Sunday Funday|An Afternoon in the City

I am not the most spontaneous person. Neither is my husband. I don't know if it's because we're both Virgos or if we're just set in our ways. So, I was pretty proud of us for deciding to pack up the kiddo and head downtown for the day. We were all dressed, ready out the door in an hour! Shouldn't Sunday afternoons be about finding a little adventure?   We hadn't been to the Observation Deck at Carew Tower in years but it was a perfect afternoon to introduce Rowan to a picture perfect view.   

Why does my sweet baby boy look like such a big kid these days?! Gah! It's all flying by too fast! 

We stumbled upon a climate change rally! These were my two favorite signs. After spending time on Fountain Square we hopped on the streetcar to head to Findlay Market. We've been on it a handful of times and just realized that Nick Lachey voices the stops. That is so Cincinnati!  

 

We had a quick and delicious lunch, listened to some street performers and bought some goodies before heading home. Sunday, fun day, indeed! 

Butterfly Show {family fun}

The annual Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory is a harbinger of summer and one the entire city looks forward to seeing every year. The last time we went, Rowan was too little to enjoy it. so this year it was so much fun to watch him take it all in! 

"Butterfly" is a new-ish word for him so to hear him say it with so much joy as he pointed with delight at all of the gorgeous butterflies landing around us made this year's trip extra special.  And, can we talk about how wonderful it smells! Butterflies are attracted to the scent of jasmine. Krohn passes out these little scratch and sniff cards that release the scent to encourage the butterflies to interact with you. I'm not sure if there's a heaven, but if it exists, I hope it smells just like this! 

 

sunflower festival {local love}

there was a crispness in the air on sunday morning. we packed up the kiddo and headed to gorman heritage farm for the annual sunflower festival! 

i love that his gorgeous farm is only 15 minutes from our house and in a regular(and very old)cincinnati neighborhood! we had a great morning exploring the land, wandering through the gardens, chasing chickens and making our way through the sunflower maze!

we got there when it opened at 10 and by the time the crowds and the sun hit at noon we were ready to head home for a family nap.

a day in indy{family adventures}

on my birthday we took a little drive to indianapolis. i've been to the children's museum there years ago with my other kids but this was the first time for rowan. he loved it! we could have spent the whole day in the dinosaur exhibit and playing with the trains and he would have been 100% satisfied!

i've only started going through the 400 pictures i took that day so i put together this little video of some of the highlights.

family{opening day}

opening day in cincinnati is an unofficial holiday. people take off work. parents call their kids in sick to school. some schools will bring classes down for a field trip. it's a day that blankets the city in a sea of red and gives everyone the warm fuzzies.

we headed downtown monday to be a part of the festivities. 

rowan lasted longer than we thought he would but we were all a bit ready to escape the crowds. so we followed up the parade with tacos and a few adult beverages!

we're looking forward to more of this-warm days, dining outside and of course, baseball!! 

  

family{kiddos and a carousel}

Holy crap! I can't believe February flew by and I went MIA. There were some life things that were thrown at me last month that took some time and most of my energy to sort through. But, I'm happy to be feeling well enough to write up a quick post!

Last saturday we headed down to the riverfront for the Kids Kuisine event, a fundraiser for the YMCA, at Smale Park. It was nice to go to a food event where we didn't need to worry about our little one behaving, well. like a toddler. The event featured food stations, interactive demos for little (would be)chefs and a ride on the Smale Park Carousel!

Ro definitely enjoyed the banana smoothies!

A Cincinnati favorite, Holtmann's Donuts, was there.

A fun cooking demo with little foodies.

The one thing that we found a little curious was that for an event geared towards kids the options for anything not sugar or carb based were practically nonexistent. We really try to limit Rowan's processed sugar intake. I know that kids can be picky eaters but this would have been the perfect setting to try to introduce them to some new things in a fun way. Overall, we had a good time!

Someone is waiting patiently for his turn on the carousel.

It was a little chilly but a beautiful day so we took a little stroll along the Ohio River. This is one of his favorite toys. In the last few weeks he's insisted on taking it with us every where we go. It's a little bulky so if anyone has any suggestions for something that is similar but slightly smaller-and not as noisy!- I would appreciate it.

new year birthday boy

we celebrated christmas on dec 24 because my husband had to work on christmas day. this ended up being a blessing because rowan was hit with a virus-high temp and vomitting on christmas. it lasted several days and of course once he started to feel better i got hit hard. note to self stop rescheduling my flu shot!! 

i have been in pajamas and feeling like crud since christmas and today is the first i've been dressed and left the house for almost two weeks! 

it is also my son's birthday! zach is 19 which blows my freakin' mind!!! the fam headed out to treat him to birthday lunch.

  

happy birthday kid! i love you and i'm so proud that i'm your mom! xo 

holiday junction {family adventures}

one of my favorite holiday activities is going to see holiday junction, an amazing train display! last year we went to see a smaller display, mostly for us since rowan was too little to know what he was looking at. but this year, he loved it!! i think we could have stayed there all day in one spot watching them go round and round and he would have been perfectly content!

most parents will tell you that attempting to do any sort of family activity, especially during the holidays, can be more hassle than it's worth. everything is crowded, the lines are long, people are grumpy and then there are the toddler tantrums! seeing his face light up. his delight at the train horn. this is why we do it! the giggles and clapping are worth it all, kiddo.  


a little christmas joy

how do you christmas? i wasn't sure what christmas our way meant until i sat down to write this post. after reflecting for a long time i would have to say that christmas our way is slow and filled with lots of inappropriate humor!

last year was the first christmas with rowan and the first year that all of the big kids were home for the holidays. may favorite part was watching them interact with their little brother, having all of their friends over to hang out and visit and sitting around the table laughing at all the wrong things!  i become overwhelmed around the holidays and experience depression. having a slow and smaller celebrations helps me maintain my focus. i only wish i'd figured that out sooner! 

top three memories of last year are taking rowan to see santa, having all 5 of kids together for a photo and our family of 7 all gathered around the tree watching rowan take everything in on christmas morning.

 

last year was so joyful that we've created our own december bucket list. i think that it will certainly change a bit from year to year but it's nice to do the things that have meaning for you and your family and forget about everything else!

i love seeing all the ways others are celebrating!

take a look at these wonderful posts by some of my blogger friends.

Sara Lafountain http://cookwith5kids.com

Erin Cox http://www.lifeabundantlyblog.com

Katie Mullis Crenshaw http://twelveandsix.com

Clarissa Laskey http://www.clarissaexplainsitall.net

Marcia Denise http://www.ciasays.com

Gillian Nicholl http://www.indulgingmum.com

Lauren Shoffner http://crunchandchill.com

Elizabeth Edgar http://mommygonetropical.com

Elanor Brammer http://tiggypoesandflutterbys.blogspot.co.uk

Jennifer Crowther http://www.jennyscrayoncollection.blogspot.co.uk

Kate Walton http://www.akreativewhim.com%2F&h=lAQFx3Niz

Marilyn Arriaga http://www.tiltamom.com

Cindylynn Calzone http://hometownqueenbee.blogspot.co.uk/…/what-will-our-chil…

Courtnee Garr Frimming http://www.ohmyheartblog.com

Kam Kay http://www.thewomentalk.com

Kelley Farrell Ferreira http://www.chicagonow.com/canny-nanny

Samantha Lamb http://mommawantsjava.com

Chanel Cumberbatch http://www.crunchychronicles.com

Rachel Newcombe http://smartmomsmartideas.com

Karen Marie Patten https://www.facebook.com/spoilmyfamily/?pnref=lhc

Brittany Lass Schwan http://www.beckyandbrittany.com

Rebecca West http://www.craftcreatecalm.com

Esther Steinfield Freedman http://blog.cuteheads.com

Kimberley Mazzarolo http://talesfromthecrib.ca

Liz Jean http://www.cheekydays.com

Julie McCorkle http://julesandco.net

Shannon Hughes Gauger http://dailymomtivity.com

Kristen Marie http://gentleparentingwny.com

Janella Panchamsingh http://www.mabellevie.ca

Kim Robertson http://1200milesaway.com

Lynzy Carey Coughlin http://www.sparklingfootsteps.com

Jannel Alisha http://thevanessachronicles.com

Jennifer Vleira McCullar http://lifewith3boys1girl.com

family{pumpkin patch}

friday we bundled up and set out for the pumpkin farm, blooms and berries. 

last year rowan was just a few months old so the pumpkin picking excursion was definitely for us. but, oh what a difference a year makes! it was so much fun to watch him run around taking everything in.

he could have spent all day with the goats. they came over and licked his fingers which sent him into a fit of giggles. there were also a few tears when he realized they couldn't come home with us. somehow two urban suburbanites have a little one that is an outdoorsy animal lover! 

dad braved the slide. it's kind of hard to say no to that little face.

i highly recommend this for families with little ones. there is a great age/size appropriate straw maze and the adorable cow ride. there are picnic tables so it's possible to pack a lunch if you'd like. unfortunately it started to rain so we had to leave before we had a chance to take the hayride. they also have a little market on site where apples, caramel apples, cider etc can be purchased. pumpkins(of course!)and fall flowers are also available. adults are $7 kids under 2 are free