My 4-H Testimonial, In Honor of Ava's 1st Year

As certain as I was that “one day” I wanted to have children, I was equally as certain that those children would “one day” be in 4-H. Well, this year, that certainty has been realized. I am officially a 4-H mom. Not that I was going to impose sewing or baking or livestock on my kids…ok, maybe I did…but I’m pretty sure they’ll thank me for it later.  Sure, each kid has to figure out what they enjoy and discover what they are good at. But with 4-H, there are so many projects for a child to choose from, that there just about has to be something to fit their niche. It’s not necessarily about the project a kid chooses, anyhow. It’s about exploring hobbies and careers and science and history. It’s learning specific skills like how to read a pattern or measure flour or know when to worm your pig. And then it’s about broader skills; like leadership, citizenship, responsibility, flexibility, determination, goal-setting, time management, and self-evaluation. It’s about building relationships, confidence, humility, and a heart for service, attitude, and character. Joining 4-H means that you work on public speaking skills and parliamentary procedure some days and then it’s field trips and 4-H camp, water fights and barn pranks.  It’s about families spending quality time working together toward common goals and it’s the whole 4-H community helping to support one another.

4-H was such a big part of my life from 9-19 years of age (and even beyond because I had 2 younger sisters who were still in 4-H after I finished). There were joys and triumphs and there were challenges and disappointments over the course of my 4-H career.  Looking back, the rough times were probably just as important to my development and learning as the rewards and recognition. When the “going got tough” I was taught to be resourceful and resilient. Like in my 2^nd year, when my prize-winning ewe died before I could bring her back and show her as a yearling.  Or in my 3^rd year, when I cut through the strap of the jumper I’d spent days sewing for my clothing project. That was not a happy afternoon with my mom. And now I “get it”. As a parent, trying to help your child with a project, you become pretty invested.  After teaching high school sewing for years with very little drama, I was surprised by the stress involved with teaching my own young daughter to sew her first clothing project. There was the time that the plastic cover on one of my poster projects bubbled up from heat, just hours before the fair. There was a dumped plate of cookies or muffins that needed to be re-made dangerously close to judging check-in.  And I seem to remember an incident with the clippers and the underside of a wether as we were shearing sheep before the fair.  This resulted in a frantic ride to the vet, holding onto to that lamb, in the back of my dad’s truck and praying that he would be alright…and that I’d still be able to show that Wednesday.  I could go on.  And I know that I’m not alone.  Ask any 4-Her, they all have these stories of near failures. “Learning experiences”, we like to call them. But did we throw up our hands in defeat? NO!  We figured out how to fix it. How to complete what we started. If plan A and B don’t work, what is plan C? At an early age, 4-H taught me that important life lesson that sometimes things don’t go exactly as you want them to. Sometimes you have to adapt. Sometimes you need to go back to the good ol’ drawing board.  And sometimes you need to ask for help.

 In my 4-H community, if I asked for help, there was always someone willing to take their time and help me or teach me.  If the person I asked first couldn’t help or didn’t know how to help, they would find someone who could. How great is that?! Let’s translate this “actions speak louder than words” message into a kid’s point of view:  If kids know they have people that they can count on and who will take the time to teach and help them, doesn’t that make a kid feel worthwhile? Not to mention more secure and trusting (and not in a naïve, talk to strangers kind of way).  And then, one day, that child might emulate the behavior that was modeled to them. Thus, helping others and investing their time, developing a can-do attitude that not only might make them well-liked but possibly even more successful in their professional lives. And there’s that whole sense of satisfaction that comes from doing the right thing. It feels good to help others!  Okay, now I’m rambling….but I’m just sayin’!

4-H also offered me opportunities to travel outside of my little community. Trips like 4-H Round-Up at Purdue University at the age of 13, when I got to stay in a dorm room and meet other 4-Hers which began my love affair with that campus in West Lafayette, IN. I was able to visit college classrooms and participate in workshops focused on career choices that eventually led me to study there and earn a degree. There were trips to Washington, DC through Citizenship Focus and REMC that enabled delegates see our nation’s capitol and develop an understanding for how our government works (or fails to work) and interact with our legislators. And because 4-H focuses on record keeping, I was able to complete Achievement record books and compete to win a trip to 4-H Congress in Chicago where I spent a week in the Hilton and Towers meeting with corporate sponsors, exploring the city, and making new friends from all over the country.  In my own region, I attended workshops, took service/work trips, volunteered, and served as a camp counselor. These experiences were packed with fun, learning, and friendships.

Speaking of friendships, those I made through my time in 4-H have endured a lifetime. As a 4-H Jr. Leader, I made some of the best friends I could ever ask for. And when our 4-H community was faced with the loss of two fellow Jr. Leaders, we bonded together through our grief. As difficult as it was to comprehend the loss of one of our peers at the young age of 15 or 16, we supported one another. In true 4-H fashion, we sought to give back to the community in the form of a tribute to our friends that still stands 20 years later in the form of a Memorial Garden at the fairgrounds.  I’m still a little astounded when I type the words, “20 years later.” How can it be possible that much time has passed? These days I enjoy looking at the pictures of my friends’ children doing 4-H back in the county where I grew up or wherever in the country they have moved and started their families.  It’s pretty awesome that we’re all going through this stage of our lives together too. Parenthood. Experiencing what our parents got to experience as 4-H moms and dads.

So yes, it may sound strange to say that I knew my kids would be in 4-H before I even had children. But it’s true. Because 4-H made such a positive impact on my life and I want that for my children as well. This past year my husband took a job that requires a good deal of travel. I was essentially acting as a single parent during the week.  Mike’s travel schedule, combined with me working full-time and having a new baby in the house took their toll on the amount of time and attention I had left to give at the end of the day.  I could feel the loss of quality time with my daughters. Teachable moments were slipping through my fingers and I just did not have the time or energy to make them happen.  By the time I got home for the day, I was exhausted. It was dinner, homework, pack our bags for the next day, and the bedtime ritual. Weekends were spent cleaning up the house, yard work, grocery shopping, homework, lesson plans, and finally church on Sunday.  I know this situation is not unique to us and I know that many of you are living this. So, no judgement. Each family does what they need to do and what is best for them.  In April, I resigned from my job. In May we started our 4-H projects. As it turns out, Ava’s projects were just what the doctor ordered to reconnect with my kiddos.  Eventually children are able to be more independent in working on their projects. However, this 1^st year, I needed to provide guidance for Ava as she navigated the 15 learning activities for her nutrition project and the 10 sections of her sewing project. We were side by side as we tackled these projects. Or I should say side by side by side because Emily was right there with us learning and asking questions, eager to participate. Or maybe even side by side by side by side, because baby Aidan was in the mix as well, although often underfoot.  Yes, there were moments of frustration. “Mom, WHY are you making me practice this over and over? I want to go out and play.”  But for the most part, we had fun and we learned, and we talked.   We spent quality time away from the Kindle and I pad and real hands-on learning and bonding happened!  And I think, for now at least, that I have even gained a little respect for my teaching methods from Ava. She gave me a bit of a hard time when I emphasized precision with her sewing project, making her carefully measure and press and sew straight seams. But after her first victory on the fashion revue stage this summer, she was on Cloud 9. As we walked into the parking lot after the show, she announced enthusiastically, to no one in particular, “My mom was right! Always listen to your mom! She knows what she is talking about…” Ha!   I may never hear her say those words again, but it certainly was the highlight of my evening.

Nearly 20 years have passed since I completed my 4-H experience and even though I hold that time dear to my heart, I think I forgot how much I really loved being part of the 4-H program. This summer I re-caught the “4-H fever” and I’m happy to announce that the girls caught it too! Even baby Aidan, who wasn’t a fan of the pigs until this final week before fair, has come around. I have loved every moment of our swine project. From driving out to the barn while signing songs at the top of our lungs with the windows down, to watching the girls overcome fears and tentativeness around livestock and learning to deal with “things that are gross”. It has been especially exciting to see the girls work as a team (because Lord knows they have their share of sisterly spats) to take care of “Pork Chop and Bacon” and execute the daily exercise regime (lots of pig walking!).  Whenever anything goes wrong in the barn I can always count on Emily to instruct, “Toughen up, Buttercup!” or Ava to say, “You’re fine, rub some bacon on it” followed by a giggle. It’s been awesome to see our family work toward a goal together. At home it might be a struggle at times to get the kids to clean up their rooms or complete other chores, but in the barn it’s like we’re all the best version of ourselves. There is very little complaining when I say, “brush this, sweep that, grab a shovel, it’s time to practice showmanship…” I am so proud of these kiddos! This time spent working together and making memories has been invaluable and I am grateful.

With that said, here are some pictures of my favorite” barn moments” this summer. To view, just click the link.
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Hilton Head Travel Journal

To see more Pictures from our Hilton Head vacation click the following link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDlq4ZN2QO
Last week we took our first "beach" vacation in almost 9 years. We've had many wonderful family vacations over the past 9 years, but the last vacation that our sole destination and purpose for travel was "the beach" happened when Ava was around 20 months old. 

We travelled to Hilton Head Resort on Hilton Head Island. The trip itself was an adventure. 2 adults, 3 children (including a 12-month old), and one very brave 17-year old (Heather, beloved babysitter to the Almkins) all piled into our Dodge Journey for the trek to South Carolina. All of the luggage strapped to the top, I felt a little like the Griswold’s cruising toward Wally World in the family truckster.  Aside from one tedious hour at the end of the drive on the first day, during which Aidan was truly losing his baby mind AND the fact that he only slept for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes on the entire return trip, it was smooth sailing. (Although, I wouldn’t ask Heather about that, she was in charge of breaking up all of the catfights between Ava and Emily in the backseat).

Hilton Head Resort is dated. As in, not fancy. However, it was perfect for us. We had a beach view, a nature-filled boardwalk over the marsh to the beach (which the kids loved), indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, deli, Coco’s beach bar, and an awesome beach. We were blessed with gorgeous weather. Tropical Storm Arthur was threatening off the Atlantic coast, so when we checked the forecast in the days leading up to the trip, and even on our drive down, it was bleak. It was supposed to rain every day. Boo! But thankfully, the storm hit north of us (Sorry to all of those vacationers in the OBX that had to evacuate). Our weather was absolutely beautiful. On the one overcast day, we headed to 40 minutes South to Savannah, where it was still sunny.  

Since the weather was perfect for the beach, we spent at least part of each day in the sand and waves. Perhaps the amount of time elapsed between having a baby on the beach all that time ago dulled my memory of just how un-fun it can be to have a baby on the beach. I mean, don't get me wrong, we had a great vacation. But babies and the beach are not the greatest combination. Babies want to eat sand. And it gathers in their little baby rolls. And then, babies want to rub their sleepy little eyes with their sandy hands when they are tired or upset. Babies want to make kamikaze runs for the ocean and then splash the stinging saltwater into their poor baby eyeballs. Babies don't understand that all of the sand toys on the beach do NOT belong to them. Babies like to smash sandcastles, no matter who built them. Babies are NOT good neighbors on the beach.  And finally, babies need a LOT of sunblock. Which they then want to rub into their blazing red (by the time they've been exposed to sand, saltwater, and chlorine) baby eyeballs. All of that said, there is something magical about watching my babies discover the beach for the first time. Watching their little toddling forms navigate the sand and explore is all kinds of adorable. It never gets old, even with baby #3. And the upside of all of that "fun" in the sun and trudging around through the sand is that Baby Aidan took awesome naps (in a Pack n Play in the condo bathroom) after each trip to the beach.

 While Aidan needed abbreviated beach visits, Ava and Emily are the perfect age for enjoying all that the beach has to offer. They became boogie boarding pros. They caught fiddler and hermit crabs. They collected the shells of horseshoe crabs that washed onto the beach after a nighttime storm. They learned where NOT to touch a jelly fish and would even throw them back into the ocean. There is so much nature on Hilton Head Island and the girls loved exploring and discovering all of the sea life. And now for a SHOUT OUT: We owe part of our beach experience to my dear husband. Mike became an expert at the beach “set up”. He’d head out in the mornings with one of the girls and chose our spot, setting up a canopy and beach chairs for a full day of beach enjoyment.

Because Aidan is an early riser, he and I cleared out of the condo for an early morning walk every day so that everyone else could sleep in. These early walks were a highlight of my day. I love mornings on the beach. On the second day, we discovered an inlet just down the beach from our boardwalk. This inlet was filling the marsh that we walked over to the beach. The inlet became a favorite destination for the girls 1-2 times a day to look for sea “creatures”, watch the birds, and hunt crabs. Plus the water there was calm and great for wading during low tide. There was also some great mud for a “low country spa treatment”.

As is my usual tradition, here is a day by day account from our vacation.

Day 1- Sunday June 29th 

We rolled into Hilton Head Resort late Sunday afternoon. After unloading the car, Mike and the girls were off to the pool and Heather, Aidan, and I headed for the grocery to stock our kitchen.  By dinnertime, our belongings were put away, there was food in the fridge, and the girls were sufficiently chlorinated and waterlogged. We were all itching to plant our feet in the sand and feel the surf, so we set out across the boardwalk for dinner on the beach. Coco’s on the Beach is the ONLY bar/restaurant on the beach on Hilton Head Island and it just happened to be situated at the end of our resort’s boardwalk. Owned by an Ohio native, Coco’s definitely had that laid-back beach feel. Although it wasn’t busy, we were assured that no matter what we ordered the food would take at least 40 minutes to arrive. No problem! We left Mike to chill at the open-air restaurant (it’s more like a beach shack with a big wrap-around patio) and the rest of us hit the beach. This was Aidan’s first time at the ocean. He alternated between charging the water and attempting to collect beach trash. Yuck!  After two days in the car, all of the kids had a lot of energy to burn. We had fun walking down the beach until our dinner was ready. Burgers, onion rings, crab cakes, and even a fried bologna (house specialty!) sandwich were spread out on our table as we ravenously dug in.  It was all delicious! Luckily, there was a bit of a walk back to the condo. We probably needed to burn the calories after such a feast.

Day 2 Monday, June 30th

Aidan and I were up and at em’ early, so we went walking. We enjoyed the golf course and bay views, strolling under the palms and Spanish moss-covered trees. We returned while everyone was still sleeping and made our family’s signature breakfast of biscuits and gravy for the family to wake up to. We spent the rest of the day chillin’ by the pool and at the beach.  Our friends, the Rodusky’s, were vacationing in the next resort over, so they joined us on the beach that afternoon. Once everyone had showered off the sand and been slathered with aloe from a day in the sun, we decided to get out and explore the island a bit. We ended up at Coligny Plaza, where we ate on the patio of The Frosty Frog. We enjoyed the live entertainment. Aidan was excited about the frog mascot who was wandering between the tables, greeting the guests. Apparently, Aidan thought that the frog was his own, personal, stuffed toy. When the frog reached out to shake his hand, Aidan latched on and wouldn’t let go. Even after the frog graciously wriggled out of Aidan’s grasp, Aidan would lunge for the frog as he passed by.  With our bellies full and tired from our first full day of fun in the sun, we headed back to the condo for bed.

Day 3  Tuesday, July 1st

Began the same as day 2 and almost every day of our vacation. Aidan woke early, so I plopped him in the stroller and laced up my shoes to pound the pavement (or sand) and see what the morning had to offer us. On this morning, we walked down Folly Field Beach at low tide, looking in tide pools and watching the waves roll in. We discovered an inlet a little way down the beach that flowed into the marsh. This became our destination with the girls 1-2 times a day while we were hanging out at the beach. The inlet offered a changing landscape depending on the time of day (low tides vs. high tides) and tons of wildlife. After breakfast, everyone headed to the pool while Aidan took his morning nap. We all met up for lunch back in the condo and then drove over to Palmetto Dunes to spend the afternoon at the beach with our friends. We returned to HHR (Hilton Head Resort) for Aidan to take a late afternoon nap. The girls took another trip to the pool and then we all cleaned up and loaded up the car to meet up with the Rodusky’s for dinner in Sea Pines Plantation at The Salty Dog Café. We ended up at The Wreck of Salty Dog, just across the marina from the original Salty Dog as the wait was much shorter at “Wreck” and the menu is the same.  As it turned out, there were fun activities for kids in front of the “Wreck”. The girls had their faces painted and participated in a hoola hoop contest. Aidan really loved watching the parrots in The Salty Dog tee shirt shop as well. We were in great company and the food was delicious. Definitely a meal to remember! We topped off the evening by driving over to Harbourtown to see the lighthouse and have some ice cream before calling it a night. After the kiddos went to bed, we left Heather in charge of the condo and Mike and I decided to walk the boardwalk out to the beach. I am so glad that we decided to do this! The stars were so bright and beautiful over the dark marsh and even prettier once we got to the beach. We even saw 2 falling stars!  I can’t remember if I’ve even seen the stars from such a dark beach, but the beauty of the Heavens shining over us on the beach that night was truly breathtaking.

Day 4 Wednesday July 2nd

With another gorgeous day forecasted, we chose to post-pone our trip to Savannah until the next day when the clouds were supposed to roll in. We spent a glorious day on the beach.  The waves were big as a result of tropical storm Arthur- perfect for boogie boarding!  Ava, Emily, Mike and I all took turns with the boogie boards. So fun!  We wrapped up the day with pizza in the condo and then travelled a couple of miles down the island to Shelter Cove where we enjoyed the sights, did some window shopping,  listened to live music, and had some ice cream. There was a kid’s festival going on at Shelter Cove, so the girls had fun jumping in a couple of bounce houses too. We ran into our friends as they were leaving dinner, so the girls got to catch up with their friends for a while we walked across the bridge at Shelter Cove to check out Disney’s Hilton Head Resort. 

Day 5 Thursday, July 3rd

The weather report predicted an overcast day and showers over Hilton Head, but 40 minutes down the coast in Savannah the sun was shining! We drove to  Old Town Trolley Tours in Savannah. They parked our car in their garage so that it would be safe and out of the sun while we toured. A nice service considering that temperatures topped out at 97 degrees on Thursday! We enjoyed seeing the sights and having the opportunity to hop on and off of our trolley to better explore the places we really wanted to see. We hopped off the trolley at City Market first where we sampled cookies at the Byrd Cookie Company . Can you believe it’s someone’s actual job to hand out free cookies all day?!? That’s got to be a great job, meeting people from all over the country/world and handing them as many delicious, free treats as they care to taste. Maybe in our retirement you will have to look for us in Savannah. That’s gotta beat being a Walmart greeter. Ha!

The next stop we chose to hop off of the trolley was at Forsythe Park. This was a perfect stop because not only is Forsythe Park and the area around the park absolutely beautiful, but there is a very nice AIR-CONDITIONED Visitor's Center with a clean bathroom. It was time for a “rest stop”. We walked the sidewalks of the park under giant Spanish moss-laden trees and admired the flowers and the famous fountain before getting back on the trolley.

The next stop we planned to see was The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, however it was closed when we passed by because they were having a service. This was actually ok, because Aidan had fallen asleep on the trolley, so he took his morning nap as we cruised on to the River Walk. We chose to eat at The Shrimp Factory because 1. Everyone was “starving” and 2. It was next to the trolley stop. In retrospect we should’ve menu-shopped a bit before settling in for lunch. It wasn’t a horrible meal, but definitely not our favorite of the trip. After we were sufficiently full, we ambled down the River Walk, enjoying the beautiful day and scenery and popping in and out of shops including the Savannah Candy Kitchen  and the Savannah Bee Co.

There was also a quick “grown-up” stop at Wet Willie’s for Mike and me to grab a frozen daiquiri. They have a ton of fun flavors and you can get them to go! Finally, we tried out the River Walk elevator. We ascended to street level and admired some more sights and statues as we walked toward our trolley stop to complete the last leg of our  tour. Since we had to bypass the cathedral on our tour, we drove ourselves back to St. John the Baptist and toured before leaving Savannah.  What a beautiful church! Definitely check out the pictures from our time there.

 By the time we got back to the HHI, there was just time for Mike and the kiddos to take a swim while I headed over to the Kroger to pick up supplies for dinner and beach food for our final day of vacation. Travel Tip: If you’re in Savannah and looking for some inexpensive Southern home cookin’ go visit the ladies at the Kroger kitchen. Seriously.  All of the food is made from scratch and delicious. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Day 6 Friday, July 4th

The 4^th of July and another beautiful day on Hilton Head Island! We spent the day at the beach. I loved the energy on the beach. Everyone was there with their families, celebrating the holiday. It was like a big beach party! For our final dinner we chose to go to The Black Marlin in Palmetto Bay Marina. The food was wonderful, the service was great, and the patio atmosphere was fun and laid-back, complete with a live country band. It was our favorite meal of the week and a great way to finish out our vacation. After dinner we walked out to the docks and caught a glimpse of the sunset. We debated going to see the fireworks at one of the advertised locations, but we needed to get on the road toward home early the next day and didn’t want to get caught in the crowds.  As it turned out, we didn’t even need to leave our condo to see fireworks. As we walked through the door after dinner, we could see fireworks exploding on the beach from our balcony door. The houses on the beach were putting on a firework display. We watched the fireworks from the balcony for a while, then after I put Aidan to bed, Heather, the girls, and I walked out to the beach to watch fireworks. Again, beach party! People can bring their fireworks, coolers, and chairs out to the beach and have their own celebrations on the beach. Who knew?! It was a great way to end a wonderful family vacation.

Day 7 Saturday, July 5th and into the wee hours of Sunday...

Back to reality. Well not really, we left the island before 10 am and returned to Medina around midnight. That much time in the car, even with the people I love most on this planet, isn’t the kind of reality I want to live through on a regular basis. Ha! But really, the trip home was long but uneventful and most importantly we arrived home safe and sound.  I am so grateful for the time that we were able to spend together as a family, making memories.

To view the pictures from our trip click this link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDlq4ZN2QO

Aidan's 1st Word

So in the last week or so Aidan has been saying "mamamamaaaa and dadadadad". However, I don't count those as words. Those are just the sounds babies make when they start putting sounds together. Granted, he generally uses "mama" when he is most upset, crying and staring RIGHT at me all the while. And this morning, as he was playing in his bouncer, Mike walked up and Aidan looked directly at him and said, "dada" clear as day. But that could just be a coincidence, right? I mean the kid is just 6-1/2 months old.

But yesterday, I was trying to put away laundry in his room. So, I set him in his crib and I summoned big sister Ava to join us.

"Please keep him entertained so that I can put these clothes away." I instructed.

To which she replied, "Sure, mom. Piece of cake."

Aidan mimicked her, "CAKE".

 Ava and I looked at each other in such surprise. "Did he just....? Nah, no way."

Then Ava said, "Aidan, say cake."

He answered, "Cake".

She did it a couple more times and he responded with "cake" a couple more times.

"Get my phone!" I yelled. "I've got to record this!"

And so she did. Here is the video of Aidan showing off his speaking skills.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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With 2 big sisters, maybe this 3rd child has to talk so that he is heard! Or...as the youngest in a family of 5, maybe he's just got lots of people teaching him new tricks.

Back to Blogging

As I rode shotgun to Mike on the 5 hour trip back to Ohio from our 4th and final family Christmas celebration last week, something made me think of our "old" family blog. I actually had to "Google" it to go to the site because I couldn't remember the web address. Once I tracked down the site, we had fun reminiscing as I read the posts and showed the pictures to Mike and the girls. At some point, Mike said, "You really need to start posting again". He is right. (I'm sure he looooves it when I use those 3 words).

From June of 2008 to April of 2011, I wrote 105 posts, capturing the goings on in our household. When I started "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice", we were living in Georgia. Ava was 3 and Emily was just 5 months old. Our blog survived 3 moves (and as many computers as my fingers tapped away on the keys through a desktop and then 2 laptops). I wrote about our travels, milestones reached, the funny things the girls said or did, and on occasion, reflections about being their mom. I posted pictures as they grew and videos of everything from choir performances to Ava's first time riding a bicycle.

Once upon a time, people wrote in their diaries or journals. But in this "digital age", the ability to take pictures and video is literally at our fingertips. This forum is perfect for us to combine the media we collect in the day-to-day with those writings and reflections that were once written into journals. Whereas I have pored over the yellowed pages of my grandparent's writings, hopefully my children and their children will be able to read these words one day. As I read old posts and shared pictures on the road back from Indiana last week, I realized what a treasure this blog is for our family.

Unfortunately, life was busy with two small children, a new home, and the 4 part-time jobs I was working back in April of 2011 and I stopped writing on our family blog. Then I went back to work full-time in November of 2011. Last October, we found out we were expecting our 3rd baby, and in June, we welcomed baby Aidan Michael into the world. Which is why, more than ever, it is time to start writing again. I want to preserve our memories for all THREE of our children. And it's true what those "seasoned" parents say (even though in those moments when your toddlers are losing their precious baby minds over God knows what and there are toys all over the floor and the laundry is piling up and we are sick-to-death of macaroni and cheese and we really don't want to hear it....)"They grow up so fast".

They really do. Ava is 9 years old and in the 3rd grade. Emily is in kindergarten will be 6 next week. And baby Aidan, well, he is almost 7 months old! I can hardly believe it myself.  I won't call this return to blogging my New Year's resolution, but I will try to make it a priority to carve out a little time to capture what is going on with our little family. Because Lord knows, I won't remember the "little things" that I hold so dear right now if I don't write (type) them down. : )

You will notice that our blog is sporting a different name: Alm Adventures. Why? Because 1)"Sugar and Spice" no longer fits with a little boy in the house and 2) because my creativity stores are currently depleted and that is the best I could come up with. : ) The blog description, "Our sweet life with two little girls" has changed, as has the appearance- shades of pink just didn't seem right. At least we have a couple more years before Aidan becomes offended by the hot pink and zebra-striped bathroom that he will share with the girls. Changing a blog background is much easier than re-painting... But all of the old posts are still here, archived by date in the right sidebar.

To wrap up this first post of the "new" blog, here are 20 snapshots from our Christmas break:

 On the Cuyahoga Valley Polar Express

 Emily helped to set up our biggest tree ever!

 Making Christmas treats for her teacher.

 The annual making of the gingerbread. Emily was on "red hots", Ava on sprinkles, and Aidan chewed the cookie cutters and screamed for a cookie.

 Aidan spent some time with Great-Grandma Shirley. She hadn't seen him since he was 1 month old!

 Santa baby.

 Miss Emily opening presents. Isn't she huggable?!

 Ava, all ready for her basketball league, which begins this month. I can't get over how grown up she is!

 Aidan visiting his Great-Grandpa Bailey. He really liked Grandpa's cool Christmas tie. : )

 Christmas Eve morning. Aidan and Emily happily playing under our giant tree while I made cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast.

 So big! Aidan showing off his balancing skills on Christmas day with the toy Santa brought for him.

 On the road again! Aidan sitting shotgun on the trip back to Grandma Pammy and Papa Nick's on December 26th while Mike and the girls ran into a store.

 Ava and Emily in front of my sorority house. We visited Purdue to show the kids around campus and have dinner with friends who were visiting from California.

 Goodbye Mammoth Tree! Mike hauled the tree out to the back yard so that we can burn it this summer in what has become a yearly tradition with our neighbors. I was not sad to see it go. Big trees require lots of lights, decorations, water, and.....time! In the words of Clark W. Griswold, "Looks great! Little full, lot a sap."

 Big trees are also very messy. Between braving the cold, muddy, tree lot with small children, carrying the heavy tree around the back and into the house, wrestling with the electric hedge clippers to trim the thing, getting tangled up in the lights both while decorating and un-decorating and all of that vacuuming, I am  re-thinking a real tree. Mike and the girls are anti-artificial tree. I used to be. We'll see who wins this debate next year... At least this year we made a memory!

 Oh, how we love this little guy! Could he be cuter?!  Before bedtime on December 30th.

 New Year's Eve. Even Aidan was feeling festive.

 Ava and Emily had a blast bringing in 2014 with our neighbors.

 Of course, baby Aidan goes to bed at 7:30 pm and takes 2-3 naps per day. The rest of us are T-I-R-E-D after our wonderful, blessed, fun-filled, Christmas break.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Easter Weekend

We had a lovely Easter weekend here in Ohio. On Saturday, the forecasted storms somehow missed us and so the girls spent the day playing in our muddy yard while Mike did yard work and I logged some hours in the kitchen preparing food for the Easter dinner we attended. In the afternoon, we went on a long bike ride. If you haven't had a chance to check out Ava's new 2-wheeled skillz, check this out:

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Late in the afternoon, we headed inside to color Easter eggs.















Before bed, we scrubbed off all of the mud and then I wound the girl's hair up for their special Easter "do's".







Because Ava would be singing at an earlier service than we usually attend, I made sure to lay out all clothes and accessories for what Ava calls, "The fanciest Sunday of the year!". Despite all of my preparations, we still rushed out the door 15 minutes late. Such is life with little girls and their need to put on all of those frills!



I still managed to snap a couple of pictures before they headed out the door.



I know that I am biased, but they were lookin' good!



I dropped Ava off at the choir room for practice, and then Mike, Em, and I went upstairs to find a seat. We were lucky to squeeze in! The church had 4 services for Easter this year. The 9:30 service (the first service that Ava sang for) had 640 people in attendance! I was pretty impressed that everyone found a seat, considering that the capacity for our sanctuary is 500. As a result of this record attendance, Ava sang in front of her biggest crowd yet!

Our children's ministry aligned their Lenten theme with the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly this year. For the last 6 weeks, the girls have been studying this in addition to helping make handprint butterflies, puffy paint butterflies, cut-out butterflies and MORE to decorate the church for Easter morning. In the first clip in the video below, I recorded some footage of the sanctuary while the 11:00 service band warmed up. There were butterflies everywhere...on the walls, on our pastors, in the plants....everywhere! These butterflies that you see are not those that the children made, but the whole basement (where the classrooms are located) was decorated with those. It was just COOL!

The second clip is of Ava's choir performance. She's still lovin' it! She was starting to look a little tired by the second performance (the one I recorded) after being up late with Easter excitement and waking up at 7 am(not to mention that fact that her sugar high was probably wearing off). But she was still hangin' tough. As a kindergartner, she's one of the youngest kiddos in the choir.

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Here are a couple of shots of our silly girls in the car on the way home from church.





Since we didn't have time do the Easter baskets before church, we opened them after.









Then we changed to go to an Easter dinner at a friend's house. The girls were looking so cute, I just had to take a few more pictures.



With the Easter baskets opened, they achieved their 2nd sugar high of the day. Check out Ava's blue mouth!



Emily forbade us from calling her "Curly Sue".(A nickname that Mike tried out on her because of her fluffy Easter hairstyle). Because, "That's NOT my name!" Duh. : )



We hope that all of you had a wonderful Easter too!

Spring Break 2011

Hello! I realized that I have gone AWOL from the family blog since the beginning of December. Life got really crazy for us around that time and the family blog was one of the first things that I had to give up. The holidays were great, and someday I hope to catch up with those posts. But that's definitely a task for another day.

A quick update: So far in the new year we have purchased a new house, packed, painted, cleaned, moved, Ava started at a new school, I started 2 new jobs; writing a weekly food column for The Strongsville Patch and as a Pampered Chef consultant, AND I studied for my final test to obtain an Ohio teaching license (test results should be available next week...keeping my fingers crossed). I'm also back to teaching evening adult cooking classes for Polaris. Mike is busy as usual at work too, PLUS trying to work on the new house and pick up the slack while I'm working. There has hardly been time to sleep, let alone update on the happenings of our little family!

This Spring vacation brought us all a much needed break and some quality family time. I have decided to post about it now, before this week (and our whole Spring) get really crazy. So here goes...

Since starting our family, we've been fortunate to take a number of wonderful trips with our children over the past 6 years, both on our own and with our extended families. But I have to say that this trip was the first time I really felt like I was actually on vacation. For the first time since becoming a parent, I wasn't itching to return home and go back to "life as usual". It was a great trip!

I attribute this vacation victory to a number of reasons. First of all, Ava and Emily have reached a great age for travel. We can pack light! No pack n' play, no bulky stroller (we did take the umbrella stroller), and above all NO DIAPERS! For this reason, we even decided to take Mike's new car. (It gets better gas mileage than the minivan.) Now that Em is 3, this also meant no scheduled stops for nursing or jars of baby food and I never once stressed about a naptime.

Secondly, we have been blessed with children who are good travellers. The girls are happy with the DVD player, coloring books, flash cards, road games, Nintendo DS, and the iPod. Sure, they bickered a little over the course of the trip, but Mike and I took this in stride. We were both nostalgic about trips taken in the backseats of our own family's cars where the occasional "he touched me", "I had it first", and "who tooted?"(Emily likes to ask "who pooped their pants?") were heard along the way. It mostly made us smile.

Also, at the ages of 6 and 3, the girls play really well together. They had a blast exploring each new stop together and shared a bed for the entire trip. This morning, when Em woke up alone in her own bed (for the first time in days), she didn't come looking for Mike or I. Instead, she screamed over and over again for her big sister! It was really sweet to watch them work as team and enjoy each other's company last week.

Finally, we did have some help. Halfway through the week, my parents arrived and Mike and I got to venture out on our own to the Space Center.

In my usual tradition, I like to keep a journal of our travel adventures. I've been doing this since our honeymoon to St. Lucia nearly 9 years ago. Some of you may remember reading my account found HERE of our family's trip to Williamsburg, VA a couple of years ago. Since this is my web log, I will post the travel journal for this trip here. (Skip to the end for photos if you like, the journal is lengthy.)

*Please excuse any type-O's. I typed this up pretty fast. : )

Day 1
Saturday March 26th
Uneventful travel through Ohio, West Virgina, a glimpse of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. We pulled off between 8 and 9 pm in Walterboro, SC (1 hour from Savannah, GA). I had made a reservation at a Quality Inn & Suites a week earlier. It has to be said that this certainly wasn't the nicest of exits off of the Interstate. Then again, if we had wanted to purchase illegal fireworks, this would be the perfect exit! Mike went in to check us in while I waited in the car with the girls. He returned to the car and explained that we would NOT be staying there. Because 1) They did not have the room we had been promised when I made the reservation and 2) He had observed some "questionable" activities while waiting to check in. (When a "thug" wipes the door knob for fingerprints when leaving a hotel room with 2 ladies, it makes ya wonder.) We searched for rooms at the next exit, but the hotels were all booked.

Finally, we drove to the Ramada across the street. Mike went in first, but sent me in to check out the room and finish the deal. The Ramada did have a room available. But not just any room. It was THE Honeymoon Suite. After taking a quick tour of the room, I began negotiating with the lady at the desk. I started with our AAA discount and then "talked her down". No one was using the room anyway, so I made an offer. I was feeling pretty cocky about negotiating the cheap deal for a pool-side, two-room suite with giant bathroom and wet bar (I even got her to throw in the breakfast buffet). But as we got ready to tuck our children into the honeymoon bed and began fielding questions about the mirrors placed on the ceiling over the bed and around the jacuzzi, my victory was diminished. Cheap deal was accurate. In truth, I was pretty grossed out. The room was fairly dirty. Mike and I peeled back the comforter and went over the bed with a "fine-toothed comb" before allowing the girls to climb in. I had the urge to spray the whole place with Lysol. On top of it, breakfast was over at 9 and we just missed it on our way out. Geesh.

Day 2
Sunday March 27th
By the time we scrubbed off The Honeymoon Suite "cooties" and loaded the car it was after 9 am and we missed the breakfast buffet by just minutes. We grabbed some Micky D's and headed south to Savannah for lunch. We rolled into sunny (HOT!)Savannah almost an hour early for our 12:00 lunch reservation. We parked at the restaurant and made our way down some very steep, very old, stone steps off of Bay Street to the cobblestoned riverwalk below for sight-seeing and praline sampling. Mike and Emily eventually went back to grab our table so that Ava and I could explore a candy store and take our time on the walk back to the restaurant. It was a gorgeous day for a walk in the beautiful, historic city. Ava and I were both taken in by Emmet Park and the tunnel of Spanish moss-laden trees as we strolled up Bay Street. Ava decided that she liked the moss so much that we should take some home and so she stuffed my purse full of clumps that had fallen to the ground!

We arrived back at the Pirates' House to find Mike and Emily seated and Emily transformed into a pirate! Ava quickly got into character, just as the first pirate visitor stopped by our table. If you ever find yourself in Savannah with children, this place gets my recommendation. There was a host/MC for our dining room who gave us the history of the Pirates' House and told interesting stories about adventures, drunken pirates, kidnappings, and ghosts!

The Pirate's House first opened as an inn for seafarers in 1753, and fast became a rendezvous for blood-thirsty pirates and sailors from the Seven Seas. Here seamen drank their grog and discoursed, sailor fashion, on their exotic high seas adventures from Singapore to Bombay and from London to Port Said. Hanging on the walls in the Captain's Room and The Treasure Room are frames containing pages from an early, very rare edition of the book Treasure Island. Savannah is mentioned numerous times in this classic by Robert Louis Stevenson. In fact, some of the action is supposed to have taken place in The Pirates' House, one of the places Stevenson visited. It's said that old Captain Flint, who originally buried the fabulous treasure on Treasurer Island, died here in an upstairs room of the house. In the story, his faithful mate, Billy Bones, was at his side when he breathed his last, muttering "Darby, bring aft the rum". Even now, many swear that the ghost of Captain Flint still haunts The Pirates' House on moonless nights.

The Pirate's House also happens to be the largest restaurant in Savannah with 15 dining rooms which guests are welcome to roam. The restaurant is attached to the oldest house in Georgia, built in 1733. Not only recognized by The American Museum Society which lists this historic tavern as a house museum, The Pirates' House is also considered to be one of the 5 most haunted locations in America! Our host encouraged us to leave our cameras on the tables and then he came around and took pictures of the ghosts with them. I've included the pictures he took in the slide show (link found below). See if you can find the ghosts....

With our tummies full of Southern food favorites from the reasonably-priced menu, we piled back into the car for the final leg of our drive to Florida. Before turning towards the highway though, we took a scenic drive drive down Abercorn and Bull Streets past the Colonial Park Cemetery and through Reynolds, Lafayette, Calhoun,and Monterey Squares. We also passed the Savannah College of Art and Design, and finally skirted Forsythe Park before programming the GPS for the interstate.

4-1/2 hours later we made it to The Great Outdoors in Titusville, Florida. We spent some time opening up my parent's place, then took a golf cart ride to look for alligators. Afterward, Ava and I went out to get groceries for the week while Mike and Em settled in for the night.

Day 3
Monday March 28th
A rainy, rainy day. Eggs and bacon and lounging in the morning. A work out (last ditch effort to be beach ready. Ha ha) before lunch for Mike and I. Then out for the afternoon/evening for a movie and dinner. We saw Rango and dined on seafood. The rain was a bummer- especially for Ava who couldn't wait to get to the pool, but I didn't mind the down time after the 2 day drive.

Day 4
Tuesday March 29th
We woke up to sun shining through the windows! Hooray! While the girls scarfed down breakfast, I quickly packed a picnic lunch and threw all of our beach gear into a bag. We shimmied into our swimsuits, piled into the car, and we were off to the beach! The nearest beach (15-20 minutes away) to where we stay is the Canaveral National Seashore. It's a division of the National Parks Department. We love this uncomplicated beach for the fact that it's never crowded, save for during a shuttle launch. Sure, you have to drive through miles of nature preserve to get there, but that's part of the fun as you watch out the windows for alligators and bald eagles. The first time Mike and I visited the seashore a couple years ago there were maybe 4 other cars in the parking lot. This time, the lot was near full with Spring-breakers like us, but we were still able to enjoy stretches of beach with no one else around. It's like your own private beach! We had fun playing in the surf with the girls and running the beach with an in-exhaustable Miss Emily. I just loved watching her little toddler body navigate the beach. It still makes me smile just thinking about it.

After lunch, we headed back to TGO for an afternoon at the pool where somehow, even under a layer of 60 proof baby sunblock I managed to get a nasty sunburn. Mike turned a lovely shade of deep pink as well. Luckily, the girls seemed immune to the powerful rays or my repeated SPF slatherings saved them. I'm still peeling....

That night, as we grilled hamburgers for dinner, my dad surprised us by showing up early. Exhausted from their day in the sun, the girls fell asleep quickly, well before my mom arrived from the airport.

Day 5
Wednesday March 30th
We began the day with a hearty breakfast at TGO diner, The Jukebox Cafe. With Grandma Sally acting as babysitter, Mike and I took off for the Kennedy Space Center. The girls explored TGO nature trails and the onsite nature center with their grandparents until my dad had to depart for Missouri for business. After lunch they spent the afternoon at the pool with my mom.

Mike and I followed the signs to the space center where he parked our new car in the very last row of our lot (the proximity of our car becomes important later) in hopes of protecting it from other car doors. After purchasing our tickets, we boarded a tour bus to the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. We also viewed the Vehicle Assembly Building (the largest building by volume in the world) and the crawlerway (the "road" used to haul the shuttle to the launch pad) as we passed by. We were able to view the shuttle Endeavour from the Observation Gantry, which was pretty cool since it's the next to last launch sheduled for the space program. After viewing the shuttle, we continued on to the Apollo/Saturn V Center where we experienced the re-creation of the Apollo launch and visited the Lunar Theatre which depicts the first moon landing. This was all pretty cool for us since years earlier we had attended breakfast with the astronauts at our alma mater, Purdue University, and had seen the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, in person!

Upon our return to the visitor complex, we got in line for the Shuttle Launch Experience, where we experienced a simulation of being on an actual shuttle, journeying into space. Very, very cool! We also toured the shuttle Explorer before checking out the Rocket Garden and the Center for Space Education. As we headed for the IMAX theatre to watch Hubble 3-D, a voice came over the intercom system warning everyone to "take cover". A severe storm was on the way. Mike pulled up the radar screen on his phone. It didn't look good. He proposed that we skip the movie and head out. I proposed that we stay for the movie (Hey, we already paid for it!) citing that the storm might blow over while we were inside and who knew when we'd get to see another 3-D IMAX movie again. Mike conceded...somewhat reluctantly. I have to say that the movie, focusing on the Hubble telescope, was REALLY cool!

When we exited the theatre, some very scary-looking clouds were over us and moving quickly toward the seemingly clear horizon in the direction of the parking lot. Thunder rolled, then lightning struck. That voice on the Kennedy loud speaker was still telling us to seek shelter.

"RUN!" One of us yelled. And that's what we did. Sprinted, is more like it. We could actually feel the storm at our backs. We raced past everyone, save a father-son duo who were keeping our pace across the parking lot. 5 rows from our car, the strong winds swooped in, sending the heavy, flip-top garbage cans positioned along the perimeter of the parking lot launching across the pavement and embedding gravel in our faces. It was unreal! We both dived into the car at the same time, all papers blowing out of the front seat and into the wind. We didn't care. As we crunched at the gravel in our teeth and attempted to catch our breath, we were just happy to have a moment of reprieve from the wind. We left the parking lot in a torrential downpour, feeling sorry for all of those families still stuck under the cover of the entry to the space center.

I called my mom to let her know we were on our way. "Are you guys OK?!" she asked, without even a "Hello". Apparently, the local news had been showing Kennedy Space Center and the horrible storm about to hit. She and the girls had also had their share of storm excitement back at TGO. My parents' RV had in fact been bouncing up and down during the storm and the tennis court fence just a couple of hundred feet away had blown over. Later, a call from my dad confirmed that things had gotten tense in Orlando too. While waiting for his grounded plane to take off, the wind came up and made the plane feel like it was going to "flip over".

On the way home we met my mom and the girls at a nearby steakhouse for dinner before we all holed up for the night as the storms raged around us.

Funny note: During dinner Emily kept calling the young restaurant host (hair hanging in his eyes) "Justin Beiber".

Day 6
Thursday March 31st
This was supposed to be our day at Disney World. Instead, we spent the morning "taking cover" during the tornado warnings. (There we 4 or 5 during our time in Florida, 3 of them on Thursday morning). After lunch, the storms calmed a bit. Mike was catching up on work and my dad was still in Missouri on business, so my mom, the girls, and I headed south to Rockledge to Harvey's Orange Grove for OJ and pepper jelly. Read more about our trip to the grove HERE. After dropping the perishables back at TGO, we headed to a mall in Orlando for some dinner and shopping. We got in late and hit the sack soon after.

Day 7
Friday April 1st
Gorgeous day! I woke up early and chugged a coffee with my dad (he had returned from Missouri the night before) then took a 4 mile walk/jog around TGO. (Totally didn't mean for it to be such a long walk...but I got lost.) When I returned everyone was awake. We ate, dressed, and then set off for the Midway Airboat Rides in Christmas, Florida. Ava loved the giant pot-bellied pig in the gift shop (see pictures). I guess that the wildlife (GATORS!) were as excited about the sunshine as we were because they were everywhere! We saw a ton of alligators. They were seriously just lining the banks of the St. John river. Back at the dock we all took turns holding a baby alligator. Well, all of us except for Emily. She kept a wide berth from the young reptile. As the youngest in our party, I guess that she couldn't suppress her survival instinct yet and wouldn't join the rest of us dummies in covorting with man-eaters.

Back at TGO, we all headed for the pool for a bit. I cut my pool time short for a massage. Ahhhh. Mike left the pool to meet a friend. My mom took over pool duty with the girls. Then we all showered off and dressed for a nice seafood dinner in Cocoa Beach. Mike's long-time friend Reid had flown in from Kentucky (he coaches a high school baseball team that was playing during their Spring Break in the area) and so he joined us. After dinner, we hit Cocoa Beach for a walk and some pictures. It was such a beautiful night! The girls had a blast playing on the beach.

Back at TGO I packed up for the return trip, Mike and Reid visited, my dad caught up on the news, and my mom put the kiddos to bed.

Day 8
Saturday April 2nd
Loaded the car, said goodbye to my parents, and drove to our scheduled stop just north of Charlotte, NC. We got in just in time to watch the second half of the Butler game. Ordered pizza. I took Ava to the pool until dinner arrived. Em elected to "stay with daddy". Ate dinner. Tucked in the kiddos. Mike and I enjoyed our last night of vacation.

Day 9
Sunday April 3rd
Breakfast at The Country Inn north of Charlotte, NC. Lots of driving. Lots of bathroom breaks. Arrived safely at home. All in all, fairly un-eventful. YAY!

Pictures:
Click the link provided below to view pictures from our trip
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDlq4ZN2Oy

*After you click "View Album", click on "Detail View" at the top of the next page. This will enable you to read my picture descriptions to the right of the pictures, a little way under the picture titles.

Here is some footage of the biggest alligator we saw on the airboat ride. Even our "captain" who sees alligators every day was impressed!

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Finally, here is some footage from the end of our trip. I promise that they weren't this silly for the whole car ride, but when I turn on a camera, they get downright goofy! Fun fact: Neither girl slept (not even once!) in the car on the trip down or back. Weird, right?

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