Summertime

Wow, I haven't blogged in almost a month! Can you tell I got a part-time job? It's definitely making my summer go a little faster than usual since I'm not here 3-4 afternoons a week. We've definitely been keeping busy.

The kids and I have had a few slumber parties on the sofa bed. The first time we watched "Because of Winn Dixie" and the second time we watched "The Karate Kid" (the original one). I let them eat popcorn on the bed which they thought was pretty cool. One night we also made chocolate covered bananas. They were yummy!

One day, right before school was out, Jordis and I took our neighbor on a little tour of some of the finer points of south Columbus. She is from Michigan and we've been discussing a little field trip since last year, so we finally made our way out.
We started at Schiller Park.

Then we stopped for goodies at Pistacia Vera. How I love their macaroons. Jordis had a delightful lemon sugar cookie. I forget what Nancy sampled, but it looked equally as tasty.

Next was a trip up High Street to the North Market. We checked out all the booths, grabbed some lunch to go (yummy mashed potatoes and mac and cheese from a local eatery) and continued north. Oh, and Jordis always has to take her picture with this cow whenever we come to the market.

Our final stop was the Park of Roses. It was a few days before the annual festival so the roses should have been at their peak, but it had been so hot at the time that they were looking a little pekid. We enjoyed them anyway. It's always fun to take someone there that has never been. You'd never know that such beauty existed in that busy stretch of High Street without someone showing you. It's definitely off the beaten path.

We've also had some creepy summer storms....

...made homemade donuts....

....been to the park.....

...and discovered silly string.

There's still 35 days until school starts, so I'm sure we'll have some more summer fun in the weeks to come.

Musical Moments

The kids felt tortured had the opportunity to go to two concerts this past week. On Sunday night after Jason's softball game we took a picnic to Alum Creek Park in Westerville to listen to British Invasion. We first heard them last summer at the balloon show we went to where Jordis was really showing off her far out dance moves. It was a nice night and we thought the kids would have fun. They complained the whole way there but once we got some food in them and it was time to leave, they decided that they were having a good time.

On Thursday night Jason had to work so my mom accompanied the kids and me to Gallant Woods Preserve to listen to some steel drum music.

Xander wasn't keen on this event, either, but we did the best we could. BaDee tried to engage the kids in some dancing and we also let them take turns using the camera.


We also took them on a walk through one of the paths.


Since we had to park across the street we also got shuttled back and forth on a little hayride, which the kids loved.

Along the way we saw a deer and they also liked this windmill.


A trip to the library netted the kids some books about bears and sharks, and movies about manta-rays and crocodiles. They also painted birdhouses.

Can't to see what this week holds.

Last week's summer fun

We were pretty busy last week. Over the weekend we went to a wedding reception for my friend who got married last month in Florida. I had so much fun catching up with my friend, Vicki. We went to school together from 3rd - 8th grade and also played violin together in the orchestra. She moved right before high school so I didn't see her for years. Ran into her briefly about 5 years ago then had lunch this past winter. She's a music teacher now and so much fun to talk to.

Jason had school during the week which meant really LONG days for me. On Monday we went to a play date with about 20 kids. Yikes! My friend Liz was pretty brave to host that at her house. And somehow by the time we left I was co-leader of next years' MOPS group. That afternoon we went to the library to get books and movies.

The rest of the week we studied pandas and bats. On Tuesday we went to RAVE for the free showing of Kung Fu Panda. My friend Jen met us there with her little guy, Arjun a.k.a. Prom Date (he and Jordis).

The movie was a bit scary for the younger two, but Xander said he wasn't scared. Afterwards they spent quite awhile running up and down the ramp outside.

On Wednesday I had the kids signed up for a program at the park called Going Batty. There they got to make bat hats, color bat pages and read books. Then we took a tram ride where they told us that bats are mammals, sleep hanging from their toes, have babies called "pups," and are nocturnal (like Daddy). But we already knew that because we learned it from our library books.

Jason's mom was off of work on Thursday so she and his dad came to visit and I got to go to the grocery store by myself. For some reason it still took the same amount of time, I think maybe because I actually had time to read labels and am still getting used to where things are at our new Meijer. And because I have a knack for picking the s.l.o.w.e.s.t. checkout lane. My mom was off of work Friday so she joined the kids and me at the zoo. Our zoo doesn't have pandas, but we did visit the brown bears. They were having so much fun!

And of course we saw the bats.

The kids always have to climb on these animal statues and it's so hard to get pictures of them without someone else's kids running around and getting in the way.

On Saturday Jordis' friend down the street turned three and we were invited to her Dora the Explorer cookout. You'd never know by looking at them that Jordis is actually older, but Megan (even though her parents are each about the same height as Jason and myself) is in the 100th percentile for height in her age range.

The kids had fun eating hot dogs, cake and ice cream and playing in the pool and slip n' slide. We had fun socializing with other adults and getting to meet some neighbors at that end of the street.

What a busy week we had! And I spent no money on the kids' outings. The movie and the bat program were free. We have a zoo membership so I guess technically I "paid" for that trip, but it pays for itself in just a few visits so it's kind of free at this point. What is everyone else doing on-the-cheap for summer?

Our trip to Laurel Valley

I love Laurel Valley. On my first trip to see Jason's hometown he took me to see it right away because he knew I'd like it, and I was excited for our sister-in-law, Sarah, to see it for the first time as well. Laurel Valley was originally settled in 1783 by an Acadian who was in exile from France. It's the largest surviving and functioning 19th century sugar plantation in the United States.

I've always thought that these were slave homes, but now I'm not so sure. According to information from the plantation, slaves were used for harvesting in the first half of the 1800's. Then from 1893-1926, after the plantation was purchased in a sheriff's sale, they had employees. Two of the structures still standing (country store and school) date back to 1906 and 1910, but I don't know when any of the little houses were built. Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, so the houses would have had to been on the property years before the store and the school if they were used to house slaves. Although, I have a feeling that slavery was still going on illegally even after it was abolished, so I guess we'll never know for sure.

I always get a little introspective when I'm at Laurel Valley. For one, I'm amazed that these tiny little structures have survived for so long after all the hurricanes that have passed through. Granted, they're in horrible condition, hence the fences that have appeared in recent years to keep people from venturing inside the unstable buildings. But the fact that they're still standing makes me think that maybe it's God's way of letting us realize the plight of the people who lived there. It's a voice for them all these years later. On the other hand, I could be completely wrong and maybe that many years ago these were great houses given the time period and they were inhabited by employees who worked at the plantation in the years after slavery was abolished. Maybe I'll have to do some research to find the truth. But either way I love to walk around and imagine what life was like back in the day, and you can get some really amazing pictures here.

As the mill and outbuildings sit about a mile off the main road it's always quiet so you can hear every little movement. I'm fascinated that this house still has curtains and find it a little eerie when they blow in the breeze.

Back at the country store we took the kids inside to see some old artifacts and also walked around the property where they were allowed to check out old farm equipment.

This is me with my sister-in-law at the back of the general store.

Sugar cane

Besides being on the National Register of Historic Places, Laurel Valley has also been seen in at least ten movies, including Interview with the Vampire, A Lesson Before Dying, and Ray. We stayed as long as the kids would allow and then went to walk around St. Joseph Cemetary. I wanted Sarah to see all of the above-ground burials that aren't typical here in the midwest and Jason and his brother wanted to try and find where their cousin was laid to rest. After that we all went to Frostop for lunch. It's kid-friendly with very ordinary hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese and fries. Adults go there for the homemade rootbeer served in frosty mugs.

Then it was time for some resting before the evening rolled around.

Jordis turns 3!

Our baby girl turned three on Monday.

This one.

*Sigh*

With her cute little voice and bright eyes she feigns innocence really well, but she has a trick or two up her sleeve. She's so much fun to be around but boy do we think we'll be in for it when she's a pre-teen.

She wanted to wear her Raggedy Ann outfit and go to the library, so that's what we did. Xander had chosen the last video rental so she picked Mulan for this week and then we went to the children's area and read a Dora book.

When Xander came home from school they got along really well. He showed her how to use his new computer and he also let her play with his Helmet Heroes.

Xander was looking forward to the presents more than she was. Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Sarah sent her a Lite Brite, too, so both of the kids have one now and don't have to fight over one. They're even different colors so we can tell them apart.

We got her some more Littlest Pet Shop stuff and Xan got her some pets to go with it.

She had asked for some of the Lemon Angel Bars from Easter, so that was easy enough for me.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!