To the Ohio!!

At the end of August we made our annual pilgrimage back to Ohio. Naturally our trip coincided with Labor Day Weekend, which also coincides with The Great Geauga County Fair! Those of you not from Geauga County just won't be able to understand, but it really is the greatest county fair ever! Oh, and another bonus is that the whole family was going to be in town at once. It was going to be a party!

This is Natalie checking out our plane at the New Orleans airport. Getting through security was exciting. They made us put her beloved blankie and love-a-lot (carebear) through the x-ray machine and she really didn't like that at all. And then we had to take her shoes off and she went ballistic! But we made it through and were on our way!

This is William, Natalie, and their cousin Dane on Thursday, the first day of the fair. Tom and I took the three kids down for a little bit so that Connie could get ready for the day and get a few things done. (It should be noted that Tom really started to feel sick the night before, and this is when I knew he wasn't faking it, cause he didn't even chow down on fair food! But more about Tom to follow!)

This is William and Dane checking out the baby cow at the petting zoo. This was one of their favorite things to see while there.

Then it was snack time at the fair! We decided soft pretzals and birch beer for everyone would be a good idea. I just love this picture simply because Natalie was so dedicated to wearing her indian headband that even when it completely covered her eyes she didn't let it affect her, or stop her from eating pretzals and drinking birch beer! (Meanwhile, back to the saga of Tom: after taking the kids to the fair we headed up to the mall to meet up with Tom's sister Anna, who took the kids to Build-A-Bear for their birthdays. Afterwards, we met up with the rest of Tom's family for dinner, when Tom really began to feel sick. After dinner we decided to have Tom drop the kids and I off at my parent's house and then he would go to the ER. A ct scan revealed an enlarged appendix and fluid in the stomach. Tom was admitted to the hospital Thursday night for observation. More about Tom's story to come!)

The big activity for Friday was the Mad Hatter's Unbirthday Party. My parents threw this party to celebrate everyone's birthdays, since they don't get to be there for most of their grandchildren's birthday parties. It was great! There was lemonade that magically changed colors, all sorts of snacks and treats to try, presents to open, and, of course, everyone looked good in their hats!

Saturday morning was another gorgeous day! We southerners introduced the northerners to beignets and hot coco for breakfast. Everyone enjoyed them, especially all the hornets that were attracted to the powdered sugar!

All the cousins then went down to the fair. While there, we ran into Sheriff McClelland and Midge, the world's smallest police dog (actually in the Guiness Book of World Records!) This is William holding Midge with the Sheriff's hat on his head.

These are all the cousins infront of a llama pen. Left to right: Brock, Dane, William, Bryson, Natalie and James. Brock and Bryson are my sister Heather's boys. Dane and James are my sister Connie's boys. Yep, Natalie is the only granddaughter.

Saturday I also found out that Tom would be having his appendix removed Sunday morning! In a way, this whole opperation was good for him, because it forced him to get some much needed relaxation and rest, although he was in pain in a hospital gown! His surgery went just fine on Sunday and when the doctors studied his appendix post-op, they noticed alot of scar tissue, which explains why Tom has had alot of what we had always assumed were gastrointestinal issues. The surgery was laparoscopic, so they went in through his belly button and a few small holes were made at his belt line, but it wasn't a huge cut! We also had to extend our vacation because Tom couldn't do much for a few days.

It should also be noted that on Sunday, the boys were all playing with a Little Tykes car, taking turns driving inside the car while two would ride on the top and one would push. Yes, in retrospect this does sound very foolish, but they were all getting along so we chose to ignore the danger. Well, Dane ended up breaking his arm when the car tipped over and he stuck his arm out to stop his fall and the roof of the car snapped his radius in half. They stopped by to say "hi" to Uncle Tom in the hospital while at the hospital to get his temporary cast put on.

With an extended vacation we were able to do a few more fun things with Tom out of the hospital. We drove up to Lake Chautauqua, New York to show the kids where I spent most of my summer vacations growing up. We got to visit with family and friends. We took the kids to see an outdoor train display. We went to the beach at Mentor Headlands on Lake Erie.

All in all, it was a fun, much needed vacation for all of us! We love and miss Ohio, and as weird and difficult it is to live in Louisiana, it was nice to be able to come back to our own house at the end of trip.

PS-The only reason this picture of the kids rolling down the hill is included is because we have no hills in Southern Louisiana and so neither was really sure what to do. I ended up rolling down with Natalie cause she just couldn't seem to get it!

Harding Heroes Save the Day!!

This is the conclusion of the saga of the women who saved Harding Drive: Alonna and I!! Ok...most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about, so I'll start from the beginning. Those of you who know this story can skip right to the end to find out the conclusion. The rest of you, read on!

A few months back...well, at least I think it was a few months back, maybe it was spring time. Ok, a while ago my neighbor, Alonna, and I decided to have a picnic in my front yard. It was a gorgeous day and it wasn't too hot out yet (which is why I think it was springtime!) so we made our lunches and met in the front yard. The kids were finished eating and were playing and Alonna and I were hanging out and talking on the picnic blanket. I was sitting facing the street and Alonna's back was to the street (this is key info, people!) Well, our street isn't a very busy street at all, so you really notice when a car goes by, since it doesn't happen that often. So, this pick-up truck with a beat-up front fender drove by the house pretty slowly and the driver was staring out the passenger window at Mr. Harry's house across the street. Now, alot of people who live in the neighborhood drive by slowly because they know alot of kids live on this street, but neither Alonna or I recognized him. We both blew it off as "weird."

About 5 minutes later the same truck drove by again from the opposite direction, again going very slowly and looking at Mr. Harry's house. Again, Alonna and I noticed him and started coming up with scenarios as to why he was driving by. "He's a friend of their sons." "Maybe he knows them and wants to see if their home." Etc... About 5 minutes later he drove by again, from the opposite direction again, and we both noticed it again. This time, we knew something was up. (Alonna, afraid that her pants were too low-cut in the back, made me check to make sure that wasn't the reason he kept driving by! Hahaha...) We decided if he drove by again we would get his license number and call the police. Well, he didn't drive by again, at least while we were outside, and it was nap time for the kids so time to go in!

The next day Alonna and I took the kids for a bike ride around the neighborhood. When we were finished we were standing in my driveway talking and the same dang truck drove by real slow again! Neither of us were prepared to check the license plate this time, but we took notice! I went in and fed the kids lunch and was getting ready to head to a pool party. I got everything pulled together and let the kids play out in the front yard until it was time to leave. Well, parked infront of Mr. Harry's house were two police cars! I was intrigued, but had to get to the party. Alonna filled me in on everything that happened after I left:

She went over to the police officers and asked what had happened. Apparently, early that morning someone broke into Mr. Harry's house and stole his checkbook. They found this out because the guy who did it tried to write himself some checks but the bank tellers knew they were fraudulant. The best part is that the guy used his real name, so they knew who they were looking for. The police officers were at Mr. Harry's house to collect evidence and get a statement. Well, Alonna proceeded to tell the officers that we had noticed a guy in a truck casing the street the past two days. They knew it was him when Alonna gave a description of the truck, cause they had a description of the truck from the dmv already. They asked to see her driver's license so they could get her information to contact her later. She went and got it and came back out and the truck was driving by again!! Alonna yelled, "that's him right there!!" and the guy waves at the police officers all friendly and such! Well, the police officers jumped in their cars and the guy in the truck took them on a high-speed chase through two parishes, running every red light in his way and throwing checks (evidence against him) out his window the entire time! They finally caught him up in LaFourche Parish and booked him for breaking and entering, fraud, traffic violations of speeding and running red lights, as well as littering!

The conclusion? Mr. Harry just told me yesterday that the guy took a plea deal and was sentenced to 15 years in prison! Hooray for the Harding Heroes!! (Mostly Alonna!!)

William's First Day of Pre-School

We decided to enroll William in Pre-K for the year. It's a great little program offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. He gets to do gymnastics, drama, science, art, French and sign language, library...it's really great! It also gives me a little alone time with Natalie, which I think she really enjoys!

This is William with his best bud Michael after their first day of school. They aren't in the same group, but they do see each other from time to time throughout the morning and usually after school we run into each other. It looks like it's going to be a fun year!

William's 4th Birthday...Part 2!

(Ok...so this posting is a little behind the times...sorry! We've been super busy. Read on!)


So we threw William a second birthday party on August the 13th for all of his friends. We rented out a local indoor jumping playland, called "Jumping Kids." We also made it a pirate-themed party, and everyone was invited to wear pirate clothes. It was so much fun, even for the adults! Here are some pictures from the party:

This is William and Natalie before the party started. William dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, of course! I had ordered a piratess costume for Natalie, but what I received in the mail was a bag of shredded costume...thanks US Postal service! So, we improvised and my neighbor Alonna helped me put something together for Natalie.

This is my neighbor Alonna and her daughter Chloe', all dressed up for the pirate party!

Tom got into the party by throwing balls at anyone who dared enter the ball pit!

This is William's buddy Michael about to jump from the top of the bouncing boat, and that's his Aunt Jenn saying, "Michael, be careful or you'll break your foot!" Well, I'm not sure if he broke his foot, but he ended up hurting it pretty bad!

This is me and Emily (Michael's mom), probably up to no good!

Yum! William's cake looked like the deck of the Black Pearl pirate ship. One funny part that happened here; all the kids gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday" and William's friend Michael leaned over and blew out a few of the candles. Most kids would be bothered by this, but William turned to him and was so excited he yelled, "Thank you Michael!" Phew...crisis averted!

It was a fun party!! Hooray!

William's 4th birthday: Part 1

Mr. William turned four (or as they say in Louisiana "made four") today! We had a small little family party for him. I made his favorite foods(lasagna and broccoli) and then we had our neighbors over for birthday cake (part 1). And, of course, he got to open his presents from us.

Tomorrow night is his birthday party with all of his friends. This will be Willliam's first big birthday party and we're pretty excited! It has a pirate theme (William's really big into pirates right now) so hopefully some other kids will come dressed as pirates besides William and Natalie!

Please note: Natalie and William are normally fully dressed. But again, it was just too hot today, even inside, and the kids stripped down to their comfort level!!

Balloon Launch in Baton Rouge

Some friends of ours told us about this huge hot air balloon launch that was going to take place on Saturday (yesterday). It all sounded pretty cool so we loaded up the kids and made the two hour trek to Baton Rouge. Although it all did sound good in theory, there was one big negative: the weather!

It was April 1st when we left Ohio to move to Louisiana. We were still in coats and long sleeves. Not thinking to clearly, I only packed long sleves and pants for everyone. Everything else was packed up by the movers and in storage until we closed on our house. Bad idea. When we arrived in Louisiana, I had to go out and buy summer clothes for everyone. Whenever anyone asked how I liked it here, my response usually had something to do with how hot it was compared to anywhere else I had ever lived. And every person's response was, "well, if you think this is hot, just wait till August!" I didn't know what that really meant, until I experienced my first August in southern Louisiana. It is just miserable. No winds blowing up out of the Gulf, not even regular rainstorms to cool the temperatures a bit. No, it really is miserably hot come August.

Well, ladies and gentlemen...it is August! When we decided to go to Baton Rouge for the balloon launch, Tom checked the weather and saw that it was going to be HOT!!! When we got there (at 6:30 pm) it was 104 degrees with a heat index of 115 degrees. HOT HOT HOT!!! You can bet we didn't stay till the fireworks!

A Saturday Night in New Orleans

Most of you know that the last Harry Potter book came out on Saturday at midnight. Seeing that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, I got my book at midnight and read till about 1:30 am, woke up about 8 and started reading again. I spent the morning in Natalie's room (comfortable rocking chair!) reading while Tom was so graciously watching the kids so I could have some quite time. At 1 I had to take William to the church primary swim party while Tom took Natalie to the local war museaum to drop off his motorcycle (it's normally on display there.) By the time I got back from the party, all I wanted to do was lock myself in a room and keep reading! But, Tom had had enough of the "missing mommy" that I'd become, so we decided to take off for New Orleans for the night and have a good time. I'm glad we went, cause the family had a blast!




This picture is of Tom and the kids in front of the cathedral at Jackson's Square. This is where President Bush made his speech following Hurricane Katrina.

This is Tom and the kids waiting at Cafe' Du'Monde in the French Quarter for Beignets. The line turned out to be too long, so we decided to get the car and then get them to go in the car. Bad idea, especially since I had just cleaned my car! Powdered Sugar was EVERYWHERE! Thank heavens for leather seats-they just wipe right up!


On the way back to getting the car we stopped at a little spot where we could sit on the Mississippi River and watch the riverboats and barges go by. The kids really enjoyed the big boats!