Back in the saddle again!

We have had a few technical difficulties, which has prevented me from posting a blog recently. We are now back in full gear! Some updates and thoughts since the last blog posting.

1. Claire will be turning two in just a couple weeks. It just seems like yesterday that she was a baby and suddenly she is a kid! She completely understands what we are telling her--and she now often asks, "why?" She especially likes to pull that when she is doing something that she should not. Since she was a baby, she has always wanted to be part of the action, so when we ask Drew if he wants to do something, she will say, "me too!" Her vocabulary is expanding each and every day. She also enjoys making animal sounds and can roar and make monkey sounds (and scratches like one when she makes the sound). She now can go down the stairs standing up--which scares me--sometimes she agrees to hold our hands and other times she just gets mad and says, "no!" She has been a tough nugget in even the earliest part of my pregnancy with her and we don't expect that to change.

2. Drew--oh yes, Mr. Drew. He has a couple opportunities in the last month to hang out with his best preschool pal, Sam. We went to the Splash Pad near our house a few weeks ago--it is a mini water park area at one of the local parks (a great place to take the kids on a hot day and it is free!) and just yesterday, they got to visit each other at COSI's Farm Days. Each year, COSI has a week long event in which they bring in farming equipment and have activities relating to the farm. Drew had fun playing with Sam, milking a fake cow and riding on the mini John Deere tractors. Unfortunately, Drew and Sam will be attending different elementary schools in the fall, but I hope they will still get a chance to hang out with each other. Drew will be starting kindergarten at the end of next month. Given his outgoing personality, he should not have a problem making new friends. The kid can talk (no wonder Claire is picking so many new words up!) and he is very curious about the world around him. He is also dog crazy--he loves dogs. He is particularly fond of his relatively new stuffed animal named Chocolate Coconut (he bought it at Target with his birthday money). He also loves to pet any dog that he comes in contact with--he is always very good about asking the owner before he pets it.

3. My dad came to visit last week and the kids enjoyed spending time with him. Drew enjoyed drawing pictures with him, talking (of course) and watching WALL-E together. He delivered the beautiful framed picture of my grandma and my great aunt Marion when they were little girls. It was the one thing that my grandma specifically told my dad that I was to receive. Since I was a little girl, I always loved the picture and I am honored to have it in our house. But to be honest, I would rather that it was still in my grandparents house and that they were both still here with us.

4. I am excited that I have two Tastefully Simple party lined up for this month. I am crossing my fingers that I will be able to book a couple more parties at these parties. I need to momentum to keep moving along with the business. It has been a slow process, but I knew that going into it. The most exciting thing that I find is that people love the products and have fun at the parties--which is part of the reason I got into this in the first place!

5. We are very excited for our friends, Amy and Jim. They are getting married in Hawaii in September! Amy has been one of my best friends for a long time (and we have been through a lot together) and I am thrilled that she is so darn happy!

6. Finally, the world had to say good-bye to Michael Jackson. It was shocking to hear of his passing. I think he may have been one of the most misunderstood people in the world--even I was often perplexed by his actions. However, his music shaped my childhood and even when it was not cool to like his music, I still did. I listened to my Thriller record over and over again as a kid and I still know every word of each song by heart. I even had two posters of Michael Jackson hanging on my bedroom walls. My best friend from Oregon, Louanne and I would watch the "Making of Thriller" (they had it on laser disc, which was a precursor to the DVD) when I would sleep over at her house. His music is responsible for a lot of great memories when I was growing up. I was deeply moved by his memorial service and will always feel the void that is now left. While he will be discussed for months, if not years to come, I wish for him and his family some sort of peace.

Niagara Falls - And now for the falls

I have been terribly slow in our vacation blog entries. It has almost been a month since our visit to Niagara Falls--time has really flown by! The final entry has to be the falls! We visited the falls each day we were there--we could not get enough of them. There has to be something in the water that just makes one feel at ease. The crashing of the water almost sounds like waves crashing on oceanside beach. People from all over the world come to visit these magical falls. We felt like singing (well, more me than Aaron), "Its a Small World!" On our first night, we ate at the Canyon Creek restaurant, which was located inside the Fallsview Casino--it overlooked most of the falls and the food was excellent. Of course, just being able to enjoy a quiet, tasty meal with just the two of us was a very big treat. The restaurant is a Canadian chain restaurant--which I thought was pretty darn nice for such a term. We also went to see the Niagara Falls Legends and Daredevils IMAX film during our stay which shared a few stories about the different folklore and tales of a few people who braved going over the falls. After the film, you enter a Daredevil Gallery which displays several of the different contraptions people used to go over the falls (a few survived and a few do not). It would be interesting to actually to hear the tale from someone who actually did survive. It would definitely be one heck of a ride! To think something so beautiful can be so dangerous! Aaron and I agreed that our next visit would include the kids--as they would have so much fun seeing the falls and participating in all of the activities in the area. We missed the region almost immediately after we left. Luckily, it is only a short six hour drive from Columbus. Thank you Niagara Falls, Ontario for such a relaxing and fun visit!

Niagara Falls - Random Stops

When Aaron and I go on mini vacations together, we pack in as much sightseeing as possible. We do not like to sit around (which we probably should do, but we never do). I guess we do as much as possible because we have to take in as much as possible, since it would be nearly impossible to do so if we had the kids with us. The Niagara region has so much to offer and is so rich in history. On this visit, we really got to enjoy more of the area and see what it has to offer. One of the spots that we unexpectedly visited (but had been recommended by Kevin at the Kilpatrick Manor) was Brock's Monument. It is a monument (and the tomb) of Major General SIr Isaac Brock, who bravely battled and was killed in the line of duty in the War of 1812. The tomb is massive and quite impressive, along with the view from it. We also made a pit stop to Niagara on the Lake during our stay. We ate at the Old Angel Inn, the oldest tavern in North America. Aaron enjoyed the customary Fish and Chips--which also included a serving of peas and carrots. I enjoyed a more modern Roast Beef Au Jus sandwich. After we ate at the Old Angel Inn, we took a walk down to Lake Ontario and look at all of their quaint shops. We also could not resist a visit to one of their bakeries to sample of their goods. We made a quick visit to Port Dalhausie on Saturday to get a few pictures of Lake Ontario. Those crazy Canadians were wearing bikinis and swin trunks on the beach and it was barely 70 degrees outside. The beach wasn't as quaint and adorable as I would have hoped, but we got a few nice pictures. And of course, we could not resist two visits to the Fallsview Casino-we actually came out ahead the first night we were there and Aaron got lucky by winning $120.00 bucks! The second night was a big dud--we both lost. C'est la vie!

Niagara - The Wineries

Our visit to the Niagara region was spent mostly visiting the vast array of wineries in the region. The wineries are all unique--some are fancier than others, but all have terrific wines. The regions red wines are more tame than those in California and France, which is fine with me, as I have just recently learned to enjoy a few wines of the red variety. We purchased a bottle of wine at each winery that we visited. On our previous trip, we only visited three wineries. On this visit, we visited seven in total. On our first full day in the region, we visited three wineries near Niagara On The Lake, Inniskillen, Hillebrand and Konzelmann. Of the three, our favorite on this day was Konzelmann, as the guy providing samples was so funny and generous with the wine samples. On the second day, we visited four in the Beamsville/Vineland/Jordan area, Flat Rock, Featherstone, Fielding Estates and Vineland Estates. We had a nice light lunch on the veranda of Featherstone, which was not very impressive on the outside, but the porch was cute and inviting. We toured the winery at Vineland Estates and found the tour to be extremely educational. It is amazing to how complex the process is to create the different wines. The winner for best winery of that day was Vineland Estates, it not only for how beautiful the building and the grounds were. The one thing that we were disappointed by was how the vines looked so sad at this time of the year--the leaves are just beginning to grow. On our last visit, all of the vines were so lush and had tons of grapes on them. Of course, it was September then and it was almost time for their official harvest of the season. Having so many options with the wineries in this area was terrific and just another reason why it would be fun to live in the area (or maybe retire--of course their winters are pretty brutal--which is a definite drawback!).

Return to Niagara - Kilpatrick Manor

For our second visit to Niagara Falls, we decided to stay at a bed and breakfast--it was more economical (than staying at a hotel near the falls), comfortable and we got an amazing breakfast each morning. The owners, Kevin and Nance Kilpatrick could not have been nicer. They are about the same age as we are--they have two little ones and live across the street from their bed and breakfast. They were also able to offer more information about the area--like which wineries to visit, what restaurants to eat at, etc. The house is rich with history--it was built by the Niagara Falls Parks Commissioner in the late 1800's. The Kilpatrick's have tried to maintain the original beauty of the house, but have kept their renovation work very modern and comfortable. The room we stayed in was called the "Hunniford" (each room is named for one of their relatives). The house itself it in an area going through changes--it was out of the touristy areas, but only five to ten minute car ride to the falls. We enjoyed our visit there and would definitely return (although we agreed the next time we visit the area, we will bring the kids with us).

Update

I know it has been some time, so here is a quick update on our family.

Drew registered for kindergarten on April 29th. He went through a series of tests--hearing, speech, letter and number recognition, vision, etc. at the school. He had no problems leaving me (it was kind of like, see you later mom!) for the tests and is now extremely excited to begin his new adventures in kindergarten in August. His last day of preschool was last week and I admit I cried when we said goodbye to his teachers. He has come such a long way this year and he had such a great time. He recently had his first solo playdate with his preschool pal, Sam. They are such good buddies that I hope they will remain friends--despite the fact they will be in different elementary schools next year.

Claire is growing so quickly and becoming a playmate to her big brother. She loves to say "Goodnight Drew!" and she thinks Drew is one funny kid. She is learning new words each day. Eyebrows (weird, but she likes to point to them), nose, ears, Calliou, George (for Curious George) are just a few examples of the words she recently learned. She also loves to dance in circles to music and runs like the wind! She just wants to go, go, go! And she is starting to sing--most of which we cannot understand, but we think it is singing! She also is obsessed with wearing her shoes--she wants to have them on all the time--even when she sleeps! Every time she thinks she is going somewhere--she hands us the shoes or she starts putting them on herself. I wonder if this the beginning of a lifelong love of shoes!

Amy and I walked once again in the Race for the Cure on Saturday (this the fifth time we have walked together in it). It is always an uplifting event to participate in. This year, they remembered our local news anchor, Heather Pick, who passed away of breast cancer in November, by wearing bright pink wigs and wearing t-shirts with her picture on the front. In her last appearance on the news, she wore the same wig. It was certainly moving and a fine tribute to a remarkable and brave woman. There is nothing quite like the sight of 44,000 people walking or running in such an event. Amy--same time, same place next year? :)

Aaron and I are looking forward to a much needed four day mini vacation to Niagara Falls, Ontario at the end of this week. Aaron's mom will be watching the kids. Our vacations together are so important to us as a couple. We have been planning our itinerary and look forward to posting pictures of our visit.

The finale of American Idol is this week. Aaron and I both think Adam is going to win it by a mile. Kris kicked it up with his rendition of "Heartless" last week. Honestly, does it really matter who wins at this point? They are all up for record contracts and if they play their cards right, they could be big.

Blooms and Butterflies.

As I had my first Tastefully Simple open house yesterday, Aaron decided to take the kids to the Franklin Park Conservatory to see their annual Blooms and Butterflies exhibit. Since learning about butterflies in preschool, Drew has been very interested in learning more about them. The kids had a terrific time and as expected, Drew loved the butterflies. It was also a great opportunity to test out our new camera--the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS. It is still a point and shot camera, but it is a significant improvement over our old digital camera that was three years old. Aaron took amazing shots of the butterflies--something that we could have never captured on our old camera.