This is the Title of an Uncreative Violinist.:)

Thanksgiving came and went; now we look forward to Christmas and all the craziness that surrounds it.  This week finds me at rehearsals and performances almost every night until Saturday evening for a ballet/orchestra production of Matchgirl.  I am concertmaster this year so that's fun. Maddie is staying with her grandparents this whole week since I'm busy with the gig, but its's safe to say I miss her like crazy and am thinking that I won't accept anymore gigs ever again because I HATE being away from her! But I actually sat down just now because I wanted to write a little bit about a woman I've never met.  She worked with my husband and she was killed in an apparent murder-suicide this past Sunday.  Her name was Rachel Reutzel and according to my husband and her numerous co workers, she was the nicest person you could meet and this tragedy blindsided everyone she knew.  The most tragic thing of all:  her three young girls that are now left without pare...

I'm thinking I should start a new, separate blog for the kinds of posts I've recently gravitated towards writing.  The past few weeks have found me being a lot more contemplative, wanting to stand still for longer amounts of time and just think .  As a new-ish mom, that can be hard, sure, but I'm fighting to maintain that because it feels SO urgent now, more than ever before, since I know I have a daughter who will be influenced by me in the coming years. Maybe you could say it's this election season that's made me pause and reflect, but as a Christian, I know that I can't put all my eggs in that basket--there will never, ever be an individual that I believe I can put all my trust and hope in.  We are all flawed and broken. But I think--and it's not my intent to talk politics here, I was hoping to go in a different direction-- perhaps it's the strong reactions I've witnessed from both sides that have rocked me and sent me spiraling into a place w...

Last weekend we traveled to Philadelphia for my cousin's wedding.  It was the longest trip Madeline had been on and we were a little nervous about how she would fare in the car for that long.  In the end, there was nothing to worry about because she handled the car ride a LOT better than the rest of us :P  I'll just say this:  when riding in the car with my husband, one must hold their tongue quite a bit and just think happy thoughts!  Some people are more patient travelers than others...ahem...! Anyway, we arrived alright--although during Philly's rush hour--and picked up dinner before meeting my parents at a hotel in NJ just by the bridge.  We had the pack-n-play but that didn't quite work out and Maddie slept in between us in the king sized bed both nights :/  When she wasn't squirming around like crazy, it wasn't too bad.  I sure do love cuddling with her, but when she does sleep with us (which isn't often) we both don't sleep very well. T...

I know it's been awhile, but back at the end of September we had a mini family photo session and I just wanted to share some of those pictures.  Maddie is almost 16 months now and doing SO many things that I just can't keep track of anymore.  She's an ornery little thing and has her dad's sense of humor, I think.  In some ways it's gotten easier because she's so curious about everything around her and the world, in general, keeps her distracted and entertained when we go out; on the other hand, because her personality is developing so much more, if she doesn't like something or doesn't want to do something, she is that much more opinionated and stubborn about getting her own way.  Either way, it's a joy to watch her grow every day, that's for sure!

As we approach the middle of Maddie's 14th month, it seems like too many things are happening way too fast for me to remember and record.  We wondered what would be next after walking...well...RUNNING!  Of course!  And also, trying to jump (*shakes head*) :P  She gives tighter, more purposeful hugs, and blows kisses (well, she starts by kissing her hand, but hasn't figured out how to actually "blow" the kiss to you, so she just ends up covering her whole face with her palm); understands pretty much everything we say, but is still slow on speaking actual words, which we were expecting from what the ENT and cleft palate team told us.  I've read that as long as she is communicative and understands what we're trying to communicate, she should be fine. So, we've got more going on these next two months than the whole summer.  Mostly in the form of visitors.  Tonight, Ryan is picking up Max--an old family friend who was an exchange student my parents hosted...

Hi! How was everyone's weekend? It rained constantly here in Columbus, thwarting Ryan's plans to go bike riding with a friend who was visiting from Cincinnati with his family. Instead, we all just went out for a late lunch and had ice cream afterwards. Just lazily hung out before they left Sunday evening.  We really do love hanging out with friends and family, but there's nothing quite like having the house to yourself again, just being able to breathe and relax in the quiet and normalcy of your family's old routine. Today, the only thing on the agenda is teaching my two students who come to my home on Monday afternoons. Pretty soon we will switch to Saturday mornings when school starts. I can't rave enough about how much more pleasant teaching from my own home is. No wasted time driving to a studio, no more pay cuts (plus my students still pay less and I get more since I have no overhead like a studio does) and things are just more laid back in my home. My student...

Well, this is rare--but I actually have a little extra time to write a post because Maddie was apparently so exhausted, she went to bed two hours earlier than usual! Lately, she's been protesting her second nap of the day so I've just given up and let her follow me around while I do stuff like get dinner ready.  She normally takes her morning nap with no issues right around 10-11am.  The second nap was iffy, somewhere around 4-5, and then she'd usually be up to have dinner with us.  But she's a toddler now!  So she's definitely voicing her opinion more on what she wants (or doesn't want!) and since she sleeps through the night now, I figure a few hours doesn't make too much of a difference.  Only sad thing is that Ryan doesn't get to see her before she goes to bed as he sometimes gets home late (like tonight). Anyway!  What have we been up to?  Lots and lots of WALKING!  The baby is now walking!!!!!!  It's cuh-raaaaay-zeee!  How is i...

Our precious Madeline turned one year old July 1st last week. We had a birthday brunch the next day with neighbors and family to help celebrate. As usual, I as running around doing everything so didn't get as many photos as I wanted. I quickly tossed my phone to my dad and asked him to take photos but he ended up only taking a few and taking more on his own phone, so hopefully he'll share those with me soon! I made 7 quiches, blueberry sour cream bundt cake, garlic parmesan roasted potatoes, bloody Marys, iced coffeeand french press coffee, breakfast muffins, sausage balls and fruit salad! Oh! And of course there was cake. That was store bought and it was pretty good. As fun as it was (and a lot of work) I think next year will find me keeping things even more simple--perhaps just the three of us. This girl is growing up WAY too fast and I'd like to not be distracted from it as much as possible! Speaking of growing up, Maddie had her year old doctor well ...

Ok, how is it that we are only 10 days away from Madeline's 1st birthday?!! I am in awe at how the time has flown (and yet some days feel like they will never end). I've decided to keep things as simple and stress-free for myself and just host a small birthday brunch on a Saturday morning for family and neighbors. I plan on making quiches ahead of time and freezing them, and some other fun brunch appropriate items; my mom will be taking care of the birthday cake and helping me clean/decorate.  I'm so excited! This past weekend was Maddie's first out of state trip to KY for Ryan's family reunion . She did so well on the car ride to and from. We broke up the 4 hour trip with lunch stops in Cincinnati and she was a champ both times. On the way down, we ate lunch at Krueger's where we ate amazing burgers and the ambience was nice, too. On the way back home, we hit a few bumps on our attempts to eat lunch with friends in the area (babies not allowed in one establ...

Happy Memorial Day and a huge thank you to all who have served our country. Lots of updating to do and I'll do it in the form of pictures since time is precious when your almost-eleven month old is taking fewer naps during the day! Very quickly -- Maddie's surgery went very well and we are so relieved that it is behind us. It was difficult to see her in pain right after surgery and the following days after, but kids are like little Wolverines, I swear! A week later she was nearly back to herself and today you'd never know she had had surgery. She will be 11 months on Wednesday and we are looking forward to Ryan's family reunion in KY at the end of June, which will be Maddie's first trip! I'm also currently trying to wean off the pump; had no idea just how difficult emotionally that would be for me. I'm trying to do it gradually so I don't have to bring that darn pump for once when we go on our trip. I'll elaborate on that more later for any oth...

Just a very quick  10 month update on the little sweet pea: She is changing literally every single day. Currently, she's cruising furniture, dancing to music, eating EVERYTHING and drinking less milk (maaaybe I'll get to stop pumping in the near future?!!), waving to people consistently and according to Ryan, said 'no' yesterday while I was playing a gig. She is also very temperamental these days. Hates having her diaper changed and being put in her car seat and stroller.  Some days are better than others in getting her to bed. Sometimes she'll fall asleep effortlessly right around 7:00 in her swing and I'll transfer her to her crib without a problem. Other nights...well, it can definitely be a hard fight! I am getting concerned with how we'll get the stubborn peanut to bed once she outgrows the swing. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The other big thing this month is her cleft palate surgery which is this Wednesday! We...

So the little cupcake is now mobile! She started crawling around 8 1/2 months and a few days ago, pulled herself up to a stand. Other things she is doing recently: - waves bye-bye or hello - shakes head "no" lol - hands things to you - understands the word 'no' (and protests loudly!) - says 'mama' (won't be able to say 'dada' until after her surgery which is in a MONTH!) She will be 9 months tomorrow. Time needs to slow down. I can't imagine how much faster it would feel if I didn't get to stay home with her. I'll try to write more *interesting* stuff later. She finally fell asleep in my arms (really fighting sleep these days) so I'm going to put her in her crib and try to get some pumping (YES, I'M STILL PUMPING ARGH!) and practicing, and cleaning out of the way.

Let's talk food. Even before kids, I think I was always on the lookout for meals that were easy to make; maaayybe once in a blue moon, I'd be up for something more challenging and time-consuming, but overall, it's always been about fast, easy and delicious. So it's super important to me now that I have a baby-soon-to-be-walking-tornado that dinners are efficient.  But I hate to skimp on flavor so thought I'd share a recipe I recently made. This Honey Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki Skillet  got good reviews from my husband (and he's always honest about whether or not my meals are good...unfortunately, lol) so I know it's something to keep in mind for future meals.  I also added in tofu and threw in whatever nuts I had instead of cashews, since I didn't have any. Other ideas for when I'm in a dinner slump: - pasta, pasta, PASTA!  Ha, but no seriously...pasta is so versatile and whereas before, when I'd immediately think spaghetti and meatball...

My little girl turned 8 months yesterday.  I wish I could slow time down :( Some recent developments in the last few weeks: - she is a pro army crawler! (hasn't quite gotten the hang of actual crawling, but we're getting there) - in the last few days I've found her sitting up in her crib--uh oh! So last night we lowered her crib. - She can bring herself up to a sit from lying down - Eating more and more solid foods (which means more and more REAL poop *pee-ewww*!) - Just in general likes to get into everything and make messes! She loooves our Yorkie, Zoe. But Zoe wants nothing to do with her! I just want to eat her up!!! Can't get enough BLUEBERRIES crawling faster and FASTER. UH-OH. Whenever I get down or worked up about the current election, I just start playing with or snuggling with my little girl and that seems to do the trick ;) Life does, overall, seem to be getting better; more sleep, easier to go out with the baby, being able to...

Happy Friday! So many things swirling around in my head, don't know what to write about first.  First thought, though:  How DO bloggers with kids do it?!?!  My explanation on how I can get out a post is when Maddie is down for a nap.  But even then, I'm usually scurrying to get something important done, like prepping for dinner, throwing some laundry in the wash, or just catching a quick shower! Today, though, we are planning on staying indoors.  I plan on thawing some meatloaf that I discovered was in our fridge, kindly and quietly left there by my husband's grandmother who visited last weekend (along with my mother in law and my parents).  Everyone came to attend a kids concert I was playing in.  It was also Maddie's first classical concert!  Afterwards, we all went to lunch at our usual spot, Nazareth Mediterranean restaurant.  Unfortunately, the buzz in Columbus today is about an attack that occurred last night at our beloved spot....

Just jammin' with dad A rare selfie. Blacked out name of political candidate since this is NOT a political blog! (and no...it is NOT Trump...ugh) Oh...well, hey there! My aunt knit this super cute baby hat and scarf for Maddie Opening gifts on Christmas day Baby yoga in the snug-a-bunny swing!

You know, I've been doing a whole lot of blog reading, but not a lot of writing.  I attribute it often to the excuse that now that I'm a stay at home mom, my life is pretty boring.  But actually, I really enjoy reading about ordinary people's ordinary lives.  And really...my life is probably more interesting now than when we were childless, let's just be honest here :). Before children, we just were able to watch more Netflix and sleep a couple more hours.  Big whoop.  Now, we get to discover the joys of life all over again with this tiny person.  WELL worth the lack of sleep.  Besides, now that she is going to bed at a decent hour (anywhere between 7-10pm) and sleeping THROUGH THE NIGHT (!!!!!!!) we still can watch our shows and movies, just the two of us.  I am sure she will be going through another phase soon enough, and I won't be able to say that anymore....but it's not all that bad. During the day, I do have to make sure I entertain her....

I keep dropping the ball on baby updates.  I know I'm the only one interested (haha) but life is going by so very fast, I NEED to write it all down. Maddie had her 6 month well baby visit today.  She is doing better, according to her pediatrician, on weight; everything else was always a non concern for him. This month's stats: Height:  26 inches (50th percentile) Weight:  14 pounds and 2.5 ounces (13th percentile--and weight to length is 6th percentile) Head circumference:  16.5 inches She has always been in the lower percentile for weight to length since birth.  We expected that since I am tiny myself.  But I anticipate she will be much taller than me when she grows older. She can now roll back and forth from back to tummy, and I have to make sure I always watch her now since she's very fond of rolling pretty fast across any surface I put her on!  Not sitting up quite by herself yet, but she's getting it and can stop herself from toppli...