Day 57: Smoothies

With the soaring temperatures, we decided to cool off with homemade smoothies.  The boys helped throw in ice and frozen raspberries while Mommy took the job of pouring in the lemonade.  As you can see below, Grant took over the control of the blender!  Then, we each took our smoothies outside to enjoy.

Day 56: Car Wash

Well we fully planned to go to Delhi Library for story time, but the boys seemed content to play at the house.  I asked them several times if they wanted to leave, but they had no interest.  So, here's a sweet shot of our play today:

While outside, I got a great and simple idea...car wash!  I just added dawn to the water table and voila...instant fun!  And this kept them occupied for half an hour or more!! Success!

 

Day 55: Tiger Canyon at the Zoo

We were finally able to check out the new Tiger Canyon at the zoo!  Grammy came along and Bud, Jess, and Austin met up with us for the fun, too!  The new area for the tigers allows up close views of each of the tigers and the surroundings are beautiful. 

Day 54: Bicentennial Park, Graeter's Ice Cream

Well with the cold front that moved in over night, we woke up to cooler temperatures this morning.  I'm not complaining but it kind of threw our plans off as we were trying to go to the Miami Whitewater wet playgrounds.  Because it was so cool when we were trying to leave, we decided to take the lunch we packed to Bicentennial Park instead.  I've posted about this place before....it's AMAZING.  It's fenced in and has a variety of playground equipment for many age groups.  As you can see below, even Daddy enjoyed playing today!

Later in the day we went for ice cream after my XC practice.  The boys and Daddy met me there and everything was going great until we had a scare.  Grant fell backwards off of the chair and directly onto the floor, hitting the back of his head.  It was the most horrendous sound my ears have ever heard.  I wasn't truly panicking until I saw Peter moving quickly to pick him up, and with a very serious look on his face.  Two things about Peter: he almost NEVER moves quickly and he's laid back.  Grant ended up being okay and a large bump formed almost immediately (a good sign even though it's hard to look at).  We asked him all sorts of questions, checked his pupils, and monitored him for an hour after the incident.  Luckily it didn't require a trip to the ER.

Day 53: Cross Country, Yellow M, Mama's School

We did all of the above BEFORE lunch!  It was a busy morning.  On most Fridays during Cross Country (XC) conditioning, we run at Delhi Park.  Afterward, we go to McDonald's  (otherwise called the Yellow M) for team building and biscuits!  It's a pretty good time!  I usually try to make these morning practices because I know it's important to bond with the kids and just hang out with them.  I usually can't make morning practices because the boys don't wake up early enough and they take forever to get going.  But, since I don't have to feed them, we usually make it (a little late, but better late than never).  This year has been great because Bud, my colleague at school, has been at practices because Austin, their son, runs on the team.  So he takes the boys to play at the playground or see the ducks so that I can run and participate fully in practice and he's also there to help out with McDonald's (although just to put it out there, I did it by myself last year)!!
The boys did great at the yellow M and they really liked seeing all of the "big kids."  After breakfast, we went to DMS to drop off and pick up a few things.  The boys enjoyed playing with my calculators (using them as phones to call one another), markers, and white board.  They also liked running in circles around my classroom.  It's just like a regular sixth grade day!!!

 When we got home we  had some time to fill because we ate a late breakfast.  So I got out the boys' pool and attached the hose to the sprinkler attached to the pool. This was enough fun until lunch!!  Mommy was definitely ready for nap time after this busy morning!

Day 52: Movers and Shakers

It's Thursday so you know what that means: Movers and Shakers with Miss Colleen.  Good timing since we still can't go in the basement in case there are more squirrel friends (the lovely one from our house was captured last night)!  This time Jess joined us and we even met up with Laura, Jackson, and Benjamin.  We always have a good time at the library and the boys love to pick out books afterward.  I love that they love books, just like Mommy!

Day 51: Unwelcome Visitor, Painting with Salt

Last night we came across a VERY unwelcome renter in our basement...a SQUIRREL! Seriously!?  So today I called a professional to take care of the issue.  As a result, we were banned from the basement so that the little dude would come out of hiding and into the traps that were set for it.  So I pulled out some craft supplies and we did salt paintings.  Really this is more about the process than the end product.  The boys loved how the paint "traveled" down the salt.  Look at these artists at work (and those faces):

Day 50: Grammy time

I had to go to a professional development meeting today for the second day in a row so the boys hung out with Grammy today.  I guess this is just the start of the meetings to come and I hope the adjustment is easier on them than it's been on me in the past!

Day 49: Ivory Soap Experiment

Our first Science experiment was a success today!  We put a bar of Ivory soap in the microwave...and the results can only be seen and not explained (see below).  NOTE: This ONLY works with Ivory soap, not other brands.  Not sure what's in Ivory but it yielded some pretty awesome results.  We took the blob outside and let the boys play with it.  Then I added warm water to the puffs to soften them and make them into small letter soaps for the bath!  I wish I had a picture of the boys faces when they watched this

 

Day 48: Clifty Falls

On Sunday we hiked through nearby Clifty Falls.  It is known for its many waterfalls and beautiful surroundings.  Unfortunately, the recent lack of rain (aka drought) has left the waterfalls a mere trickle. But the hike was just what Peter and I needed to relax.  Enjoying outdoor activities and nature is something that brought us together a very long time ago and we both very much enjoy doing things like this together.  We are hoping to go back again with the boys during the fall or spring when the falls are in full force.  After a nearly two hour hike, we decided to get lunch at the Clifty Inn Restaurant.  Here's some pictures of our day:

 The one waterfall that actually had SOME water

 I wasn't so upset that this cave was closed, it would have been a little creepy knowing there were bats inside

 tiny little waterfall along the creek bed, which was mostly dry

Day 47: Mommy and Daddy Trip

Since going to Columbus was a bust with the Spieler family, Peter and I decided to take a short trip just the two of us to celebrate our anniversary.  We seem to always be on a family vacation during our anniversary and we rarely get time to ourselves anyway.  Grammy stayed at the house with the boys Saturday morning through Sunday late afternoon.  Peter and I decided to go to Madison, Indiana just an hour an a half away to check out the small town charm, wine trails, explore Clifty Falls and eat dinner without having to entertain!
We stayed at the Hillside Inn right in the heart of downtown Madison.  The place was historic with beautiful views and spacious rooms! It was a great find although next time we hope to stay in the Clifty Inn at Clifty Falls Park.  We ate at an old dive, Hinkle's Sandwich Shop.  They have little burgers kind of like White Castle and it's obvious they have many regulars.  They are even open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.  After lunch we took a walk through downtown, checking out all the cute and even beautiful homes in the area.  We walked to the Lanthier Winery for a wine tasting event and walked out with three bottles because we just couldn't decide!  The views of the Ohio River were spectacular and the weather was beautiful.  After the winery tour we decided to check in to the hotel and rest up for dinner at the 605 Grille.  Adorable restaurant, great food!

 The view from our hotel, Hillside Inn

 Beautiful fountain in downtown Madison

 Had to get this shot and send it to the boys

The Lanthier Winery

Day 46: Fun with Jess

The boys played with Jess today because Mommy had some errands to run.  Plus, they just love playing with her so much anyway it makes it easy to leave for a bit!  Here's how some of their time was spent:

Day 45: Movers and Shakers and Cooking with Gigi

Thursdays again and we're off to the library for Movers and Shakers! If I haven't already mentioned it, we love the Covedale library and we love Miss Colleen!  Afterward, we picked up Gigi and brought her back to the house.  Since the rain brought us inside after only 15 minutes, we decided to do a little cooking instead.  The boys helped Gigi and I make smores croissants.  Of course, they enjoyed eating the ingredients more than actually putting them into the croissants, but that's half the fun of baking anyway I suppose! It's super easy-a package of crescent rolls, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.  Roll 'em up and bake for the time listed on the package.  Got the idea here: http://www.northerncottage.net/2011/07/smore-croissants.html.  The boys enjoyed them for an after lunch treat and boy were they good!

Day 44: Pattern Necklaces and Painting with Water

 The boys had zero interest in going anywhere in the car so we decided to make our own fun at home.  We painted with water-easy for me, fun for them!  Then, we cooled off inside with a snack and learning all in one.  The boys didn't really understand the concept of a pattern but they did do well with color recognition and with my help, they could tell me the color that came next.  The best part was eating the bracelets, of course!