Kevin's Midwest Book Tour 2014

Kevin left for his big Midwest book tour very early on Wednesday morning!*

On Wednesday, September 24th he read at Prairie Lights in Iowa City. Since Kevin attended the Iowa Writer's Workshop, they promoted the event widely. He read with Mike Meginnis who was also published through Black Balloon, and who is an Iowa City resident, so between the two of them, the reading was packed. They even broadcast the reading on local radio because Iowa is awesome. He read part of his title story, "We Were Flying to Chicago," and part of "Puritan Hotel, Barnstable." If you missed it the first time, they archived it here (Kevin's part begins at 18:30): http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/vwu/id/3586/rec/2

Kevin and Mike acting "authorly" at Prairie Lights

Kevin's book is shelved just under Chekov here!

Thursday, September 25th, Kevin and Mike read at The Book Cellar in Chicago. Kevin read parts of "T-Bone Capone" and "On the Highway Near Fairfield, Connecticut." Kevin also had the chance to visit and stay with his friend Nate. He went to a White Sox game by himself and caught a foul ball, because it was just that sort of amazing trip.

Chicago Skyline

White Sox game

On Friday, Kevin started posting things like this on Facebook. "Am I actually alone in a Belgian bar in Chicago reading Flaubert with not one thing I have to do tonight or tomorrow?" I started getting jealous!

On Saturday, he went on a little hike, then he went to Madison, Wisconsin because why not? Then he went to Milwaukee for a Brewers game and noted, "The casual boredom with which the gigantically mustachioed Brewers mascot hurls himself down a slide after a home run is wonderful." While he was in Wisconsin, I sent him on a cheese curd mission. They did not disappoint.

Hiking outside of Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Cubs v. Brewers

 

Milwaukee art museum

Wisconsin cheese mart!

Sunday Kevin and Mike drove together from Chicago to Minneapolis and it took forever! On Monday he read parts of "Open House" and "Third Prophet" at Magers & Quinn, in Minneapolis. But first he went on a bit of a Fitzgerald tour. "You're goddamned right I'm having an early-afternoon Manhattan at the bar of the hotel where Fitzgerald lived in St. Paul."

Hello, Fitzgerald

Books on display at Magers & Quinn 

Tuesday he came home! Yay!

He was missed by all!

Showing James his foul ball

 

Showing Miranda her new Iowa cheerleader outfit

*Kevin was gone Wednesday morning until Tuesday afternoon. Kevin and I haven't spent a whole week apart since January of 2007, well before we were married, and never more than two nights since we've had kids! Thank goodness Grandma came to help me and the kids!

Grandma Visits- September 2014

While Kevin went on his Midwest Book Tour (more on that soon), Grandma Clouther came and stayed with me for 5 nights and 5 days and helped me with the kids and with meals because she super awesome. As if that weren't enough, she got up every morning when the kids and I got up, and she took them to the park in the afternoon, so each day she was here I had some alone time and time to do work. Seriously, Mary Poppins is alive and well and she lives in Cape Cod!

Okay, here are all the pictures:

Making Pumpkin cake with James!

Can he be trusted? Sure.

Eating the fruits of his labor

Itty bitty loves her too.

Feeding Miranda oatmeal

Facetiming with Great-grandma

Feeling a little sad but grandma's hugs help

Sending a picture to dada

Serious face!

Group pic!

Brooklyn Book Festival 2014

Last year when we went to the Brooklyn Book Festival together, Kevin already knew his book would published with Black Balloon so we spent some time at their table talking to the editor Buz, publicist Jen, and and some of the other authors. So going back this year with his book on the table was realizing the dream. Kevin talked to people buying his book and signed copies through the afternoon.

Kevin and We Were Flying to Chicago at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

The 9th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival at Borough Hall!

Kevin got to meet Mike Meginnis who wrote Fat Man and Little Boy, and whom Kevin was to spend many days with during their Midwest Book Tour together. (More on that soon.) He also met Sean Manning, author of Come Here Often?

Mike Meginnis, Kevin, and Michelle and Freddie from Black Balloon Publishing

• Kevin's most recent book event, Fall for the Book at GMU 2014
• Kevin's reading at BookCourt in Brooklyn, June 2014
• The 8th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival 2013

Apple Picking at Windy Acres 2014

I've been wanting to go apple-picking for a little while now, and James is actually totally obsessed with apples so it seemed like a good time to go. The only problem was that all the apple-picking farms are about an hour away from us, and Miranda hates being in the car even for short stretches. Thankfully, my mother babysat the little one for us so we could take James on a solo adventure. We chose Windy Acres Farm somewhat arbitrarily but it was awesome. They had a big selection of apples and a huge amazing playground for the kids.

James picks some good apples!

It's my first time apple-picking too!

Checking out how many apples are in the bag

He's thinking about eating it instead of putting it in the bag

Wagon ride

No, really, the playground was amazing. We've been to our share of playgrounds up and down the East Coast and this was something! They had ton of wooden creations for the kids to play and pretend. What an awesome daytrip!

Windy Acres Playground

Wooden tractor with slide

Wooden train with dining cart

Making train noises! So cute!

Have fun storming the castle!

Farm tractor

Crawling through some pipes

Ghosts!

Call me Ishmael!

Porthole ADORABLENESS!!!

Miranda is 5 Months 2014

Okay, the last month went frighteningly fast! I think the second baby stuff is flying by faster than the first. Slow down, Time!

5 months with Nana!

Food: Kevin gives her a bottle a couple times a week just to have her in the habit. She'll fight him and then only take 2 ounces but at least it's something. She still nurses about every 1.5-2 hours, but sometimes she'll skip a feeding if she falls asleep.

Technically her first food was banana with Nana on August 16th, but let's just block that out because there are no pictures. Her "first food" was baby oatmeal on September 6th, and she loved it so much. Ever since we gave her food she eyes me with resentment when I don't share what I'm eating. True story.

Oatmeal!

The second time she ripped the spoon out of my hand and tried to feed herself.


Yogurt!

Sleep: Our system of putting Miranda to sleep after she's been awake for 1.5 hours has worked wonders for her personality! Except when we don't get her down in time. I nurse her to sleep and she cooperates right away but she's not much of a crib sleeper yet. I leave her in the bed and watch her on the baby monitor, or I just stay with her for her nap but now that I think about it, she rarely sleeps more than 45 minutes so maybe I should just plop her in the crib anyway. I'm getting really tired of having NO free time during the day. I also put her to bed at 6:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. It's magical having both kids sleeping by 7:30 p.m. Unfortunately it doesn't last and she often gets up. A lot. At 11 p.m. she pretty much moves into the bed for the rest of the night with me. This is sad.

Successful nap

Failed nap

Growth: She's in size 6 months (sometimes 3-6 months, but never 6-9 months). At her very late 4 month appointment she was about 15 pounds.

Just because it's the right size doesn't mean it's a good outfit, Dada!

Skills: She makes little chatty noises sometimes. She plays with her feet a lot. She rolls over only a quarter of the way each time. Her teething has gotten worse and she drools a lot. She's finally interested in James and smiles at him. She beats things with her little fits or with her toys. She likes the toys she can chew on and everything on the jumperoo. She jumps like a crazy woman in the jumperoo but not for long. She gets tired after a few minutes. She like her baby gym better now too and lasts longer in that. She's starting to skoot around on her back a bit. She can hold a sitting position a little bit if we set her up or lean her up against something but she tips over immediately.

Likes the jumperoo a little better

Like the baby play gym a lot better.

First driving lesson- they grow up so fast!

Personality: Miranda smiles at us a lot and seems to love all three of us. Sometimes she grips my neck and feels like a hug even though it's not. She tries to force her little will on the world.

She loves bathtime and kicks up huge splashes.

Miley Cyrus has nothing on Miranda's attitude.


Happy baby!


Why are there giraffes on my feet?

Fake hugs are just as good as real ones!

She loves kisses too.

Me: It's been rough working and watching kids with Kevin regularly doing book promotion stuff.

I lost 27. I still have about 3 pounds to pre-Miranda and 8.5 to pre-James.

I might still be wearing my robe today but it's totally worth it!

Kevin: [Has no observation this month because he is off on book tour!]

They love it when he comes home from work, but not as much as I do!

Kevin is multi-tasking.

James: James is super helpful and hands me things when I have her, like her burp cloth or my phone. He's adjusted to hanging out quietly while she's napping.

So much love! (not Halloween, just a hand-me-down)


Besties 4 life.


Wearing sweaters from grandma!

• Miranda at 4 months, August 2014
• Miranda at 3 months, July 2014
• James at 5 months, September 2011