Closing the Distance

Our Day at the Historical Farm

2011-04-10T17:20:00.006-04:00

The farmhouse

The kids in the parlor

Nate in the kitchen

Abbie by the stove

Pumping water

Jake getting water with a little help from Dad

Abbie watching wool being spun into yarn

A sheep being sheared

Look at the huge pile of wool next to the sheep

A five day old lamb

Abbie petting a new lamb

All the kids checking out the lamb

A big pig

A three week old calf

Father Daughter Sock Hop

2011-02-21T11:31:00.004-05:00

Disney on Ice

2011-02-21T11:21:00.004-05:00

Which door should we choose?

2010-08-29T14:21:00.004-04:00

Ignoring the color (we will paint the door dark green like the current door), which style looks best with our house? Please cast your vote to the right!

Abbie's First Day of School

2010-08-25T09:15:00.003-04:00

Water Park Wonders

2010-08-23T09:53:00.003-04:00

Nathan's Birthday

2010-08-23T09:53:00.001-04:00

2010-08-08T22:28:00.000-04:00

Make your own picture slideshow

Fair Fun

2010-08-07T11:11:00.001-04:00

Polar Bears!

2010-08-04T19:58:00.003-04:00

We could view the polar bears feeding from underwater.

Father - Daughter Hoedown Dance

2010-08-01T13:50:00.002-04:00

Abbie's Birthday!

2010-07-31T18:16:00.000-04:00

Playa del Carmen Trip

2010-07-03T16:37:00.006-04:00

First things first, we headed to the beach!

Then over to the pool!

We ended our first day with a sunset BBQ at the beach.

Celebrity Look-alikes. What fun!

2010-02-13T20:43:00.003-05:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Geneology

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2010-02-13T20:31:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Genealogy software - Geneology

Halloween Fun

2009-11-02T10:32:00.004-05:00

Blast from the Past

2009-09-07T16:36:00.003-04:00

It was the late eighties and big hair reigned. This is a picture of David and I with our cousins Diana and Sherry. My favorite bit of style are the boxer shorts worn on top of bike shorts. Totally gnarly!!

Nathan's Birthday Weekend

2009-08-31T11:20:00.007-04:00

This year instead of a party at home, Nathan opted for a weekend of camping to celebrate his 4th birthday. We had two nights of camping, enjoyed a great party at Aunt Lori's house, and finished the weekend with a fantastic canoe trip.

First Day of School

2009-08-26T09:23:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since this blog has been updated and I have lots to share. First I wanted to begin with pictures from Abbie's first day of school.

Our Last Day

2009-02-16T12:31:00.003-05:00

We had to leave the resort by 10:30am on our last day. That gave us time to have a leisurely breakfast and a nice walk around the resort before we departed. Jeffrey decided to get up extra early to catch the sun rising and he got some great pictures.

Included in the slide show below are some of the shots Jeffrey got that morning as well as some assorted pictures from the rest of our trip. Enjoy!

Day Seven

2009-02-15T21:24:00.010-05:00

On our last full day we first headed to the beach to let the kids play and to take some pictures.

Jeffrey and Papa Chuck decided to take the kids to play minature golf.

While they were golfing my Mom and I decided to check out the spa. We were very glad that we did!

Later that afternoon Abbie was able to paint some pottery which she brought home as a souvenir of the trip.

We ended the day with a wonderful meal at Mare Nostrum a restaurant which featured Mediterranean cuisine.

Day Six

2009-02-11T15:16:00.010-05:00

The day started out at the pool and then beach. Jeffrey loves to sail Hobie Cats when we go to the ocean. I had gone with him a few days prior and it was fun. This time Jeffrey thought he would ask my Dad to go along. I was very doubtful he would agree to go seeing he doesn't like the water very much, however he agreed! Because it was a last minute decision my Dad didn't have a chance to change into his bathing suit. Needless to say he came back rather wet but having really enjoyed his trip.

Nathan enjoying the beach

When we arrived back to our room to get ready for dinner, we found some towel art waiting on our bed which the kids really liked.

We opted to have dinner on the beach this evening. It was a lovely dinner but quite interesting because we had some unexpected guests! Two racoons came to our table looking for scraps of food. When the waiter would come into view they would scatter away into the night. I was wondering why they kept coming back until I noticed Jeffrey hand feeding them under the table!

He's so cute! Even with his eyes closed

I previously mentioned the great kids club they had at the resort. On this particular night the kids club put on a short version of High School Musical. Abbie rehearsed with them earlier in the day for an hour and a half and then they put on the show that evening complete with dancing and costume changes. Abbie had a blast and we thoroughly enjoyed watching her.

Day Five

2009-02-08T20:56:00.013-05:00

With the grandparents graciously agreeing to watch the kids for the day, Jeffrey and I ventured off the resort for some snorkeling. Our first destination was Yal-Ku Lagoon. We arrived there after a 15 minute taxi ride from our resort. Yal-Ku is well known in the Riviera Maya as one of the finest shore snorkeling locations in all of the Yucatan. The water there is always tranquil, even when the waters at sea are choppy, and combined with water between 6 and 15 feet deep, this makes for near-perfect snorkeling! We saw a great variety of colorful fish and enjoyed the beautiful setting which included aquatic sculptures mixed in the natural setting.

Some of the sea life we saw. . . . .

After a great morning of snorkeling we decided to walk 1/2 mile to Half Moon Bay for lunch. We stopeed at La Buena Vida which had seating right at the ocean. Not only did we enjoy an incredible view but great food as well.

After lunch we headed to Akumal Bay for more snorkeling. Akumal means "place of the turtles" in the Mayan language and many people come from all over to view the sea turtles swimming and eating sea grass in the bay. We were luckily enough to come across 8 giant turtles as well as a sting ray and many fish.

The Akumal Arch

Behind Jeffrey is Akumal Bay where we went snorkeling

Sea Turtles!

Sting Ray

Meanwhile. . . . .back at the resort Grandma Marilyn and Papa Chuck decided to treat Abbie to getting her hair braided. I think the process was a little painful. . . .

. . . .however the results were well worth it and Abbie enjoyed wearing her hair that way especially when we got home and she went back to school.

When we came back from our snorkeling adventure we got to hear all about the kid's day, including about the friend they met at the pool.

I think a great day was had by all!

Day Four

2009-02-05T10:03:00.014-05:00

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day.

We started the day off with a morning boat ride. Here the kids are waiting for the boat.

It was a favorite thing for everyone to do.

Family picture at fountain.

Abbie and Nathan posing with the musicians

We then headed off to the saltwater pool. This was a pool that was fed directly from the ocean during high tide every day. It had a natural bottom (rocky) and even had fish swimming in it! I liked it because it was considerably warmer than the chlorinated pools.

Even thought Jacob didn't go in the pool, he still had fun enjoying the views with Papa Chuck.

After swimming, we walked a beautiful path to Punta Emilia, a favorite place for us to enjoy lunch right on the beach.

Day Three

2009-02-04T22:15:00.010-05:00

The day started out great at one of the four buffets for breakfast. Each dining area was surrounded by windows to allow you to take in the beauty of your surroundings. The food was very good. There was something for everyone. The resort had guests from around the world, so the food selection had to cater to everyone. For instance, the breakfast buffet included a large selection of sliced meats, cheeses and breads. The fixings you would normally see during lunch in the states but which is a typical breakfast for Europeans. For us there was made to order eggs, toast, bacon, sausage and pancakes as well as cereals, fruit and pastries. The options were limitless.

I mentioned previously the pontoon boat which was available to transport you to different areas of the resort. Another option to get you where you wanted to go was the train which was a favorite of Nathan's.

To get you from place to place through the jungle area were a series of covered bridges. Here are Abbie, Jeffrey and Nathan walking on one.

Unfortunately the nice morning quickly turned into a rainy one. The only rainy day we had during our stay. However this didn't stop Jeffrey, Abbie and Nathan. They still had tons of fun in the ocean and pool. They also got a chance to meet a special friend.

We were so pleased with the amount of entertainment they had for the kids at the Mini Club. They literally had activities planned from 9am until 11pm each day! They had a kids area with playsets, a trampoline and craft table. In the evening they also offered shows which catered to the children. This night they first called all of the kids onto the stage to play a few games. Abbie and Nathan had a blast up there.

Finally the day ended with an entertaining Disney themed show.

Day Two

2009-02-03T23:34:00.015-05:00

It was a beautiful sunny day so we thought we would start things off at the beach. The sand was powdery soft and the water refreshing.

The back of the beach was filled with palm trees and greenery. There was always a lounge chair or hammock to be found to take a rest and plenty of palapas if you wanted to get out of the sun.

One half of the resort had a river that ran through it. You were able to take pontoon boat rides to get you from place to place faster or just to enjoy a lovely ride. You can see part of the river in the picture below as well as the white wedding pavilion which overlooks the ocean in the distance.

The boat.

Everyone enjoyed the ride!

They had many swimming pools but I wasn't found in one of them. This time of year they are too cold for someone like me who prefers my water temperatures 85 degrees or higher.

The cool pool water did not frighten away the kids though. They thoroughly enjoyed the kiddie pools.

We're Back!

2009-02-03T13:10:00.014-05:00

We just returned from a wonderful week long trip to the Riviera Maya region of Mexico. We stayed about 90 minutes south of Cancun in the town of Puerto Aventuras.

It seems as if we picked the perfect week to get away since our city was hit with a tremendous amount of snow and ice while we were away. We enjoyed sunny weather in the 80's during most of our stay.

The trip started out with a 3.5 hr flight to Cancun. The kids all did great. Jacob didn't sleep a wink but instead spent most of the time charming the flight attendants and passengers.

Abbie and Nathan were kept entertained throughout the journey with a portable DVD player and coloring books.

We arrived to sunny skies and 82 degree temperatures. After the journey to our resort we all checked out our room before heading to the beach.

Although the sun was starting to set by the time we got to the ocean, the kids were no less excited to explore the beach.

Jacob was a little unsure of the feel of sand beneath his feet. . . .

Daddy helped him experience his first feel of the ocean.

As time permits, I am looking forward to sharing with you highlights from the rest of our trip. Stay tuned. . . .

Happy Birthday Jake!

2009-01-04T21:58:00.003-05:00

The Yummiest Part of Christmas. . . .

2008-12-23T00:40:00.002-05:00

Almost Walking. . . .

2008-12-16T21:28:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-27T01:40:00.002-05:00

Elf'in Magic!

2008-11-23T14:30:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

October Fun

2008-11-05T20:55:00.013-05:00

Pumpkin Carving

Finished Pumpkins

The Costumes: Racecar Driver, Baby Bee, Supergirl

Abbie & Nathan

Mom with Baby bee

Nathan's Preschool Class

Abbie's at School

Daddy and Jacob

Abbie and her friend Paige

Getting treats from the Firemen

Time to go home!

10 Months Old!

2008-11-03T12:28:00.002-05:00

Its hard to believe Jacob is already 10 months old. Although we haven't seen any teeth from him yet, there were a few other things he started doing during his ninth month.

- He's mobile and crawling everywhere!
- He learned to wave and say "Bye-bye"
- He pulls himself to standing.

Pretty soon he'll be running around with the rest of the kids!

Blast from the Past

2008-10-29T17:06:00.007-04:00

Its almost that time of year again! Although I am not a big fan of Halloween, my kids get to pick a non-scary costume and go trick or treating in the neighborhood. Choosing a costume is a tough decision. You will be able to see what my kids chose in a future post. . . . .

In looking through an old photo album I came across some photos of me and my brother in Halloween costumes. They are great and I just had to share. Enjoy!

Little Dracula and an angel.

Aren't homemade costumes the best?? I am a flapper and believe it or not my brother is a smurf. I love it!

I don't think this was for Halloween but I loved the little cowboy getup, plus the 70's style room decor is fabulous!!

Ladybug and Oscar the Grouch

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-22T21:14:00.004-04:00

It was time once again for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. The weather was beautiful and we had a fun time. The littliest member of our family stayed home with grandma and grandpa. Enjoy!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

2008-10-13T09:31:00.001-04:00

Three kids in a tub!

Warming My Heart. . . . . .

2008-10-08T13:31:00.004-04:00

. . . . . .a sister and brother that get along great!

Fire Station Fun

2008-10-06T11:01:00.005-04:00

One of the kids' favorite activities of the year is an open house at the fire station. In addition to learning about fire safety, they get to check out fire trucks, eat cake and popcorn, and get lots of free stuff. Check out the fun they had!

The Tradition Continues?

2008-10-03T14:52:00.012-04:00

When I was an infant I received a Humpty Dumpty doll as a gift. It quickly became a possession I could not sleep without. When I grew older my brother and I would play with Humpty, have parties for Humpty and created a whole line of various different types of Humptys (that topic requires a dedicated post of its own).

In celebration of the upcoming birth of my first child, my brother unexpectedly scoured the web in search of a similar Humpty for my baby. My original Humpty was long gone (you can ask my Mom about that), so when I opened the gift from my brother and his wife, you can imagine my surprise when I found an almost identical looking Humpty staring up at me. I was thrilled and touched.

After the birth of Abbie I enthusiastically placed Humpty in her crib anticipating love at first sight. Unfortunately she was indifferent to him and essentially ignored his existance. After a few weeks I sadly placed him in the closet to join the overabundance of stuffed animals that already lived there.

Earlier this year, to my surprise and delight, Humpty made a comeback! He was unexpectedly pulled from his spot deep in the closet and returned to daylight. He now triumphantly holds a prime position in my daughter's arms at night. And that makes me smile.

An Excellent Saturday

2008-10-01T15:07:00.010-04:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an Ohio State football game with my Mom. The weather was perfect, my team won, and most of all I was in great company!

The required proof of purchase shots.

More From the First Day

2008-10-01T12:30:00.001-04:00

The Big Day

2008-09-30T23:37:00.007-04:00

With mixed emotions we recently welcomed the first day of kindergarten. Abbie was estatic. I on the other hand met the day with a small amount of sadness knowing my little girl was growing up and taking the first step on the long journey to independence. The first day began later than usual with the parents bringing the kids to school for an orientation. We left half-way through and Abbie later took the bus home. Nathan kept asking, "Where's Abbie?" the whole time she was gone. He was excited to have her back home that afternoon. I think we all were.

Our Day Out with Thomas

2008-09-30T13:25:00.002-04:00