Winter fun begins

"Is it summer time yet mommy?" Sarah's new favorite question of the day. Alas, no it is not summer, in fact winter has not yet begun. But the fun of winter and Christmas have started. We already had our Season Appreciation Luncheon at the Beach. The girls had so much fun. Sarah even tried ice skating with real skates, while Emily went with just her gym shoes on. The Merry-Go-Round was a hit like always, and other than losing a glove in the water for a short period of time the paddle boats were a hit as well. Both Sarah and Emily even tried the winter slide. I think I was more scared than they were. We have had our Christmas cookie bake, yummy yummy like always. And now we are moving on to wrapping presents so in a very short period of time we can unwrap them.

We had our first notable snow fall of the year. Unfortunately we were unable to make snowmen or have a decent snowball fight. Sarah did enjoy making a snow cake and snow orange juice with me. Also we made snow angels and played soccer outside until it finally hit here that she was cold and we had to go back inside immediately. I am looking forward to sleding and snowmen later this year with better snow.

Until next time... Adios!

What's the Latest?

So it has been awhile since we last updated. There have been lots of fun times over the past 3 weeks. Let's get started!!

~Halloween~

The girls had a blast!!! Sarah went as a butterfly and Emily went as a rooster. Sarah did great. She ran from house to house and was still going strong at 8pm when we headed in for the night. Emily was a little overwhelemed by all there was to see, I think she really just wanted to look at everyone else. Highlights for the night - Sarah and Emily getting light up bracelets from the neighbor (Thanks Mike and Vicki!) - All the compliments Emily got on her costume (thanks Jen) - Emily running up to a baby, yelling "Baby!" and then giving her a kiss - And Sarah growing up, actually walking up to each house saying "Trick or Treating!" and not needing mommy and daddy at her side.

~Finger Painting

With the new additions to the play room we felt the need to add some decorations to the walls. not only are there butterflies on the wall, now there is a finger painting complete by Sarah and Emily. Sarah was completely thrilled with the concept of finger painting, she worked for almost an hour, Emily, not so much. She did participate, just not as much as Sarah.

~Visit to the Kids Museum

Dan has been on vacation all week. We thought it would be fun to take the kids somewhere special while everyone was at home. While the zoo was the original plan, unfortunately the weatherman made it out like that wouldn't be possible (even though the weater men have no real idea what they are talking about). So instead of the zoo, fun was had at Union Terminal at the Kids Museum. They loved it. There was climbing area, kind of like the play lands at McDonalds. We were having a lot of fun until some adult guy yelled at Sarah to get out of his way because his daughter and he were going to go down the slide. They had a fun water area, the kids got to wear raincoats. There was an area specifically for kids under 4. It was so much fun. Emily said her favorite area was the gigantic ball pit, while Sarah said hers was the slide. I think they both actually enjoyed the grocery store and diner most of all though. Can't wait to go again!

There are lots of exciting things to come!! Thanksgiving, Ice Skating at the Beach, Christmas, New Years. The girls are growing up so quick, I dread seeing these days go by.

Building the perfect play room

Two organizational bookcases - $79.98

Six bookcase inserts - $33.00

One child size coat rack - $29.99

One decorated tub of play clothes - $5.99

One table and chairs and easel - $0.00

Watching your kids play like never before - Priceless

Happy Birthday Emily

It's hard to believe but our little girl turned 2 on Oct 10th. We had her party on the 11th, just a family get-together. I truly think Sarah enjoyed the party more than Emily. When it came time to open presents Emily opened maybe one or two and Sarah took care of the rest of them. I think by far and away Emily's favorite present had to be the stuffed animal dog from her Uncle Matt. She sleeps with it, takes it everywhere she goes. And of course the first thing she says in the morning is, "Where my doggy?" Sarah really enjoyed all the presents, she is a little mad at me for taking away the markers that Emily so politely used to draw on a doll. But she likes her easel and loves the new books. They both enjoy the train set. Sarah really likes the new camera as well, she always keeps the picture on the butterfly. The party was fun and the cake was beautiful, even if Emily wouldn't eat any of it. Watching the kids made both Dan and me realize just how much fun Christmas will be this year - can't wait!!

Shaw Farm

Today was one of the few weekdays that both Dan and I were off work together, so we planned a day of fun for everyone in the family. We went out to Shaw Farm in Milford and picked out pumpkins for Halloween. The weather was perfect, overcast, cool, but no rain. Shaw Farm is perfect for real little kids. And I would have to recommend going during the week because I am sure the place is packed on the weekend. They have little wooden houses and decorations for the kids to play in. There is even a maze for the kids. They also have farm animals you can get pretty close to - a horse, chickens, rabbits, and peacocks (anyone interested, baby peacocks are going for a mere $25). Sarah and Emily had a great time as you can see from the pictures. They both even got to pick out their own little pumpkins. I think Dan and I will make this a yearly tradition, if not at Shaw Farms, then somewhere else where pumpkins can be picked.

Family Vacation to Gatlinburg!!

So we just got back today from the trip down to the Smokey Mountains. I am exhausted, but I would have to say we had a great time. We drove down on Sunday, got to the cabin around 4pm. Of course the first thing Sarah and Emily wanted to do was jump in the indoor pool. We didn't really go into town that day, just got some pizza and then played cards once the kids were in bed. On Monday Dan, the girls and myself all went into downtown gatlinburg and walked around. We also went up into ober gatlinburg, which is this really neat tram up into the mountains. There wasn't a whole lot there for the kids to do. Most of us went on a ski lift and down an alpine slide. Every afternoon we went back to the cabin so the kids could nap. Monday evening we ate dinner, took a walk and just hung out at the amazing cabin.

The cabin was truly beautful. Four bedrooms, each with king size beds. Upstairs was a game room with foosball (hopefully spelled that right), pool, and checkers. There was also a playstation but we never got around to playing it. There was a fully functional kitchen and a nice size dinning area. There was a large living room with a lovely fireplace. Downstairs was the indoor pool and a large screen tv. Dan claims he kicked my butt at foosball, but i would have to say we came out about even (plus i may have let him win a game or two).

On Tuesday we didn't do too much. Tried to go to a winery, true let down. In the afternoon while the kids were napping Dan and I went to Cooters place and then played some Hillbilly Golf, again, not too impressed. The best part of the day, though, was going into the mountains and taking Sarah and Emily on a short trail. They loved it, they got to throw sticks and rocks into the water. The weather was beautiful, you couldn't have asked for a better day.

Wednesday we went into the mountain and stopped at Cades Cove. There were some really neat old buildings, however, the 11 mile loop to see the buildings took over an hour to drive, and with two little kids in the car it was not the most enjoyable time. To make it up, though, we took all the kids to what I like to refer to as "Kiddie Land." Basically there were a number of rides for really little kids there. Emily preferred the swings, while Sarah was a big fan of the mini viking ship. Dan of course like the fast race cars most of all.

I think everyone had a great time, and we all look forward to our next family vacation!

Surviving Ike

Well, we made it through tropical depression Ike. I would like to say we made it through in one piece, but it is more like multiple pieces. Important thing is no one got hurt and the house is fine (probably because we had 7 tress taken down two months ago). The barn took a hit as you can see. Amazingly enough it is almost back to normal thanks to some extra hands and many hours of hard work today. The back yard is almost cleaned up, the front yard is still a disaster zone. Clean up will still require the chainsaw. Vacation in less than a week - lots of pictures to come!

Summer Fun

Hasn't this week been just beautiful?! I can't imagine a better August. This truly makes up for the heat last year. We had a great weekend. Both Dan and I were off this whole weekend (this rarely happens). Saturday morning the girls got to hang out with their cousing Nick. That evening we all went to Dan's Aunt Karen's house. Dan, Sarah, and Emily all went swimming in the in-ground pool. Afterwards we ate dinner and then Dan's cousin entertained Sarah and Emily the rest of the evening. On Sunday we did some shopping, bought some necessities for the camper. Then we went swimming at the beach waterpark. The girls enjoyed the sand most of all. It was a good time. I hope this weather continues into the fall. Dan has vacation days this week, so we'll have to see what kind of trouble we can get into. We have lots of fun coming up - Fantasy Football Draft, Gatlingburg, Emily's birthday, etc. Check in for updates!

More to come on camping fun!

Well, as a family we have made the big decision and bought ourselves a pop-up camper. We went to an rv place on route 42 on Monday and looked around. And of course everyone knows it is never good to look at something because you always end up buying - even if you say, oh, I am only going to look. Dan will be picking up our brand new camper on Tuesday and bringing it home. Sarah and Emily had an absolute blast looking at all the campers. Everytime Sarah would go into one she would say "Oh My!" which of course was always followed by Emily saying "Oh my." Then they would sit at the tables, climb on the beds and check out the bathrooms. I think for the kids going to the camper store was better than any possible vacation. I will be posting pictures of our luxurious camper once it arrives home. Until then feel free the visit this website for all the details. We purchased a fleetwood, the destiny series, I believe it is called the yuma. Anyhow, check out this site for all the details. http://www.cincinnaticolemanrv.com/folding.asp?DealerID=C508808&mind

July Camp Out

We just got back from our first camping trip as a family, and of course Dan will say this is our first of many. It was a good time, a little on the hot side for our liking though. We headed out Friday to Miami Whitewater park in Indiana, right on Brookville Lake. Got our tent set up, and everything in order once we got there. We just had a good time that night, cooked a little, played on the play equipment. Sarah and Dan went fishing for all of two minutes. I don't think Sarah has the attention span yet for that. Sarah told us she would have eaten the fish if she caught it. On Saturday Sarah and Emily and I went with Kim, Ellie and Judy to the sandy beach. I don't remember the last time the girls had so much fun. We were there for about 2 hours and Sarah and Emily weren't even close to ready to leave. Emily took a well deserved nap while Sarah and I played Candy Land after that. We had a number of visitors out for the night after that. We enjoyed some dinner and more time on the play equipment before the girls called it an early night. Dan and I took a nice night walk and then played Risk with friends until about 2 in the morning. It was a great family trip. I think my personal favorite part was eating camping breakfast. There is nothing better than eggs, bacon, and sausage. Hope you all enjoy the pictures!

Chris Henry Update

Well, the latest news is that our dear friend Chris Henry is broke. Apparently his home and SUV will soon be taken from him. This was devestating news for Sarh and Emily seeing that Chris is their favorite ex-football player and felone. I suppose we will have to find a new player to get our picture taken with. Until then, this one will have to do. By the way, who in the world is the other guy? We still cannot figure it out.

Sarah's 3rd Birthday

Happy fourth of July
Today was the big day for Sarah - she turned 3 years old
It was quite a celebration
We started the day with breakfast followed by shopping at Kroger's for some last minute party supplies
Just to let everyone know, I would not reccommend purchasing balloons from Krogers - they were deflated and on the ground by 6pm
After shopping we all attended the Anderson Township 4th of July Parade
I'll tell you what - the girls had a blast
Emily walked around in the street grabbing all the candy she could
Both Sarah and Emily enjoyed waving at everyone
I think Dan's favorite part was watching the fire trucks go by
After this, lunch was consumed followed by a well deserved nap
Then the party began
Picnic food for dinner and two cakes for dessert
Afterwards Sarah enjoyed opening numerous presents
She even got to play with her new playdoh and the Lady Bug Game before getting a bath and heading off to bed
It was really fun, Sarah had a great birthday
Can't wait to do it again soon