Weekend in Cincinnati

On Friday after work, we drove up to Cincinnati, OH, to visit our dear friends. Amelia was so excited to see her best friend,Eva, and I was just as excited about seeing my dear friend Betsy Jo. We received a warm welcome and then the kids cooled off in the pool:

Two happy girls being reunited for a weekend:

 Dinner time: Noah, Elliot, Eva, and Amelia:

After a relaxing evening of good conversations and some wine, we all got up ready to explore what Cincinnati has to offer. The day started off with the perfect weather (low 60s and low humidity) and a delicious brunch at Wild Eggs.  

From there, we went to Smale Riverfront Park in downtown Cincinnati and hung out for a couple of hours taking in the scenic view over the city and the Ohio River. The 45 acre park features an interactive playground as well as some water activities for the kids and a beautiful garden with swings for some relaxation in the sun. 

I loved spending time with my friend and her family: 

Swinging away:

The guys also enjoyed each others company. Derrick and Nelson chatted away while Elliot wanted to do everything Noah did. 

 Weekend trips with my family are the best:

In between water activities, the children all enjoyed riding the old carousel:

The water fountains were a big hit:

We walked around Freedom center where we discovered a Berlin Wall Memorial. This memorial featured a piece of the historic Berlin Wall, which was a gift from my hometown to Cincinnati. It stands there to teach people about the history of a broken city and that inclusive freedom is attainable and that it is possible to overcome oppression. 

We enjoyed spending time in the Queen City and I really liked it's flair and wouldn't mind moving there one day. 

After lots of walking, we finished the day off with some delicious treats: Dewey's Pizza (this Arugula Prosciutto Pizza was to die for), handmade ice-cream from Aglamesis and freshly baked donuts from Busken. 

On Sunday morning, we joined our friends at their church for worship and then headed back to their house for one last meal and a quick chat before driving back home. Amelia is very interested in playing the Violin so when her friend showed her how well she can play (Eva takes lessons for a couple of years and Betsy Jo is a talented Violin player herself), Amelia wanted to give it a try. We might have to sign her up for Violin lessons as she has an ear for it. Of course, Elliot needed to give it a try too on a toy Violin. 

Thank you, Wesley family for such a fun and enjoyable weekend and for being such gracious hosts. It is always nice to catch up with each other. We hate saying goodbye but only for a little while as I'm sure we will meet up again soon. 

Besties:

I'm sure we will be back to Cincinnati one day...

The Heat of the Summer

We have been back from vacation a couple of weeks now and settled back in to our summer routine. But that does not mean it has been boring... The Sunday after we got back, our YMCA hosted an Sundae Pool Party, where there were delicious ice-cream treats, water games and a "cool" princess. This little outing was just what we needed after spending all day in the car on Saturday.  

On Tuesday, Chick-Fil-A hosted their annual Cow Appreciation Day, where you can get a free meal if you dress up like a cow. We have participated in this event a few times over the past few years but since the kids outgrew their cow costumes, I had to make new ones. So on Monday, we spent the afternoon making our headbands and on Tuesday I sewed the costumes. I think, they turned out pretty good. And we were rewarded with free food and a delicious peach milkshake. 

Summer is in full force, which means our vegetables are growing like weeds: This is one big pumpkin plant. 

On Saturday, Derrick and I had a day date. We were so overdue for some quality time together, it didn't even bother us that it was raining. We went to the Sate Park anyways and walked on the trail for an hour, chatting and watching some deer graze and some ducks in the water. 

 

While we were out, the kids loved having Ms. Janet play with them. We finished our date off with some delicious Thai food and some back-to-school supply shopping (might as well make a chore less painful when you can do it with your partner in crime). The rest of the day, we hung out at home with the kids and relaxed. Amelia loves reading and is mastering chapter books already. This view never gets old:

During the summer, she is supposed to either read, do some math exercises or write a page in her booklet each day so when school starts back up, she has an easier time adjusting. So far, she completed a first grade addition and subtraction booklet and almost filled an entire notebook with little stories of her own. This is what she wrote the other day all by herself. A few spelling errors but not bad for a 5-year old. I'm so proud of her. 

Of course, there is a lot of playing too and our cat doesn't mind when she has to play ponies once ain a while with Amelia. 

Elliot loves helping out in the kitchen:

On Sunday, Amelia requested a picture with me on our way to church as she was so excited to have picked out a long dress and sparkle shoes as well as got a bun and some lipstick on. I love my little girly girl:

This past week has been hot, hot, hot. We are enduring a  heat wave and temperatures have been rising up to almost a 100F/ 38C daily with an heat index of 108F/ 43C. The only way to stay cool is to be indoors or in the water. Fun under the sprinkler:

Friends invited us to come swim at their pool one afternoon, and we happily accepted. These two were in their element. By the way, Elliot only wore the puddle jumpers after he has been swimming and diving in the pool for an hour and I needed a break from constantly watching him as the shallow end of the pool was 3+ft deep. 

Since Amelia's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I wanted to spend some one-on-one time with her before school starts back up, I picked her up from camp right after work while Elliot stayed and napped. We went to the toy store so she could use some early birthday money to choose a toy. A little dress-up had to be included: 

It took her an hour to find the right barbies and then we went to have a little treat before picking up Elliot from camp. A happy little girl with her newest toys: 

I can't believe I will have a 6 year old in just a few weeks. It is almost time for her first day in first grade and I'm not sure how to handle that. While she is all excited about turning a year older, loosing her baby teeth and going in to first grade, I'm sitting here wishing time would slow down and my little girl would stay little for just a while longer. To always remember these days of ponies, barbies and being almost 6 years old, I have something special planned for this girl this week. I'm sure it will be a sweet memory for her but also for me. 

After a week of business travel, we were delighted to welcome Derrick back home on Friday afternoon. 

Nothing is better than the four of us all being together:

Even though summer break is almost over here in TN, we still have lots of fun things planned. This is the last week of summer camp for the kids and next weekend, we will be visiting friends in Cincinnati, OH. There is also a special trip to the zoo on the calendar as well as a pirate pool party. And of course, a little birthday celebration for our favorite girl. 

Summer Family Vacation - Part III (Beach and Family)

On Wednesday morning, we left the hotel to drive to Charleston, SC. After sitting for 6 hours in the car, we decided to head straight to the beach. The kids were delighted as they have talked about going to the beach all summer long. By the time we arrived, it was late afternoon but the timing couldn't have been better as it was still hot (93F/ 34C) but less chances of burning our feet on the sand and less crowded. So for the next three days, we always came around 5pm to the beach and stayed till almost 8pm. 

Happy beach babes:

Amelia nor Elliot were afraid of the water/ waves and jumped right in:

Two out of the three days, we brought a picnic dinner to the beach and just ate there. Who wouldn't want to eat dinner with the ocean in front of you and this amazing view behind us:

This video shows you my water babies and how fearless they are in the water:

This is our only family beach photo taken on the last day when it was a bit overcast:

But we were not only in South Carolina to go to the beach but to visit the grandparents as well.  So at night and in the mornings,, we loved spending time with grandma and grandpa. Amelia with her grandma in the kitchen:

And with her grandpa, helping in the yard:

Elliot with his grandparents:

Derrick and his oldest brother, Tony:

And on Saturday our week of vacation was already over and we endured an 11 hour drive back home. This week was so much fun and a necessity to recharge and to spend time with the ones we love the most.