4th of July

To be honest, I am not really writing this on the 4th of July. And since we are on vacation, we have packed in a million things and so they are all starting to blend in together. So in this entry I will recap both the 4th of July and the day after.

On the 4th Grampy was in the Westerville parade. So lucky for daddy, he got to attend yet another of his favorite events. It was in downtown Westerville. I love the feel of the old time main streets here in the Midwest. I love the cobblestone streets and the gorgeous flowers that are hanging from the light posts and the quaint little shops that somehow still survive in our modern world. It just has a wonderful feel about it.

The parade was kind of different, there weren't any floats. But they still threw candy and there was a lot to see so the kids enjoyed it.

Later in the day Uncle Andy and his family came over as well as Aunt Del and her boyfriend George. We spent the rest of the day getting reacquainted. Brianna hit it off with Elizabeth and they were practically inseparable. Ryan and Thomas had unlimited access to the Wii and loved every minute of it.

We introduced Elizabeth to Geocaching and went on some nice hikes through woods to find the treasures. We just love going into the trees here.

George and Del really like to play games. We played Catch Phrase and Skipbo together. Playing games is such a great way to bond and get to know one another better. There was a lot of laughing and a plethora of good spirited competition.





Of course, a celebration just isn't complete without good food. True to Grammy's style we have been eating well. Some of of the delectables we have enjoyed are sausage biscuits and gravy, bbq steaks, sweet potatoe casserole, funeral potatoes, ham, blueberry pancakes, chicken and homemade noodle, chocolate eclair dessert, peach pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, and much more. If I don't gain 5 pounds on this trip I will be surprised. But it has all been worth it.

Later in the evening we lit off sparklers or "sparkly sticks" as Brianna liked to call them. It was a little mellow compared to our 4th and 24th celebrations back in Utah but we enjoyed making cool shapes in the air and capturing them on camera. Del and George made the heart (insert AHHH here).

We were able to enjoy the Westerville fireworks from Grammy's backyard. It doesn't get much better than that. We had a great couple of days with cousins, family, good food and fun.

Red, White and Boom

Our family and 650,000 of our closest friends decided to attend the annual Red, White and Boom here in Columbus. It is the city's big firework production. It is right along the river front in the downtown area. It is sponsored by one of the local radio stations and news stations. It is a "big" deal.

Surprisingly my in-laws have never attended this event in person. They usually watch it on the evening news. Well they got more than they bargained for when I came to visit. I love the fireworks. I love to be so close that my whole body vibrates and you could feel the boom in your chest. So I really wanted to go and wonderfully they obliged. Even Roger went with only a minor amount of grumbling.

It was an absolute madhouse once we got downtown. There were so many people that you could barely walk. Roger said that it brought out all the white trash of Ohio. My kids received more of a "wordly" education just standing in line for the bathrooms than they have their whole life. Alyssa didn't like the atmosphere at all and Ryan kept pointing out things you rarely see in Utah. Nonetheless, we persevered.

The fireworks were pretty amazing. They were set to the music that the radio station was playing. I felt the boom. Brianna and Ryan loved it. Alyssa hates loud noises but she tolerated it for me. I am glad we went although I am not sure I would do it again. I was happy to return to the quiet safe haven of Grammy's house when it was all over.

"Where are we?"

One of the amazing things about Ohio is the many parks you can find everywhere. One minute you can be in the middle of the city and the next thing you know you are in heavily wooded area with no clue how you got there. That is what happened to Brianna.
She was reading a book as we were driving and when she looked up next we were in Blendon Woods. She looked out the window and exclaimed "Where are we now?" After explaining we were still in Ohio, specifically in Westerville known as Tree City USA, she couldn't wait to get out and explore.

We went on a mile hike on one of the many trails found in this park. Grammy pointed out the local flora and fauna and specifically gave the kids a lesson on poison ivy and poison oak which is also in abundance everywhere here.

The kids enjoyed the streams and fed the fish leftover muffins from their trip. The fish liked the Utah Costco muffins a lot.

Everything was so beautiful and green. It still amazes me that it is naturally this way and there is not a sprinkler in sight. The wild flowers were gorgeous and Brianna found a giant leaf which she thought was way cool.

We went to the nature center at the park and were able to go bird watching with binoculars. The favorites were the cardinal and the redheaded woodpecker. They also loved the squirrels and the chipmunks that you only see in the mountains in Utah.

We explored the nature center and there was a lot of hands on exhibits. Here is a snake skin that was shed that was over 6 feet long.

They had a monarch butterfly display which was neat. There were many caterpillar and many chrysalises. They were gorgeous, they looked like jewelery and we didn't even think they were real.

We went into the butterfly tent and saw the insects close up.

We love the parks in Ohio.

"Thou shalt not covet . . "

I must admit that I sinned today. Yes, I coveted the Westerville Library. We went there to ckeck it out and pick out some books to read in the down time we may have here. The kids were amazed by the sheer size of it. Alyssa compared it to a really nice big bookstore (it even smelled like one too since they had a coffee bar). This library is 2 stories and has individualized sections for each age group. Alyssa loved the teen center and all the new books they had available and waiting on the shelves. Ryan couldn't believe the amount of non-fiction books they had for kids and picked out a stack a foot and a half high. There was such an endless supply of things to do for Brianna's age that she didn't even know where to start. And we can't even begin to describe how many movies and music cd`s were available to check out. Wow!

Oh how I wish we had more resources available to us in Saratoga Springs. I have always loved going to the library since I was a little girl. I loved the smell of books on shelves and the sound of turning pages in the quiet rooms. I loves the endless possibilities of the adventures that awaited me within the pages. I always imagined that if I had to be trapped somewhere I would be happy in a library. I am glad that my kids love it as much as I do, I must have done something right.

Ryan said he wished he live in Ohio so he could come to this library all of the time. I wish we could just move the library and Daddy's family to Utah instead. Then we could have the best of both worlds.

I will try harder to not break any more commandments in the upcoming days.

Family Time

Keeping true to every Ohio visit we schedule our time to the fullest with fun activities and family get-togethers. Our first day here was no exception. After arriving here in Columbus we quickly rushed home to a waiting meal of chicken and homemade noodles, mashed potatoes and texas sheet cake for dessert (no matter how hard I try, my cake never tastes as good as my mother-in-law Alice's cake). It was delicious and I am lucky that she makes one for my every time I come.

After our meal it was off to family pictures. Overall it was relatively painless and we got some wonderful shots (I know because we already viewed them and purchased them so we don't have take any time later).

The kids had a chance to play with their cousins in the cool mall play area. Ohio has so many wonderful things for kids. It was a nice time catching up with the family. The cousins along great and there was much laughter on the parts of the adults.

It was a long tiring day but a good one and I am glad to be here.