New hats and garden pot paint project

 This week we received the 2 Etsy hats I recently ordered for Miss A. 

 I'm hoping she will wear this hat to Derby Day at Pilgrim next month.  She could win a prize and Miss A loves attention so that would be just great.  Oh and those are winter mittens she is sporting in this picture... her choice.

We also went to the Butterfly Show this week.  Although she was interested in the butterflies she did not care at all for them to land on her.

This shirt, from last summer and also her choice, is a size 12 month.  I'm surprised it still fits but don't think it will for long.

We bought these stencils in the Krohn gift shop to use for our garden pot paint project.

Miss A in the Fern House.

This week we stopped using the tray on the highchair and finally welcomed Miss A to the family table.

 We are shopping for placements in the near future but oh did it make her happy.

 And yeah for us we don't have to buy a booster seat as the high chair arms fit below our table.

Wednesday heading out to the Art Museum for Wee Wednesday "Born to Build" story time. 

 After hearing stories read by the docents (most of whom know Audrey) about construction we watched Nick Cave Soundsuit videos before lunch.  .

 The Art Museum offers a reasonably priced lunch ($3 for kids, $6 for adults) after these story time events so we always stay.



Thursday afternoon we decorated the garden pots we painted last week.  The picture below show Miss A during prep before painting begins.

 She was so patient while I taped the leaf stencils to the pots.

 Then I put 2 colors on the "easel" and she proceeded to mix which I did not predict she would do but in the end think made it more interesting.  We planted calla lillies and curcuma and placed them next to the coral bells on the first tier off the patio.

 She enjoyed this project more than I imagined she would.

 In fact after we finished the pots she entertained herself playing with the paint and "easel" for about 20 minutes which allowed me to ...

 tie down these spent daffodils so the currently growing black-eyes susans can get some sun.  AND she did NOT get paint all over herself and relatively small amount on her paint clothes.

 Below is Audrey rocking her tutu in the kitchen.  She also enjoys dressing the magnetic ballerinas  on the refridgerator behind her that she received in her Easter basket this year. 

This week we (A & I) started some serious tile searching for re-models for our residence!  Below is a picture of her next to the stone lion that made her very happy in the Mees showroom. 

The peonies in our front garden are making the entire family happy.  It appears they needed another another year to establish themselves and this year blooms show lots of potential.

Flu, meetings, painting garden pots & apartment maintenance

Monday morning Miss A was sick for the 2nd time since we came home from China.

 She had the stomach flu.  So we skipped music class, watched TV and hung out in bed most of the morning.  But she was back to herself after her nap.

 These "ga ga" (duck) pj's are ones we bought in China.  A little short but not really too tight.  We had many changes of pj's that morning.

 Tuesday we walked up to Bow Tie in the morning.

Miss A is so fascinated to see how the piano makes sound. 

We had to cancel our closings Monday afternoon so we closed the next day.  Afterwards we went shopping at Nordstrom's Rack for new shoes for Audrey.  Which ended up being clothes purchases too.  Fortunately we diverted her attention away from the rounder rack of tutu's.

 John pointed out the Nick Cave soundsuit magnets on this car.  Audrey said "I have never seen on a car."

 As if an hour long re-fi was not boring enough for her we took her to an hour long presentation at the Pump house that night.  This building is in the park next to our house next to the conservatory.  It was built in 1894 by Samuel Hannaford.  It has been vacated for since the late 80's  and now 2 developers are proposing to re-developing it as a micro-brewery.  It was an interesting presentation and Audrey was just great. 

The picture below is of the 911 systems (from the 70's ?) left behind upstairs.  According to the The Bicentennial Guide to Cincinnati this building was repuurposed in 1939 as the central radio communications center for the city's safety department.  

In the picture below John and Audrey are looking at the architectural plans.  The presenting developer said the current plan would cost an estimated $2M and they would be eligible for $500,000 in credits because it is on the National Registry of Historic buildings.  This building is 7,000 square feet has an old roof (approx. 80 years old) and lots of asbestos.  I think he said it would cost $250,000 just to remove all the asbestos. 

The developer also said best case scenario they would be operational a year from December.  Sounds like there is a lot of bureacracy with the city right now.

 Wednesday at the park.

 

 "surprise face" when asked to perform and below pensive Miss A.

 Ready to go out to the garden to paint pots.

When it warms up again we will decorate with hearts, butterfly, etc designs.

       "Ta-da" the pots are drying.

Random panda cuteness on the "couch" (A's word) in the kitchen.

Breakfast by Baba.

Thursday we needed to take care of some things in one of the apartments up the street.

One of the tenants has moved out and I told Audrey we would have to re-paint this room.  She repeated what I said.  I have a painter who will do this but when she is old enough I plan on teaching her how this skill.

This is the door that leads to the roof deck that we added in 2004 re-model of this apartment.

View of the Ohio River from the roof deck.

View of the Pump House from the roof deck.

I also told Audrey that after current tenants (2 out of 3 are staying another year) move out I plan on taking out this wall and carpeting the entire floor except the tiled kitchen and bathroom.  Then I told her when she grows up she can pull up the carpet and put hardwood flooring down.  She listened to me and answered simply "Yes".  I wonder if she understood anything I said but I still thought it was cute.

 The apartment kitchen.

 Afterwards we walked up to the bank and then to Bow Tie to say Hi to Baba where we stayed to have lunch with him.

Saturday after we attended a neighborhood open house party Audrey and I walked up to Immaculata to visit with Paula Maureen and Dixie.  PM and Dixie (whom Audrey calls "Ducksie") were preparing food for a Christening lunch for 50 people the next day.

 Miss A watching Paula Maureen peel potatoes.

 

Listening to Ducksie

 The 3 of them.

 Cute.

 The etsy hats I ordered last week arrived today.

 The "Go Reds" hat is her favorite it seems.

 But the white hat is pretty cute too.