Monday, October 13, 2008
Absolutely Gorgeous!
Gorgeous weather, gorgeous landscape, gorgeous leaves, gorgeous time with our precious little family. Our latest family adventure took us to Brandywine Falls. The beauty of the falling water was complemented by the fabulous fall foliage and vivid blue sky. After viewing the falls we explored a trail, but when the terrain got to rough, we ditched the stroller and the trail and just explored on our own. We ended up following the stream...that water that we'd just watched plummet over the rocks. Lucky we did. Along the river was some quality clay. Mike and Ava had a good time mushing it in their fingers and making pinch pots (a term I remember from elementary school art class). Emily had a good time exploring too. She's quite the little leaf collector (and eater!) Hope you all enjoy the pictures.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fun with Grandma Pammy
Mike's mom visited this week to attend Grandparents Day at Ava's preschool. Ava had a wonderful time showing off her new school. Then on Tuesday the girls and I took her on a tour of our new town. The highlight of the day was a picnic at Lake Erie Beach in Bay Village. It was such a gorgeous day. Here are the pictures from a sweet time with Grandma Pammy.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Our weekend
It was such a gorgeous, crisp Autumn weekend. Saturday we spend the day decorating the lawn for Fall, taking wagon rides around the neighborhood, and sitting around the fire in the backyard....it was just the perfect family day. On Sunday we took the girls to the Wooly Bear Festival and Parade. It was easily the longest parade I've ever witnessed, but everyone had a good time.
Here are the weekend pics. If you're wondering who Ava's little friend is in the parade pictures, I don't know. They sat by us. You know Ava....Miss Social Butterfly. You'd think they'd been friends for life!
Here are the weekend pics. If you're wondering who Ava's little friend is in the parade pictures, I don't know. They sat by us. You know Ava....Miss Social Butterfly. You'd think they'd been friends for life!
Tagged....again.
I've been tagged by my cousin Jen.
Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.
10 Years Ago (1998):
1. I was 21 years old. Hello, Harry’s Chocolate Shop!
2. I lived in the Alpha Xi Delta house
3. I was majoring in Agriculture Sales and Marketing at Purdue University
4. I’d been dating my dear husband, Mike for about 7 months.
5. I loved to watch Ally McBeal on tv
5 Things on Today's "To Do" List:
1. Laundry
2. Jenn M, if you're reading you're gonna love this... Pick up my McCain-Palin Rally tickets at the nearest Victory center
3. Take my mother in law out to eat Thai food for dinner
4. Post weekend pics here on my blog
5. Figure out what the heck to do with the Webkinz that Ava got for her b-day
5 Things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Put aside/ invest it for the girls’ education and retirement….assuming that we wouldn’t be semi retired if we had millions
2. I would love to say that I’d pick my favorite charity right away…and I would….eventually, but first I’d go SHOPPING! So shallow, I know.
3. I’d build my dream house(s). I guess it depends if it’s one million or millions. One in the country, one on a lake or even better the ocean, and maybe one in the mountains. And then I’d decorate them.
4. I would travel, starting with Tahiti and then as George Bailey put it in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, I’d see the world.
5. Buy really great gifts for all of the people that have been so generous to us: our families.
6. Now, I’d give money to research programs to cure cancer, programs to reward inner city school children or children in adverse situations that work hard to overcome obstacles and I’d adopt families for the holidays and go ALL OUT.
(Okay, I picked 6…and really I can think of hundreds of ways to spend money. Ha ha)
5 Places I have lived:
1. Clunette, IN
2. West Lafayette, IN
3. Indianapolis, IN
4. Columbus, OH
5. Atlanta, GA
5 Jobs I have had:
1. Detassler
2. Deli Girl
3. Waitress
4. Homeless Shelter children’s program
5. Teacher
Now, I'm tagging....
No one. Most of my blogging friends have been tagged. More of you need to start blogging!
Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.
10 Years Ago (1998):
1. I was 21 years old. Hello, Harry’s Chocolate Shop!
2. I lived in the Alpha Xi Delta house
3. I was majoring in Agriculture Sales and Marketing at Purdue University
4. I’d been dating my dear husband, Mike for about 7 months.
5. I loved to watch Ally McBeal on tv
5 Things on Today's "To Do" List:
1. Laundry
2. Jenn M, if you're reading you're gonna love this... Pick up my McCain-Palin Rally tickets at the nearest Victory center
3. Take my mother in law out to eat Thai food for dinner
4. Post weekend pics here on my blog
5. Figure out what the heck to do with the Webkinz that Ava got for her b-day
5 Things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Put aside/ invest it for the girls’ education and retirement….assuming that we wouldn’t be semi retired if we had millions
2. I would love to say that I’d pick my favorite charity right away…and I would….eventually, but first I’d go SHOPPING! So shallow, I know.
3. I’d build my dream house(s). I guess it depends if it’s one million or millions. One in the country, one on a lake or even better the ocean, and maybe one in the mountains. And then I’d decorate them.
4. I would travel, starting with Tahiti and then as George Bailey put it in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, I’d see the world.
5. Buy really great gifts for all of the people that have been so generous to us: our families.
6. Now, I’d give money to research programs to cure cancer, programs to reward inner city school children or children in adverse situations that work hard to overcome obstacles and I’d adopt families for the holidays and go ALL OUT.
(Okay, I picked 6…and really I can think of hundreds of ways to spend money. Ha ha)
5 Places I have lived:
1. Clunette, IN
2. West Lafayette, IN
3. Indianapolis, IN
4. Columbus, OH
5. Atlanta, GA
5 Jobs I have had:
1. Detassler
2. Deli Girl
3. Waitress
4. Homeless Shelter children’s program
5. Teacher
Now, I'm tagging....
No one. Most of my blogging friends have been tagged. More of you need to start blogging!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Spoiled
Our recent trip back to Indiana left Mike and I spoiled. Living away from everyone for the last couple of years, we haven't had many opportunities for date nights. Grandparents are the best babysitters! This trip offered lots of chances for us to get out. On our first night, Friday, we put the girls to bed and hit our favorite Morse Reservoir haunt, Wolfie's on the Waterfront. Saturday night we went out with some friends. Monday we went to a movie. I don't even remember the last time we went to a movie together! And Tuesday we took the boat out for some late night fishing. I don't think I've ever been night time boating when the lake isn't packed with boats from 4th of July fireworks traffic. I may solely boat under the cover of darkness (and the brilliance of the stars) from here on out! It really was relaxing.
Thursday afternoon, we staged a little getaway to New Buffalo, MI. This was our first time leaving Emily overnight. Not as big of a deal as the first time we left Ava, but still a big deal for me. Nonetheless, we drove North, knowing she was in the capable hands of her grandparents. I'm not much for casinos (I'm more likely to go to Vegas for a show than to sit down at a table), but we spent a few hours on Thursday night at Four Winds Casino . It's new and very nice. We stayed at a lovely hotel, The Harbor Grand overlooking Lake Michigan. If any of you are close and looking for a little vacation, this place definitely gets my recommendation. The beach at New Buffalo is pretty nice too. Friday morning we set out for the Warren Dunes. I used to love going to the dunes, but I haven't been since high school. When we pulled in, there was no one at the ranger station or whatever they call that check in booth. The road to the beach was closed citing flooding from the weekend before. My heart sank. I was so excited to show Mike the dunes. Luckily the road to the back of the dunes parking lot was open. When we parked, there was only one other car in the lot and that gentleman was getting ready to leave. We hiked up from the back of the dunes and when we reached the top it was gorgeous! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The best part: we had the whole place all to ourselves. Of course, I had to show off my dune jumping skillz. If you've never jumped down the dunes and you're able...you should! It's exhilarating. Way better that sliding or just trying to walk. I know I look totally silly doing it, but it was so much fun that I just didn't care.
It was still pretty early after we finished our visit to the dunes, so Mike hit the "recreation" button on our GPS and one of the possibilities that came up was Bear Cave. This appealed to our adventurous side and we decided to check it out. When we bought our $1 self-guided cave tour tickets, we were warned that we might not get to see the whole thing because 1) the bats were really thick and 2) the cave might be flooded due to the large amount of rain the area had received. We reasoned: We're here, let's see the thing. The pictures looked pretty cool. Then we opened the door to descend into the cave and bats swooped at our heads. We fled the cave stairwell and nearly had to abort mission. Then we regained our composure and mustered up the courage (hey-we spent a WHOLE dollar!) and headed past the bats and into the cave. About 50 yards in....we hit the flood. Short of climbing out again and hunting down the nearest Walmart for hip boots, we'd hit a wall in our caving excursion. Guess we should've taken in a winery instead! Clearly defeated we wiped off our shoes and jumped into the car and drove back to our sweet little girls.
So we were spoiled last week.
Here is a little video of our trip to the Dunes. I personally think that the footage of me "dune jumping" is hilarious. The last clip is from the cave stairwell. Hope you enjoy!
Thursday afternoon, we staged a little getaway to New Buffalo, MI. This was our first time leaving Emily overnight. Not as big of a deal as the first time we left Ava, but still a big deal for me. Nonetheless, we drove North, knowing she was in the capable hands of her grandparents. I'm not much for casinos (I'm more likely to go to Vegas for a show than to sit down at a table), but we spent a few hours on Thursday night at Four Winds Casino . It's new and very nice. We stayed at a lovely hotel, The Harbor Grand overlooking Lake Michigan. If any of you are close and looking for a little vacation, this place definitely gets my recommendation. The beach at New Buffalo is pretty nice too. Friday morning we set out for the Warren Dunes. I used to love going to the dunes, but I haven't been since high school. When we pulled in, there was no one at the ranger station or whatever they call that check in booth. The road to the beach was closed citing flooding from the weekend before. My heart sank. I was so excited to show Mike the dunes. Luckily the road to the back of the dunes parking lot was open. When we parked, there was only one other car in the lot and that gentleman was getting ready to leave. We hiked up from the back of the dunes and when we reached the top it was gorgeous! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The best part: we had the whole place all to ourselves. Of course, I had to show off my dune jumping skillz. If you've never jumped down the dunes and you're able...you should! It's exhilarating. Way better that sliding or just trying to walk. I know I look totally silly doing it, but it was so much fun that I just didn't care.
It was still pretty early after we finished our visit to the dunes, so Mike hit the "recreation" button on our GPS and one of the possibilities that came up was Bear Cave. This appealed to our adventurous side and we decided to check it out. When we bought our $1 self-guided cave tour tickets, we were warned that we might not get to see the whole thing because 1) the bats were really thick and 2) the cave might be flooded due to the large amount of rain the area had received. We reasoned: We're here, let's see the thing. The pictures looked pretty cool. Then we opened the door to descend into the cave and bats swooped at our heads. We fled the cave stairwell and nearly had to abort mission. Then we regained our composure and mustered up the courage (hey-we spent a WHOLE dollar!) and headed past the bats and into the cave. About 50 yards in....we hit the flood. Short of climbing out again and hunting down the nearest Walmart for hip boots, we'd hit a wall in our caving excursion. Guess we should've taken in a winery instead! Clearly defeated we wiped off our shoes and jumped into the car and drove back to our sweet little girls.
So we were spoiled last week.
Here is a little video of our trip to the Dunes. I personally think that the footage of me "dune jumping" is hilarious. The last clip is from the cave stairwell. Hope you enjoy!
Accepting Gifts Graciously
In the past, Ava has opened gifts containing clothing with little enthusiasm. As in, she throws them aside as soon as she glimpses the contents of the package and says, "Another present, please." Hey, at least she says "please", right? And really, what should I expect, she's only 4. I on the other hand, tremendously appreciate these gifts of clothing. Ava's grandmas and aunts have been exceptionally generous in clothing my budding fashionista. I decided that it was time to have a talk with Ava about using her manners when opening gifts. The morning of her party, I practiced with her:
Me: What do you say when you open a present that is clothes?
Ava: (placing her hands on her cheeks with fake enthusiasm just as we've practiced) Oh my! I love it! Thank you! Thank you!
Me: Very good! Now remember that at your party today.
Fast forward to the party....
The first gift she opened was a little dress with leggings.
Ava: Oh my! I love it! I love!
Smiling a smug little smile I whispered: Very good Ava.
Ava: No mommy! I love it for real! Not pretend. I really, really like it.
I was so busted!
Me: What do you say when you open a present that is clothes?
Ava: (placing her hands on her cheeks with fake enthusiasm just as we've practiced) Oh my! I love it! Thank you! Thank you!
Me: Very good! Now remember that at your party today.
Fast forward to the party....
The first gift she opened was a little dress with leggings.
Ava: Oh my! I love it! I love!
Smiling a smug little smile I whispered: Very good Ava.
Ava: No mommy! I love it for real! Not pretend. I really, really like it.
I was so busted!
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