Ponytail

She has unruly hair--super curly and I have not a clue what to do with it. She never let's me comb or brush it, put into any sort of hair accessory, hate when I even try to wet it down to make her look at little less like Albert Einstein.

What, let me ask my mother, is this familiar behaviour????? I would venture to guess that my little girl is very much like me--very much! I suppose it is payback! LOL

So an update....my mom says I was just like this!!!

Shark Boy and Lava Girl

This summer has been a Shark Boy and Lava girl summer. Bean says he is turning into a shark and really wants to go see some sharks. He also learned how to swim! One step closer to becoming a shark, according to him. We have also watched the movie "Shark Boy and Lava Girl" about a gazillion times. Every day, I have to check for gils and a dorsal fin. Too funny! I love his imagination and sense that it could quite possibly happen (but might really know that he won't really turn into a shark). What a wonderful age to be! We should all have that sense of the impossible just might being possible--one of the joys of being a parent.

Pure summer

I love these pictures of the kids--says summer to me. Bean is this bronzed little boy whose hair is turning blond from the sun and chlorine. Yaya--what can I say about her and this picture. Wet, ringlet hair, polka-dot bathing suit, Popsicle all over her face and running down her arms.

Blueberry Crumb Bars and Cream Puffs

I had a need to bake the other day--I really want to bake english muffins and make foccacia and other bready products, but those take more time than I have these days. Therefore, I decide to bake some sweets for they are less time consuming and well loved by the fam. I really wanted to make something with blueberries, since they are in season and I went a bit overboard and bought way to many. Smitten Kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/blueberry-crumb-bars/ had this very yummy looking recipe for blueberry crumb bars that I had to make. Unfortunately my pics don't look as good as hers, but I bet ya money they the bars tasted as good as SK. They were fantastic!!!!!

Cream puffs--my go to wow dessert I make. They are like mini boston cream pies actually and M loves them. So, I made some of them as well.

This helped slightly, but I still have the need to bake more!

Releasing the frogs

It was time to release the frog, or the tadpoles that were almost frogs. We watched a few turn into frogs and the remainder need to be let go. The major problem we had was that the water was gone from the wet area up at the park. So, that meant a trip to the creek--again--to let them go. Hopefully they will make it!

On another note about the creek, I cannot believe how little kids could care less how cold the water is, they plunge in anyway. It was actually on the cool side the morning we went out and the water was very cold. But that little Yaya jumped right in, clothes off as soon as she could, and was happy as a clam--even if her lips were blue and her teeth were chattering :)

(can you tell that I really like this place--so glad we have it to go to).

The Big Muskie

"Big Muskie" was once the World's Largest Earth Moving Machine http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2184adsideamerica.com/story/2184 The Bucket weighs 460,000 pounds empty and when loaded carried an additional 640,000 pounds. It’s volume is equal to that of a 12 car garage

Really amazing thing and well worth a stop if you are in Noble County traveling along OH 78. Be warned though, it is a very curvy road and little boys just might find out for the first time that they gets car sick and might throw up all over himself and his car seat. Just might happen.

The Wilds

We went to the The Wilds while on vacation--see a pattern here, either water or animals! But really, The Wilds is this really great place. It is one of the country's only animal conservation center that is open to the public. It is nearly 10,000 acres of reclaimed mine land in rural southeastern Ohio. They have cheetahs, giraffes, camels, onegers, rhinos, bison, mongolian horses--just to name a few. And yes, all is SEOhio. You take a bus, enclosed or not, around the park with tour guide and the animals are in large open grassy savannah like environs. Rather cool.

Water, Water, Water

The next day of our stay-cation was all about water. We headed out the the creek for a morning splash around, then we gathered tadpoles up at the park in the poorly drained upper portion that is full of mosquitos, tadpols, and frogs. Then we headed to the pool (again--we actually spent a lot of time at the pool this week).

The we search for tadpols....

The Zoo and Ms.Fun

We are on vacation this week--kids are off school and I am taking the week off with them. M is hanging out with us too, which is a lot of fun. Speaking of fun--I made a comment to M the other day about wanting to be a fun mom and hope my kids have fun with me and the things we do. He has decided to name me Ms. Fun! I am not sure I can live up to the new name. We'll see....



Headed to the Columbus Zoo on Monday. Forecast was iffy, but we went anyway and had a good time--minus the major Bean meltdown over....I am not sure what now. I am not a huge zoo fan, to be honest, but I do and can see the educational value and conservation need for them. For example, most of the Manatees at the Cols. Zoo are rescued and will be rehabilitation and returned to the oceans, but one with a missing fin/flipper will live it's life there, taken care of by the kind manatee keepers.

They do have a really neat polar bear exhibit now. I am not sure how new it is but, I really enjoyed it. This is Aurora, from the bottom and from the top. I loved the way we could watch them play from under the water.

They had these curved glass pieces, kind of like a sun

room glass enclosure with water and the bears above. Looking at them from underneath, they did not look all that big but in reality, they are big bears.

Of course, a picture of Bean and a hammerhead--where else would Shark Boy pose?

Rainy day in MacArthur

MacArthur. This strange little town in Vinton Co., Ohio. I am convinced that there is something about that place that just isn't right. Just not quite right. I seem to have odd expereinces there--nothing to weird but just makes me a bit uncomforatable. I suppose it is basically the east coast girl in rural southeastern Ohio Appalachian small town. I have had my car engine blow up there and had to wait at the spooky gas station with the creepy men, I got my only speeding ticket in many many year there and the state trooper creeped me out. I would see the strangest things a the gas station there in town--strange people and strange behaviour. See, I used to drive through there everyday on my way to Chillicothe when I worked for the National Park Service at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. I always hoped that I would not have to stop there along the way to work or home. The only bright spot about the place is the tiny ice cream stand that made the best milkshakes.

Anyway, we went to the Vinton County airport this morning so M could try to do some RC flying at the local fly-in. Well, we got rained out and headed into town to find something to eat. Did see two or three Amish horse and buggies. We went to this place on Main St. and it was weird. We walked in and the entire place went quite and they all stared at us--or course we are the outsiders. And of course, my kids are not behaving themselves all too well, and the food took forever and it was not all that good and everybody had to check us out--like I said creepy and not quite right.