Tag Archives: video

March 1-16, 2019

These goofballs! This is sometimes how we leave swim lessons, still in goggles (and Reid isn’t even taking lessons right now but he walks around for a half hour with them on anyhow). Reid left his on through dinner at Raisin’ Canes too.

Get ready for picture overload. Between everyday happenings, my birthday, Griffin’s birthday, his birthday party at Star Lanes and our progressive dinner with neighbors, there’s a crazy number of photos it seems.

Haya has snapped some pics of Reid that capture his personality pretty well. Mac and cheese for the win on this day for lunch. Reid is so particular. He won’t eat plain pasta noodles or lasagne/johnny marzetti/spaghetti noodles, but he will eat mac and cheese (sometimes, not all the times but when we likes it he goes for about 3 servings!). He also can’t stand to have you brush his teeth. Seems he’s a control freak (like his mama) and just wants to do it on his terms and on his time, but this particular night he was happily brushing along for awhile so I snapped a pic.

He likes to be just like the big kids when outside. It’s pretty cute to watch him try to use the big hockey stick! He’s definitely a spirited one.

This picture of Lily showed up in my Facebook feed, of her 10 years ago at the back door of my old house. Crazy that it has been a decade since she was a pup. I can still remember her feisty growl when I’d try to lead her in a certain direction on a leash to go potty. Brutus continues to be a big baby who lets you know when he really wants something. In the photo below in Griffin’s room, I was laying on Finn’s bed during bedtime routine and Brutus just kept coming over trying to get me to put him out. He doesn’t really NEED to go out, he just WANTS to go out. He begs by laying his arms and face across me all the time to tell me he wants something. Silly big baby.

Now that our new windows are in and the trim is up, Kevin hung Griffin’s stained glass back up and we put Reid’s up for the first time in his room too. Everything is coming back together! Now, to just get the window trim painted……

This picture captures a few things: Reid sharing and Griffin with his pouty face that pops up when things aren’t going his way, lol. We’ve had a lot of fun, super-bubbly baths late that the kids really enjoy. They just splash, giggle, and generally have a good time. It’s a good way to end the day.

My birthday was on a Saturday this year, so to my surprise when I walked downstairs on Thursday, Haya had arrived with flowers, chocolates, and a balloon for my birthday (she doesn’t work Friday’s with us). It was a sweet way to start the day 🙂 On Friday, the Bethune’s, Mom, and Dad came to celebrate birthdays for Mom, Amy, and me. We had a cookout for dinner (we’re pretending it’s nice spring weather) followed by cake (a delicious one made from scratch my Mom) and multiple ice cream options. Dad took the pictures below of each of the kids.

On my birthday morning I wasn’t allowed to go downstairs until Griffin awoke. He slept in pretty late! Once Kevin and the boys were downstairs I was called down and walked in to the kitchen to find them standing in front of a new bike for me! I was super surprised! Even though I’ve mentioned for awhile that we haven’t gotten to take family bike rides I hadn’t ever thought of receiving a bike as a gift! So, now I’m looking forward to getting some much needed exercise. We just need to figure out a solution for Reid! And I love my card made by Griffin, complete with my age!

Later that afternoon we went on a brief family hike at Highbanks. The day kind of got away from me (I started with a 9 am interview for a girl as a solution to our need for a Friday caregiver) and Kevin had reserved dinner for us at Cap City at 4:45 pm, which seemed early but turned out to be a great time! We all had a lot of fun walking and exploring. I’ve resolved to do more of this and less of the chores I seem to get wrapped up in. I find it hard to balance working full time (or more) and then fitting in the household chores of laundry, cleaning, vacumming, etc., along with just open time to play with the kids. I’m usually more included to get the “chores” done than just have fun and play. Hoping to change that!

We stopped at Nocterra, a new brewery in Powell, on our way home from Cap City and met up with Chad and Nicole for a drink. It is a fun, kid-friendly place about 5 minutes from our house! They have a chalk wall, kids games, and it’s a fun atmosphere for all. We plan to head back there soon. When we arrived home, Kevin and Griffin decorated my traditional Bunny Cake 🙂

On Sunday we had Griffin’s 6th birthday party at Star Lanes after church. We had a few neighbors, a couple classmates, his cousins this year and Grandma and Grandpa Beilstein. The kiddos got to bowl for a game, then play in the arcade. There was food for everyone during the bowling and cake before the arcade. Everyone was sugared up.

On Monday night we headed to the Mumford and Sons concert with Chad and Nicole. It was a last minute thing, they had 2 extra tickets, so we decided to go for it. We had apps and drinks at Barley’s first and then headed to the show. It was a fun night!

I drive west and north in the mornings, so I don’t get to watch the sunrise other than in my side and rear view mirrors, but this particular morning it was such a colorful sunrise I snapped a pic in the mirror.

We hosted our annual Spring Seminar at Millcreek on Thursday, March 14th. We had 45+ attendees and a good time was had by all.

And here are a few randoms – the pups enjoying some warmer weather (finally!), Griffin with his new nerf gun from Haya.

Griffin’s birthday was on a Saturday also. This kid, he didn’t ask at all about gifts the entire day! I can’t even recall at this point what we did all day long, but we didn’t get around to doing gifts until 6 pm, just before heading over to Bernie and Alex’s house for the start of our progressive dinner. Griffin was so excited when he opened his Dog Man book, all of the Paw Patrol Beanie Boo’s (he now has them all), and the Hot Wheels Osmo Game for the new iPad. He also thought it was pretty cool to be able to play with his friends all night long and that we ended the night with the dessert piece at our house, complete with a cake a singing him happy birthday. Our theme this time was Mexican, so Griffin and Kevin went to the mexican grocery store and amongst mexican desserts, also picked out a Pinata for the kids to smash at the end of the night.

February 14-28, 2019

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We had our first ever kid-free vacation! Kevin was in San Francisco for the week for work, speaking at the IBM Think! Conference. He flew out super early Monday morning and I flew out on Thursday (Valentine’s Day) to join him for a long weekend sans the kids. Jim and Pat were gracious to watch the boys for us for those five (!) days. We are really grateful and the boys had a fun time with Grandma and Grandpa!

This was the first time I’d flown alone is a super long time. I had a short flight to St. Louis, a short layover there before heading on to San Francisco. Southwest served free drinks for Valentine’s Day so I enjoyed a mimosa while I chatted with my seatmate, a lovely lady who was traveling to San Francisco with her husband for a conference (not the one Kevin was at though, lol). She lived in Nashville and this was the first time they’d left their kids in about 5 years so we had some things in common to chat about. It was an easy flight, thank goodness! Once I landed I took an Uber to the swanky Stanford Court Hotel in the Nob Hill area of downtown San Francisco where Kevin greeted me in the lobby. We exchanged valentine’s gifts (the heart bracelet, below and super good cookies 🙂 I think I received the nicer gift) and then we headed out to meet up with two of Kevin’s coworkers and friends. We spent the next Friday and part of Saturday doing all the tourist things exploring San Francisco. We had a delicious breakfast at Taylor Street Tavern and then walked all the way out to the Ferry Building, stopping to browse here and there along the way. We rode the metro electric street cars up to Pier 39 and enjoyed drinks and appetizers while taking in the view of Alcatraz and the bay. We walked by the seals (oh my, I forgot how t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e they smell!) on our way to Ghiradelli Square. We stopped at the San Francisco Brewing Company and then onward via cable car back to our hotel.

Before we headed out of town towards Healdsburg, we drove down Lombard Street. It’s not nearly as pretty in February as it is in the summer when all the plants are flowering! It was a cloudy and from time to time rainy drive up to Healdsburg, a fun little town in Sonoma County. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on our way. Once we arrived, we parked and just wondered around the downtown area where there are restaurants, bars, tasting rooms, and shops. We had a fun afternoon going from one place to the next.

Sunday morning we ventured to a few wineries for tastings. Our first stop: Mill Creek Winery, a cute little family run winery with a small tasting room. Yvonne was great at explaining all of the wines as she poured each sample. We really enjoyed our visit there and left with a few bottles and a wine club membership, ha!

Our next stop was Geyser Peak Winery. We had another great experience there with a bubbly lady who really loved talking about each wine and the various “notes” they have.

Our quick trip came to an end and when we arrived at the airport and got to our gate, Kevin was A1 for boarding on both legs of our flights home. What are the chances, lol? So I captured his picture which he didn’t love, but Finn enjoyed the photo as we were at gate 28, his bus number.

Grandma and Grandpa sent us this picture of the boys at bath time having so much fun! Our flight back was delayed a few hours departing St. Louis so we arrived home at 1 am, rather than 9 pm. We were super happy when we got back and I couldn’t wait to check on the kids.

The rest of the month just seemed to fly by. I’ve been trying to take pictures that capture the boys personalities, rather than always taking posed pictures. And I’ve posted some videos too that aren’t really anything fancy to watch, just everyday things I want to remember! I wish I could figure out why and how Reid ever learned to have such crazy table manners. I often sit him in his high chair while I make dinner. The result is that he stays put while I’m making dinner, but as soon as we sit down to eat he’s ready to get up! And he just says “done” and “down” over and over, pushes his plate away (or dumps it) and often launches his silverware across the counter or room. No joke. It is entirely frustrating and doesn’t seem to be getting any better. But, I guess that’s what life is like at less than two years old?

Sir Reid is also quite the climber. He’s climbed out of his crib a few times with me in the room (my back was turned so I didn’t even know he was doing it until I heard chuckling) and once with a sitter! We’ve gotten the door covers that go over the knobs (as he can also open the round door knobs and escape from any room) but he’s already figured out how to get them off the door. This boy is gonna be trouble.

The boys have been enjoying outside play time with Cole, Cooper, and Abbie lately. One day I arrived home to a front yard game of football with Griffin, Georgia, Ella, and Abbie.

After church on Sunday, Griffin and I went on a lunch date (we’d gone to church solo) to First Watch. He tore in to his plate of chocolate chip pancakes and we had a nice time together. Daddy and Reid were home napping and catching up on sleep. Reid continues to explore in the pantry and currently loves to stack coffee k-cups. Griffin completed his blue sight word book and received his certificate that included free custard at Culvers. Great job, Finn!

Millcreek is getting busier with production as we prepare for the spring shipping season. On one of my ventures out of the office this week I snapped some pictures of plug trays that are about ready to be transplanted. It’s like walking through a green tropical rain forest in the conservatory this time of year.

While we were in San Francisco both Lily and Brutus vomited a time or two. Lily seemed to also really be struggling with her walking, so I made an appointment and Kevin took her in to get looked at. Dr. Mansfield says it is just arthritis, even though it seems her back left leg is the most hobbly. She ran a full CBC of bloodwork, the results of which showed increased levels of the pancreas enzyme as well as a liver enzyme. That along with her decreased appetite, Dr. Mansfield recommended an ultrasound of her abdomen to look at the liver and pancreas. On Thursday the traveling vet from OSU performed the ultrasound and Dr. Mansfield called me with the results. They saw some “very concerning” changes in the thickness and lining of Lily’s stomach. She mentioned the “very concerning” at least three times. It is likely one of two things: severe gastritis (ulceration and irritation of the stomach) or stomach cancer. The only way to know for sure is to do a biopsy, either by endoscopy or surgical procedure. Given Lily’s current health status with her struggling to get around well, lack of appetite, she’s lost 7 or 8 pounds, and he vomiting I wasn’t sure a big medical procedure was the best thing for now. So we’re treating it as severe gastritis and she’s on a myriad of medications (12 pills a day) for the next couple of weeks to see if her appetite improves and she maintains her weight. The also ran a full set of x-rays, which revealed that her arthritis is “significantly” worse than it was just 2 years ago. My sweet Lily girl, I was heartbroken when Dr. Mansfield listed the possibilities of what’s wrong with her. She’s had a tough adult life – tooth extractions, torn ccl surgery, terrible arthritis. It seems Reid was able to tell she’s not feeling well as he’s been all about Lily (yih yee) lately. He sits right up next to her, hugs her, lays next to her and she just takes it all in. o

February 1-13, 2019

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Here I am at the end of March, trying to find time to post about life back in early February! I guess that’s what pictures are good for, eh? Stirring up the memories. We had gotten a good amount of snow and school was cancelled on the day of bookfair setup at Tyler Run. I was off that day from Millcreek and Jim and Pat had stayed the night previous so thankfully I was able to leave Reid at home with them while Griffin and I headed in to school to do some setup. As always, he was a great helper setting up the room. We also enjoyed some warmer weather where Griffin and Cole were coloring on the driveway in the sunshine 🙂 Early February started out with our window replacement for the whole house – but I’m going to make that a separate post!

This one. He is so, so curious and observant. So stubborn and independent. And a risk taker. He’s cute and sassy. He looks at you with a smile when he knows he’s doing something he shouldn’t, and then he gives a little shriek or giggle of joy.

Our childcare situation has been challenging since the first of the year. We have signed up with College Nannies and Tutors for now to get help finding someone. We interviewed a girl who was to start on Monday of this week, and on Sunday night at 10 pm I got a call that she wasn’t going to be able to be here. He car was repossessed (despite her having called me herself at 7 pm to say she was excited to begin the next day, I guess this happened after that). I was scheduled to be off Monday and Tuesday anyhow to be home and get her started, so I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and just enjoy the day. I took the boys to the zoo and they had a great time exploring. Reid jumped in all the puddles and came home soaked (after a huge 5 minute fit, where he wouldn’t let me buckle him into his seat in the car – joy!). Griffin loved running all around and expending his energy. When we arrived home, the window guys were popping his window frame out of his room on the outside and we were able to watch it all happen from the stop sign (but you’ll have to read the window post for that).

I signed up with my friend Claire to help chair the PTO Book Fair, which is a week each February at the school. I was able to see Griffin with his class, making their Gingerbread houses in the the main hallway one morning so that was a sweet surprise. He continues to do well at school and is mastering his sight words. I must say, I’m not very good at the nightly review (or even a couple times a week review). Seems by the time I get home from work and we do dinner, it’s then time for bed and it’s totally slipped my mind. But this kid gets them down in a short bit of time – thankfully!

Here are some scenes from the bookfair. This years theme was dinosaurs. A mom from the school makes all of the decorations and she does a great job! I didn’t get one of the hallway, which was really neat.

Before I left for San Francisco I left work early and attended Griffin’s Kindergarten Valentine concert one afternoon. The kids sang various songs and demonstrated how they use their voices when playing different games. It was really cute. Then, to my surprise, they called three kids up to read why they love someone – and one of them was Griffin! It’s in the video below. Afterwards we went to Graeter’s with the Dennie’s and then I got in a quick run to the store before I went home.

We were able to find a different nanny within a day or two and she began with us later that week. Her name is Haya and so far things are going well. She is working 4 days a week and a girl from church is working one day a week (all to avoid overtime which is outrageous!).

One Friday night Cole was over and he and Griffin were playing together. At one point they were painting, they also wrote some comics, and then they were playing in the basement. All of a sudden around 5 pm I hear screaming and crying and the kids run up the stairs as I was running to the basement and Griffin’s mouth is covered in blood. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, I figured he’d banged his mouth and lost a tooth – but after some looking around and cleaning out his mouth it turns out he poked the roof of his mouth (thankfully the hard palate) with a green building stick – when he landed on the floor after jumping off the 4th step. He was crying terribly and bleeding a lot but luckily the bleeding stopped fairly soon. It could have been so much worse…..and he now understands not to put things in his mouth, nor jump off the stairs!

I took Brutus to the vet for his regular shots and to get more medicine for his allergies. We’ve been doing daily pills rather than shots for now and since his vet is out of town for the next month we’re gonna stick with that. He was a really good boy this time – eventhough he gets very unsure and nervous there – no muzzle this time and not a bark or growl the whole time. Progress!

I was leaving for San Francisco the next day so on this night we had a silly time at bedtime. We were being all goofy and giggly and it was a lot of fun. Griffin took the picture of Reid and me 🙂 The next morning was Valentine’s Day, the day I was leaving, so I had the kitchen all setup for when the boys woke up. Thankfully they each woke up before I headed out so I got some good snuggles. Haya brought cookies for them to bake and decorate and by the time I landed in San Francisco I had a video and some pictures from here. They were having a good time 🙂

We’ve gone around about what kind of stained glass Dad could make to have in Reid’s room, and we finally chose a cute fox. Dad whipped that thing up in no time and we were super excited to see it! We’re waiting to put it up until the new windows are done – but it is the perfect fox and the colors are great! Thanks Dad!

Kevin needed some new profile pics for work purposes so at out monthly dinner (this time lunch) with the Bethune’s Amy took Kevin’s photos. They turned out super great.