hair feels great now that it's been liberated from the pony-tail it pretty much lived in for the last 6 months.
Tomorrow we're leaving Daddy behind to head to NE Ohio for a visit with family and a bridal shower. I'm secretly hoping I come home to a spotless house since my hubby really does rock the housework like that, but I'd be thankful if just the clutter piles and dust bunnies were gone. We've been having so much spring break fun that I haven't had time to clean. And you know what--it's not bothering me in the least.
~Melody :-)
Cate loved playing around the fountain, and the wind had picked up so much that she pretty much got a shower from the mist.
Mommy, Daddy, and Emily enjoyed lunch from Bagel and Deli. The Bagel and Deli in Oxford, where we all went to college, is one of my favorite Oxford haunts. It stayed open well past the bars' closing times, delivered food, had a lighter chained to the counter so it wouldn't get stolen and sold cigarettes individually (if you're into that, which I wasn't). It also looked like it had about every health code violation imaginable. But man-- it. is. good.The new Bagel and Deli downtown also stays open late, but there isn't a lighter chained to the counter and it is much, much, cleaner. Still, the steamed bagel sandwiches are amazing.
After doing some research online, I found that if you aren't in Cincinnati or Oxford, you can get similar sandwiches in Chicago, Indianapolis, and even Charlotte, NC.
Today we headed to Maysville, Kentucky to visit a great college friend, Rachel, and her six-week old daughter, Maddie. Maddie is absolutely precious and Rachel is a natural momma.
Cate wasn't too keen on me holding Maddie at first. She tried to push Maddie off of my lap and said "no like it." After awhile though, she warmed up to the idea and wanted to tickle Maddie's feet and neck.
And did you notice the new haircut and highlights?I've never been much of a hair girl. I mean, the same woman cut my hair and styled it for all of the dances in high school, but I never really latched onto anyone. In fact, I'm usually the "wait until it annoys you and then go get it cut" kind of girl. But after winning some highlights and a haircut at the Stop Traffick Fashion t-shirt launch party a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to start being a grown up and go to a real salon.
I think it looks pretty awesome. And yes, I did schedule an appointment to come back in 10 weeks to keep up with it. My hair feels great now that it's been liberated from the pony-tail it pretty much lived in for the last 6 months.
Tomorrow we're leaving Daddy behind to head to NE Ohio for a visit with family and a bridal shower. I'm secretly hoping I come home to a spotless house since my hubby really does rock the housework like that, but I'd be thankful if just the clutter piles and dust bunnies were gone. We've been having so much spring break fun that I haven't had time to clean. And you know what--it's not bothering me in the least.
~Melody :-)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
School's Out for Summer
Well, not exactly. But it does feel a lot like summer with the 80+ degree weather we've been having. And school is out for spring break until Monday.
I've been enjoying a beautiful and busy spring break so far. We've played outside (notice the swing set, all put together-- except for the foot swing since Cate's really not old enough for it yet).
We've finger-painted. Cate does NOT like the feeling of finger-paint on her hands. So I re-purposed a few wine bottle corks (Eric and I have NOT indulged in two bottles of wine on spring break thus far-- I am NOT in love with Emeri Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc). They made the perfect tools to paint with. And now when Cate wants to paint she says "Cate do cork paint."
We've also been enjoying this new toy. A bit of mommy's indulgence. It's a Melissa and Doug See and Spell. Cate doesn't know very many letters, but she loves puzzles. So she's kind of learning her letters while she figures out where they go-- like a puzzle. I had a coupon for 20% off any one item at our local toystore, so I couldn't resist it. She loves it. When she wants to play with this she says "Cate do letters." I love that she's putting sentences together.
Sunday night we took some time out to go try out Eric's kite in the breeze. Cate loved chasing it around the park.
Then she practiced some of her hanging skills (I think I need to get this kid in gymnastics--anyone know of a place that does classes for 2 year olds)...
...before posing for a picture with Daddy high up on the bridge.
Somewhere in all of this I managed two nights away. One night was spent sitting on Fountain Square downtown eating ice cream with two amazing friends. Another night was spent in the small theater of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company watching their closing night performance of Othello.
Tomorrow Cate and I are loading up the big blue compromise to head to Maysville, KY to see another friend from college and her brand new daughter. I can't wait to take in all that yummy baby-goodness. And then we're off to NE Ohio on Thursday to visit family and attend a bridal shower for one of my best friends. Eric is staying here to hold down the fort (and take care of the pets).
For now...it's back downtown to enjoy lunch with Emily. :-)
I've been enjoying a beautiful and busy spring break so far. We've played outside (notice the swing set, all put together-- except for the foot swing since Cate's really not old enough for it yet).
We've finger-painted. Cate does NOT like the feeling of finger-paint on her hands. So I re-purposed a few wine bottle corks (Eric and I have NOT indulged in two bottles of wine on spring break thus far-- I am NOT in love with Emeri Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc). They made the perfect tools to paint with. And now when Cate wants to paint she says "Cate do cork paint."
We've also been enjoying this new toy. A bit of mommy's indulgence. It's a Melissa and Doug See and Spell. Cate doesn't know very many letters, but she loves puzzles. So she's kind of learning her letters while she figures out where they go-- like a puzzle. I had a coupon for 20% off any one item at our local toystore, so I couldn't resist it. She loves it. When she wants to play with this she says "Cate do letters." I love that she's putting sentences together.
Sunday night we took some time out to go try out Eric's kite in the breeze. Cate loved chasing it around the park.
Then she practiced some of her hanging skills (I think I need to get this kid in gymnastics--anyone know of a place that does classes for 2 year olds)...
...before posing for a picture with Daddy high up on the bridge. 
Somewhere in all of this I managed two nights away. One night was spent sitting on Fountain Square downtown eating ice cream with two amazing friends. Another night was spent in the small theater of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company watching their closing night performance of Othello.Tomorrow Cate and I are loading up the big blue compromise to head to Maysville, KY to see another friend from college and her brand new daughter. I can't wait to take in all that yummy baby-goodness. And then we're off to NE Ohio on Thursday to visit family and attend a bridal shower for one of my best friends. Eric is staying here to hold down the fort (and take care of the pets).
For now...it's back downtown to enjoy lunch with Emily. :-)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter everyone! Our Easter preparations began on Thursday when I got home from school. We died Easter eggs (well, Cate and Daddy did while Mommy supervised and took pictures).
Of course we used the Sesame Street egg dying kit. I love that these two turned out like Elmo and Abby Cadabby.
Cate and I are going to see Sesame Street Live in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to take her on a fun date to see her favorite furry puppet life-size on stage. We bought some of the cheaper seats though since I'm not sure Cate will want to stay in her seat. We'll see.
Back to Easter though-- the Easter Bunny paid us a little visit last night, leaving a basket full of goodies for Cate.
In addition to some Peeps, candy dots, a small chocolate bunny, and some Reeses Pieces (stashed in Elmo-shaped eggs), the Easter Bunny also brought Cate: two books (Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward and Tomie dePaola as well as The Best Easter Prize by Kristina Evans and John Wallace); a Little People figurine in a rabbit costume with an Easter basket; a Thomas the Train pull back and go car-- he's carrying the Easter Bunny); finger paints, dinosaur counters/pattern makers (similar to these) with flashcards; a set of ABC phonics readers, a My Little Pony, and some awesome Crayola washable markers with flip-top lids (so the lids stay attached to the markers).
Cate was excited about all of her goodies! And remember the dollhouse from this post? It was an Easter present from my parents for Cate. She is in love with it. 
She's played with it all morning. And my handy hubby put a latch on it while she was napping so that we could take it with it when we go to celebrate Easter with more family later on today. The Easter Bunny didn't forget Daddy or Mommy either.
Daddy got some candy, a kite to fly with Cate, and some fun playing cards (Eric loves the fruit faces and I couldn't resist getting him the cards when I saw them). Mommy (sorry, didn't take a picture of my basket), got candy, a cute spring cardigan, and the CD my yoga instructor put out recently. It is wonderfully relaxing music. She chants and sings for the last 15 minutes of each yoga class while we meditate in positions of rest. Amazing!
After some yummy pancakes and pictures of us in our Easter best, we headed off to church to really celebrate Easter.
Eric and I are both so thankful for what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago! We are thankful we serve a risen Lord who sets us free and loves us so much! We are blessed by our church and our small group-- both of which keep us growing ever deeper in our faith and are helping Cate to grow too (she currently loves to sing Jesus Loves Me and told us when we picked her up from Kids Club--our church's version of Sunday School-- that she learned about Jesus today).
Happy Easter! He is Risen! Alleluia!
~Melody :-)
Of course we used the Sesame Street egg dying kit. I love that these two turned out like Elmo and Abby Cadabby.
Cate and I are going to see Sesame Street Live in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to take her on a fun date to see her favorite furry puppet life-size on stage. We bought some of the cheaper seats though since I'm not sure Cate will want to stay in her seat. We'll see.Back to Easter though-- the Easter Bunny paid us a little visit last night, leaving a basket full of goodies for Cate.
In addition to some Peeps, candy dots, a small chocolate bunny, and some Reeses Pieces (stashed in Elmo-shaped eggs), the Easter Bunny also brought Cate: two books (Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward and Tomie dePaola as well as The Best Easter Prize by Kristina Evans and John Wallace); a Little People figurine in a rabbit costume with an Easter basket; a Thomas the Train pull back and go car-- he's carrying the Easter Bunny); finger paints, dinosaur counters/pattern makers (similar to these) with flashcards; a set of ABC phonics readers, a My Little Pony, and some awesome Crayola washable markers with flip-top lids (so the lids stay attached to the markers).
Cate was excited about all of her goodies! And remember the dollhouse from this post? It was an Easter present from my parents for Cate. She is in love with it. 
She's played with it all morning. And my handy hubby put a latch on it while she was napping so that we could take it with it when we go to celebrate Easter with more family later on today. The Easter Bunny didn't forget Daddy or Mommy either. 
Daddy got some candy, a kite to fly with Cate, and some fun playing cards (Eric loves the fruit faces and I couldn't resist getting him the cards when I saw them). Mommy (sorry, didn't take a picture of my basket), got candy, a cute spring cardigan, and the CD my yoga instructor put out recently. It is wonderfully relaxing music. She chants and sings for the last 15 minutes of each yoga class while we meditate in positions of rest. Amazing!After some yummy pancakes and pictures of us in our Easter best, we headed off to church to really celebrate Easter.
Eric and I are both so thankful for what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago! We are thankful we serve a risen Lord who sets us free and loves us so much! We are blessed by our church and our small group-- both of which keep us growing ever deeper in our faith and are helping Cate to grow too (she currently loves to sing Jesus Loves Me and told us when we picked her up from Kids Club--our church's version of Sunday School-- that she learned about Jesus today). Happy Easter! He is Risen! Alleluia!
~Melody :-)
Friday, April 2, 2010
It's Heeeeeere!
Our swingset has arrived. Now we just have to get it all put together (hopefully so Cate and I can enjoy it while I'm home with her on spring break).
~Melody :-)
~Melody :-)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Carter's Comes to Town
I think Carter's makes some of the most adorable and affordable kids' clothes. Cate pretty much always sleeps in Carter's pajamas. She lived in Carter's sunsuits the last two summers. And yes, this does include their off brands that are sold at Wal-Mart and Target. Here's just a smattering of Cate in some of her Carter's get up.
It used to be pretty easy to avoid dropping loads of money on cute Carter's clothes because other than their off brands at Target and Wal-Mart, the closest place that sold Carter's brand was Macy's at the mall (10 minutes away) and even then, Macy's only sells Carter's brand up to 24 months.
The nearest Carter's store was 10 minutes down the road from where I work and NOT on my way home. Until recently.
Yeah, now there's a Carter's store at the outdoor shopping center that's also about 10 minutes from our house. And I've already done a little shopping there.
This could be dangerous!
~Melody
It used to be pretty easy to avoid dropping loads of money on cute Carter's clothes because other than their off brands at Target and Wal-Mart, the closest place that sold Carter's brand was Macy's at the mall (10 minutes away) and even then, Macy's only sells Carter's brand up to 24 months.The nearest Carter's store was 10 minutes down the road from where I work and NOT on my way home. Until recently.
Yeah, now there's a Carter's store at the outdoor shopping center that's also about 10 minutes from our house. And I've already done a little shopping there.
This could be dangerous!~Melody
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