I'm finally getting around to posting the footage from Ava's birthday party. She had a wonderful birthday weekend. She celebrated with Grandma Sally and Grandpa Bailey on Friday. They were passing through on a trip to Maine and just couldn't miss out on their oldest grandchild's birthday. Then on Saturday, the rest of our family and some friends came for the party. Kids cruised the lawn in the Barbie jeep, bounced themselves silly in the bounce house, tanked up on sugar from the pinata candy, and finished the evening by putting on a (noisy) parade with all of the musical instruments from our playroom. All in all, I'd say that it was a great party!
When Ava woke up on Sunday (her actually birthday) her Grandma Pammy and Papa Nick had one last suprise for her...her first bike! We said goodbye to them and Aunt Katie and Uncle Drew, and then we were off for breakfast with my sisters and their families and my grandma. One more goodbye to all of them and we headed to our church carnival. We wrapped up the birthday festivities with a pizza dinner (her favorite) and a family movie. Talk about a birthday weekend extravaganza!
Here are the pictures and video:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Our Summer Vacation 2009: Travel Journal and Pictures
We hadn't planned to take a week-long vacation this summer. However, my parents had purchased a week in Williamsburg, VA and were unable to use the trip. We were more than happy to make take them up on the offer to go in their place. So we packed up our suitcases, beach towels and pool gear, shut down the house, stopped the mail and set out early on a Saturday morning. With the kids happily watching a DVD in the back and Mike at the wheel, I started going through the paperwork for the resort. Something caught my eye. Check-in: August 16th. That didn't sound right. I looked at Mike. "Today's the 16th, right?" I asked hopefully. "Uh, no." he said and I could see the look he was giving me. Uh-oh. I had the date wrong. It was kind of late to turn around and go home. After a few minutes of discussion, we decided to head to D.C. first and get a room for the night. After all, we'd planned to take the girls into Washington sometime on our trip. D.C. was two-plus hours away from where we were staying in Williamsburg so this way we wouldn't have to make it a day trip with 4 hours on the road. My little mistake also worked out well because D.C. is only about 6 hours from our house, so it broke up the trip a little. Here is day by day account of our week in Virginia:
Day 1 Saturday August 15th
After realizing that we (ahem...I) had the Williamsburg check-in date wrong, we secured a room in Falls Church, VA. We took the Metro from where we were staying to the Federal Triangle. Both girls loved their first Metro ride, although the idea of staying in your seat alluded Emily. She was pretty squirmy. We braved the heat and saw the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Monument. Actually, Emily and I sat at the bottom as I had just been there two months ago and Mike and Ava climbed to the top. By now, we were hot and tired and hungry. We walked a looong way to the nearest Metro station to wait for a train. The tracks were under maintenance, so it took a even longer time for a train to arrive. We finally boarded a train. A broken one! Apparently it was experiencing mechanical problems. Stopping and starting. Losing electricity. It completely shut down once. It is really dark underground! Then as it lurched forward, it rocked on the tracks so far back and forth that I thought that we were going to fall right off of the tracks. Yikes! You could tell that everyone on the train was really nervous (including us). Luckily, when we finally pulled into the next stop, it was ours. They made everyone get off of the train and it rolled away empty. We made our way back to the hotel and the girls had their first experience as roommates. Crazy kids! It was like they were having a slumber party. Ava pulled Emily out of the pack and play and into her bed. We would have been none the wiser, except an hour later they started to giggle. I went in to check on them and they were all snuggled up in Ava's bed. Hard to be stern when my heart was swelling out of my chest. They were just so sweet.
Day 2 Sunday August 16th
Off to the National Zoo. It was ridiculously hot. We saw almost everything in less than three hours. We were craving the air-conditioned haven of the van! We hit the road to Williamsburg. It was supposed to be a 2-1/2 hour drive. Traffic was horrible. It took us almost 4 hours! Checked in to our hotel/condo. Then off to shop for supplies. We had our first Sonic for dinner. Yum!
Day 3 Monday August 17th
We started off the day in Newport News, VA for some shopping. Mike forgot his tennis shoes in Ohio and walked right through his sandals at the monuments and zoo in D.C. After some shopping we made our way to the Yorktown Waterfront where we sat overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and had a relaxing picnic lunch. We climbed a tree and walked on the rocks and Ava saw her first live starfish. It was huge! We made it back to Williamsburg via the scenic Colonial Parkway for naptime and then spent the evening grilling out and swimming in the pool.
Day 4 Tuesday August 18th
Out the door to Historic Jamestown first thing in the morning. The museum was awesome...and air conditioned! Next, we toured the settlement. First the fort, then the waterfront and the first ships that landed in Jamestown, and finally the Powhatan Indian Village. Then, back to the room to cool off for Emily and I. Mike and Ava went on a miniature golf adventure. Dinner was at Hooter's next to the resort. All you can eat wings! When we'd had our fill we headed to William & Mary, the second oldest university in America. Spent some time in the bookstore and walking the streets while waiting for our candle light ghost tour of Williamsburg. This was educational and fun! I'd definitely do this again. Unfortunately, during the tour, I noticed that Emily was "not herself". When we got back to the room I noticed that she felt warm. I mean, even warmer even than the hot night would warrant. We took her temp. and she had a fever of 102. Ibuprofen and off to bed for her! Actually, after a big day of sight-seeing it was bedtime for all of us.
Day 5 Wednesday August 19th
Not only did Emily have a fever, I had developed a nasty cold. We rented movies and hung out at the resort for most of the day. In the afternoon, while Emily napped, I took Ava back to Yorktown. We toured the Watermen's Museum and then walked out to the beach on the Chesapeake. It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon! We waded and collected shells and sponges and explored the shoreline. Before heading back to our room for the night, we grabbed some Ben and Jerry's to cool off.
Day 6 Thursday August 20th
Em and I were still under the weather, but we decided to head down to Virginia Beach anyway. We figured that we'd stay in the air conditioned car most of the time and just see the beach. We drove all the way down to Sandbridge Beach next to False Cape State Park and decided to go ahead and put on our swim suits and experience the beach for a bit. The beach was perfect. So beautiful! And it was fun to watch all of the surfers too. We only spent an hour and a half on the beach, most of it in the water 1)because the waves were big and so much fun and 2) to keep cool. We definitely fell in love with Virginia Beach and would like to return one day. We did our best to rinse off the sand and hopped in the van for the trip back to Williamsburg. We returned just in time for dinner and filled up at Captain George's giant seafood buffet. Hey, you've gotta chase a day at the beach with a big seafood dinner!
Day 7 Friday August 21st
Despite the fact that Emily wasn't "100%" we had already purchased tickets to Busch Gardens Europe and needed to use them before our trip came to an end. We made it into the park just as the gates opened and spent the day enjoying the variety of attractions that Busch Gardens has to offer. The girls had a blast on all of the kiddie rides, at Dragon Land, and at the new Sesame Street attraction. Mike's favorite coaster was the Griffon and I thought the DarkKastle 4D experience was pretty cool. I had planned to take Emily back to the resort for a nap, however, she fell asleep in the stroller and took a two hour nap despite all of the excitement around her. By 4 pm we were sufficiently sun-baked, so we made our way to the room for a shower and then met up with our friends Brian and Anne for a delicious dinner at Food For Thought. I definitely recommend this establishment if you find yourself in the vicinity of Williamsburg. Great food and service!
Day 8 Saturday August 22nd
We awoke to raindrops on the window. Ate a quick breakfast and headed to the Williamsburg Winery. As we listened to the weather report, we realized that Hurricane Bill was the cause of the rain drops and stormy weather was on the horizon. The only item on the agenda for the rest of the day was a little time by the pool before packing for our departure in the morning. With storms in the forecast, pool time seemed unlikely. We decided to pack up our things and move out a day early, rather than fight through the storms and Sunday traffic. We fled like fugitives, and here I sit, 13 hours later, typing this. It was a long trip home, but now that I sit here with our bags around me and the girls sleeping peacefully in their own beds, I'm glad that we left when we did.
Rather than make a montage of our trip pics I decided to put them on Shutterfly, so that I could post descriptions with the pictures. After you click on the link below, then click on "View Album" under the picture of Emily. If you want to read the descriptions about the pics click on "detail view" at the top of the next page rather than just clicking on "slideshow".
Here's the link to the pictures: Summer Vacation Pictures
And here are a couple of clips from Virginia Beach and Busch Gardens:
Day 1 Saturday August 15th
After realizing that we (ahem...I) had the Williamsburg check-in date wrong, we secured a room in Falls Church, VA. We took the Metro from where we were staying to the Federal Triangle. Both girls loved their first Metro ride, although the idea of staying in your seat alluded Emily. She was pretty squirmy. We braved the heat and saw the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Monument. Actually, Emily and I sat at the bottom as I had just been there two months ago and Mike and Ava climbed to the top. By now, we were hot and tired and hungry. We walked a looong way to the nearest Metro station to wait for a train. The tracks were under maintenance, so it took a even longer time for a train to arrive. We finally boarded a train. A broken one! Apparently it was experiencing mechanical problems. Stopping and starting. Losing electricity. It completely shut down once. It is really dark underground! Then as it lurched forward, it rocked on the tracks so far back and forth that I thought that we were going to fall right off of the tracks. Yikes! You could tell that everyone on the train was really nervous (including us). Luckily, when we finally pulled into the next stop, it was ours. They made everyone get off of the train and it rolled away empty. We made our way back to the hotel and the girls had their first experience as roommates. Crazy kids! It was like they were having a slumber party. Ava pulled Emily out of the pack and play and into her bed. We would have been none the wiser, except an hour later they started to giggle. I went in to check on them and they were all snuggled up in Ava's bed. Hard to be stern when my heart was swelling out of my chest. They were just so sweet.
Day 2 Sunday August 16th
Off to the National Zoo. It was ridiculously hot. We saw almost everything in less than three hours. We were craving the air-conditioned haven of the van! We hit the road to Williamsburg. It was supposed to be a 2-1/2 hour drive. Traffic was horrible. It took us almost 4 hours! Checked in to our hotel/condo. Then off to shop for supplies. We had our first Sonic for dinner. Yum!
Day 3 Monday August 17th
We started off the day in Newport News, VA for some shopping. Mike forgot his tennis shoes in Ohio and walked right through his sandals at the monuments and zoo in D.C. After some shopping we made our way to the Yorktown Waterfront where we sat overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and had a relaxing picnic lunch. We climbed a tree and walked on the rocks and Ava saw her first live starfish. It was huge! We made it back to Williamsburg via the scenic Colonial Parkway for naptime and then spent the evening grilling out and swimming in the pool.
Day 4 Tuesday August 18th
Out the door to Historic Jamestown first thing in the morning. The museum was awesome...and air conditioned! Next, we toured the settlement. First the fort, then the waterfront and the first ships that landed in Jamestown, and finally the Powhatan Indian Village. Then, back to the room to cool off for Emily and I. Mike and Ava went on a miniature golf adventure. Dinner was at Hooter's next to the resort. All you can eat wings! When we'd had our fill we headed to William & Mary, the second oldest university in America. Spent some time in the bookstore and walking the streets while waiting for our candle light ghost tour of Williamsburg. This was educational and fun! I'd definitely do this again. Unfortunately, during the tour, I noticed that Emily was "not herself". When we got back to the room I noticed that she felt warm. I mean, even warmer even than the hot night would warrant. We took her temp. and she had a fever of 102. Ibuprofen and off to bed for her! Actually, after a big day of sight-seeing it was bedtime for all of us.
Day 5 Wednesday August 19th
Not only did Emily have a fever, I had developed a nasty cold. We rented movies and hung out at the resort for most of the day. In the afternoon, while Emily napped, I took Ava back to Yorktown. We toured the Watermen's Museum and then walked out to the beach on the Chesapeake. It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon! We waded and collected shells and sponges and explored the shoreline. Before heading back to our room for the night, we grabbed some Ben and Jerry's to cool off.
Day 6 Thursday August 20th
Em and I were still under the weather, but we decided to head down to Virginia Beach anyway. We figured that we'd stay in the air conditioned car most of the time and just see the beach. We drove all the way down to Sandbridge Beach next to False Cape State Park and decided to go ahead and put on our swim suits and experience the beach for a bit. The beach was perfect. So beautiful! And it was fun to watch all of the surfers too. We only spent an hour and a half on the beach, most of it in the water 1)because the waves were big and so much fun and 2) to keep cool. We definitely fell in love with Virginia Beach and would like to return one day. We did our best to rinse off the sand and hopped in the van for the trip back to Williamsburg. We returned just in time for dinner and filled up at Captain George's giant seafood buffet. Hey, you've gotta chase a day at the beach with a big seafood dinner!
Day 7 Friday August 21st
Despite the fact that Emily wasn't "100%" we had already purchased tickets to Busch Gardens Europe and needed to use them before our trip came to an end. We made it into the park just as the gates opened and spent the day enjoying the variety of attractions that Busch Gardens has to offer. The girls had a blast on all of the kiddie rides, at Dragon Land, and at the new Sesame Street attraction. Mike's favorite coaster was the Griffon and I thought the DarkKastle 4D experience was pretty cool. I had planned to take Emily back to the resort for a nap, however, she fell asleep in the stroller and took a two hour nap despite all of the excitement around her. By 4 pm we were sufficiently sun-baked, so we made our way to the room for a shower and then met up with our friends Brian and Anne for a delicious dinner at Food For Thought. I definitely recommend this establishment if you find yourself in the vicinity of Williamsburg. Great food and service!
Day 8 Saturday August 22nd
We awoke to raindrops on the window. Ate a quick breakfast and headed to the Williamsburg Winery. As we listened to the weather report, we realized that Hurricane Bill was the cause of the rain drops and stormy weather was on the horizon. The only item on the agenda for the rest of the day was a little time by the pool before packing for our departure in the morning. With storms in the forecast, pool time seemed unlikely. We decided to pack up our things and move out a day early, rather than fight through the storms and Sunday traffic. We fled like fugitives, and here I sit, 13 hours later, typing this. It was a long trip home, but now that I sit here with our bags around me and the girls sleeping peacefully in their own beds, I'm glad that we left when we did.
Rather than make a montage of our trip pics I decided to put them on Shutterfly, so that I could post descriptions with the pictures. After you click on the link below, then click on "View Album" under the picture of Emily. If you want to read the descriptions about the pics click on "detail view" at the top of the next page rather than just clicking on "slideshow".
Here's the link to the pictures: Summer Vacation Pictures
And here are a couple of clips from Virginia Beach and Busch Gardens:
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Summertime...and the livin' is easy...
I know that I've neglected our family blog this summer. I only have time for a quick update, so here goes... We are really enjoying every single minute of the beautiful summer weather. We've spent lots of time in the backyard, at the pool, and on the trails of beautiful Northeastern Ohio. We've also taken a few trips. We were back in Indiana for the 4th of July and for a whole week after the holiday. A couple of weeks later, the girls were back in Indiana again with Mike while I travelled to flaming hot Las Vegas, NV to celebrate my sister Karla's 30th for the weekend. The last week of July and the first week of this month, Ava attended day camp with her best buddy, Anna at our local "Rec" center. The girls loved every minute of it! Also, in the last couple of weeks, my sister Angie and my niece Ella visited. We had a fun time showing them around our city, including a trip up to the Lake Erie shoreline. Last weekend, Mike's parents, his sister Katie, and her husband Drew came for a visit. We had a ladies day out on Saturday and took Ava to see her first musical, Mary Poppins. It was an awesome show and Ava loved everything about it! As I sit here typing this, my parents are packing up their bags. They came for an overnight visit last night "just because they missed us". Good timing too...they took the girls out to the fair this morning while I packed our bags for one last summer trip. We're heading out in the morning to Williamsburg, VA for a week. Which is why I needed to update now so that when we return, I can post all about Williamsburg. : )
Here are some pictures from the end of June, July, and this month.
Here are some pictures from the end of June, July, and this month.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Vacation Bible School
This was Ava's first year in vacation bible school. I was super excited for her, since I have my own fond memories of VBS when I was little. She dragged her feet in the mornings, probably because VBS began at the time she's usually warming up to her day and eating breakfast. She's in bed by 8 most nights, but she lays in her bed talking, singing, and as she puts it "thinking" for at least an hour, sometimes more. Crazy kid. One of my friends teased that I need to slip a little Ambien into her dinner. Tempting... Anyway, getting up, dressed, and out of the house by 8:40 was good practice, because she's got morning pre-K in the fall.
Once I got Ava into the bible school room, she had a blast. Every day she climbed into the car excitedly spouting the details from her morning of crafts and games and stories and singing. I heard all about Cleopatra and ancient kings and the crodiles. On Wednesday she climbed into the car and said with a contempt in her voice, "I know about those people who poked Jesus to the cross. THEY didn't know how to forgive." I asked her if she knew why Jesus died on the cross. She was quick to answer, "For all of us. Because He loves us so much. He went up to Heaven to make room for all of us. Enough room for everyone who loves Him." Good job VBS!
Here are some video clips from her program on Sunday. They performed at two services. I filmed the second service, maybe I should've captured the first instead. I think Ava was starting to wear out little by the third hour of church (the kids stayed down in the Sunday school room in between services). I actually caught her yawning onstage a couple of times. It didn't stop her from grabbing the microphone between songs to loudly respond, "Fear not!" I didn't catch that on film, though. The congregation was amused, her teacher...not so much. Note that she has placed herself directly in front of the mic and jumps toward it from time to time. She loves a microphone! My favorite part of the video is at the end. Ava is hopping around like jumping bean and the little boy next to her finally turns and gives her "a look" and then rolls his eyes. He's probably thinking, "What's with this girl?"
Once I got Ava into the bible school room, she had a blast. Every day she climbed into the car excitedly spouting the details from her morning of crafts and games and stories and singing. I heard all about Cleopatra and ancient kings and the crodiles. On Wednesday she climbed into the car and said with a contempt in her voice, "I know about those people who poked Jesus to the cross. THEY didn't know how to forgive." I asked her if she knew why Jesus died on the cross. She was quick to answer, "For all of us. Because He loves us so much. He went up to Heaven to make room for all of us. Enough room for everyone who loves Him." Good job VBS!
Here are some video clips from her program on Sunday. They performed at two services. I filmed the second service, maybe I should've captured the first instead. I think Ava was starting to wear out little by the third hour of church (the kids stayed down in the Sunday school room in between services). I actually caught her yawning onstage a couple of times. It didn't stop her from grabbing the microphone between songs to loudly respond, "Fear not!" I didn't catch that on film, though. The congregation was amused, her teacher...not so much. Note that she has placed herself directly in front of the mic and jumps toward it from time to time. She loves a microphone! My favorite part of the video is at the end. Ava is hopping around like jumping bean and the little boy next to her finally turns and gives her "a look" and then rolls his eyes. He's probably thinking, "What's with this girl?"
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, lovely Saturday
We had a busy Spring, and our crazy schedule followed us right into Summer! On Friday I realized that we have not had one Saturday together as a family since April that we were not travelling, had company here, or Mike was working. Not one! We needed a family day! Usually this involves hiking, fishing, going on a picnic, or all of the above. The Metroparks around here are phenomenal and offer so many settings for family fun in nature. I choose a park we hadn't visited before, just 10-15 minutes from our house. Oh my gosh! It was awesome! Beautiful scenery, great trails, lots of fun rock formations for climbing, a lake for fishing, a spillway for wading and catching little water creatures like minnows and crayfish, we had a wonderful time. I'm disappointed that we just now found this spot. I know we'll be back often. The only downside? The raccoons. We ended up moving the picnic to our car. There were some bold (and apparently hungry) raccoons that raided our picnic. I managed to snap a picture of one on our way down the trail.
Here are the pictures from our sunny Saturday:
Here are the pictures from our sunny Saturday:
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Ava's First Dance Recital
Ava had her first dance recital this weekend after nearly a year of Kinderdance (ballet based beginning dance instruction). It was a full weekend for our tiny dancer. Rehearsal Saturday morning at 9 am followed by her first performance Saturday night at 7 pm and one final matinee on Sunday at 2. Nevermind that the little ballerinas had to be at each 3 hour performance a full hour before the show began in full make up. I'm sure it's just because I'm new to this, but it seemed a bit much to me. Not that Ava minded. She had a blast getting all dressed up and playing with her little friends. She did a beautiful job on-stage too, but I can't show you that footage. No video taping allowed. We had to buy the $32 DVD from the dance studio. I did take lots of pictures. When I asked Ava what she thought about the recital and asked if she had fun she replied, "Well, it was kinda boring. I think I better tap dance next year." Oh boy! Tap shoes on our ceramic tile. I'm SO excited!
Here are the pictures:
Here are the pictures:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Girls Day Out
The weather has been just perfect for the last couple of days. But the forecast predicts storms for the rest of the week. I decided to take yesterday and today off from our usual "To Do" list and spend some quality time wallowing in summertime bliss with the girls. Carpe Diem! On Monday we headed out to the West Side Market. I told the girls we were going "out". Minutes later, Emily emerged "ready" for the day wearing Ava's shoes. Not bad...they were even on the correct feet. She's in that stage where she wants to dress herself. She's also in the stage that constitutes making a seriously cheesy face when you pull out a camera. Her "cheese" face is a little Quasimodo. You'll grow to recognize it in each and every picture. She looks like she's winking.
My original plan was to hit the market and then head for one of the Metroparks and have lunch and go for a hike before naptime. I packed a cooler for lunch and we all slapped on our hiking shoes. Then I remembered that the zoo is right next to the market and that it's free on Mondays. Perfect. We could lunch at the zoo and then Ava could pick three or four exhibits to see before we headed home for Emily's nap. I shouldn't have told her the plan. Once it's out there, you can't take it back. Apparently free Monday at the zoo is absolutely crazy when school is out. Compounding the problem, the main road to the zoo is closed...under construction. It took us TWO WHOLE HOURS to make the usual 10 minute trip to the zoo. We were grid-locked. It kinda stunk. The girls were awesome. We had lunch in the car. We jammed to that great Cleveland rock n' roll on the radio. And once we got to the zoo, it was already naptime. No rush to get home now. We had a lovely time. A new dinosaur exhibit is open. It's kind of like walking through Jurassic Park. The dinosaurs are animated. The girls loved it. I didn't take pics of the rest of the zoo, but I did capture Ava and Emily exploring the dinosaur exhibit.
My original plan was to hit the market and then head for one of the Metroparks and have lunch and go for a hike before naptime. I packed a cooler for lunch and we all slapped on our hiking shoes. Then I remembered that the zoo is right next to the market and that it's free on Mondays. Perfect. We could lunch at the zoo and then Ava could pick three or four exhibits to see before we headed home for Emily's nap. I shouldn't have told her the plan. Once it's out there, you can't take it back. Apparently free Monday at the zoo is absolutely crazy when school is out. Compounding the problem, the main road to the zoo is closed...under construction. It took us TWO WHOLE HOURS to make the usual 10 minute trip to the zoo. We were grid-locked. It kinda stunk. The girls were awesome. We had lunch in the car. We jammed to that great Cleveland rock n' roll on the radio. And once we got to the zoo, it was already naptime. No rush to get home now. We had a lovely time. A new dinosaur exhibit is open. It's kind of like walking through Jurassic Park. The dinosaurs are animated. The girls loved it. I didn't take pics of the rest of the zoo, but I did capture Ava and Emily exploring the dinosaur exhibit.
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