Who needs toys?

During this beautiful season in Ohio, between the hot sticky summer and bone-chilling winter, we try to get outside for a chunk of time each and every day.  Usually this ends up being some time in the morning, and then 45-90 minutes in the afternoon.  Post nap, pre dinner.

Sometimes the boys bring cars or trucks out to play with.  Sometimes they kick a ball around.  There is also chalk to be drawn with.  Most of the time, though, they create their own adventures and will be lost in their own world for an hour or so.  Exploring, running, playing chase, or my personal favorites: 2-man duck-duck-goose or ring-around-the-rosy.  The gales of laughter are contagious and I just sit watching them (usually looking up from a book), thinking how blessed we are.

I hope they remember these times as happy ones.  Ones where they were free and un-worried.  Ones where they remember the fun they had with so little.   For my boys, apparently all they need is a stick, some rocks, and a pile of dirt.

A Sunday Afternoon

This past Sunday we got out and enjoyed the gorgeous weather at a nearby "park" area.  A paved trail led us pass a "creek" and rock quarry.  The boys had a blast running under the trees and picking up acorns.  Or "corns" as Drew called them.  We played at a playground for a little bit and then headed back to the car.

It's places and times like this I think of how ironic it is that I came to Ohio kicking and screaming, but I'll leave it in almost the same way.  I'm so thankful we'll have more than 3 full years here to enjoy the beauty of this part of the country.

a PACKED holiday weekend

Never before have we been so busy with fun activities as this past holiday weekend.

It started off with a hot Friday, nothing on the calendar, and the splash park still being open.  Oh, and friends to go splash with.

Saturday, Scot was post-call, but he was a great sport and walked with us to the Farmer's Market.  There's just nothing like a cup of coffee while perusing the booths full of yummy whole-food goodness.  Except this past Saturday morning it was busier than normal.  Much. Busier. Than. Normal.  But we still had fun.

Now fast forward a few hours.  We had sleeping bags in the car for the boys along with clothes for church the next morning.  A wonderful couple at church with grandsons about our boy's ages, offered to take the boys overnight for us while we went with some friends to listen to the Cleveland Orchestra preform at Blossom -- this great outdoor (and yet the amphitheater itself is covered) venue.  We all brought a picnic dinner and just enjoyed good food and laughter out on the lawn before the show started and the rained came down.  We were very fortunate to not get stuck in the downpour and were able to reserve seats in the actual amphitheater to listen to "The Best of Broadway" - the most sought after performance, and it was apparent!  The place was packed.  We heard numbers from some great Disney shows and some of the biggest mainline Broadway shows: Wicked, Phantom, Les Mis, Chicago, Hello Dolly, Cats, and more.  It was fantastic.  We were encouraged to sing along on certain pieces and most of them I just enjoyed with a big grin on my face.

The rest of the weekend was comprised of church, family time, an annual fabulous cookout with great friends where we got talked into...dum dum dum....going to the Great Geauga County Fair.  It's touted to be the oldest and biggest county fair in Ohio.  We were told it was a quintessential county fair and if we hadn't been before, we needed to go.

So we did. 

And while I'm not sure my opinion would be the same had our amazing friends been our own personal tour guides, it was a fun time had by all.  The boys loved looking at all the animals.  Rows upon rows upon rows of cows horses, pigs, sheep, lambs, goats, rabbits....you name it, they had it.  The kids scored free pony rides courtesy of a very nice gentleman who just happened to be tacking up his horse as we walked by.  And we even got to hear the GGCF band playing while we sat and ate our lunches!

We thought the boys were a little young for the rides, so we let them climb on tractors instead and treated them to their first cotton candy.  Evan loved it.  Drew did not.  It made his hands too sticky, he said.

And then my camera died.  Or broke.  Or something.  It's now en route to the Nikon repair center since I couldn't get the shutter to start working.  Sad day, indeed.  Back to point and shoot digital, I guess.  It is easier to tote around!

To top everything off, we went over to friend's for a delicious dinner and good talking.

Such a fun Labor Day weekend.  It is, after all, our last out here, so I'm glad we went out big.

And that's an update on our life for now.   We're back into the "busy saddle" of fall and trying to figure out how to balance it all.  I got used to a slower life-style and I quite enjoyed it.