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!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
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!!
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!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
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...
Thursday, August 23, 2007
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!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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!!
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!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
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."
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.
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.
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