Carnivore

Well just like my Grandpa, I like to eat steak. I prefer steak bigger than my plate and my belly. No need to cut it up, I will just pick it up and chew on it. Mmmmmm, steak!

My Barbie Dollhouse

So while we were in Canada we picked up the Barbie doll house that Mom and Aunt Michelle played with when they were little. My Great Aunt LouAnn and Great Uncle Rick made it for them 30 or so years ago!

The poor little house had seen better days so Mom set to refurbishing it for Sarah and I. I have amassed quite a collection of Barbie's already, but Mom wasn't interested in adding more bedrooms. Maybe I can talk her into a pool or patio.

After a few coats of new paint, flooring, curtains and wheels we were ready to go. We went to Toys R Us today and picked out some new furniture for Barbie.

Here is my new Italian kitchen. I picked out the wallpaper all by myself!

I Love It!!! I spent all afternoon playing and showing my dolls their new house. You are all welcome to come play with me anytime.

Summer Days = Park Time

Hey Everyone - Happy July!

Sarah has been showing a lot of personality lately and hammin' it up for the camera everytime we pull it out.

In a preview of the teenage years she spends a lot of time on the phone (mostly talking to Elmo) and deciding which shoes to wear.

It has become an almost daily ritual that Claire comes running into our room in the morning and asks which park we can go to today. We often go to the park early in the morning so they can burn some energy before it gets too hot.

Claire has been riding her bike often and is getting pretty good. We are starting to get the hang of steering, although when we hit a little slope today and built up some speed she had a panic moment. She did pedal back up the slope though - perhaps a mountain climber, not a sprinter?

Tour de France here I come!

That's all for now. We are currently counting down to our trip to King's Island coming up soon. The kids are a little excited to see Dora and the gang!

Finally - vacation time has arrived. Sarah was packed and ready!

We set off on our adventure to Ontario and our first stop was Niagara Falls. We timed it just right with a rainbow shining for us.

First we went to visit Grandpa & Grandma Thomas. Grandpa took Claire fishing. She caught 8 fish the first time and saw a lot of wildlife - bears, bugs, pheasants, cranes and of course, fish.

A really gross bug dad caught.

When we were fishing a big bear came walking out to the woods for a swim. Of course, Claire's constant chatter scared it away.

Aunt Vanessa arranged a pony ride for us. My horse's name was Spirit. What a great time!

I liked fishing so much I asked Grandpa to take me again the next day. We had a great time!

vacation - part 2

Next stop on our Canadian adventure was Wasaga Beach. Our pals Jules & Melissa met up with us for a day at the beach before we headed over to Blue Mountain.

Sarah's supermodel beach pose. Of course, Claire & Jules had a great time getting sandy and dirty. Me, I prefer to stay clean and dry!

Jules and I discover that on vacation you can make a big mess and your parental units really don't care that much - awesome!

Mom and Melissa introduce the girls to a favorite from the days at Carleton - beavertails! Yummy sugar!

Dad took us to the Creemore Springs Beer Factory. We were very quiet and attentive during the tour - okay, maybe not so quiet or attentive at all.

Claire was determined to climb Blue Mountain so she and dad set off. In an effort to prove mom wrong she successfully climbed the mountain and rode the gondola back down.

Family picture at Blue Mountain.

Dinner at a restaurant with 3 tired kids. Thank goodness for patio's, markers and sharing of food!

After our Blue Mountain adventure we headed up to Hanover to see Grandma & Grandpa Chantry and all the family. We had a great time watering flowers, boating with Grandpa, playing with the cousins, aunts & uncles.

I'm big enough to drive the golf cart right?

Dad caught us a frog!

Bubbles!

Well, we are exhausted and heading home. We are bringing home lots of memories - thanks for a great vacation!

Our Week

Well it was a pretty slow week around here. Mom and Dad have been doing a lot of work so we can go on vacation soon - I am counting the days. It also got really hot this week so we have been a little grumpy adjusting to the heat.

We bought a coconut and I couldn't wait to try it. I gobbled up all my dinner in record time in anticipation of the yummy taste of coconut. So dad cracked it open - and I didn't like it. Oh well, can I have some ice cream instead?

Here is Sarah perfecting her evil eye glare. She has been working on these last two canine teeth and she has been pretty cranky. She what look you get when you try to say hello. On the bright side she has been using the potty at least once a day and is quite proud when she gets a big round of applause.

At last, Sarah found a way to make her teeth feel better. We hooked the mister up to the garden hose and everyone has a good, soaking wet time!

This is a video of Claire singing a song from Disney's Aladdin. She can sing the entire Disney Princess soundtrack - she practices every time we are in the car. Today the minivan, tomorrow Broadway!

Shark Pool

Woo Hoo - It is the end of May and it is getting warm in Ohio. Today we set up our new kid pool. Claire picked a Shark Pool at Target last night and as soon as we got up this morning we started begging to set it up.

First we had to break out some tools to blow it up. Claire was happy to help pump.

Then mom got the hose and started filling. Since we have very little patience, dad added some hot water so we didn't have to wait for the sun to warm it up.

Yippee - pool time!!

After a little encouragement - I was in enjoying the pool as well. Mom made a little video of us enjoying the pool. Yippee for summer! Only 3 weeks to vacation!