New York

2009 (Grigsby) Sisters Weekend: Late nights. Great food. Fashionable shopping. Movies. Working out together. Thai food. Laughter. Tears. Completely refreshing. We had a terrific weekend, but really--that should come as no surprise! I love hanging out with my sisters. It's such a gift to be yourself with people who know you and love you no matter what.

Marcey and I walking through her neighborhood. (Laura was taking the photo) Yes, we do have the same coat. But no, our purses are not the same.

This picture was taken at "The Chocolate Room". If you know me, you know that eating dessert there had to be one of the highlights of the weekend for me (culinarily speaking). Can you tell we're sisters?

Don't you love Marcey's green umbrella? I do. On this rainy day the three of us took in a movie and some shopping.

And who can go to NY without mentioning the subway? Here we are on our way home from Manhattan. Plus, I am proud to say that I navigated my way from JFK airport in Queens all the way to Marcey's neighbohood in Brooklyn on Thursday night with no traveling companions. Okay, I had Marcey's directions. But still.

Hocking Hills

We spent a terrific weekend in Hocking Hills, OH with some good friends recently and had a really wonderful time hiking under a magnificent canopy of fall colors. Our first family hiking trip was a success and Corinne especially loved the waterfalls. It was refreshing to be out in the crisp autumn air taking in the gorgeous rock formations, caves and natural beauty of the Hocking Hills region and state park. Our cabins were extremely simple--no frills--but believe it or not came equipped with a kitchen, (very small) TV, and gas fireplace (which Corinne loved). Don't "ooh" or "ahh" just yet, it wasn't nearly as glamourous as it sounds! But it afforded us a great weekend to relax, hike, and hang out with friends--and for that we are thankful. We (of course) had a bonfire with s'mores to top it off. It was a good feeling to be completely unplugged from the world and to get away from it all for a few days. Oh, and I almost forgot: we also "attended" a wedding ceremony on our hike at Cedar Falls, one of the landmarks we visited! Hilarious!

Pumpkins

I have looked forward to posting these pictures all week! Partly because I think they turned out so well, but partly because we have been without our computer since Monday morning--long story. Suffice it to say that Brett and I have both been very sick, at different times, and our computer came down with some MAJOR viruses as well. Ugh. It's been a long week for many, many reasons. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!

Anyway, we enjoyed a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the pumpkin patch with some good friends over the weekend! We took a hayride to the pumpkin fields and hand picked our own pumpkins, believe it or not. It was fantastic! We will definitely go there again, and would highly recommend this particular pumpkin farm to everyone. Well worth the drive! Little C had a blast, as did we, and we topped off the afternoon with a delicious apple fritter. Did I mention there were sheep, llamas, bunnies, and many other farm animals, too? You could even feed them!

Salmon P. Chase College of Law

The 2009 "Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award" has been given to none other than Brett Schatz!

Congratulations, Brett. I am so proud of you! I wish I could have been well enough to see you receive your award today. No doubt it was a special moment. You are so deserving! But what makes me even prouder is that for as outstanding a lawyer as you are, you are an even more outstanding husband and father. I don't know how you do it all so well, but the Lord has blessed you immensely. Well done!

Sweet.

Little C was born 21 months ago today. But truth be told, I have stopped giving her age in months when people ask. Instead I've made the transition to, "She'll be two in December". Whoa! That means it's close, huh? Corinne is up to SO much these days. I'm sure I'll forget many highlights...but here are some favorites:

She says, "I see you" when she's looking at us through a hole, crack, door, or anything else. "Here you go" is another phrase she'll use from time to time. She also regularly announces what she is doing, or is about to do. Example: I run, I walk. She will give you "the rock" if you're lucky and she will also talk (just a bit) on the phone. (Mostly she just likes to say "bye-bye" to announce the end of the phone conversation.) Recently Corinne began answering with "nope" instead of plain old "no". I'm really not sure where she got that! Another funny thing is that she now pauses with an "ummm" before she answers our questions--as if she's thinking it over. It really is so fun to listen to her little personality! C. puts her babies down for naps all the time, has tea parties with us, and loves to play and sing "ring around the rosey". She regularly enlists as many people as she can for that one:) Hide-and-Go-Seek is a daily activity. Books are still a favorite way to have fun. And just lately she is all about Halloween. It started when she began seeing pumpkins on people's porches and I told her they are for Halloween. Now whenever she sees one she will quickly blurt out "Halloween". (But we're still not sure what she'll be for the big night.)

I can't wait for Thanksgiving when my sisters will be home and they can get re-acquainted with Corinne.

Taking in the Sights

Over the weekend we hit one of our favorite spots in Cincinnati, Twin Lakes in Eden Park. We took in the great view and watched more ducks than you would ever care to be around. Plus we saw about five wedding parties taking photos--that must mean it's picturesque.

Reading Material

If you're looking for some good reading material, how about "Does a Pig Flush?". Corinne sure likes this book. She spent about 10 minutes sitting on the couch engrossed in the topic of poop. And, yes, those fingernails are painted.

Walk for Life

Corinne and I joined my mom this morning in participating in Cincinnati's Walk for Life. The goal was to support and raise money for area Pregnancy Care Centers. It was a beautiful morning for it, and we enjoyed seeing old friends from ECC. Corinne enjoyed most of the walk from her stroller, but finished it up by doing some walking of her own--one of her favorite activities (next to running, that is)! Afterward there was a catered lunch, but Little C's favorite part was the lemonade and climbing on the benches. Oh, and there were LOTS of dogs there to pet, as well! Another highlight for Corinne. But somehow we did not get the memo to wear red....

What's Old is New Again

Our 3rd floor works out wonderfully as Corinne's official "playroom"--though that's not to say she doesn't have toys placed strategically all around our house! Besides her current "developmentally appropriate" toys, her baby toys are also housed "up, up" (C's affectionate name for the 3rd floor playroom). But what is so funny to me is that she actually gets more enjoyment out of them now than she ever did as a baby. And at least in the case of the bumbo, she fits in the seat WAY better than she did before. When she sat in it as a baby her fat legs would get stuck on her way out and the bumbo would end up coming with her! But now it's truly a functional seat for Miss Corinne. Funny how everything comes back around. At least we're sure that we've gotten our money's worth out of all these fun contraptions and toys:)

Shoes

It doesn't matter what kind or whose--Corinne likes to walk around in our shoes. Dressy. Casual. Brett's. Mine. It makes no difference to her! She is turning out like Aunt Laura and Mimi--loving shoes!