Cincinnati Vacation

We decided on the spur of the moment to take a mini-vacation. We ventured toward the Cincinnati area. Our first stop was the Newport Aquarium on the Kentucky side of the river. The day started with a penguin parade where the kids got to see 3 penguins up close and learn a lot about them. The penguins were named Randy, Simon and Paula. The aquarium had an awesome jellyfish display. They were several different containers, each with a different colored light, in the display. Since the jellyfish are translucent, they turned the same color as the light. Very Cool!

Our next stop was the Freedom Center. It is a museum about the Underground Railroad. I wasn't sure how well Hazen would do here, but we were pleasantly suprised. When you buy your tickets, you are given a hand-held listening device. Each display has a number on it and you type that number into your device. A lot of the displays will give you a first-person account of what is happening from two different perspectives (like the slave's view and the slave owner's view).

Matt wanted to check out the fire museum. If any of you know Matt, you know he loves to read EVERYTHING in museums. The kids were ready to go way before he was. There was a wall of patches from other fire departments and we found patches from Kokomo Fire, Indian Heights, and Taylor Township. In the evening, the kids swam and Matt and I visited with his former youth sponsors who live in the area.

Our last day, we decided we would check out the Cincinnati Zoo. We woke up to rain and were debating on what we should do. We were driving around just sightseeing when the rain stopped. We decided to head on over to the zoo. No sooner than we had bought our tickets, it started raining again. It wasn't cold so we just stayed. The kids got to feed the giraffes. There was an area with a lot of birds and they each got to hold one. Rett's bird must have decided it was hungry because it kept pecking his nose and the corner of his mouth!

Lazy Summer?

It's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I guess we're having what you would call a lazy summer. We've been doing lots of swimming and playing outside, but nothing really blog-worthy.

Matt and I celebrated our 8th anniversary last week with a day trip to Brown County. The years have flown. It was nice to get away for a few hours without the kids. Hazen was really glad to see his Grandma and Grandpa since they had been gone for 4 weeks.

Kelsey has had a very busy summer with 4-H. She completed projects in entomology, sewing, needlecraft, poultry and swine. Not to mention she was Miami County Princess. Rett also was in 4-H for the first time this year and he got a blue ribbon on his model. He has also been working part time with his dad. Both Rett and Kelsey also got to spend a week at church camp.

What can I say about Hazen? He hasn't been involved in all the activities that the older kids have (thank goodness), but he is always good for a few laughs. Today he said "I'm almost grown up because I can pee and poop in the pot all by myself. I think I'll start calling myself 'Big Daddy'." Where do kids come up with these things?

I did something today that I've never done before. My brother is helping my mom remodel her kitchen. It has turned into a much bigger job than they had planned with rotten sill plates and floor joists. Matt has been helping him, but today he had something to do at Russiaville Fire Dept. I told Tony I would help until Matt got back. I used the cordless circular saw and cut boards for him, went down into the crawl space to hold boards up and also used a pnuematic nail gun. Who knew power tools could be so fun?

So, I guess this is our summer in a nutshell. Our "lazy" days are quickly diminishing. Rett starts band camp the week of the 27th and I will be working during registration the week of Aug. 3rd.