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September 2021

Reid is going to pre-school! He is entering the pre-K Monkey class and he is excited about it that is for sure. He is also apprehensive. He’s not been to school since he was 2 in March of 2020. He’s been home the entire time, mostly around adults and not too many kids other than neighbors. He did wonderful at drop-off on day 1. Masks are just optional at NPCA, but we have chosen to have Reid wear one and he does so wonderfully from what I can tell. The first few weeks had several rough drop-offs thereafter, where Reid literally clung to the lamp post and Miss Laura took him in screaming and crying. It was awful. As soon as I would turn into the parking lot he would say “wait a minute, I don’t want to go to school, let’s talk about this”. It was a hard couple of weeks, but he eventually turned the corner and came home saying he loved “everything”. So much transition and newness for this one. It has had me second-guessing whether or not we should have kept him home last year. He is already a younger one emotionally and has just played at home for a year+, so this structure and learning and having to obey a teacher and schedule is all quite new. When I picked him up about three weeks into school his teacher pulled me aside and told me it had been a super rough day with listening and it almost landed him in Miss Kim, the Directors office.  Those words aren’t easy to hear. But he continued to make progress and seems to be in a better place.

He begins after Labor Day, but he had a meet-the-teacher and play in your classroom kind of day. He was so excited to be there and to play with so many toys. It has been since March 2020 since he has been in the church building and this is a new classroom and teacher for him so he loved exploring and especially playing pretend.

September 1, 2021 was moving day for Mom and Dad! Beginning with the packing and loading at 1179 followed by the unloading at 7005, it was a pretty smooth day. Griffin also had his very first soccer game that evening for Olentangy United. It was a fun and busy day.

Throughout September we had lots of soccer activity. You can see some videos at the end of the post. One fun day was when Griffin had a tournament at Darree fields just a minute drive to Mom and Dads. We had an early morning 8 am game and in between we hit up Tim Hortons, went to Mom and Dad’s and chilled for a bit before heading to game #2.

One day after a game, team mate Brady had everyone over to his house for a cookout and pool party. Just Griffin and I went as Reid had a case of the runny nose/sniffles (thanks to being back around all the school germs). Finn had a great time and I enjoyed talking to the other parents. We are loving this team of kids and families. We’re also loving having our families attend games! From Grandma and Grandpa Beilstein who now live close and can come often, to Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong who have made the trip up, and Aunt Amy, Uncle Andy, and the cousins who have made it in between their own crazy busy schedules. Being a soccer mom is fun ;).



 

We’ve even made it to Rowan and Greta’s games 🙂 Here is Rowan with a sweet throw in.

After moving day was complete, I headed to Mansfield to help Mom and Dad clean 1179 and get it ready for the sale. So many wonderful memories of this place I found myself pretty emotional then and again now when looking through the pictures to write the post! But that’s why I take the pictures, right? To capture the things that will jog a memory down the road and that it certainly does.

Griffin is having a great time being back in a real school building and being in-person with friends! He LOVES it and is so thankful to be back. Again, it makes me realize the impact that being home for a year doing distance learning pretty much on his own. While it was a great experience, his teacher was amazing, and he did really well in school I also am aware that people are built for connection and kids need it just as much as adults. His teacher this year, Miss Robinson, is the varsity softball coach at Olentangy Orange High School and she has started a fun pen-pal program between her players and her students at Tyler Run. I think Miss Robinson is going to be a great fit for Griffin given her sports mindedness!

Sadly, Griffin’s cub scout den at Tyler Run only consisted of about 3 kids, so we were given the option to transfer from Pack 248 to Pack 428, which meets the Liberty Presbyterian (The Barn church). Kevin seems to really like it, the den is big (15ish kids) and everything is organized well and seems to be fun. They had a fun fishing event at Liberty Park.

Here are Reid’s first day of school pics at NPCA! As is tradition, the day started with custom pancakes: a R E I D pancake, Reid himself, a baseball, and a school.

I was so fortunate to take the day off and take Reid to school and also pick him up. He had a super-cute “Kissing Hand” piece of art and was in the greatest mood. We went to the park afterward on our way home, also getting custard at Culver’s to celebrate. Then on to Rooster’s for dinner – Reid’s favorite place.

And here are some pics from throughout the month of Reid. We ventured to the zoo, played t-ball, and had lots of fun.



The many expressions of Reid.

I arrived at Griffin’s parent-teacher curriculum night to find a cute note on Griffin’s desk, to which I replied. It was fun to peak around at his room and sit in his place.

Part of Griffin’s enrollment in Olentangy United includes weekly sessions of Futsal at the Fieldhouse at Polaris mall. The kids learn quick ball handling and the last half hour includes working with OSU sports therapists to learn good injury-prevention and stretching skills. Since it is connected to the mall, Reid and I went to the zoo play space (yes, full of germs). This boy had such a great time.

I am amazed to report that both boys had great checkups at the dentist this month – no cavities. I honestly was surprised, as brushing here is a struggle and eating sweets comes easily, of course. Reid did super-great with his first round of xrays.

While at Reid’s the park playing after Reid’s tball games, we spotted a bomber flying through the air. It was “pretty cool”, says Reid.

We’ve started a fun neighborhood tradition of camping each September. This year the Dennie’s hosted in their back yard. Chrissie was able to organize “Bartholomew Lakes Kids Crew” tshirts that we purchased for the kids and then Karla bought tie die stuff so they each were able to customize their shirts. We made s’more’s, had pizza, and played together for hours on end.

Being conveniently next door, I was able to stop in and check on Brutus and give him some lovins from time to time (and potty breaks!).

While Kevin was out of town for a few days on a golf trip with friends in Michigan, the boys and I hung out with the Bolans and went to Bridge Park one evening. We played duck pin bowling, had a fun “kids drink”, and then were able to watch the OSU practice band march through Bridge Park and play some tunes to get everyone pumped for the home game the following day.

 

 

We also celebrated Brutus’ 5th birthday! This boy loves to be around his people, his daily walks and routine. He knows the 4 o’clock hour like none other – and will gently begin to remind you the time is coming starting around 3:15 pm with little pokes and nudges and following you everywhere.

Here are a few of the Millcreek Open House, which we resumed this year. We hosted everyone in our “new” (built in 2019) shipping facility having a couple of educational seminars, a catered BBQ lunch, and tours of our facility. It was well attended and I heard numerous times how everyone was so thankful to be in-person again.

Lilly and Reidy came to visit me! And Reid helped Luis load flats into the flat filler potting machine during our drive-around.

August 2021

Summer fun continues with a lot of outdoor time, including a fun trip to Zoombeezi Bay with our neighbhorhood crew. We rented a cabana which turned out to be a great landing place for all of us. Lots of trips to the neighbors pool, a trip with the cousins to their Dublin pool, and Lilly took the boys to the Powell Pools with neighbors during the week while I was working. These kids are living their best life.

Griffin is playing on a club soccer team, Olentangy United, and they had a “team” game opportunity to purchase tickets through the club to attend a Crew game. So we headed to our second game at Lower.com field for another awesome game night.

We went to the zoo with our neighbors, the Bolans, and friends the Lade’s. The kiddos had a great time as this visit was focused mostly on the rides in Jungle Jack’s Landing. It really is a fun place to go for a mini-amusement park kind of day.

During our vacation this year, while doing laundry, it made me realize how truly terrible our washer is. Particularly at spinning and drying the clothes at the end of the cycle. I often have to dry clothes in the dryer for more than an hour a load. So we made the decision to replace our washer and dryer and get the same stackable that Amy and Andy purchased and seem to love. So Kevin took down the cabinets and primed and painted the walls to get it ready for a taller unit.

Here’s a little mix of August from years past along with current shenanigans. We were able to go to Griffin’s school for an Open House and to meet his teacher. He was super excited to be back in the building.

On Griffin’s first day of school, he woke up early and went on my morning walk with Brutus and me. He was pretty pumped! The morning continued with our tradition of custom pancakes, this year a school, a bus, a thumbs up, and a tiger paw. Followed by tons of first day pictures, getting on and off the bus, and such.

In preparation for Mom and Dad’s official move to Dublin, Kevin and I readied their garage with sanding, primer, and paint. It was quite the transformation from builder basic mud and drywall to a nice neutral greyge. The boys loved being there, as it meant they got to watch shows the entire time, lol. A win-win for everyone.

More summer fun and pictures of the front planting getting bigger and bigger.

We ventured to the Bethune’s for Rowan’s double-digit bday #10!

Reid will be going to pre-school in-person this fall. He begins after Labor Day, but I attended the parent orientation night and checked out his room and cubby!

 

Lots of transformations happening at 1179 Pearce Drive as more and more makes its way to Dublin! Rooms are emptying out and the walls are too! I went up to help Mom and Dad with some outdoor work, finishing putting down some soil where plants were dug and then adding soil and seed to the side lawn area. It was hot! Lots of special memories a this place – up until the very end! Then I returned with a carload of artwork that I unloaded into their new home. That was a fragile ride!

Mom and Dad said goodbye to their last MG TD, which Andy helped facilitate the sale of via Bring a Trailer online. The timing of the sale and pickup of the car seemed to work perfectly with the moving date too. And I wanted to include this fun picture of Mom and Dad with their friends, out having dinner and enjoying the company of friends. They have so many great friendships they have cultivated for years!

Reid is enrolled in T-ball for the first time this year! It is pretty much what you would think it is with a bunch of kids age 4ish. Somewhat organized chaos and constant distraction and re-focusing. But entertaining to watch nonetheless.

We visited the “Bogey Backyard”, the outdoor space at the Bogey in Dublin and the kids had a blast. Essentially the adults hang out and eat dinner and the kids can play soccer, cornhole, all kinds of things at the outdoor playspace near the eating patio area. It’s a nice combo and ever since Griffin has asked when we can go back. We had our neighborhood block party this year with Kona Ice and a Jamaican food truck. It was delicious and fun.

 

June 2021

We are in June and full-on-summer-mode full of family fun, pool days, sports, sports camps, attending sports events, Father’s Day, Dad’s birthday, helping Mom and Dad pack up and get some things from Mansfield to Dublin, and so on. Another full and fun month.

Driveway lego and pool days. We love the summer days spent down the street at Jane and Bryan’s pool with friends. We have so much fun with swim lessons and then just pool fun afterwards or on separate days.

I signed the boys up for Locker Soccer summer camp this year – both during the same week, Reid’s for a half day and Griffin’s for a longer time into the afternoon. This is Reid’s first time in an organized camp and his first instructional group outing (like school) since March of 2020. He definitely had fun, but he has lots to learn in regards to sharing, taking turns, and listening. Ugh, it was rather hard to watch him struggle so much in the first few hours and day or two. Many moments of sadness, sitting by himself, not listening to his teachers, and so on. But eventually he turned a corner and participated and listened much better. Being on his own, not really having played with friends his age or having been in group settings for such a prolonged time has certainly had an impact on him.

The following week Griffin attended the Barca Academy soccer camp at Liberty Park in Powell. Kevin and I were both really impressed with how well-run this camp was. From daily check in, starting with a song and national anthem of Spain, organized team groups and two instructors per group. Each group was on the same schedule taking break at the same time, etc. This was our first experience with an all-day camp (9a-3p) and I was a bit nervous leaving him in a public park with strangers! But he absolutely loved it and had a blast every day.

Kevin, Jim, and Griffin were able to go to the last game at historic Crew Stadium. This was special to Kevin, as he has attended each opening game (at Crew Stadium and the first game of the Crew in 1996 at the Horseshoe) and he wanted to attend the final game at Crew Stadium too. The boys had perfect weather and enjoyed a great game. The Crew won in front of a sell out crowd 2-0 versus the Chicago Fire.

It was an evening game, so Reid and I stayed home and had a relaxing night at home complete with a fun bath and movie snuggles in bed.

For Father’s Day, we gifted Kevin tickets to the Columbus Clippers. In celebration of Father’s Day, they allowed field access to run the bases and toss the ball around on the field with your family.  What a fun time! Sports for Griffin, snacks for Reid – ha!

After the game we walked through Kevin’s Base22 office, which is on Nationwide across from the Arena. The boys thought it was pretty neat and it was my first time inside too. Then we headed for a burger at R Bar.

Sean, Max, and Charlotte came to Ohio for a weeklong plus visit and came to Powell a couple of times. We were able to enjoy an outdoor concert in downtown Powell on Village Green. The kids absolutely loved playing together and seeing each other again – it’s been a couple years!

 

Millcreeks end of Spring Celebration was a family event this year held at the Columbus Zoo and Zoombeezi Bay. We had a fun family day walking a bit around the zoo but mostly spending time in the water at the Bay!

In early June we headed to Mansfield to rent a U-Haul in order to move down a few key components from Mom and Dad’s house to their new home in Dublin. Things like the kitchen table and chairs, their bed frame, the dining room china cabinet and buffet, and so on. We packed up the rental pretty full, secured everything down, and headed to Dublin. We are becoming excellent packers, lol. We all drove separately, Kevin in the rental, me in the van with the kids, Mom and Dad in their cars. By the time I stopped home to feed Brutus and let him out and then got over to Dublin they had the van all unloaded thanks to help from Andy and Rowan. Whew – way faster to unload than load that’s for sure! Everything is fitting really nicely in their new space.  From the time Mom and Dad secured their new home, Dad said he wanted to close and have possession in order to celebrate his birthday there – and that is exactly how it played out! We got City BBQ carryout and enjoyed our first family dinner there to celebrate Dad’s birthday.

This year on Nathan’s birthday, we visited the cemetery with flowers I’d cut from our gardens. We cleaned up Nathan’s headstone and prayed for our family. Reid had some questions as each year he has more of an understanding of who Nathan is and of course this year questions about where he is. It’s always an emotional visit.

This picture I snapped of the sunrise a bit before 6 am from our back patio. The colors were beautiful! I seem to be in a normal routine of waking up about 5:40 every morning, without an alarm clock. So Brutus and I head downstairs for coffee and breakfast together. We’ve been doing some yard clean-up, including trimming trees in the back. We’re hopeful that this will be the year we are able to put in a new patio and revamp our back yard.

I’ve planted a handful of annuals out front: angelonia, lantana, salvia, verbena, and new guinea impatiens to spruce up the front and add some constant color.  Looking forward to these things getting big!

 

1179 Pearce Drive is beginning to look much different with things moved out and what is left having been rearranged. I headed up to Mansfield for a trip to dig up plants for Millcreek – some ginger and mini-polygonatum. We got many many crates which I drove down to Millcreek and loaded on to a rack. It was hot and we were sweaty but it was fun!

Reidy is usually my morning buddy, joining me on the patio this morning for coffee and cuddles. He also likes to help Kevin mow the lawn.

We’re excited for Griffin to have the opportunity to play on the Olentangy United Football Club soccer team this upcoming year. He will play on the U9 Blue Team with practices and most games in Lewis Center and Powell areas. Griffin is pretty excited!

And here are a few to wrap up June.  Matching PJ’s, a visit from Haya and baby Summer, and a celebration for Chris Howard’s 50th birthday complete with a really cool cake!

 

Reidy got a splinter in his foot (from our kitchen floor, ugh!) and he was really upset! It was a challenge to get out, but we got it!

 

And here are some fun videos.