Littlest Hands and Feet

The girls and I helped with St. Paul's free meal in Marion on Tuesday evening. They did a great job helping Pastor Joel prep the hot dogs and chairs while I cut up 8 or 9 watermelons.

Swim Lessons

We're wrapping up week 2 of swim lessons at Mingo Pool. This year the girls were in "Pike Intermediate." They have enjoyed instructor Sam, "saving" the hedgehog, and Winnie's friend Ari being in the same class. Their skills and confidence are growing.

Baby Dane

Later on Saturday, we got to meet Baby Dane at Meg and Nathan's new house. He was so cute, smiling often in his sleep. The four superheroes had a fun time playing in the basement and shooting bows & arrows in the backyard.

Playing with Aden

Our first stop on Saturday was in Cincinnati (Anderson) to see Seth's buddy Mike and meet his little guy Aden. We took our lunch to Julifs Park Playground and enjoyed playing with Aden in the shade.

Char-Mar Ridge Preserve

The Letterbox Adventure continued today with a hike at Char-Mar Ridge Preserve in Galena.

Zoombezi Bay

In celebration of the girls' "half birthdays," we went to Zoombezi Bay. It was the perfect day for it - 95 degrees out! We forgot the Puddlejumpers, but it wasn't a problem since life jackets were available. Winnie's jacket doubled as a sun visor since it kept riding up, covering the back of her head. Both girls liked the lazy river best.

VBS 2015

We had fun all week long at VBS, which was a partnership between Peace Community and St. Paul's in Waldo. Seth and I helped out with the the 2 younger groups of children. Kit made a new friend named Rachel. The children learned about the nature of God: creator, provider, protector, savior, and king.

Indoor Picnic

On Friday, we had the chance to catch up with Jess, Grace, and Gage at Indian Lake. We were fortunate to get a couple of hours of sunshine between storms so that we could swim.

Camp Crooked Lane

On Sunday night, the troop spent the night at Camp Crooked Lane, which has a new sprayground. The overnighter included water fun, decorating t-shirts, playing board games, a late evening scavenger hunt/hike, and a movie.

Kit Learns to Ride a Bike!

We're so proud of Kit. She learned to ride a bike! Thanks to Regan loaning us her small 2-wheeler, with slightly wider tires, and the "push, push, pedal" technique, Kit figured it out. Nova was determined to help Winnie learn, too.

Bring Your Child to Work Day

On Monday, the girls participated in a portion of "Bring Your Child to Work Day." They were delighted that the agency created special IDs for them. After greeting my coworkers and spending a little time in my office, we ate lunch in the cafeteria before boarding the Cbus.

We headed down to the Columbus Commons for a ride on the carousel and opportunity to take advantage of the craft closet there. Then we walked over to Bicentennial Park to play in the fountains.

Fourth of July

On the fourth, we headed over to Gallant Woods Preserve and Gallant Farm Preserve to continue our letterbox adventure. We took Doc with us for the first time and discovered a buttonbush. The farm preserve resembles a depression-era farmstead. The girls loved seeing how a typewriter worked.

Later, Nova came over to play, as is the routine most of these summer days. The girls asked to stay home and camp in the backyard instead of going to see Delaware's fireworks. Fortunately, we had a great display (again this year!) from somewhere behind us. Kit and Winnie were sleepy and asking to lay down before it was even over.

Alum Creek