Meeting Thomas

Post #2 about our busy Memorial Day weekend focuses on one of the main reasons we decided to make the 4 hour trek north on I-71-- Day Out With Thomas. Cate loves Thomas! Really, she just likes trains in general (which explains why the train table for her birthday was such a big hit). So of course we couldn't turn my parents down when they offered to buy Cate a ticket to Day Out With Thomas on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. And of course, Eric and I bought tickets to come along.
Cate was thrilled to get to meet Thomas and go for a ride on him. While we waited for our turn to ride, Cate got a Thomas tattoo...
...played with some train tables...
...was in awe of a model train display that included Thomas...
...and got her picture taken in a cutout of a CVSR engine.
When it was time to ride, the train cars were decorated in Thomas blue and red.
Cate had a great time on the ride. When she wasn't posing for the pictures below, she was making friends with some boys across the aisle.
At the end, she got a junior engineer's certificate.
She loved the whole experience and conked out on Eric's shoulder on the walk back to the car (which NEVER happens). My mom was gracious enough to buy a cute photo album in the gift shop and printed out all of the photos we took in order to create one cute memory book.
In fact, Cate had such a good time, that my mom is hoping to get tickets for her to ride the Polar Express (a ride based off the book by the same name, and yes, you do wear your PJ's on the ride and get served hot chocolate...I've been on it). Unfortunately, I'll be very close to my due date and won't be able to travel to do the ride too (it's in December, around Christmas)-- I guess it will have to be Cate's first weekend away by herself.

Thank you Nanny and Poppy for a great day!
~Melody :-)

A Drive Through the Park

We had a quite a busy Memorial Day Weekend at my parents' house in Hudson. So instead of one, long, rambling, post with too many pictures, I'll cover the weekend in installments throughout this week.

When we arrived Friday evening, I was having a serious craving for some Swensons Potato Teasers (dipped in ranch dressing of course). Swensons is a chain of drive-ins in the Akron area known for their great burgers. And while I wanted a burger too, what I really wanted were the Teasers. They're essentially large cheesy tater tots with jalapeno bits in them. And they are wonderful when dipped in ranch dressing.

So that's how we started Friday night-- with some Swensons. On the way to the Swensons closest to my parents' house is a cute little playground. Being the now-even-awesome-er people that we are because we own a mini-van, we were able to transport Cate's cozy coupe to Hudson for the weekend without a problem (we didn't even have to stow the backseat). We dropped Cate, her cozy coupe, and my mom (Nanny, to Cate) off at the park and then headed to get food. I couldn't resist a few pictures though. Part of the park has this cute little miniature town where kids can ride their bikes, or cars, or scooters around. So Cate started out here.I think there were a few too many kids there for her liking though and she got overwhelmed fast. So she parked her car and took a walk with my sister (Aunt C, to Cate) instead. When Eric, my sister, and I got back from Swensons, Cate and Nanny had moved on to playing on the playground.
Cate did a lot of "hanging." But I did get her to try the balance beam once. We really need to look into some gymnastics classes for her for in the fall (or maybe next spring when she's 3).And from the picture above, you can see why it's no wonder I'm already pretty much wearing maternity clothes all the time at only 10 weeks pregnant. You definitely show faster with your second. I have a theory about this. The short version is that after your first, you're just happy to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes. Forget toning your body and tightening your abs back up....you're just going to have another kid anyway. So it only makes sense you show faster. After this one (which will most likely be it for us, kid-wise, but that's a whole other post), I'll probably put a little more effort into getting back into shape instead of just back into my clothes.

~Melody :-)

Our Big Backyard

By backyard standards, ours really isn't that big. But it is big enough for our peanut and her small swingset. The weather has been downright hot the last few days-- which means extra curls for Cate's hair. So we've been outside going down the slide...
...and taking our shoes off...
...which reveals the cutest little toddler flip-flop tan lines.
In other news-- we had a doctor's appointment last week with the doctor who delivered Cate. I. Love. Her. (Sidenote-- my practice is 7 OB's that you rotate through so you meet them all since you never know who will be in call when you go into labor...but I was excited she was the first one I got to see.) She was so excited that we were having another one. And she reassured me that I would NOT go past my due date this time (caused a few complications for me, not Cate, last time). In fact, she told us I'd be induced on December 20th, if not earlier. I was surprised to hear her say this so early. But at least we know we'll be home with Baby B before Christmas!

Only 9 more days of school and then I get to play stay-at-home-mom for 10 weeks! Who wouldn't want to spend their summer with her?
~Melody :-)

There Was a Little Girl...

...who had a little curl. Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good. But when she was bad, she was horrid.
Gotta love old nursery rhymes! Cate got this curl in the middle of her forehead during some humidity last week.

Cate actually hasn't been too horrid lately. If she misses her afternoon nap (which she fights by lying in bed talking to herself when she is supposed to be asleep), she can be a little difficult by 6pm. But we know it's a phase and won't be like this for long.

I'm trying to post a couple of times a week until school's out. Let's be honest though...I'm tired. Being pregnant and entertaining a two-year-old are wearin' this mommy out. But my first trimester will be over just as school lets out and summer blog posts are just the best. Hang in there with me.

~Melody :-)

Go Cincinnati!

Every year our church does a huge, city-wide day of service. About 7000 people volunteer to complete various projects all over the city. Some clean up trash, some spruce up parks, some plant gardens...the project possibilities are endless. We don't do work for individuals, but rather for community spaces and services that just need a helping hand.

Two years ago, we were just starting out at Crossroads and were a little overwhelmed, so we didn't participate. Last year I was in the beginning stages of all of my digestive issues, so we didn't get to participate either (but we did bring a bunch of Starbucks coffee to our thirsty and chilly small group).

This year we finally got to get in on a project. Our small group plus several other volunteers were assigned the task of weeding, planting, and doing some general sprucing up at Bethany House-- a local organization that serves low-income women trying to break the cycle of poverty.

We worked for a few hours...
...Cate hung around...literally...
...and in the end, it was quite spruced up!
I'd upload more pictures, but Blogspot, iPhoto, and I seem to be in a disagreement of sorts at the moment.

We'll definitely "go" again next year! We love our city more than I ever thought we would and we love that we can give back.

~Melody :-)

Good News Monday!

Four weeks ago, I saw this:
We're due around Christmas and couldn't be more excited! Of course, a new baby brings up a lot of questions for us-- space in our home, finding out the gender, etc. Things I'm sure I'll cover in blog posts in the coming months.

I'm feeling okay. Way more nauseous than I was with Cate, but I've managed to keep it all down so far. :-) And other moms weren't kidding when they said you show faster with your second! My clothes are workin' hard right now and I'm just about ready to bust out some of the early maternity clothes (the ones with elastic waistbands but not the big panels). Thank goodness my amazing seamstress grandmother can work her magic to help me get into a bridesmaid's dress purchased back in the fall for a wedding that's in less than a month. It's a little tight right now, but her alterations should do the trick. :-)

And speaking of kiddos...how cute is this?
It's a backpack I purchased when I hosted a Stop Traffick Fashion trunk show yesterday. It's my friend Emily's awesome company that helps to fight human trafficking. I'll be sporting this bag this summer:
It's made from Asian rice/grain bags. And it's also got a plastic-y coating to it, which means it will be perfect for the beach and the pool. I also got a cute pearl bracelet...now my set is complete-- necklace, earrings, and bracelet. I love pearls!

Happy Monday!

~Melody :-)

BookSneeze Part Deux

Hi there. It's Papa E. I haven't written in a while, but when I learned about Booksneeze, I couldn't resist the prospect of new books and sharing my opinions. So, I decided to check out a copy of Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life by Brian Curtis. I'm a sucker for a good quote, and I liked the wide range of people that this book seemed to draw from.

There are definitely some good bits of wisdom from some very popular thinkers, be it religious in nature, or entirely secular. For Example, Bono (lead singer of U2) is quoted saying, "The world is more malleable than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape." Even Heller Keller seems to tap into a rather Christian theme of humility. She is quoted saying, "I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."

But be forewarned. For a book published by a Christian company, it also contains some secular or pop-culture thinking that could be slightly antithetical to Biblical teaching. While God loves us unconditionally and we can see his great love for us in his sacrifice on the cross, we have been far too deluded in recent generations to think that we can accomplish anything if we work hard enough or put our mind to it. While wealth and status are not necessary precursors to success, only one in many million children will one day be a president. Only one in many million will become a CEO. The message from some quotes almost devalue the menial or "lower" work as if it can't be fulfilling or isn't reaching your full potential.

It's kind of hard to take the advice from a billionaire media mogul like Oprah Winfrey when she says, "The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." She is successful, and I appreciate her story of meager beginnings. But millions of young disadvantaged girls across this country with similar pasts should not feel like failures, or even that their hard work is fruitless, simply because they can't have their own TV show or give away cars to an entire audience.

I think this book is just one among many popular collections of motivational and inspiring quotes. Although it finds some truly inspiring and even biblical themes in some unlikely sources, it fails in it's cohesiveness and message. I would have preferred a few less quotes based on manifest destiny.