Charlottesville, VA 2015

We make a pilgrimage to Charlottesville about every other year, because we love it there. This year, since Kevin was giving a reading there, we invited EVERYONE WE KNOW. A lot of people actually came, and we had lots of fun, and we have now started a new tradition: Clou-a-rama! So the plan is that every year we can pick a location and date and get together! Like when you get invited to an out-of-town wedding and you go, because it's important. Prioritizing our friends is important! By changing the location and time of year it is more (or less) convenient to different people so it doesn't run up against the exact same problem for the same people repeatedly.

Our first picture in front of the place we met as a family of 4!

We arrived on Wednesday and went to the Christian's Pizza on Route 29. I'd only ever been to the one on the Downtown Mall but the one on Route 29 was just as delicious.

Kevin letting Miranda chew all the straws at Christian's Pizza

After we settled in at the little house we rented, we went over to Kevin's  reading at Virginia Festival of the Book. Unfortunately, because the kids were being disruptive I had to leave while Kevin was reading.  I passed Walsh on the way out.

We couldn't fit the double-stroller with all our luggage so I let James sit in the stroller and I carried Miranda in the baby sling. I told James that we left because he and Miranda were being bad, and he said, "No, Miranda was being bad. I was being good. Don't be silly mama." I thought that was funny so I didn't argue the point.

I got snacks and drinks for the kids and we sat around for snacktime for a little while, and then I went over to the chalkboard because I remembered he loved it on our last visit. This is what he wrote:

"JAMES MAMA bad Miranda"

I was thinking I was a pretty awesome mom managing both of the cranky kids on my own when James started chalking some guys shoes. So then I took him for a huge chocolate chip cookie at Mudhouse for dinner. While we were chomping away, we discussed such philosophical questions as whether he thought he would exist if Mama hadn't met Dada at Mudhouse (he guessed no) and whether sharing a giant cookie was better than hogging it (he wasn't too sure). Luckily then Kevin met up with us, and we had dumplings and noodles from Lucca for dessert I guess.

Best. parenting. ever.

Thursday morning Kevin went hiking and picked up sandwiches at Bellair Market for us on the way back. It's all about the "Jeffersonian."

Sunrise from the Turk Gap trail.

We got a babysitter for the evening and met Brady for dinner at Continental. Brady suggested the tuna and yum! I also had margaritas which led... obviously... to lots of inappropriate conversation. After dinner I went back, and Kevin and Brady at Courts Square.

Brady and the tuna!

Romantic night out with Brady!

Friday! Kevin felt kind of violently ill, but he had to give a talk to the Classics Department and then he had lunch with some professors. I was supposed to meet up with Cathy but she got into town late so while Walsh and Brady went to the Paramount Theater to watch the UVA game, I made Kevin come with me and the kids to the Discovery Museum. Sorry, Kevin. Also, thank you!

Besties at the Discovery Museum

 

Air ball!

 

Genius baby.

 

Little tykes on the prairie

 

Wheeling and dealing

Oh yeah, then we had ice cream for dinner. James loves Charlottesville! Oh don't worry I fed them mac n' cheese for dessert so it's all good.

James's first clue that his mother is pretending to be an adult

Then at dinner he went back out for some sexy Virginia Book Festival literary event. Then he went straight to sleep. Luckily, Michele and Brandon came over our little house, and we opened the wine the owner left for us and we had more fun sexy times.

Picture actually from Saturday night but cute.

Saturday was the big day! Some of us went out for breakfast at Blue Grass Grill for Cory's birthday.

   

Birthday boy Cory, me, Miranda, and Robin

Brady and Kevin

For lunch we went to Citizen Burger Bar mostly because we heard they'd have the TVs on the basketball. All of Charlottesville was really crowded because of the book festival and a race that morning. We fit four adults and 6 kids into an 8-person booth, and 6 very uncomfortable adults into a 6-person booth (I failed to get a picture of them but they didn't look so happy anyway).

Miranda, me, James, Cathy, and Kennedy in the 8-person booth

Leo, Madison, Jack, Jen, and Rob in the 8-person booth

Then Cathy, Jenny and I took most of the kids for more ice cream. I'm pretty sure the kids enjoyed Clou-a-rama as much or more than the adults.

Cathy picked up a hitchhiker (Kennedy and James)

James, Madison, Jen, Leo, Cathy, and Kennedy at Sweet Frog 

Michele, Brandon, Kevin, and Miranda met us there.

Kevin and Miranda went back to the house for a nap, and I took James to Meade Park. We got a babysitter. Then 8 of us went to Mas for dinner. Mas doesn't take reservations and it was really busy even though it was early. We figured everywhere had a long wait though based on our experiences that day so we just started drinking and hilarity ensued.

Before picture: Brandon, Michele, Janice, Darren, Jaime, me, Brady, Walsh

Eventually, Janice and Darren had to give up, but they were there for some of the best of it anyway. We were seated, we ate a lot, we drank some more, and here's our after picture- note that Janice and Darren turned into Kevin, Robin, and Cory. Also, Jaime saved my life by suggesting we quit while we were ahead. Actually, I was way ahead!

 

After picture: Kevin, me, Jaime, Michele, Brandon, Walsh, Brady, Robin, and Cory

Sunday we regrouped at Mas for some coffee and snacking. James played a little made-up-chess with a little girl he met. Charlottesville is cerebral like that.

Snuggling with Jaime at Mas

 

Cory and James are besties

I've never seen the pieces move like that- it's like they're chess wizards. Ha.

Michele and Brandon went off for a fun day of hiking and wine tasting (I should have gone with them!) While the UVAers went to Champions to watch the UVA game. The extremely devastating UVA game. Extremely. On the plus side, the food truck outside was selling delicious BBQ, so there's that.

Brady, James, Kevin, Miranda, me (photo by Walsh?)

Cory, Robin, and Miranda

We thought we'd drive home after that, but Miranda had other thoughts. After a lot of screaming we decided we should stop in Arlington and tire her out. Janice and Darren gladly obliged. Jaime came over too and we took the kids to the park briefly. They were actually happier chasing Fudgie around the house than at the park anyway. After a big pizza dinner, we finally headed home. 

 

Janice welcoming the trouble-maker

At the park

 

Dancing disco together.

"NONE SHALL PASS!"

Let's do again next year! Where to? You're invited! Clou-a-rama!

• Charlottesville, May 2013
• Charlottesville, April 2012

Miranda is 11 Months and Walking 2015

While we were staying in Charlottesville, Miranda turned 11 months old. But have no fear! I packed her month sticker!

My sticker says 11 months!

Her most noticeable change is that she started walking! She took her first steps on February 24, a few days after turning 10 months old, and just a few days later she was practically running around the house, turning corners with ease and even carrying heavy toys around with her!

Running with the bottle, March 4.

Now that she can walk she has a better vantage point from which to attack-tackle James. This might look cute in pictures, but she is BRUTAL to James. The problem is James encourages it and even laughs most of the time, but every now and then she really clocks him!

The anatomy of a tackle

The other amazing thing is that I was finally able to put her down for naps alone! She resisted this just like James did as a baby, but once I night sleep-trained her she got used to the idea that I wasn't going to pick her up after I put her in her crib until she slept. Besides, James used to throw up from anxiousness if I put him down for a nap. I found the fact that Miranda didn't do that to be very encouraging. My life is so much better now that she has a little alone time, and she actually naps better. Plus James hated being quiet while I held her, now he can be a little more active while she's in her room with the door closed.

In her sleepsack on a morning we woke her to get her on Daylight Saving schedule

Skills and personality: This baby has mad skills. She says dada (first word), mama (for me and for milk), and for a little while she said baba for ball. That's gone away now though.

"Baba"

She crawled, danced, and walked in that order. Her dancing is officially awesome. She drops her butt and bounces to the beat. She prefers funk music. She also claps when she really likes music. 

She points for things she wants. A lot. She's kind of running the place with her little index finger, actually. She also gives high fives though that's been going on for a long time.

She plays and copies us and James. She scribbles. She loves getting her picture taken and sometimes tries to see the result of the picture on my phone or camera.

Doing a little baking...

Stole James's Leapfrog but appears to be using it correctly

She has her own little sense of humor. She thinks she's funny. She kind of is. She's a little mean which is part of her humor, and she's very stubborn. She understands "no" and also that it doesn't apply to her.

Pretending to feed James a bottle.


Love this expression!

She's been giving hugs for a long time, but while we were in DC she started making kissy noises which I take to mean she is giving us kisses. So far I've only noticed her blow kisses to me and Kevin.

Best friends.


Maybe.

Love her like crazy!

WWFTC Reading at VA Festival of the Book 2015

Kevin read at the Virginia Festival of the Book last week. His read with Clifford Garstang (editor, Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction From a Small Planet) during a panel called "Short Stories: Great Fiction in Small Bites" at New Dominion Bookshop.

Kevin all set before the reading

The reading was upstairs.

Kevin read the title story and the reading went really well. He had a good rhythm and the crowd understood and liked the story. Kevin had some different answers to the questions this time.

Or so I'm told. I couldn't stay to the end because the kids were being kind of disruptive. The reading space was weird because it was upstairs and pretty narrow. There was some seating downstairs, which is where I had to park it because I had Miranda in the stroller. This turned out to be somewhat fortuitous as I could escape with bothering too many people.

James entertaining himself by reading some kids books

Miranda napping at the reading

[Not pictured: James whining, Miranda tearing all the books off the shelves.]

After the reading. (Photo by Pat Jarrett, VFH staff)