Just To Recap

As the sun set on 2014 we headed to our traditional spot- Hocking Hills- to unplug, unwind, and spend a little quality time doing some of our favorite things- basking by the fire, crafting, hot tubbing, discovering the wonders of nature, and eating like kings (no pics of that as I was busy at the time, eating like a king).

As the sun rose on 2015 a hike to Ash Cave seemed the perfect way to spend the first day of a new year and balance out some of that eating like kings we did.

Seamus seemed to enjoy the trip out to the country.  He got to spend plenty of time doing his favorite thing- 

herding children.

Blogger Catch Up- Fall Foliage

Soren and I went to Bedford by ourselves for one weekend of the Fall Foliage Festival while Rick and Will stayed in Columbus so Will could compete in Piano Scale Olympics

We enjoyed the Antique Car Parade, especially the appearance of my Uncle Ronny in his famous El Camino

And Soren rode a pony, his favorite Fall Foliage activity

There Went Peter Cottontail

This year we celebrated Easter at Grandma's house again.

It was all the more festive that we got to take the new car on its first road trip. Look at all that luxurious room:Clearly some kind of genius designed the car where children sitting side by side can't touch each other. And I'm sure it goes without saying that the backseat DVD players are pure magic. Why did I not know about them until recently? I guess I knew they existed. I just didn't know that they are... pure magic.

I was a little concerned when we got to Pennsylvania on Friday and it was 39 degrees and sleeting. But things were looking better by Sunday: about 60 degrees and only a little cloudy.

After church, the Annual Egg Hunt on Grandma's PorchIt turns out Soren is an awesome egg hunter!

Uncle Ed arrived with more Easter goodies. Will's basket was a tackle box for fishing this summer with Grandpa. And Ed tucked in a couple of those single-use tooth brushes already loaded with toothpaste.
So cleverThe Easter Bunny was good to us.
The trip there and back was peaceful.
And back at home, our Egg Tree held down the fort.

Mr. Smiley Goes to Washington

This past weekend Rick, Soren, and I traveled to Washington, DC to attend the
Restoring Honor Rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
We got there Friday evening and walked down the National Mall from our hotel to see some sights, take in the event preparations, and share in the building excitement.

There were already people camped out on the grounds, chairs and blankets set up, ready to stay all night to claim their choice spots.

On Saturday morning we met up with Grandpa who had taken a bus down with a group from Pennsylvania. Then we trooped down the National Mall again, this time with about 500,000 (by official reports) other people. We got there early enough to find a nice shady spot under a tree toward the end of the reflecting pool.

There were JumboTrons set up so that we could still see the program that included singing, prayer, and speeches by Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Alveda King that honored the military and urged people to include the principles of Faith, Hope, and Charity in their lives.
Despite the crowds and potential for politically charged atmosphere, I am pleased to report that everyone we encountered was polite and pleasant and respectful.

Being a politically active citizen suited Soren well.
Or maybe what suited him was being an only child for the weekend.
Will was at Grandma's house doing equally cool things like making home made Play-Doh.

Back from Florida - Part III: Disney World!

The travel agent had neglected to mention that they had relocated Disney World to the surface of the sun. Whew- was it hot! And humid. Did I mention it was hot? Since it was Soren's first visit to Disney,
here are a
Few of Soren's Favorite Things:

The Rides.
His first Disney ride was It's a Small World. We all enjoyed that the line was in a mostly air conditioned area.

Will has already been to Disney 3 times in his short life (mostly thanks to strategically located anesthesia conferences). Will felt nostalgic when we revisited his first Disney ride: Jungle Cruise.

Rick graciously volunteered to watch with Soren while Grandpa and I rode the Mad Hatter's Tea Party 112 times with Will.

The Characters.
Soren especially seemed to enjoy nibbling on them. The ones who got the best reviews:

Cinderella

Pinocchio

Pluto

Piglet

His First Haircut.
Many thanks to my mom's friend, Angie, who clued us in to this unique opportunity. Miss Barbara did a fantastic job at the Barber Shop in Liberty Square.

Here is Soren admiring his ears that have 'First Haircut' embroidered on the back.

The Lizard.
A darling lizard hitched a ride on our stroller for a little while in Tomorrow Land.

The Fireworks.
(No explanation needed, right?)

Grandpa.
It was great of my dad to come along. He was a very good sport and I know Will enjoyed being his traveling buddy. The key to the success of this trip: The grownups outnumbered the children.
Thanks Grandpa!

Back from Florida - Part II: Key Biscayne

We finally arrived in Key Biscayne and Will was thrilled to get back to the beach.

Soren loved his first swimming pool experience- especially the waterfall.

We were excited to find that, unlike his brother, Soren doesn't mind getting his face wet. Maybe Soren will be my swim team kid.

Oh yeah, there was also an anesthesia conference going on...

...which means we got to spend time with friends we haven't seen since last year!
By far the highlight.

Back from Florida - Part I: St. Marys, Georgia

On the way to Florida we stopped in St. Marys, Georgia.
I had not been there since high school when my dad's submarine was stationed at Kings Bay. Interestingly, Rick was also on a submarine out of Kings Bay so it was also a return trip for him.

Soren got his first close-up look at a palm tree.
Hair raising!

There is a beautiful little water front park in St. Marys that was new since any of us had been there.

Grandpa and Will relax after a long day in the car.