At the beginning of the summer,
I made a list of things/experiences/places to go etc.
around Columbus in one of my many notebooks.
(Please tell me I'm not the only person
who has tons of random notebooks lying around...
I've never met a notebook I didn't like).
There are certain attractions that come awake
entirely during a summer in Columbus.
Farms with fruit for picking, pools and splash pads,
mini golf, summer concerts, and metro parks galore.
We really lived the length of this summer- coming
and going nearly every weekend.
And, before it totally fades into glorious fall,
here are some highlights (if you're like to see).
I think most people usually mark the beginning
of summer with Memorial Day...but sometime
around mid-April it warmed up enough to
get out the sprinkler! Max's preferred method
of playing in water in our backyard
is in his underwear....
On Mother's Day I asked for my boys to take
me over to Shale Hollow Preserve
(which is part of Delaware Preservation Parks).
The warmer weather brought one of my
favorite summer flowers...the peonies!
Stacy and I visited a farm near her
called "Red Twig Farms" several times to
get our fix :)
We made it to Memorial Day and our annual trip
to Dayton...only this time around we met
at Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs. It did
not disappoint. It also didn't hurt that there was
a carnival set up in the parking lot!
We finished the afternoon by hiking in
Glen Helen...all the way to the Yellow Springs
(which turns out are more like orange).
My mom helped me plant some flowers...
isn't she the cutest! I love how that arrangement
turned out. It hung over the side of my
deck all summer...and made me smile.
Stacy and I went to the
"Zassy's Farm Market Show" in early June.
(and ate the longest hot dogs I've ever seen!)
Max and Papa Rob went to the Home Depot workshop
in June and pounded out a tic tac toe board!
Papa Rob turned 36th...and we celebrated by
visiting the Park of Roses, picnicking, and
hitting the playground.
There were many evenings spent blowing
bubbles on the back deck...
Max went to ZooKids in June...and learned
about Backyard Animals! Readers of this
blog who have worked in ZooKids in the
past may be comforted by the fact that
the shirts are still three sizes to big for all the
kids...but Auntie Stacy hemmed it up for us!
We had a sweet grey tree frog
visit our deck for a weekend....
Auntie Stacy joined us for some letterboxing
adventures at Shale Hollow! Letterboxing
means following clues on your phone
or paper to find a box which contains a
prize or stamp!
That same weekend we went to Veteran's Park/splash pad...
and Max was loving all the new playground equipment!
He also likes it when the splash pads don't have
buckets that dump from above!
Of course we had to visit Franklin Park Conservatory
because they had a new animal topiaries exhibit...
and we brought our friend Ronin along too!
Posing with their favorite topiary--the lion!
I hosted some of my beautiful, smart, caring,
sweet girl friends for dinner.
Nothing beats a night with old friends.
On a child free weekend...Papa Rob and I went
to the new IKEA! First time ever we did not
argue while there...I think we deserve a medal!
And we went to Zoofari! Admittedly it was the first
year we felt kind of old. I think it's because it was hot
and we hit it hard right away (note to self in future...
don't start with skyline and hot chicken take over).
Pace yourselves Haucks
Strawberries were picked....yum!
I swear fresh, ripe picked strawberries
are basically candy.
We went to the Train Festival in Dayton....
(this was a favorite from last summer that
we had to repeat!!)
The line for riding the mini train was made
bearable only by the purchase of Kona Ice.
Future train conductor.
We also started rock painting.
Does this sound crazy? It's a phenomenon
that's getting lots of attention (possibly only
in Ohio?) - but basically you paint rocks
and hide them for other to people to find.
Those people can either re-hide them or
keep :) Max likes to keep!
We used an evening alone to dine at
Kraft House No.5 in Powell.
I'm still thinking about the Brussel sprouts.
We got the cousins Max and Pax together....
and it was the cutest!
Our friends the Dotson's invited us to join
them at the Bexley pool one Sunday afternoon.
Max and Will went down the water slides
no less then 20 times. It was super fun!
And great that the boys are a little older
(read: more independent) and I could actually
get a word in with my friend.
If you made it to the end of the best....you're the BEST!
And...that's really only half the summer!
Finding the words for these pictures....and
reliving these memories was good for me.
Makes me appreciate how much we
were able to cross off my list!
Hopefully, I've got my blogging mojo back!
And will be back soon with the rest.
xoxo
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