Kids' Summer Olympics 2012

With the summer olympics closing in, we decided to host our own version of the Kids' Summer Olympics. We invited over 30 kids from our neighborhood, and almost everyone could make it! We set up stations around the yard and let kids try to earn as many points as they could (or just play at whichever stations they liked best). Then we had a few relay races and enjoyed some snacks. It ended up being a really fun day! The rain held off until the last toys were cleaned up, and the crazy summer heat we've had relinquished for the morning. Maybe this will become an annual event!

A Blast From The Past

When I was maybe 10 or 12, my mom's side of the family had a reunion in Indianapolis and  went to the Children's Museum there. It was so much fun that I still have pretty vivid memories of our trip. Earlier this summer I heard that the museum was having a Lego exhibit (my boys LOVE Legos), so I thought it would be fun to take a day trip out to check it out. My mom joined us, and we had a very fun day. It turned out there was also a Hot Wheels exhibit, which was a hit with the boys. I also loved seeing some of the permanent exhibits which I remember from my childhood trip.

More Summer Fun

C has been growing up so much lately. The other day, he called for me to come see what he was working on, and this is what I found! Not bad for a 3 year old!

All this learning can wear a kid out! After not napping since he was 18 months old, this summer is making C one very, very tired kid. He has taken naps quite often, and fallen asleep in some funny spots.

The boys took swimming lessons this summer at a pool out in Finneytown. What I love best about this program is they have 1-on-1 instruction for the boys. They both loved their teachers and learned so much in one short week. In just one day, C went from being scared of the water to spending more time underwater than out of the water! 

At the beginning of the summer, the ice cream truck would come down our street every night. I made a deal with the boys that they could get ice cream from the ice cream truck one time during the summer, and I convinced them to wait until July when the summer was halfway over. Well, July rolled around, and we began to wait anxiously every night for the ice cream truck, but I guess he stopped coming down our street since no one was buying! It took a week and half before we finally heard the song playing a few blocks away. The boys were so excited and enjoyed sharing this experience with the little girl that lives across the street!

Recently, Cincinnati hosted the World Choir Games. The closing ceremonies were set to happen at Washington Park downtown. This has notoriously been a rundown area full of homeless people sleeping on benches or curled under trees. The city spent a lot of money revamping the area, and we decided to take a trip to go check out the new park. It was great! They did a great job of keeping large trees, so it's shaded. There's a great playground area that is fenced in, and a beautiful water area with fountains for the kids to run in. We met daddy for lunch, and enjoyed a beautiful morning at a great park.

We took a trip to the zoo with some good friends! 

Summer Fun

The boys were "helping" me with the laundry!

 A friend from high school was in town and came to visit one morning. It was fun for our kids to get to play together. Not ten minutes after they left, my kids were asking to play with them again. Too bad they live so far away, but we're thankful for the time we get to see them.

The boys were still using baby hoodie towels at the pool. Needless to say, they were getting a little small! So I added some hoods to these beach towels, and they turned out really cute!

Reds Game

Since we were out of town for Father's Day, we decided to celebrate it a week later. We spent the morning at home as a family and then headed to Mayberry downtown for brunch (yum! If you've never been, I highly recommend). A friend gave us tickets to see the Reds, which was a perfect treat for daddy on his special day. Usually when we go, we buy the $5 seats way up high, but these were great seats, right near first base only 20 rows back or so. We all enjoyed the game, even with the heat index over 100. And my sweet, sweet three-year-old was so worn out, all he wanted to do was sit on my lap. In the heat. And the direct sun. Now, that's true love. Afterward, we headed straight to the pool to cool off!

Trilla

Gramma bought a new horse, and we made it out this week to go meet her. The boys got to learn to lead Trilla, groom her and finally ride her. They had so much fun.

Fruits of Our Labor

The garden is in full bloom! Let the eating frenzy begin!!