As you can see from the photos below, we had some real highs this weekend. It started on Saturday morning with a trip over to Carthage, one of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. They were decorating the big public tree and the fire department came with their ladder truck to help place the ornaments up high as well as the star on top. It was really fun to watch the firefighters climb the ladder over and over again. In addition, Santa was there and Robin and Henry reluctantly had their pictures taken with him. There was hot chocolate, donuts, cookies, cider, and coffee. It was a low-key, perfect neighborhood event. I worked in Carthage for many years so it was fun for me to see some old familiar faces.
Later that day we hit Eden Park for the annual Balluminaria event at Mirror Lake. It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed watching the sun set and the balloons light up. Robin was thrilled to spend time with her two good friends, Dianna and Hannah, and Henry was happy racing around the grass, exclaiming, “Ready, Set, Go!”
Before we head out on our journey, my dear friends Lee and Doug and their children Fiona and Ciarra are coming for a short visit. They are traveling to Indiana from Saratoga Springs, NY. We last saw them 2 1/2 years ago on the way to Alex and Jill’s wedding in Vermont. Lee and I met in 1993 when we were both assigned to teach in L.A. with Teach For America. We became good friends and have stayed in touch despite the miles between us. I am so excited to see her, her wonderful husband Doug and their beautiful girls. Old friendships are hard to beat, aren’t they?
Tomorrow we’ll head out for Athens, OH where we’ll reunite with Jon’s family. Aunts, uncles, and cousins are coming from TX, ME, CO, and NC. It should be a wonderful gathering. And then we’ll drive over to D.C. to see my family, returning home on Sunday. It promises to be a very full and happy week.
Last year at this time, Robin was bald and undergoing the most aggressive phase of her treatment. We stayed home for Thanksgiving and had a lovely dinner with just the 4 of us. I will always remember that day. It was so peaceful and we had so much to be thankful for. It is hard to believe an entire year has passed. Robin has a full head of hair (okay, it is thin and thinning right now for some reason), she goes to school four days a week, she takes ballet lessons, she has play dates, and in many, many ways, she has a very normal life. Gosh, I could cry, I am so thankful for all of that. She is doing great.
I’ve been meaning to write about her heavy interest in reading, writing and spelling. It seems like her favorite pastime is writing. She can always be found with a notebook and pen, writing the words she knows or copying words from a book. She sees a word, spells it, and asks us what it says. We play hangman all the time. She knows the sounds of all of her letters and is learning to put them together and read. She has mastered many 3-letter words thanks to her work at MOH and knows how to spell everyone’s name at school and in our extended family. It is very cool.
We’re also reading her first full length book, L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” the real thing, all 300 pages. This is my first time reading the whole thing too. It is really a lot of fun. There is so much missing from the movie. Robin’s recall from chapter to chapter is astounding. She asks good questions and is learning some sophisticated vocabulary. Many, many thanks to Jayne for this wonderful gift.
Well, I better head off to pack some more. I don’t know if I’ll be writing on the road, so I will wish everyone a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. Many you all find many things to be thankful for this year.
Sara
1 week ago
