Who's Spoiling Who? Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

Emma and I went up to stay at Mom and Dad's for a few days, like we usually do once school's out for both of us. The four of us went up to Lakeside, a town on Lake Erie, to spend a day digging in the sand, strolling through the shops, and (unexpectedly) watching a gorgeous sunset along a beautifully landscaped lakeside path. Along the way we also stopped at an art studio where childrens' book illustrator Jodie McCallum produces her work and Emma created a picture for HER! The next day we stayed closer to Mom and Dad's place, relaxing on the front porch, browsing in the library, and strolling around at Malabar Farm. While we see Mom and Dad a couple times a month, this tradition of paying them a few days' visit in June gives us all a chance to enjoy one another's company in that laid-back kind of way you can only find this time of the year.

Kings Island (Yes, again! We love it!)

We have season passes to Kings Island amusement park this summer, so our goal is to go at least once a month. Since it takes an hour and 40 minutes to get there and we spend about $30 in gas each time, we unfortunately cannot afford to go down every week even though we'd like to! Now that school's out, we decided to plan an overnight trip, visiting the park on Tuesday June 19th and heading home Wednesday. Our first day was off to a good start in spite of the 90-degree heat. However, our plans to stay the whole day changed when Emma got sunscreen in her eye at the water park. She was beside herself and wouldn't stop crying for close to an hour, which is totally unlike her. We finally decided to just go to our hotel and return the next day if she was feeling better. She fell asleep in the stroller on the way back to the car (again, completely unlike her, as she gave up naps nearly two years ago), so we knew we'd made the right choice. We did end up returning the following day, and we had a great time. The light breeze made the heat more tolerable, and the lines were short in the kids' area (presumably because everyone was at the water park), and by the time we did venture into the water park around 4 o'clock the crowds were starting to thin out. We even stayed until the park closed at 10 PM, watching the fireworks as we caught a spin on the last "Surf Dog" run of the night!

Veggie Tales at VBS

Our church's Bible School ran from June 13-15 this year. Since we had a lot of young kids (most were 6 and under), we decided to use a theme that would appeal to the younger set, Veggie Tales! Whether it was the theme, better advertising, or divine intervention, we ended up with over 50 kids...which for our little church was really saying something! T-shirts sporting the words "God Made Me Special," bright paper flowers, and a paper mac-hie veggie garden (dedicated to our dear friend Mrs. Hitchcock, an original Sunday School/VBS teacher who passed away this spring), all added to the fun. We also enjoyed Veggie Tales music and some meaningful stories that left Emma talking and singing for days afterwards. It's a bittersweet feeling to see that she's no longer the youngest (not even close!), but she seems to get more out of the experience every year!

Aunt Linda's Relay!

Yesterday (Sat. June 2nd) we went to Aunt Linda's Relay for Life near her hometown. She has been involved with the event for several years as a cancer survivor, committee chair, and team captain. The event is held in cities and counties throughout the country and raises money for research for the American Cancer Society. Even though the Relay is held for a serious purpose, it had its share of lighthearted moments, and we enjoyed time with family. Emma also created several crafts at various fundraising booths and walked around the track more times than we could count. At sunset, the luminaries lined the track to honor and memorialize cancer patients. We honored Aunt Linda and our cousin Kim, and remembered Grandpa Coe, Aunt Clara, Aunt Christine, and family friend Lila. Emma seemed to understand the seriousness of the ceremony and was silent through two trips around the track with only the lights of the candles glowing.