While Andy was away on a three-month internship in Washington, D.C. this past spring, I thought the best way to help pass the time would be to go on daytime adventures with the girls. I made a list of places in the area that had either been recommended to me, or that I was curious to see with the girls and we set off. It’s going to be impossible to give each visit it’s own post in the coming weeks, so I’ve decided to wrap them up here in a quick Ten on Tuesday post- at least for documentation for our family.
Oh boy, was I excited that we got all ten checked off our list this past week- I think the girls were, too! No more dragging them across Ohio to see what there is to see…
1. April 17: Aullwood Audobon Center… Spring was in full bloom mid-April and we enjoyed a hike out in nature, the hands-on learning center and a nearby farm with horses, sheep and cartwheels.
2. April 18: Whit’s Frozen Custard in Lebanon… I already blogged this excursion down south- the custard did not disappoint, the little downtown area was just as charming as I remember and we even did a little antiquing with “hands to our sides.” I am seriously a broken record. Remember Lauren with long hair?
3. May 8: 2nd Street Market… A perfect rainy day for a visit to a semi-indoor Farmer’s Market. I had only read about this quaint little spot near downtown Dayton and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people visiting on a normal morning. We bought some vegetables and candy and as promised, supported the lone creperie. There were even Czech dancers there performing a dance that would be later performed at the World Festival. I can’t wait to take Andy on my birthday this weekend!
4. May 8: Dayton Art Institute… We had to double up some of our adventures due to visits to and from D.C. and birthday parties and cookouts. As it turned out, I didn’t leave a lot of flexibility in our spring schedule, but we made do. The architecture on the exterior of the art institute is extremely impressive, although I don’t think the girls gave a second look. I took plenty of pictures that might look cool as black and whites but I was impressed with this children’s display in the basement with thousands of 3D paper butterflies surrounding gumball statue. The artwork is titled “Shimmering Madness” and although I’m not confident that shimmering belongs in there, madness most definitely applies. It was unique to say the least.
5. May 16… Columbus Zoo: We met friends Missy, Maya and Laney at the Columbus Zoo where we tailgated a lunch, visited Asia, Africa and Australia, and went on a carousel. The girls usually love most zoos, but this one was impressive for not only its sights, but also it’s layout. You definitely need a full day or perhaps two days to enjoy it all. It would probably be more enjoyable to visit when the polar bears weren’t fresh from the Arctic and on a Tuesday morning rather than a Sunday afternoon, but overall, a successful and enjoyable day!
6. May 23: Town Hall Theatre Performance… The girls all enjoyed the live performance of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty on stage. We had incredible seats for our first theatrical performance together and I was super impressed with how well even Lauren did watching the shows. It lasted maybe two hours with an intermission and we all couldn’t stop talking about how well the young performers did! I’m pretty sure more performance are in their near future (This was an act from Sleeping Beauty)!
7. June 6: Strawberry Festival… We already discussed this afternoon here- we went, we saw, we got muddy.
8. June 11: Newport Aquarium… So, when the girls and I were driving toward Cincinnati, I didn’t actually *know* that this adventure was taking across the state line- that’s the advantage to living in the Midwest instead of the great states of the west where you drive for days in brown and heat and stay in the same state. In the Midwest, you get to state line hop, ha! The aquarium located in Kentucky did not disappoint and as it turned out- the girls were really into the shark and toad exhibit. Sarah begged to two-finger pet the smaller sharks. I couldn’t risk her losing two fingers under my supervision, though. And the toads- completely and utterly gross. Seriously, gross. But this is my favorite shot looking up, so no toads to gross you out, too.
9. June 16: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis… I was worried we weren’t going to be able to make this excursion happen. It was the furthest away (a two hour drive) and the weather between here and there has been stormy. I don’t do stormy, actually. I saw an opening last week and took it and am so glad we did. This might deserve it’s own post in the future, there were a wonderful amount of hands-on exhibits for the girls and they genuinely had fun. Their favorite was by far the Barbie experience, but I loved watching them in the tree house and ice cream parlor pretending to be grown-ups. It’s all perspective, isn’t it?
10. June 18: Oxford… There is a town further south and more west that had been on my radar for quite some time. I did a little researching and found out that besides its town center charm and well known university, Oxford is home to the oldest covered bridge in Butler County. I took the girls there first for their yearly photograph to replace last year’s- I love, love covered bridges and old barns. Maybe it’s because they are so unique to where I am from in California, or, maybe they’re fun to take pictures of and remind one’s self of another time period when such places were built with function in mind and not for an awe – factor. Either way… they’re on my way cool list. We strolled, we ate, we did some sweating.
I currently don’t have anything on our list of things to do this summer (except to move) – and with the busy spring we had, I’m okay with that…
The majority of the damage.
Luckily, she already has a hair appointment on Monday, although I’m pretty sure we weren’t thinking pixie cut in her near future. The thing is, I know better than to leave the scissors I use for bang trimmings in reach of small hands. 
Andy had no idea that I moonlight as a prankster.
Happy Tuesday, friends!
Later this evening, I was telling Andy about the wonderful timing of finishing up the felt pouch to hold Sarah’s tooth to which he replied, “I didn’t have any fancy pouch for my baby teeth, I think we put our teeth in an envelope.”
She is so incredibly happy that one tooth is finally missing- seriously, I beleive she left her first grade class as the only kid with a full set of baby teeth. Oh well, she’s happy now and gets to join the toothless club.
I peeked in on her during her story retelling to Andy. She was all sunshine and smiles, that one.
When it’s all said and done, Andy won’t even be home for 48 hours this weekend (he’s home for our older girls’ dance recital), but as you can see, Lauren is making every moment home with him count.
To make matters worse, the storms that had come through the week before left a muddy mess in the walking area. Ick. Yuck. Gross.
My three-year-old had a heck of a time wearing flip flops (she calls the “sip sops”) in the muddy mess. She did not want mud on her toes thankyouverymuch. Poor thing.
To be honest, Ashleigh was having a pretty rough time at the festival. She didn’t want to share a strawberry cheesecake dessert with the rest of us… but at $5 a pop, we’re sharing.
Susan knows me well, though and she got me to jump- which is a natural high for me (pun intended) and a smile might have crept up on my face.
The girls got to do a ring toss and win flimsy toys, as well as get super cute strawberries painted on them that wiped off almost immediately:
Two views that made me smile- the view of the booths lined up above the Miami River and woodcut letters that were being sold individually made for an aesthetically clean line of design in this old Coke crate:
Are you wondering where the strawberries are at the infamous Strawberry Festival? They were there- just under disguise: strawberry salsa, strawberry burritos, strawberry butter, strawberry cheesecake.
In the end, I’m glad we went because bumping into my friends led to Strawberry Festival Round II at Susan’s with dancing and a wonderful vodka sauce pasta (sans strawberries)
Infamous Strawberry Festival Adventure: Fail.
If you thought she was one cute and sassy first grader, I believe that she has grown even more beautiful this past year! She has such a kind heart and continues to be helpful around our home and with friends in many ways. She has blossomed into quite a reader this past school year and I am excited to see what second grade holds for her this fall!
On the backside of the pre-made dollar spot find it was plain aqua/turquoise-ish blue and I thought outside of the box and cut the card in two (hey, bonus- a 2fer!), so the above card is the front side and card below uses the backside. I think this might be by most favorite color combination (and the doily makes me smile, too):
Alrighty, up for a weekend challenge? Go grab a pack of dollar spot cards(there’s a good excuse for a Target stop today!) and get them dressed up! Let me know if you do, I’d love to see what you create!
