christmas is over

Whew! I can't believe I haven't filled in on all the Christmas fun. Everyone made it to my parents and we had a nice family weekend before the holiday. We opened some presents Christmas Eve as my brother was leaving early in the morning. We went to church Christmas eve after writing a letter for Santa which surprisingly included a number of items not previously included in any prior Christmas listss or discussions!! Charlie promptly fell asleep at Church and Heather threatened to burn the building down with her lit candle and under Grandma's supervision but we all made it through. The kids loved waking up christmas morning to find a note from Santa and presents under the tree. The kids were delighted with MORE presents!! and seemed to have enough to enjoy. Charlie almost went into spasms after opening a few wiggles gifts while heather was more subedued in her reactions.

jeff and I packed up the car and toys and headed up to his brother's in the early afternoon for a few hours of fun with cousins and dinner before heading the rest of the way to his mom's in Cleveland. His brother and his family joined us the 26th for yet another present opening session and more ooh's and aahs. the kids always have a blast with their cousins and all managed to share the new toys pretty well.

Jeff, his mom and the kids went to teh movies today while I worked on my reports and Charlie came back to report, "ho, ho, ho Merry Christmas...WAIT...Christmas is over." jeff's prompting I'm sure had something to do with this declaration.

We enjoyed reading christmas cards, seeing pictures, and e-mails from everyone who kept in touch. keep up the good work!

cookouts for christmas

We've been in Ohio for a few days now and the weather has been cool but not really cold. The kids have been able to do some hiking up the hill behind my parents house (not much for a real hiker but good for a 2 and 4 year old!). My parents had some limbs cut down so they made a bonfire in teh back yard and we cooked hot dogs and marshmellows. Ohio weather is so crazy!! My sister comes in tonight and Jeff will make it in tomorrow for a nice break from work.

working from Panera

As I type I'm sitting in Panera with my earphones on and my dinner next to me :-). How did I get here you might wonder!! We made it to Ohio on Monday with a brief overnight stop with college friends on Sunday night. We never have enough time but the weather and the parents were waiting...yesterday the kids and i spent in Athens doing some fun stuff and just catching up. Today I had to go shopping and attempt to close a Craigslist deal to get Heather her desired Dora castle with rooms. an hour before I was supposed to meet the lady she called and apologized saying that her daughter was hysterical about giving it up (she was going to be nicely rewarded!!) and she just didn't know if she could talk her into it. So I nicely said I understood and would try to work something else out. I was sooo disappointed that I went to ToysRUs and found the rooms there. It ended up costing more than I thought but since the tearful girl was not budging...and who could blame her--Dora is sooo cool! I managed to finish up the last few items on my list (the kids have a lot more items on their list...) and headed up to Polaris to finish the rest of my list. I had to take a shopping break and am not in Panera poised to work on a report to offset some of this maddness! It's kind of nice, we'll see how productive I am with so much people watching and online distractions available...

holiday party and on to Ohio

Jeff's holiday party was tonight. It was fun but I really missed some of the people who used to work in CE that have moved. We won a paper shredder in the raffle (Jeff always wins something :-) but since we already had one he gave it away...The kids had a good time at a friend's house and they got to watch the wiggles and christmas movies so it was a good night for all. Sunday the kids and I head up to Ohio, hoping to avoid most of the snow as it falls. I hope that there's some on the ground for the kids to play with when we get in on Monday as the rest of the week looks like rain (not fun at all!). If it's not going to be sunny then it might as well be cold enough to snow...as long as it's not the days that I'm driving...

School presentation

Despite the beautiful weather we are having the holiday season pushes on. Heather and charlie had their school "christmas preformance" this morning. The kids in the older two classes did a song with their class, a song together, and then Heather's "dance" class did a dance. It was all very cute in a preschool way. Heather seemed to have a good time and Charlie showed us the things they made and the decorations he did which we got to take home. Heather's group did a prayer before snack which was sooo cute and their sweet little voices were perfect for the blessing.

We're getting packed up and ready to head to Ohio. Tomorrow night is Jeff's holiday party which will be OK but not as fun b/c in the past there were other spouses or signigicant others that we saw every so often. Now pretty much everyone with wives have moved or left :-(. It will still be a dinner without the kids and with some adult conversation.

We met santa!!

What a busy holiday weekend! Saturday we did breakfast with Santa and the kids got an up close and personal view. He came in, then walked all around the room and talked to each kid and gave them each a treat. Then he sat in his chair and the kids could sit in his lap, take pictures, and even got a present (Heather doll and Charlie car). the kids smiled nervously so the pictures were less than perfect but they did seem to have a good time. There were plenty of games to play and cookies to eat so it was fun.

Then Saturday night we went to a christmas singing celebration at the Methodist Church. It was a really nice presentation complete with a bigger than life christmas tree and singing pupets. It was about 90 minutes and the kids made it through the first 75 with flying colors. The last part was a bit slow for them but they did great.

It's been 70 degrees outside so we've been playing at the park and taking in the sun and warm air! The kids have enjoyed naps with dad the last two days and I think he might have enjoyed it as well. We're busy making cookies for the cookie drive for the airmen that live on base, putting together goodie bags for the kids class parties, making treat boxes for their teachers and some friends, and making gifts for family as well. It's a busy week but a lot of fun!

santa has arrived

The kids and I put up our Christmas decorations yesterday and although we don't have a tree (well we have a 2 foot fake thing that doesn't really count to me) our living rooms looks a bit festive. Tonight they did the "official" tree lighting on base and we arrived just in time for them to count down to the lighting and see Santa arrive (with Sparky the fire dog) on the fire truck. The kids got to go in and have cookies, hot chocolate and sit with Santa for a minute. Heather sat in his lap, looked a bit uncomfortable, and smiled weakly for pictures. She did tell him she wanted a doll and thanked him for the candy cane that he gave her. Charlie would have nothing to do with the guy and when I sat next tohim to try to take a picture he totally refused to look at Jeff (kept his eye on Santa--smart kid).

Then we went downtown for the christmas parade which had a few bands, step groups, cheerleaders, and lots of church and community floats. it was about an hour long which was kind of long in the chilly evening. The parade also ended with Santa who brought cheers from teh kids. We met up with a few friends to shiver through the parade together. The holiday spirit is moving in, even the air was a bit crisp today!

disney princesses

Jeff had a long week of work this week and even worked both days this weekend until 4 and 3 respectively. He did manage to spend some time with us on Friday night when we went to the base assignment night when some of our friends found out where they would be going (or actually staying!!). On Saturday he got off just in time to go with us up to Tupelo to see the Disney Princesses on Ice. It was a last minute decision to go but it was a really good one! The kids both had a great time. Heather loved guessing which princess story was starting and naming all the characters that came out to skate. The music was good, skating fun and characters really cute! Charlie asked when the princesses would stop dancing so that the other people could come back on. His favorite part was when the "fire" went pow, pow, pow. They had some lout special effects.

The rest of the weekend the kids and I spent working on some holiday crafts and trying to clean up the house enough to get the decorations out and work on some more projects.

back home (already?!)

Wow a lot has happened in the last week. We had a great visit in Ohio, first with Jeff's family and then with Sara's. We helped Jeff's mom get out her christmas decorations (all 40 or so boxe and bags!) then the kids delighted in seeing the decorations and being directed to put them in their places. We went to Toys R Us to let the kids give us Christmas ideas--which they did!! Thanksgiving we got to see some snow and Jeff's brother made it up for a while. The kids had a good time and Heather and Charlie ate A LOT! They were willing to try most everything and liked it to boot!

While we were in Cleveland we got together with some Wooster friends as well as one of Jeff's high school friends. It was really nice for the kids to have playmates and they all get along so well. It's fun to see how much the kids have changed--and how much we all have not :-)

Sara did the 5 AM Toys R Us run to save some money on a few "must haves" for the kids. I would totally do it again since it was time to myself, even with the frenzy, and I even got home in time to sleep for an hour or so before driving to Columbus to go wedding dress shopping with Kelly. We had a good time and I think found something that will be really nice. I should clairify--I had a good time, not sure how mom and Kelly ended up the day!

Saturday we visited with some friends and then headed to the Ohio football game which was very fun. Then a few games of OU volleyball and back to relax with the family. We drove back home on Monday morning and are still unpacking and putting things in their places. They will just have a temporary rest as we will be pulling everything out for a return trip to OH in just 3 weeks (ugh!). So much Christmas stuff to do and so little time :-).

made it to Ohio

We made it to Ohio on Friday and are currently at jeff's brother's house. heather and Charlie's cousins are each about 6 mos younger, a boy and a girl, and teh kids have had a great time playing together. Jeff and Jason raked up a big pile of leaves and threw the kids in it which was met with squeals of delight. It's really fun to see how well the kids get along and nice for Heather and Charlie to have kids to play with while the adults get to visit together. This afternoon we'll head up to cleveland to jeff's mom's house and spend the rest of the week with her. I'll get a chance to see a couple of college friends tomorrow morning and then we'll hopefully meet up with some of Jeff's friends later in the week. Can't wait for Turkey!!

trip to the emergency room

Charlie and I made our first trip to the emergency room for a borderline emergency. He was breathing heavily yesterday afternoon and then really heavily yesterday evening. I didn't feel comfortable putting him to bed like that so we decided to take him in (after a consult with my neighbor who is not a doctor but has been to the ER a bunch and has kids with breathing issues). We were there for about an hour and he was REALLY good considering he had not taken a nap and it was 9:00 at night. The doctor decided he had Croupe and gave him a steriod shot (heather asked if charlie was brave for his shot) and then sent us on our way. He's feeling pretty good but is kind of lethargic. Unfortunately I'm going to keep him home tomorrow which would be a bummer but probably better for the other kids in his class.

Otherwise we're getting ready to head home next weekend for Thanksgiving. most of our time will be in Cleveland but we will sneak in a few days in Athens. We'll be weding dress shopping for Kelly and maybe bridesmaid as well. Should be a good time and the kids are looking forward to going to their grandma's houses.

happy halloween!

Dora and Diego had a great time trick-or-treating. It's so nice to go around base and you don't have to worry too much about cars or strangers or the kids running ahead. People generally aren't trying to scare the little kids or wearing crazy costumes that send the kids running away. The kids enjoyed walking around and seeing the numerous princesses and superheros that were running around. There were no other dora's or diego's that we could see. Heather and a few friends ran from house to house for about an hour then walked for another half hour. Charlie got through some pictures and one house then ditched the mask (which we attached to a baseball hat so he wouldn't have to wear it), backpack, baby jaguar, and pretty much anything besides a white vest that barely qualified as a costume. He still got candy so he was happy. He was pretty brave about marching up tot he houses after the other kids had gone through and waited his turn while they sprinted by after getting their candy. I'll try to get pictures up tomorrow when i get a chance.

the itsy bitsy spider

Today I was making an apple pie (the real thing I wanted to write about!!) and as I was paring the apples a spider dropped down from above my head into the sink. I was a bit surprised but was still able to grab the squirter thing and squirt it down the dish disposal. I love living in the south!!!

Jeff finished up another pumkin today. To go along with the kids costumes we have dora and diego sharing a pumkin with swiper in the back. If the light shines right you can see Dora and Diego from teh front and the shadow of swiper on the wall behind. It's pretty cool. We still have a few pumpkins but I'm not sure if they'll get done or not.

halloween is in the air!

Halloween is around the corner and it's all the kids can think about. We went to a halloween party last night and the kids got to try out their costumes. The had a good time getting all the accessories together and trying them out. unfortunately I think that by the end of the night Jeff and i will be carrying backpack, rescue pack, boots, diego, a few masks and other extra costume makers and our kids will just be a girl in a pink shirt and orange shorts and a boy in blue shirt and shorts asking for candy :-)

On the potty front charlie is doing pretty well--telling me twice yesterday when we were not in the house that he had to go potty. He doesn't want to use the potty seat and wants "pivacy" when he goes to the bathroom so I'm waiting for the time taht I have to fish him out of the toilet because he fell in. Otherwise he is doing well and doesn't have to m&m's EVERY time to motivate him.

sick has started

Well we've started the back to school sick rotation. Heather has a fever and has been glum all of the most beautiful weekend we've had yet. We really missed out on some nice weather after a pretty rainy, lousy week. On the other hand our flowers are growing and we got some Halloween decorations made. Now that Jeff's back days are less eventful and more normal.

Charlie has decided to start letting us know when he has to go to the bathroom. We got some "diego" underwear but he does better in pull ups since he remembers 75% of the time before really going. 50% of the time he goes a little, then 25% of teh time he actually tells us when he actually has to go. The other 25%...well we're still working on that. I'm really pleased with how well he's doing and how willing he is to try. Hopefully this is not a passing stage and we can keep moving forward.

dora and diego?! for now

After the lure of a purple backpack with 10 (albeit cheap) games in it Heather has decided that next year she can be a princess, butterfly or unicorn but that this year she can be Dora. This will make for yet another "paired" set of costumes at the kids are Dora and Diego (yes we found an orange rescue pack!). this follows up on Peter Pan and Captain Hook and heather and her friends surfer/hula girl duo two years ago. I will be really sad when we don't get to do team costuming! We also have baby jaguar and a boots on the way. Knowing that all the halloween stuff will be played with long after halloween makes the effort worth while!

We also went to a pumpkin patch yesterday and picked out pumpkins and haybales so that we can be a bit festive. The kids had fun, look at this one! Here's a big one! here's a bumpy one! It was fun although there weren't a lot of pumkins due to a lack of rain over the summer. It's good we didn't wait until next weekend!

pre-halloween haunts

Halloween stress is in full swing at our house. Heather wants to be something different every day bt seems to have settled on Cinderella. The wal-mart Cinderella costume was too small but Heather is convinced it is the way to go. Our neighbor's 2 year old will be wearing the Disney Cinderella dress which is very cute and the same one that we bought. It is likely that there will be twin cinderellas (probably more like sextuplet) out in the area. Charlie seems set on being a wiggle but Jeff is trying to talk him into Diego. Our original idea was Dora and Boots or Dora and Diego but Heather seems to be focued on princess...

Otherwise the kids went to MOPS this week since I changed their pre-school days. Heather was not happy to go and cried and screamed when I left but calmed down right away once I was out of sight. At the end she said that she wanted to go back the next day so I know she had fun...I just can't figure out how to get her not to be scared of new places or things. You'd think I'd left her in bad placeso r something. C Charlie on the other hand walked in like he owned the place and had a great time!

a pretty normal week

We'vehad a pretty normal week with jeff working and the kids in school. Several days were spent with a few extra kids at our house which heather and charlie always enjoy. heather is really enjoying dance after school with the 3 year old teacher. Charlie loves to tell me what he did in school, paint with fingers, sing songs, play outside...although he also seems to love not going and staying at home to play with me. Jeff built a cornhole game so we've been playing outside with that. It's supposed to get up to 90 this week (is october fall?!) so it's still hot. I managed to get two mornings of workouts in which was terriffic! We've enjoyed the weekend and it's nice that Jeff still has one more day off this week to spend with the kids.

Currently the kids are having a corn race which jeff invented. They each got a bucked or corn and a large spoon and have to transfer the corn from one bucket to another. Look out survivor next week they'll be eating the worms we found earlier int eh flower bed. did I mention that they're doing this in the family room??

back to reality

After a great 2 (almost 2 1/2) weeks of Jeff being back he went back to work today and we're back to the "normal" schedule of school, work, groceries...We had a laid back birthday/anniversary weekend and unfortunately did not do anything very unique but just enjoyed the time. Today the kids are playing outside and Charlie has used the potty twice and not wet his pants yet...we made some moderate attempts last week but he wasn't really into it. This morning he went to the potty when he woke us so we're jst going with it. No high hopes (but wouldn't it be great!!).

Happy birthday Jeff!

Jeff's birthday is today so we started out the day with Monkey Bread on wiggles plates with wiggles party hats (leftover from a past kids party and chosen by Heather) and of course singing Happy Birthday! No big plans for the day. I've been working the consignment sale that they have in Columbus a lot the last week and found some good deals for Heather and Charlie. Jeff has gotten a lot of 1 on 2 time with the kids and they're constucting a cornhole set together. It's been good for all.

Heather started doing a dance (really just a movement get some energy out) class after school once a week. She has fun and it's for girls and boys alike so it's not the cutesy dance but it's fun for her. Charlie still likes school but also likes the day that heather goes by herself. The weather is starting to cool down and we've been able to get outside a bit more and enjoy the park and bikes again. Jeff goes back to work Monday so maybe things will be "normal" for a while...

chattanooga choo choo

We had a great "long weekend" in Chattanooga! We stayed at the Choo Choo hotel (no not in a train but you could!) There were old train cars everywhere and cute maze type gardens for the kids to run through. We had three pools to choose from and a lot of fun. A free trolley ran downtown which we took every day for adventures. The most fun was the Aquarium. We spent almost the whole day there and had a great time. Heather touched a huge sturgeon and sting rays in teh touch tanks and Charlie was delighted when a butterfly landed on him in the butterfly exhibit. We also went to Rock City which was a nice chance to walk around and enjoy the views from lookout mountain and some cool natural rock formations. The kids walked a lot and slept for a long time once we got back to the hotel. Today we got up and went to the zoo which was tiny but still fun and a playground nearby before heading home. All in all it was a great break from life and with another week off Jeff still has time to relax for a bit longer.

time flies when you're having fun!

Well we've had a good time with Jeff being home! Monday we went to Tuscaloosa and the kids played at the Children's museum, we went to a couple other places including Toys R us where Heather got a new princess bike! We just couldn't see waiting until Christmas since fall is the best time of year to ride here and her poor knees were coming close to hitting the handle bars when she rode around! Tuesday both kids were in school so Jeff and I played golf (i actually had some decent shots--enough to go back again!). Today poor Charlie had to run errands with us and we got new phones so both of our phones are working again with the same numbers we had before.

Tomorrow after the kids get done with school we're heading for Chattanooga for a long weekend. It should be fun and if the weather is nice we should have a good time. otherwise the hotel has an indoor pool so we'll probably spend some time there as well. anyone with Chattanooga suggestions please let us know!

back to normal

Things seem to be getting back to normal now that Jeff is home. The kids are adjusting to him being back with no problem--who wouldn't with more attention, a new/old playmante, and a few "treats!" We've been for walks, bike rides, park time, games, it's been a busy time of having fun and reacquainting. We went to a spray park today where the kids could run through fountains. It was actually too cold for that activity and we had to leave when heather was standing in the water shivering and looking a shade of blue. In the next few days we're planning a trip to the zoo and a nearby town that actually has shopping and a Hobby Lobby!!

all together now...

We met jeff at the airport this morning. His flight was delayed but fortunately not too long. The kids were sooo excited and after seeing his plane land the wait until he came through the gate was FOREVER!! Might have been the hardest wait since he left! The kids gave him big hugs. Heather was a little shy since there were about 15 people from his squadron there to greet him as well. It was really nice of them to come out and they had flags and a banner...very patriotic...The kids were just glad to get dad home and we had an uneventful lunch and will probably go out to dinner. Jeff has two weeks off so they get lots of dad and family time.

two more days...

Heather and Charlie went to school today. Charlie has no problem except that he wants to see Heather go in her room first. WE have to walk past his room two times to go to the bathroomand then back to Heather's room and he won't go in but once we drop off Heather he goes right in. Both had a good day at school and said that they had fun.

I talked to Jeff today and he said that he was delayed leaving but that he should still be able to get home on Thursday. The kids are getting excited and we've been busy making posters, cleaning, and decorating to meet him at the airport and to show him when he gets home. Then he gets two weeks off so there should be lots of bonding time for all!

ready for Jeff!

After a laid back weekend which included lots of playing with friends and relaxing we made it through a trip to the dentist. Heather was less than thrilled to sit in the chair thing and let the lady use the tools. Once she decided it was OK she was fine and even said that it was fun. Charlie on the other hand was happy to sit in the chair and let the dentist look at his teeth. Both came away with "prizes", a sticker, and a balloon (Heather's popped in teh car when we played at the park as a special reward for being so good :-).

We talked to Jeff and he said that he should be at the airport here at 11:30 so we're ready to get him. He's coming into the states Weds afternoon but he won't get home until the following day. We're excitedly making signs, pictures, and trying frantically to make the place not look so much like the "home" that he left.

first day of school...again

Today was Charlie's first day of school. He was excited to go but once we got there and I went to take him into his room he got a little shy and wanted to take Heather to her room first. We did that then walked back to his room and he gave me a hug and told me he was going to play with puzzles. Although a lot of kids were crying Charlie did great and told me all about puzzles, painting, and playing outside (and inside!!). He wants to go back which is a good sign. Heather also had a fun day and has already asked why she can't go to school every day (what a good question that is!!)

I took the 2 hours (when it's boiled down from drop off, pick up and one errand) to go to the gym and do some excercise, take a shower without keeping an ear out for screaming and do some putting away that I wouldn't have gotten done with the kids awake. One more week or so until Jeff gets back. We won't know for sure until he gets on teh plane when he is leaving (not top secret but just never for sure :-()

first day of school

Heather had her first day of the "big kid" class today. She was excited to go but didn't want to go into her class until a few of her friends got there. It will be a totally different group for her this year b/c her two "best friends" at school moved to Houston. She's excited nonetheless to meet new friends and get to know the other kids better this year. Charlie is excited to go to Miss Willie's class tomorrow and I think he'll do great. He's more independent than Heather and having watched her go to school last year and this morning I think he'll have fun and feel like a big boy. Now if he could only use the potty like a big boy.

Charlie was funny getting ready for bed tonight he didn't want to pick up some clothes and told me "no way." (where did he ever hear that?!) As a result I said that we wouldn't have time to read all the books he wanted to. He quickly said, "yes way. way. way. way." while picking up the clothes. It was pretty funny!

first day of school

We went to meet Heather and Charlie's teachers today. Heather was so shy in her room. She refused to smile for a picture and would not say a word to her new teacher. She did wander around and check things out and we also checked out the playground to make sure it was up to par. Charlie seemed very comfortable in his room and gave Ms. Wilie a hug and she talked to him and he listened very carefully and nodded his little head. Even after being so shy Heather is excited to go to school. Tomorrow Heather will get a chance to go to her class and both will go on Thursday (yeah 3 hrs free for me!!).

one more week...

...until Jeff is supposed to be back. The kids have started doing some "welcome home" stuff. They are very excited and it's hard not to be able to tell them exactly how many days they have to wait since he's not sure of what date he's leaving and even when he is I won't tell them until he gets on the plane for the last jog home (the military is never quite certain!!). Life here is back to usual. Playing at the park, Heather searching for her friends on the way. Trying to get out for some excercise while she rides her bike or we go for a walk. The heat is tough to conquer though so it's been mostly inside stuff. So far it's OK though because the kids keep "finding" their toys and new ways to play that they haven't seen for 3 mos. Hopefully by the time that wears off it will be nice enough to play outside more!

It's been an adjustment being back without some of our friends (and certainly Jeff--but at least we know he's coming back!) the kids and mine. So far that's been the hardest part about being back--even though we do have friends still here!!!

Friday already?

We've been home for 3 full days and everything is unpacked. the kids have found some of their friends and we had a "parents meeting" to meet their teachers for preschool. Heather will go for 3 mornings a week and Charlie for 2. It's a really nice pre-school where they aren't pushing the kids to achieve but letting them enjoy each other and fun activities. Of course they're learning but to me there's time for all that in when you're 2 and 4 it's time to have fun!!

My mom left today so I'm on my own until Jeff gets back in 10 days or so to get things organized and together. It's hot and muggy here--not very fun to be outside but we're adjusting and getting back into the groove of being home. It was so fun to see everyone that we got to see and I'm sorry that we missed a lot of people that we would have liked to see. It was a great summer with family and friends and if the kids don't remember it I certainly will! I'll try to post interesting things that the kids are doing. Right now they're re-discovering toys that they haven't seen in a while! It's like christmas in August!

back home

To end the camping out story to my dismay (not really) Charlie decided after stories that he wanted to sleep in his bed in the house. We went inside and slept in the house. My mom and Heather braved the wild night and my sister crept in at 7 am to make Heather think she had also made it through the night. Good thing for Kelly, Heather can't read yet!! After that I spent the rest of the weekend packing for the trip back to MS. Kelly once again watched the kids while I did work. Maybe sometime I'll get to hang out with my sister again...

Saturday night we did hang out a bit. For those OU fans we went to a football "kick off" which started out with teh kids running through the mouth of the bobcat and scoring touchdowns with water bottles from the 5 yard line. If you would like to see their touchdown celebration video please let me know!

The trip back home was uneventful. We drove in two days and got back today. My mom (mostly) and I cleaned again to rid the house of as many spiders as possible. Many decided to make this their home while we weren't. Heather was thrilled to see her friend Tyler although it was difficult to remind her that some of her friends wouldn't be here when we got back. The kids were excited to see their toys and their stuff. I am kind of excited at the prospect of starting the fall with a clean house. Now if I just send my mom back to Ohio with all the stuff I still have to unpack maybe I could find some things around here!!

Camping out

All summer long my mom has promised Heather that we would set up the tent and camp out in the back yard. Now the time is getting near that we leave Athens (probably Monday but not positive yet) and we set up the tent this afternoon. Camp Mick started out with a t-shirt making session where they pounded leaves onto white t-shirts to make leaf prints (actually quite cute). Then we set up the tent in my parents backyard. We made a campfire and had hot dogs and marshmellows for desert. Then we went on a hike up the hill and now my mom is taking books and flashlights out to the tent. I needed a breath of AC before heading out (did I mention that today has probably been the hottest day all summer?!) to "camp". I have a feeling it will just be me and the kids by the end of the night but that's OK. Updates on the mosiquito bite count tomorrow...

A few more days in Athens

We're spending the last few days in Athens with friends and family. The kids and I ran errands yesterday that I've been meaning to run for a long time. We just got together with my friend Jennifer at her pottery gallery and hung out for a long time. The kids are gearing up for a trip back home and are trying to enjoy the last few days of grandma and grandpa time. They're finishing up the picking of food in the garden and trying to eat as much of it as possible!

last week in Ohio

Well another week has gone by. The kids enjoyed a last few days with the Fulbright students, giving announcements, having a dinner in which the students sang and showed their gifts for speaking in front of others. It was a lot of fun and very sad to see them go although I'm ready for some time with the kids again. It shows me that I can't balance work and being the kind of mom I want to be--I commit more time to work than I want to...anyway...

Last weekend was fun. We did two birthday parties, one in Mt. Vernon for Heather's cousin Makenna. It was fun for Heather to be around two girls her age and Charlie two boys. The kids had fun together and there was lots of dancing, playing, and snacking on treats. We then came back to Athens to surprise my dad for his birthday with a baseball party. It was great! From the decorations to the "take me out to the ball game" rendition when he drove up from playing golf, the party was a home run. The kids even kept the secret the whole week after helping shop for decorations and party food.

The last few days we've done some final Fulbright stuff and are now getting ready to head back home. I will say it's been a great 3 months. Aside from Jeff being gone I couldn't have asked for a better summer. The weather has been great. Lots of visiting with family and friends and even a short job to let me make new friends and some money in the process. Now we'll be packing and cleaning and preparing for the trip back to MS to rejoin the friends who have suffered through the heat and I'm sure had some fun in the process.

another week goes by..

Wow another whole week has gone by! The last few days in cleveland we spent at the zoo, the fair and running errands. On Saturday we went to Heather's cousins dance preformance which was fun. The kids then got the chance to play together and all had a nice time. The four of them will be big trouble once they figure out how to be trouble together! Unfortunately Spencer ended up with a bruise due to too much dancing in the dark and Heather spinning.

We actually had almost 24 hours just to ourselves. Sunday night we had dinner with some friend in Columbus which was fun. I hadn't seen their kids in a while and it was nice just to visit and hang out at Ratna's house. The kids were a little wild but they did pretty well.

The last two days have been busy again with Fulbright stuff. I very much enjoy working with the program but it is a lot of work!! Tomorrow I'll have the kids all day so hopefully we'll have a lot of fun!!

Cleveland

Now we're in Cleveland (the last post with the same date was catch up!!) with Jeff's mom and brother. One exciting thing I forgot to post in the last one was that we spent a GREAT day with Heather and Charlie's cousins in Mt. Vernon. They are 6 mos younger than each of the kids, girl and boy, and they got along really well. They have a nice new house with a great back yard and place to play. The kids liked getting to know each other better and it was a nice chance to relax while they entertained themselves (and break up arguements but what are you going to do?!).

Now we're in Cleveland. Today we made a LONG day at the zoo. Evidenced by the fact that it's 6:45 and the kids are sleeping (eek a late night!!). We saw EVERYTHING and it was hot but the kids had fun and really lasted the whole time with minimal complaints. They fell asleep between the zoo exit and teh parking lot. Charlie touched a sting ray and got a bit freaked out and they HATED the dinosaur exhibit which had large replicas and roaring. There was crying and dislike but we got through it. Otherwise we saw the giraffes, elephants, hippos (heather's request) and bears as well as the monkeys which put on quite a show. All in all a fun day with "Grandma with Shadow."

busy, busy, busy

We've been really busy as you can tell by the lack of posts!! I have been working with the Fulbright program at Ohio University, a 3 week orientation program for students who travel from around the world, have 3 weeks of orientation to the US and university systems, the go out all over the coutnry to study master's and PhD programs. It's a very unique group of students which I very much enjoy working with but it's been almost 24-7 for a week and a half. Now I'm in Cleveland for a few days then back to Athens.

The kids have been really enjoying time with grandma and grandpa. They've been playing in their sunflower garden which is awesome. The other day we had potatoes, green beans, beets, and salad fixings all from the garden. I think there were 7 things that the kids had helped pick for dinner! (we had chicken as well...). They've also been with grandma to the lake, park, and all over Athens. It's been great for all of them.

Last week we went to feed the hummingbirds at a state park. Basically you hold out a tube with a red pipe cleaner on it and the hummingbirds come to eat. There were about 100 people and one flew right up to Heather. For about 15 seconds (which seems like an eternity when a hummingbird is in front of you) a hummingbird hoverd in front of heather. Their wings flap so fast and their noses are so long that they are actually a bit scary when they are so close. Heather did great but got scared and cried and scared the little guy away. It was really neat though.

Kelly and Christopher were up for a weekend and the kids always love to spend time with them. Since I was working so much they got to spend A LOT of time with them! We had a birthday extravaganza for my dad which involved a weekend of tennis, baseball, bike riding, and attempting to hike in the rain (similar to how we went camping growing up).

It's been great to be with family so much and although it will be nice to get into the routine of home in a few weeks I will miss the business that we've had this summer.

A whole week in the same place!

We've been in Athens for a week now. It's been nice to relax a bit without packing any bags or having to drive very far! We've taken some short trips around. The kids got to play with friends which was great for them! They enjoyed some time with grandma and grandpa while I did some work for the Fulbright program at OPIE. Otherwise they've helped check on beans, tomatoes, peas, and potatoes in my mom's garden. They love to see what's growing and especially to pick/dig the things. Charlie loves the tomatoes and both of the kids love the green beans for dinner. It's fun for them to see the whole process (they planted some green beans when we first got here) and get to "reap the benefits"!! Mostly they like to look at their sunflowers which we planted in a large circle, placed a table and kid chairs in it and pulled the tops in so it's kind of like a tepee! It's been a lot of fun and if we're home next summer I"m going to have to find some space for that. Today we are going to a festival uptown Athens to hear some bands and enjoy some "kids activities". then tonight we'll go to a baseball game and see the dreaded (by charlie) and delightful (to heather) orange bear, lovingly named after Aunt Kelly's friend Homer.

back in Athens (again!)

After a nice few days in Indiana we're back in Athens. It was hard to say good-bye to the lake as it's so fun and relaxing to be there--riding on the pontoon, eating good summer lunches and dinners (corn, watermelon, pasta salad!!). The kids managed to be only small disasters while we were there and did not teach Riley anything bad as far as I can tell. It was fun for them to have a friend for a few days although I'm sure she's unwinding after the departure of the small tornadoes! Thanks to Jeff's family for sharing their vacation home with us--we had a great time as always!

Now we're back to life in Athens. Of course we'll be busy and I'll be helping with the fulbright program a bit so that will keep me a little busy. Hopefully we'll be back to some excercise in the near future as well.

Easy living at the lake

Now we're in indiana at Jeff's aunt's lakehouse with his mom, aunt and uncle, and cousin Lindsay and her family. The kids are having a great time playing together, sharing meals, and spending time on the boat or in teh water. We've been crusing around in their new pontoon boat, sometimes trailing a "tube" with a combination of kids and adults. Our kids have done OK but don't LOVE it. Riley on the other hand (lindsay's little girl) LOVES the tube and is enthusiastic about riding it! the kids all are getting along great and it's so fun to see heather and Charlie enjoying time with their cousin (2nd cousin?!). The weather has been perfect and they always eat well at teh lake. Back to Ohio on Saturday for a whole 3 weeks in one place! I will be helping out a little with the fulbright program at Ohio University so it will be a little busy but not having to pack and go every week will make life seem easier!

happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to you all! We are back in Ohio (since Sunday) and taking it easy once again. We experienced the Athens fireworks last night which was pretty fun. The kids liked to name to colors as they exploded in the sky and although Heather thought they were pretty loud at the beginning they were all right by the 3rd or 4th one. This morning we went to the "4th of July Parade" Athens style which included many fire trucks, tractors, horses and lots of candy. The kids got their share but were a bit overwhelmed by others who were more vigorous about grabbing the candy nearby. Otherwise the 4th has been relatively quiet for us. Jeff reported that his group won the "build a boat" contest at their base but he didn't score bit at the "big prize bingo" which was the afternoon activity. He's doing well and says hello...

smithsonian

We tooled all around DC yesterday and today. We went to the Air and space museum which I didn't scope out well enough prior to going to keep the kids attention the whole time. Then we went to a festival they were having on the mall and watched native weaving, wood cutting, dancing, etc. The kids liked it and my mom LOVED it! It was a busy day which ended with dinner with a friend from Wooster and his fincee (and my whole family)! The kids were less than superb but it was great to see him and meet her--they're a great pair! Today we went to the natural history museum, dinosaurs, dead lions, tigers, every kind of animal..it was much more in line with the kids attention spans. We tried to walk the monuments but they were just too grumpy (although they din't take a nap when we got home!!) so we headed back to my sisters and swam in her pool for a while. We're headed back to Ohio tomorrow which is much too soon but I think the kids are worn out.

days in DC

We made it to DC yesterday, depsite a flat tire 3 hours into the trip. An hour later and a few pictures of the kids in tires...we hit the road again and made it to DC just in time for...5 o'clock traffic...we got to Kelly's eventually and got to play at a nearby park for a while. Today we headed to the zoo. It was fun, hot, and a lot of the animals were sleeping. We did make it to an elephate demonstration where they had the elephants open their mouths, pick up their feet, lay down (that's pretty amazing) and get back up (also an effort!!), stand on a log...prior to the demonstration one of the elephants showed his own talent by turning his rear to us and pooping. Charlie wanted him to "do it again" and that was the first thing he told Jeff on the phone. "Tell daddy what your favorite thing was at the zoo." "elephant poop". It was terriffic! This evening we went to the air force memorial which was pretty cool.

catching up

This weekend we went to a wedding and the kids had a great time. They had a nice band and the kids danced and played. Another bike ride, the kids are getting to be more patient riders (in the bike trailers) and time in the blow up swimming pool and sandbox have occupied our time in Athens. We went last night to the library to see a man with a bunch of snakes--I didn't like that he just kind of set them on tables or coatrack type of things and got another one out--especially when this HUGE yellow boa constrictor was out (the thing had to be like 10 feet long and bigger than my thigh (yes that's big!!) around!!The kids liked it all right. Today we're packing and takint it easy before we head to DC tomorrow.

haircuts and baseball

We went to get haircuts today. The kids did great and especially enjoyed their lollipop's at the end of the visit! No hair on those suckers!! We took the hair home with us and added it to the dog hair that my mom saved from the dog's grooming and...no jennifer it was not made into yarn...they put it out around some of my mom's beds because the scent is supposed to keep away the deer (yes we are in southeastern Ohio.) I'll let you know if it works...Heather was thrilled with the idea and they had a great time helping grandma with this task. Tonight we went to another baseball game and the kids were obsessed with the mascott. I tried to get them into the game but they were more aware of where the big orange bear was instead of where the runners were or what team was up...

slower pace in Athens

We're taking it easy in Athens. We've explored two of the library activities, a magician and Curious George appearance, and gone on a few bike rides and I even ran this morning. Not that much activity which is nice but I do miss being able to walk out the door and go for a run or bike ride like we can at home. Well I actually can do it here but not with a bike trailer or jogger stroller (too many hills!!). Tomorrow we're going to a friend's house with three boys to let the kids play which should be fun. Then Friday we're going to get haircuts--yes Charlie is getting another hair cut...I'll post pictures...

father's day

We got to talk to Jeff over the web cam today for the first time in a while. He's grown a mustache (interesting!!) since we last saw him! The kids were happy to see him and sat longer than usual. I tried to take my dad golfing but the course was too packed for amateurs so we played tennis instead. The kids spent last night in their own rooms (their own athens rooms) and I got a good night's sleep in a bed by myself!! Now they're busy exploring their new/old stuff that they haven't seen since we left Mississippi and playing in the sandbox and sprinkler.

We went to a AAA (if that!!) baseball game in Athens last night and Heather was scared out of her mind at the beginning of the game of the mascott (a big orange bear) but by the end of the game was giving hugs and high 5's very happily. Charlie offered emphatic "no's" anytime a visit to the bear was suggested. The actually watched some of the game (we made it through the take me out to the ball game stretch) and learned that at 4 balls you walk to first base. Now where first base is...

beach days

After two trips to Huntington beach in cleveland, one with a friend that I used to work for and one with Jeff's mom the kids have thoroughly enjoyed the sand and ice cream that the beach has to offer. We also stopped at teh nature center that Jeff and Jeremy used to volunteer at and it was super fun!! *thanks for the suggestion Kathy!!* The kids loved getting to see the animals and a trip to the zoo this summer is imminent. Today we're getting ready to drive to Athens where we will be for probably a week before heading to DC to see my sister. The kids are pretty well rested after the chaotic weeks of not sleeping in the same place for more than a few nights so I think we'll be able to manage a week here and a week there without feeling that it's a frantic pace. On my excercise notes I didn't get to run yesterday but I did dance to the wiggles for an hour and carry kids up and down stairs which should count for something. Looking forward to four hours in the car...

laid back days of summer

We've taken it pretty easy the last two days, running errands yesterday and today heading out to a little park with a wading pool and some nice playground stuff. The kids are enjoying having a more relaxed schedule. Tonight we're headed to a "beach" on the lake for dinner and ice cream with a lady I used to work for. It should be fun. My mother and law and brother in law will be rooting for the CAVS at game four tonight and are still looking for a win to get them rolling...I did manage to run yesterday morning and hope to continue the trend of every other day at least by rising and shining tomorrow. Maybe if I write that I did it it will help my motivation...

Cleveland amusement

We had a fun day today with Heather and Charlie's cousins at a kiddie amusement park. The kids got to ride rides that were designed for kids 50 inches or smaller (imagine being too tall for a change!!). They rode little boats, rockets, ferris wheel, horse drawn carts, merry go round and of course a roller coater--that the kids liked lots more than mom or grandma did! The kids had a good time with their cousins and we'll hopefully get together another time this summer. We were treated to dinner with a high school friend of Jeff's/former roommate of Sara's. It was nice to see them and have some adult focused time while the kids entertained each other. It's nice to be in one place for more than three days at a time!

Cleveland

We made it through our Wooster reunion thanks to the help of lots of friends! It was really fun to see people that we're in touch with but don't see that often and also those who I haven't seen or heard from since graduation. The kids had a great time making new friends and playing with them. It was fun to see Heather recognize her new friends at various activities that we went to and play with them like they'd been friends forever!! We missed those Woosterites who were unable to attend and hope that maybe we'll get to see you sometime in the near future.
We're in Cleveland now at Jeff's mom's house. The weather is great so we're hoping to get out and enjoy the sunsine this week. The kids are doing well with moving from place to place although they seem to prefer sharing my bed (regardless of size) with all of us rather than sleeping in their own "special beds". Hopefully this is not creating disaster for the future...Saturday we'll head back to Athens for Father's day with my dad and then a preiod of time to be determined in Athens.

Ohio

We made it back home from Texas, my mom really got everything under control so we could come back to a nice, clean house when we return. We made it to Ohio somehow and are ready to move around for the summer! We're going to be in Wooster this weekend at my 10 year college reunion and then will be headed to Cleveland for the week with Jeff's family. The kids were great on the drive and handle travelling so well! They're excited to finally be in Ohio and look forward to seeing our friends and family in the area.

Jeff is really busy with work right now. They basically work 10 hour days, 6 days a week and do laundry, etc. on their day off. He says that he's learning a lot and doing well. He apologizes for not sending out e-mails more frequently and claims that he will do better. He sent the kids some cute "native dress" outfits...I'll post a picture when things settle down.

lovin' life at the beach!

We settled into the condo on the beach with the whole fam and Kelly's brave boyfriend who came along for the trip. We beached for several hours each of the last two days and the kids love the sand, waves, and especially the seashells. Today we spent a lot of time looking for pocketbook shells before they could dig themselves back in the sand. Charlie loves the sand and we spent a lot of time yesterday digging sandcastles. We are enjoying time with extended family at our reunion in Galveston and will have a nice dinner tonight. Hope the kids make it through! A few more days before we head back home and then off again. I'm looking out the window at the beach and thinking this is the life!! (if only Jeff were here!)

galveston and houston

We made it to the great state of Texas (everything is bigger and better according to the natives!!). The car ride was good and we were able to enjoy a morning under cloud cover and some raindrops at the beach. In the evening we had some tasty mexican food and then crashed of exhaustion. It was great to see my grandma and Lee and we managed to not destroy their house. On the other hand we headed up to Houston yesterday to see our friends who moved here recently. We did destroy their house (well the kids did) before the kids calmed down. It's so fun to be with friends and just have everyone fall back into place like we've not missed a day of fun! Today we checked out some parks in the Woodlands and the little ones are down for naps. It's been a busy trip so far but the kids are hanging in there and LOVE seeing their friends. It makes me excited for the trip to Ohio when we will see so many friends and family that we don't see very often. On to my cousin's graduation tomorrow and then family reunion in Galveston.

getting ready to hit the road

I'm not all ready but my internet is spotty right now. We'll be hitting the road tomorrow for Texas. We'll spend a day in Galveston with my Grandma and then head for a few days in Houston to see our friends who recently moved and head to my cousin's graduation party. Then back to Galveston for a family reunion before heading home for a day. Whew! My poor kiddos are going to be exhausted from the driving, playing with Kelly, Christopher, Jack and Allison. Then we start the next leg of our journey. I'll write from Texas if we have time. Look out Beach here we come!!

saying good bye

I'm still behind in my packing but of course I have time to get online! We said good-bye to some good friends who are getting out of the military today. It was sad for me but great for them as they head off on some new adventures. It's hard to see people go but I guess just that much more fun when we get to visit!! I hope that we'll get to see a lot of people this summer and have some time to relax as we move from place to place. We'll leave for Texas on Sunday and will get to see some friends on Tuesday that moved from here in March. So we will get to see people again, just not as often as we used to...Best of luck to our friends as they head to Europe, Cross country, and then settle in in the northwest!

Speaking of adventures Jeff sent pictures of him with a camel, a lizard, and the subway in the desert. He's doing well and we get to talk to him frequently. We miss him a lot but are staying busy so that the time goes quickly.

getting ready to go

We're getting ready to head out and start our summer adventure. With Jeff in Kuwait we don't have much reason to stay here so we're heading out! We'll be in Galveston for a while at a family reunion and then will head to Ohio on June 6 to make it to our 10 year college reunion. Right now I'm just packing and cleaning (and starting a blog--not on the to do list) so that we're ready to go when my parents get here this weekend.