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...