Book Club

I've decided to start posting monthly about book club. There are about five of us that get together each month and discuss a book. Whoever hosts chooses the book for that month. We usually eat yummy food (if the host is feeling ambitious, she tries to pull a food theme from the book), drink some wine and spend time talking about the book. It's always hard to stay on topic and somehow we eventually talk about our kids.

June was "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. I had gotten the idea from my mother in law's book club list. She's part of a different group and they select a book each month from a specific list. Anyhow, the book was excellent and I would recommend to all if you're looking for a good, quick summer read by the pool. I loved many of the characters and the way the story unfolded.

A short synopsis.... The story is about Lily's life in the south during the 60's. Her mother tragically dies when she's little and she eventually escapes her abusive father and heads to Tiburon, SC with her nanny Rosaleen. Lily chooses Tiburon because she finds a photograph left by her mother picturing a Black Madonna. The location was written on the back.
Her journey leads her to a honey house where she and Rosaleen live with three black sisters. Here, she learns about herself and her mother's past.

Visit to the Farm

Our friends, Amy and Jeff have a farm out in PA, a little over an hour from us. Tuesday, Anna and I piled all five kids into my van and went out for a visit. We told them we were going to a farm and when we arrived Carter asked, "Where are the farmers?". I pointed to my friend Amy, definitely not what he envisioned....she wasn't wearing overalls or driving a tractor! Nonetheless, they do own a tractor and have two horses with lots of land.

Amy had invited us out because she knows how much the kids love dirt. They are having a garage built and happen to have a huge pile of dirt in their driveway. The kids played in the dirt and ran through the field. We checked out the horses, but the only willing riders were Anna and Trenton. The other kids were a bit scared and would only feed them carrots.

Baby Paul Joseph Arrives

My brother, Joe and his wife, Barbara welcomed the arrival of their son last week. His older sisters are thrilled and want to hold him all the time!! Leah wasn't feeling well throughout the week so Jeremy and I weren't able to meet him until Friday after they got home from the hospital. Paul has blond hair and is super cute, weighing in at almost 9 lbs. The kids and I went shopping for clothes, as this is their first boy and Carter insisted that we get him something with trucks and camo. I think he's pretty happy that he has a new boy cousin! Congratulations Joe and Barb.

Blossom Time

Memorial Day weekend in Chagrin also means Blossom Time Festival. There are rides, festival food, a parade, a 5-mile run and more food!! We took the kids to the rides twice throughout the weekend. Carter loved the ferris wheel and the train. Jeremy took Leah on the train and she was terrified. Luckily, it only goes around the short track a few times, so hopefully we didn't do any damage. Needless to say, this was Leah's first and last time on a ride this weekend....there's always next year.

Jeremy had to peel Carter's hands off the bar in order for him to wave. He pretended to be brave, but he was a little scared when the wheel got going....


I turned 30 on the 23rd and Jeremy got me a new digital camera!!!! I had the kids pose for a picture in order to test it out.

On the front porch later that night.


First thing Saturday morning, he asked if he could go back on the ferris wheel. So, here they are again.

Madeleine and Kate came on Saturday and loved the train too!!


Jeremy ran the 5 mile race on Sunday morning. Here he is with the kids before the big race.


Carter, Leah and I waited to see him finish. Way to go Daddy!!


The parade was later in the day. We watched from a friend's front yard along the parade route. The candy was plentiful and the parade was actually pretty cool this year, much shorter and not so hot!! Here are the kids with Aunt Anna...

Last Day of School

Carter's last day of school was May 15th. He had a concert and pizza luncheon that day. He sang every song and even did the hand motions this time! Carter has come a long way this year in the 3's class. A big thank you to Miss Ellen, his teacher. He now loves school and actually gives me some limited feedback when I pick him up each time. At the beginning of the year, I would ask him what he did at school and about all he would tell me was that they had a snack and he played with a truck. His later descriptions explained who he played with and what they talked about - even the weather. They rotate being the weather watcher for the day. He's really looking forward to being in the 4's class next year. He'll go four days each week and move upstairs to "where the big kids are".

Here they are at the concert. The girls wore flowers around their faces and the boys had sunshine necklaces that they had made.


After the big show...getting a high five from Dad.


Grandma came to watch and we all had pizza, applesauce, carrots and rice crispy treats for desert.

Carter posed for a picture with his teacher, Miss Ellen. She always makes every kid feel special!


After lunch, Grandma and I took Carter and Leah down to the river to feed the ducks. It was a nice day for a walk and since we're going to be moving out of the village, we thought we'd take advantage of the opportunity.


Here's Carter pushing Leah to the playground....


It was a fun way to wrap up the school year. We're looking forward to summertime!!!

Mommy's Helper

It's no surprise that Carter loves dirt!! It runs in the family thanks to Dad. He digs everywhere he can and prefers to work outside over any other activity. Recently, we planted some new shade plants in our back garden and Carter volunteered to help. He dug each hole and then we planted together. I had to show him how to get the plants out of their containers because we almost tore a few in half. I don't have much of a green thumb but it was fun hanging out in the garden with Carter, who loved every minute of it. Now, I just need to keep him from digging random holes in the yard. I'm concerned someone might sprain their ankle as he digs little pot holes any chance he gets!! For some reason, it's more fun to dig up the yard rather than in the sandbox.

Fire Station Field Trip

Carter's preschool class took a field trip to the fire station on Tuesday and I went too!! Twist my arm to go see some handsome firemen...not a bad deal. The past few weeks at school, they've discussed fire safety and what to do in an emergency. So, the kids were all geared up to go. It was a beautiful day for a walk. Each chaperone held two hands and we walked across town to the station. It was such a good opportunity to meet the kids in his class as well as some other parents. Now I know who he's talking about when he mentions someone from school.

When we arrived, they first showed the kids how to dial 911 - Here's Carter practicing below. It was a fake phone attached to a recorded voice prompting them to say their emergency, their name and their location. Carter spoke so quietly....we'll have to work on it at home.

Next, the fireman "Jeremy" (really, his name was Jeremy and he even looked like Jeremy) got his gear on and showed the kids how all this stuff keeps them safe and it's not scary. The kids then were able to come up and touch all the gear including the oxygen tank (shown below).

Each kid walked through the truck. Some went through faster than others....Carter had a seat and made himself at home. :-)


Here's the whole group.....


Carter's been talking about the trip ever since and it gave me an appreciation for the hard work the fire fighters do. A big thank you to them!!

Baby Oliver

Anna delivered her baby boy this morning at 10:55. She and Steve were so happy!! Her delivery was in Anna's words "perfect". She was induced last night at 2 am and everything progressed great. She got an epidural this morning and delivered with one push. Wow! She looked like a million bucks at the hospital. Oliver is absolutely adorable with dark hair and a sweet little face. He was awake and alert when Jeremy and I stopped to visit. The nurse was teasing her that now she'll have 4 crazy boys at home, Steve included!

Girls from Dinner Club

About 5 years ago, a group of four couples got together for a dinner club once a month. My sister-in-law Anna knew Audrey and Skip and then they invited Tia and Jason. We rotate houses each time and whoever hosts cooks the dinner. Two of the other couples bring appetizers and the fourth couple brings desert. We all enjoy cooking and it's been a great way to share some tasty meals and don't forget the wine!! Over time, we've become really good friends. Some of the most fun nights were the theme parties. We've done Halloween, Valentine's Day and birthday dinners.

Just the girls get together about once every 5-6 months for a girls day. We usually go to lunch and then have pedicures or facials depending on the time of year. The guys also do an outing once in a while, usually to a sporting event.

This past Sunday, we went to lunch and got pedicures because Anna is going to deliver her baby this week (hopefully Thursday). She wanted to have pretty feet for labor! It always seems to be a rainy day when we go, which somehow makes it more relaxing. Anna has been pretty wiped out wrapping up work before the baby arrives so it was a well needed day of pampering for her. On a side note, I tried a beet and goat cheese salad for lunch....very tasty! I was trying to get something new. The pedicures were fantastic. Two of us go at a time so we all get to sit and chat for two hours. We typically get scolded for talking too loudly, as there are massage rooms right down the hall. Apparently, they want it quiet...:-)

Water Park

We spent Sunday and Monday at Kalahari and it was fun for all. I honestly can't remember a time the kids have been so pumped for so many hours straight, which for Jeremy and I, was the best part. This morning, Leah asked to go swimming and wanted to put her suit on. I had to explain that we're back home now and unfortunately that means 50 degrees - coats and sunglasses (if we're lucky).

I have to thank Kristy and the Worthington fam for suggesting this as a v/c spot. They go every year with Joel's family. We wanted to take the kids somewhere fun before the baby is born and their world changes a bit and we'll be less likely to venture out this summer. Plus, Jeremy's busy season at work is about to start so it was a good time to take a quick trip.

There was so much to do for all ages. Even being pregnant, I enjoyed the wave pool and of course the lazy river. I could have floated around on that tube for hours. Noone really shared my enthusiasm so it was back to water slides!


I think they must have gone down these slides at least a 100 times. We rotated between the kiddie play area, the giant wave pool and the large water slides. I couldn't get any pictures of Carter on the big slide because the camera would have gotten wet. It rains in pretty much all areas of this section. Being pregnant, I couldn't go on the "big kid" slides with Jeremy. We'll have to go back when Mommy is not prego.





By Monday at check-out we were wiped!!! We headed home and then took the kids hiking in the afternoon (after a two hour nap). I'm all for the mini weekend vacations.