Family from Kansas!

My cousin, Kristin, and her husband, Matthew, are the best people.  As much as possible, I have tried since (maybe high school or college) to head to Kansas City to hang out with them over spring breaks or the summer.  Not only are they the best to hang out and talk with (stupid stuff to deep stuff), but they make the best food – both of them are amazing in the kitchen.  But mostly, I just like to be with them.  And I really like to sit on their screened in porch.

They had tentatively made plans to come visit the year COVID hit, so they put it off.  But they got a date on the calendar this summer.  They were able to come out to visit July 24-28.  They even stayed with us, which made it even better.  There is something about being able to hang out in the evening or in the morning.  To feel like you have that time, that you can sit around and just enjoy one another. 

They got in Sunday evening around 8:30pm.  Enough time to touch base, talk, and head to bed.  The next three days felt like a whirlwind in slow motion if that is even possible.  I have no idea now how we passed the days.  I know we went to the Ashery bulk food store and Lehman’s Hardware for some touristy things.  Mom came over after breakfast and sat with us one day. They went to Ashland to visit with Nate and Jen’s family.  We took them out to see the goats at Luke and Steph’s.  We had everyone in the family over at our house on Tuesday night for supper and fellowship. 

The girls have vague memories of being at Matthew and Kristin’s house.  They mostly remember that she worked with them to paint on a canvas.  So, when she asked if there was anything they would want, I said, “They would like to paint again.”  So, Kristin painted with the girls.  She brought some small canvases and some long artist brushes.  And she taught them about mixing colors to get the ones they wanted and about blending colors.  And they made beautiful paintings to hang in their rooms.  (She is an amazing artist.  I am lucky enough to have a painting she gave us for our wedding and a print I inherited from my Grandpa.  Check out her work here.)

 

I asked if she would help me hang some stuff on my walls.  Unfortunately, for me, I realized that I really have very little to actually hang on my walls.  She helped me with the few things I had.  Then, she recommended sizes for other pieces and where she would put them.  This was our favorite grouping.  The sign was a gift from our realtor (You are awesome, Laura Martin!) when we moved in. 

The time went quickly, but it was perfect.  I so appreciate the time they took to come out and visit.  Can’t wait til the next time we are together.

    

Visitors from NYC

Jen and Arturo decided to make a quick trip to Wayne County from the Big Apple.  It had been a long time since we had seen them – Christmas, I think.  We made the most of this past weekend with them.

Friday night, we had gyros at Gloria’s before heading to the (socially distanced, in person) concert for the MCC Relief Sale.  We started the night listening to A Girl Named Tom – an excellent folks-y band.  Then, Honeytown came on and played as well.  They are always fun to listen to. It was a cool evening and so good to listen to live music. 

    

Saturday we picked up chicken dinners from the Relief Sale and ate on our patio.  Afterwards, we headed to Cinnamon Lake to enjoy Jeremy’s cousin’s vacation house and pontoon boat.  The boat ride was peaceful.  The lake only allows electric motors and has a low horsepower limit, so you can just putter along quietly and hang out.  The girls even got to drive the boat!

    

We enjoyed the meal from the Masts that Gloria had purchased at the Thanksgiving day sale – pulled pork, homemade bread, strawberry freezer jam, homemade applesauce, baked beans, Texas sheet cake, and pb chocolate chip cookies.  It was delicious. 

Sunday, everyone joined us for church outside at Salem.  We had a smorgasbord of food for lunch, laid around, and finally headed to Barnes Nature Preserve to do a shortened version of the 5K walk in honor of pancreatic cancer Jeremy had signed up for.  Dariette for supper, returned home, and crawled into bed. 

    

They leave on Tuesday, but I’m not sure how much of them we will see today. 

Sunshine

Welcome to another week.  The sun has been shining here in Ohio for the past three days, and it has been amazing!  On Saturday, Megan (my niece) came over for a sleepover.  The girls were super excited about this.  The day just got better because Sam and Lilli were also over, so Luke and Steph, Jeremy and I could plan for youth group.  On top of that, Chloe and Paxon came, too, because they were staying at Luke and Steph’s house.  So many cousins, so much fun.  The best part for us… it was nice outside, and they all played outside or split up between out and in.  In short, we had few interruptions.  We had PB&J sandwiches for lunch, and then split by households for the rest of the day.

The girls had a snack outside mid-afternoon- after playing on the swings, the climber, and the sand box.  Ellie even got to skip her nap! 

      

That evening, we took them to the Dari-ette to grab a bite to eat while we watched grand march at Dalton.  (Grand March is when all the prom attendees get dropped off and you see their outfits.)  The girls enjoyed seeing their dresses… for about 30 minutes. 

We headed back to the Dari-ette for a bite of ice cream afterwards.  Finally, they made it home, had a fun bath time, read stories, had talking time, and were out. It was good fun for all.

Sunday, we had a meeting regarding SWAP – the service trip we are taking the youth (and our kids) on.  It went well, and I think we are on track for the trip to go smoothly.  At least I am hoping that is the case!  We have about a month til departure.

In the evening, we headed to my parents’ house.  They had put up a zip line.  Yep, a zip line.  They now have a climbing set, a swing set, a trampoline, a playhouse, basketball hoops, and a zip line.  It is like our very own fun center!  With just a little bit of danger, right?  Madison thought she didn’t want to even get on the seat, but I told her she at least had to sit on it.  Once she got the feel of it, she didn’t want off.

       

Ellie, on the other hand, thought she was so excited about it.  Once I went to put her on, she stiffened up and refused.  We did get her to go on the seat and even ride all by herself for a short distance.  Mostly, she liked playing in the sand box.

   

Dad came up with the idea to put the bucket swing on the zip line.  I am a little weary of it, but it seemed to work without tipping.  So… (and no, I am not pregnant, but sure look like it in this picture!)

Injury count: mom bailed off the first night, dad bailed off the first night, Lilli tapped her head on the tree, and I got a burn from holding the bungee when my dad when down.  I think we are doing pretty good, just working out the kinks!

This week is full of fun – Madison is helper at preschool with Grandpa DeeDee; Madison has her preschool program; I sub a half day; we celebrate my mom’s birthday/mother’s day celebration.  I am hoping for the continuation of great weather, but I am sure we need a little rain in there somewhere too.

Summertime Fun

It has been a long hiatus since my last post – almost a month to the day!  I am going to try to play a little catch-up and see how far I get.  I enjoy posting, but sometimes I am pulled into so many other areas in the summer in particular.  I think the winter is quieter (with the exception of deadlines for classwork that I may have). 

Since my last post, we have been doing the summertime thing mostly – story time on Tuesdays, play dates with friends, walks, trips to the park, and family time.  A few to highlight…

• Our neighbors, the Lehmans, invited us over to play on cool July morning.  We had fun in their basement, on the trampoline, on the swings, and in the yard.  We shared a tasty lunch and then walked home.  It is nice to have such wonderful people in walking distance!
• The girls are quite the sisters – sharing the chair to watch TV or read books, giggling over nothing, and seeming like there is a secret going on.  It is actually pretty cute most of the time!

    

• Grace goes to story time with Madison.  This is a great time for Tara and I to connect, and the girls to be busy with another activity so we can actually talk.  They have fun, and we have fun – a win-win situatlion!  A few weeks ago we decided to make it a real play date.  We bought some cupcakes from Faithful Little Cupcake, packed a picnic lunch, and headed to the park.  We ended up connecting for a few minutes with Kenna and Ava (friends from church) while we were there!  It was hot, but fun.  We also got together at the Dari-ette one day… who can resist ice cream on summer days!

    

• My college roommate, Rachel, passed through town.  It is nice she takes the time to stay a night here on her way to see family every year.  She has two boys with lots of energy.  The girls had a great time trying to keep up with them.  I had a great time reconnecting.
• We had a birthday party for three of the cousins.  That is always a good time.  It was a little louder than a normal summer party because we were all indoors due to serious rain coming down outside. 
• Jeremy completed his third PanOhio Tour.  This is his bike trip that takes him from Cleveland to Cincinnati, Ohio.  It is (roughly) 330 miles in four days.  He had a team that consisted of his housemate, Mike, his uncle, David, and then two other people.  Logistically, it was a little hectic this year, but the ride itself sounded like a successful, fun time.  I am proud of the way he works to fundraise for the ride, and also for the fight against cancer. 

Sleepover!

This Sunday we had my nephews, Landen and Cale, over for a sleepover.  I am not sure that is the correct lingo when talking with little boys, but that is what we girls call it!.  My girls were EXCITED!  I have learned as the kids have gotten older, that extra kids around the house is not really that much work because they really entertain each other; so you do less entertaining and get more done. 

They arrived for supper on Sunday – pancakes, sausage links, and eggs.  This is a no fail meal in our family, so I knew they would eat well.  After supper, we called Grandma Ediger to come join the fun.  Jeremy had the idea to take them treasure hunting – aka geocaching.  On the way to the park to find the treasure, Cale said, “I didn’t really want to come to your house, but this is fun.”  I am pretty sure the idea of coming to a house of girls is not too exciting; I am glad we could break through!  We walked through the entire woods – muddy spots and all.  Until we finally spied it hiding under a log!  (Jeremy took a picture on his phone, but I haven’t gotten them on the computer yet…)

We explained the geocaching rule: If you take something, you have to leave something.  Jeremy had brought a little something for everyone to leave, so they all got to pick out their treasure.  Cale picked out a marble; Landen chose a matchbox car; Madison took a (broken) beaded bracelet; and Ellie stuck with the Shrek toy Jeremy had given her to exchange.  (One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, right?) 

We ran on home, jumped in the bathtub (two girls, then two boys), got some drinks, read 4 books (one for each), and settled in on the floor beds. 

The next morning they were up by 7:02; I am not sure if they all woke up then or if Madison woke them.  Either way, they came down and were ready for breakfast.  I got cereal for some, reheated pancakes for others. 

Everyone got dressed for the day.  Then, the big event:  We all walked Cale to school!

I wasn’t sure how long it would take, so we got there plenty early.  This ended up being really good because I forgot to bring Cale’s lunch with us for his field trip.  The little ones and I marched back home.  I left them with Jeremy and ran (literally) back up to the school with the lunch.  I thought it was no big deal since I got it there by the start of the school day.  BUT the school had already called my brother to check on the missing lunch – oh, the incompetent sitter I looked like!  Oh, well, it was all fine.

The rest of the day the kids played with stuffed animals and babies upstairs while I changed the bed sheets and cleaned up floor beds.  Then, they helped make cookies and played play-doh.  Then, we went outside to swing and play on the slide.  It was a beautiful day, so we had lunch on the back deck.  They laid down for a nap a little earlier than normal, so that they would all be up in time to go pick up Cale.  I think Landen was the only one that didn’t sleep, but he did stay up in the room. 

    

We walked back up to the school to pick up Cale and play at the playground.  By the time we were ready to leave, Ben and Steph were set to arrive to pick up the boys.  I think everyone had a great time.  It is good to bond with our boy cousins!

Let the Good Times Roll

We have had some good times lately.  I guess, I have been enjoying them more than before because I know it is coming to an end.  It is August.  I have to go back to work.  And I am second guessing saying yes to this long term sub position.  But perhaps that is all thoughts for another blog.  Point being, my moments this summer with the kids and with time are coming to an end.  So, here’s to the last days of summer; may the next 19 days be just as good!

Jeremy’s Aunt Diane and Uncle Jim brought Madison over a get well soon present Sunday night.  It was good to have a visit as the day had been long without Jeremy around (he was yet to return from his bike trip).  She had bubbles with fancy princess wand shapes, a 36-piece puzzle, and a little tea set.  This was Madison’s first piece puzzle, so it was fun to watch her and Diane put it together.  We used up all the bubbles the next day while I hung laundry on the line.  And the tea set was used to host Diane and Jim that night.  It was a sweet surprise.

       

I invited my parents over for supper on Wednesday.  I like having them over for starters, but I also “owed” them for all their help on Saturday watching the kids while I wrote my paper for class.  We don’t pay either set of grandparents for all the time they spend with the girls – they are not babysitters, after all, but family who truly desire to be with the girls.  At the same time, they are not obligated (or shouldn’t be…do you hear me, Grandparents?) to watch them, and so we appreciate their willingness to do so.  As a token of gratitude, I try to have them over for supper which gets them out of making a meal, but we also get to hang out with them as a family.  Anyway… the other night we had my parents over – meatball sandwiches (one of my favorite), watermelon, and fresh peach crisp with vanilla ice cream.  Afterwards, the girls had Grandma caught in the cycle of Ring Around the Rosie.  My mom was a willing participant, and soon everyone was a sweaty mess!

    

Yesterday, we went to the livestock auction.  We were there a LONG time (and I have no pictures because I left the camera at home).  There were lots of great animals to see: a 700 pound pig!, baby goats – Madison let them nibble her toes and fingers and even got in the pen with them!, baby kittens, puppies, bunnies – Madison even held one!, cows (of course), and sheep, horses (with buggies), and adult goats.  We were there a long time enjoying the morning. 

I picked up some paint brushes for the girls at the flea market as well, so when we got home, we painted the sidewalk before heading in for lunch.

       

Then, last night, Madison wanted to play her instruments.  I suggested we just go outside and have a marching band.  (The music is MUCH more tolerable outside to listen to!)  She wanted to take a few of her animals out to enjoy the show.  And then, she and Ellie (and I will admit to being a part of the band) went at it.

          

They welcomed Jeremy home with real fanfare that night!  Then, they found his hats in his truck and wanted to try them on….

   

Hope everyone has a great weekend.