Day 3: Muddy Puddles and Fireworks

On the 4th of July, the weather was still rainy. We stayed around the house in the morning, then Zac and I went out for a long lunch with his friend from high school and college, Brian. In the evening, we went to see the fireworks at the local high school in Ashville.

Mmmm! Bacon!

We really liked these tea mugs at the restaurant.

That evening, we gave the kids baths after supper, then headed to the nearby high school for the town fireworks. It would be our kids' first time experiencing a fireworks show. They were really excited.

Before the official fireworks started, lots of people in the neighborhood were shooting off fireworks. Alice didn't like the noise and was on high alert. Simon was really interested in all the explosions and didn't seem scared.

Once the real fireworks show started, Simon turned around, clung to me, closed his eyes, and hid his face. He later explained that he was afraid the fireworks were going to fall in his eyes. Alice, meanwhile, watched the fireworks, but complained a lot about the noise. We wrapped a blanket around her head to help reduce the sound, since both she and Zac were tired of plugging her ears.

All in all, it was a good experience, and we look forward to next time!

Day 2: Park and Play

On our first full day at Grandma Cam's, we went to the pond and playground at nearby Slate Run Metro Park in the morning, then played around the house in the afternoon.  The kids kept busy with the toys, apples, and field.

 

 

Day 1: Drive to Ashville

Saturday morning we loaded up the van and headed to Ohio for our summer visit. One of the first rest areas we stopped at had a cool waterfall that the kids loved.

There was a giant traffic jam on 77N in Virginia, so we took back roads for a while, and I let the kids buy some candy at a little country filling station. Alice got gummy bears and Simon got a chocolate tootsie pop. He actually didn't eat much of it.

About and hour and a half from Cam's, we stopped at this rest area where you can pick blackberries from the hedge around the field.

We finally arrived in Ashville, and Simon was delighted to discover Cam had borrowed a little four-wheeler from a friend, that was just his size.

Meanwhile, Alice and I got to work husking corn with Don. Actually, I husked and Alice asked Don if he remembered to build her a boat like he promised last time.

The kids used the garden hose to play gas station with the ATV.

That evening, Cam showed Alice some books she'd picked out.

We also celebrated Cam's birthday with presents and cake.

When Cam revealed the cake, which she pretended was pizza, Simon immediately shouted, "It's a pizza cake!" An hour later, Alice still wasn't sure about it.

Banana Biting and Web Wacking

That's one way to eat a banana, but it's not the right way.