Hello from Ohio! One of my best friends in the whole world is having a baby, and there was no way I was going to miss celebrating with her. Saturday was filled with all sorts of baby shower fun. She looked so gorgeous! She’s due the day before Cullen turns one – crossing fingers they might share a birthday.
Since we were going to be flying all this way to come celebrate, we turned it into a mini family reunion. My big sis flew down from Connecticut with my nephew – a cousin reunion! We haven’t seen each other since Christmas – nine painfully long months. Last time we were all together, Cullen was 9 weeks old, and Jonah was six months.
Nine months is an eternity in baby years, and here they are now – 15 months and ten months, and way too much fun together.
As you can imagine, I took about five hundred pictures of them together. It is HARD to try to get two babies to look at a camera and smile at the same time!
Sarah came down from Indianapolis to make the weekend feel complete. It has been amazing.
Casey came too! He is actually traveling for business this week, so I’m staying in Cincinnati for a few days to hang out with my mom, rather than be in Seattle alone for no reason. Counting down until we see him again on Wednesday.
My mom is in Grandma heaven – two babies under one roof to snuggle and rock to sleep. Last time…
And this time! They look so grown up, and have a LOT more hair.
I dropped Casey at the airport early Sunday morning, and spent the whole drive back thinking about how different it feels to be back in a place that I spent 28 years. For the first time since we left, Cincinnati just feels different to me. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
When I’m in Seattle, it never feels like a big city to me. But walking around Cincinnati, I’m reminded of how a smaller city looks and feels, and I find it comforting. I was one of only a few cars on the road on Sunday morning – something that I can’t even imagine happening in Seattle. I don’t really feel like either is better than the other – just different.
One similarity? Awesome farmer’s markets! When I still lived in Hyde Park, this market was four booths in a bank parking lot. Now it has taken over the entire Hyde Park Square area, and I was really impressed with the quality and variety of vendors.
The boys loved being out and seeing all the people. Cullen hasn’t been feeling well this trip – really stuffy nose and hoarse voice – so not much smiling out of him. His spirits are good, but I can tell he’s just not his usual bubbly self.
I was surprised to see they even had someone selling kombucha! I was going to buy a bottle, but I took a sample that turned out to be cayenne pepper flavored. WAY too spicy – too bad!
I talked to a local woman who started the Five Star Foodies brand. She was sampling vegetarian sloppy joe’s with vegan sour cream – absolutely delicious!
They sell at markets as well as in regional Whole Foods stores – highly recommended if they are in your area!
She also had delicious flavored ciders. I tried hibiscus – very unique!
It has been PERFECT weather this weekend. A crisp fall breeze with warm sunshine. I wanted to stay outside all day long.
I passed this homemade popsicle stand and was really intrigued by avocado. Definitely want to try these next time!
And maybe these…
We had some extra time to kill before we needed to be home, so we all hung out in the square fountain area to let the boys play for a bit. The fountain was a big hit.
Cullen kept laughing and trying to grab the water with his little fists. He had so much fun, I’m going to take him back there today.
When I was little, I grew up eating ice cream on the ledge of this fountain, and splashing in it on hot summer days. I always get really emotional and sentimental when I come home, and seeing Cullen playing in my old spots is really special.
When I was in high school, my friends and I would sit on these benches and hang out after school. My family would walk through the square on the way home from church on Sundays. And now my baby is running down the same sidewalk. Sniff.
There was a band playing in the grassy area, and the boys loved listening to the music and dancing. It has been such a treat to get to be here together.
I think we have a mini musician on our hands. Or maybe a dancer or producer or something. Cullen is obsessed with music. He claps and dances, and is totally mesmerized.
The only time he stopped moving all weekend was to stare at this woman singing and playing her saxophone. He stood there for ten minutes without moving. Time to buy more baby instruments!
Sarah heads back to school this afternoon, and I’m spending the rest of my time here visiting with my mom and some good friends. No matter how long I stay, it always feels too short. I love Seattle so much, but this week I have a major case of the Cincinnati-s. There is truly no place like home.
A yummy dessert for you tomorrow!
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I’m an Ohio girl too and we did have fantastic weather this weekend! Loved it. Looks like you have been having a great time visiting family!
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Family reunions are the best! The photos of the boys together are so adorable. I remember the first time I came back to the town I grew up in and it didn’t feel like home anymore – very bizarre! I’ve realized as I’ve moved 10 times in the last decade that my home is truly wherever the people I love are (which means I have a few homes now!)
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What a great family reunion! It’s amazing how much those boys have grown isn’t it? The last pictures they were both little babes and now they look like rough and tumble little boys. So adorable together!
I bet Cullen loved seeing Sarah again too since she left. I remember you saying he was getting pretty attached to her. Hope he feels better soon and let your mom get in tons of grandkid time and cuddles :)
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Both boys have so much hair now! It’s amazing how much bigger they have gotten!*
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what a sweet post. I am sure it has been such a treat to have everyone at home!
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There is truly no place like home! Glad you are enjoying your time with family. It is so precious! :)
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Can’t believe I haven’t run into you yet!! haha. Such a great weekend to be in town.
Also your friend Liz came to my pre-natal yoga class a few weeks ago. Seeing this I was like THAT is why she looked familiar!
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
TOO funny!! Love that you guys are all at the same yoga studio. We had a great visit, even though we somehow missed you. :)
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What a great weekend with two precious little boys! :)
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I don’t have any kids of my own, so I can pretty confidently say that Cullen is the cutest baby I have ever seen.
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Cullen was mesmerized by a guy playing guitar and harmonica when his grandfather and I took him to the Kirkland waterfront. Same thing, stood and watched for 10 or 15 minutes. Sometimes “danced”; sometimes clapped his hands. I said to Grandpa then “This boy is going to be a musical genius!”.
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Welcome home! I am so lucky to live near family and see them each week…. Seeing your picture of the cousins just reminded me how special it is that my kids get to see their cousin every Friday at dinner! (family dinner at larosa’s… Can’t get more Cincinnati then that!)
Fyi- if you guys want to totter’s otterville has a mom’s club that meets tomorrow at ten thirty (led by yours truly), if you’re coming for the group admission is free :)
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This is making me so nostalgic… I was in Cincinnati for 6 years, and I also lived in Hyde Park for about 3 out of the 6 years. Hyde Park Square was within walking distance from where I lived. I used to walk around there a lot!
Cincinnati really does have its charm being a smaller city… and I never understood why some people called it “Nasty “Nati”. No way! I really enjoyed the food and market scene, the people, the arts, the architecture, and the increasingly diverse and progressive neighborhoods in Cincy. Many of my close friends are still there so I try to visit every now and then! But I think Cincy has a special place in my heart because it’s the first city I lived in independently after moving to the US.
And by the way, one of my friends has tried Streetpops and she likes it!
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Mia (Savor Everyday) Reply:
September 10th, 2012 at 9:24 am
PS – that third picture of Cullen and his cousin with the cheeky smiles/expressions… and the “then and now” photos of them with your mom… wow! So sweet.
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Love love seeing the cousins grow up like that! Both are very cute boys!
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Hi Emily :) I live in Seattle but am currently on a break from school, so I’m hanging out (at home) in Missouri. The one thing that is SO strange is the lack of traffic. I had the same experience of feeling like the only one on the road on a weekend morning (not even that early!). Seattle traffic is nuts!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew it was, but now I REALLY know. Anyway, glad you are enjoying your time at home!
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I know you’re a food blogger, but I LOVE the Cullen posts!!!
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love! And going home always feels different and too short! I live in eastern TN but grew up in the midwest… suburb of Chicago!
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OMG…those then & now pictures are so funny! It’s amazing to see how much they have grown. And you’re right…we had perfect Ohio weather this weekend.
I must ask…where did you get your dress (or is it a shirt/skirt)? I’m obsessed with the orange/grey combination right now, :-)
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
It’s (old) Anthropologie! Thank you!
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Love reading your blog….I live in the Seattle area and have a little boy who is almost 1, so it’s fun seeing Cullen grow up! Have you ever heard of Kinder Musik? It’s a music class for little ones, we start our second session today and my little guy loves it! He loves music, dancing, singing, playing instruments, etc so this is a great chance for him to do that and interact with kids his age. The fall session starts today, but I’m sure you could still register. We go to one in Issaquah, but I know they have one in Redmond and I’m sure there is one in Kirkland or somewhere near you!
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I will check this out – thanks for the tip!
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What a great trip home! I feel quite nostalgic for Kansas City often. There is where I grew up and my parents and grandparents are. It’s nice to visit home and get a taste though. Thanks for sharing!
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I love the comparison photos of the babies then and now!! And what a great farmers market, I’ve never seen Kombucha at a market here in Chicago!
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Love the Bearcats flag in the background of the one picture! And – did you check out our now 1-year-old Lulu at Hyde Park Square? :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
I didn’t make it in this time, but I went at Christmas!
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Looks like you are having a total blast! I love the pics. :)
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Wow! It’s crazy to see how quickly those boys have changed! I’m glad you got to have everyone all together like that :)
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I’ve been to that market many times (both when it was in the parking lot and now the square, too), unfortunately not as often as I would like this season – this past weekend was definitely perfect for it! Oh, and Streetpops are delicious!
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Ahhh your trip looks like it was so much fun! Time with family is always time well spent! You have such a beautiful family.
P.S. Red looks great on you!
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So glad that you got to see your good friend and your family! The boys are so cute and it is amazing how much they both changed in 9 months! I can imagine it’s really special to see Cullen doing the things you used to or being in your old hang out spots again. Hope he feels better and that you enjoy the rest of your trip!
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Looks like such a lovely and relaxing trip home. I love all the Farmers Market pictures and I think it is great that they have such a fun Farmers Market! Cullen is totally a little man…he is so expressive and adorable!!
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I loveeeee all the Cullen pics, he is sooo stinking cute with his cousin!
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gorgeous family photos! it is so much fun to watch “babies” communicate!
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Cullen and Jonah are adorable together-I love those comparison pictures, and it looks like your mom is heaven! Enjoy the rest of your trip home!
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Wow, how amazing to have 2 cousins so close in age! It will be fun for them in the future and I’m sure it was great to pregnant at the same time as your sis. Plus your best friend is having a baby now too? How wonderful!
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Do you think you’ll ever move back? I have all sorts of mixed emotions when I visit the DC area, where I grew up.
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Hard to say. At this point, no, but you never know!
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I think your pics are great! It’s not easy at all to get kiddos to look at the camera but you nailed it especially with their cute expressions.
There really is no place like home even if it’s not your forever home.
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Omg the boys are so cute together! I’m so glad you’re getting to spend time with your family and revisit where you grew up!
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Beautiful family pictures!
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Love this post! I am also from Cincinnati and have moved around the past few years. Currently outside of Boston for work. As much as I love the experiences I have had and the places I have lived- I LOVE going home to Ohio! :) I’ll be there in a few weeks for my baby showers so I’m hoping to have just that kind of weather for my trip. I also used to hang out in Hyde Park Square during high school… so many memories there! Thanks for sharing.
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Maybe we hung out there at the same time, haha. :)
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Oh my god, you had me tearing up there at the fountain! Graeter’s on hot summer nights, waiting in the line for what seemed like forever, then across the street to lick drippy cones on the edge of the fountain. Trying to grab the water, running around those sidewalks and climbing in the trees… Those memories are burned in my mind too!
I think you just made me homesick! Soak it up for me, I don’t even know when my next visit is!
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
YES. Love it so much there. :)
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OMG, your mom is wearing skinny jeans!!!
Sarah is spreading her fashion influence!
Adorable post, it is amazing how fast they grow!
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mom Reply:
September 13th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Definitely Sarah’s influence- she picked them out- personally, I find them a little scary…but comfortable :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
You are so fashionable, mom! Time to retire the Long & Leans. :)
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I agree! I was born in Michigan, and I went back this past weekend. I was only there for a day, but it’s better than nothing — home is where the heart is ;).
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I live in Ohio (Toledo area) & the weather lately has been awesome! Glad you’re here to enjoy it with your family! I love that picture of ‘the girls’ and the babies. Jonah is such a cutie, too, but it’s hard to believe they’re five months apart – they look to be about the same size! :)
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All the wandering I’ve done in Cincy and Newport areas during the hockey season (visiting ECHL team fan who loves traveling with her ‘boys’) over the past years and somehow I’ve missed this farmers’ market. Hopefully next season we are scheduled to be in town before it ends.
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Gah, love those then and now pictures! :) What a special trip!!
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From a current Cincinnatian…happy to have you and your beautiful family back in the Natti! We’re having some gorgeous weather! Streetpops has a store up in OTR (on Main and 15th – their popsicles are awesome!) Enjoy your time here – you should take Cullen up to Washington Park…he’ll go crazy for the water fountains up there!
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Ahh good to know on the Streetpops – YUM. I have read so much about Washington Park – wish we had made it there!
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The weather here was indeed great. And you are right nothing compares to Cincinnati. It is truly home to me…no matter what. Even though I’m a Kentucky girl now. Cincy is always home.
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The boys are sooo cute together- I love those pictures!
Where did you get that dress you are wearing? I love it!
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Emily Malone Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
It’s (old) Anthropologie!
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Great post! Your family always looks so cute and it’s amazing how the boys have changed since they were last together!
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