I'm on a roll, people!!!!!

My mother in law, Nancy, was in town this weekend. My co-worker told me Hocking Hills was a great day trip, so we went for it. Caves, waterfalls, trails, hiking....a good time had by all.


Viv found a big caterpillar, and of course, had to touch and play with it. Ew.

There was this ADORABLE miniature dachshund that we kept running into. I finally asked if I could take it's picture. Did I mention how adorable this pup was????

Max "planking" on a very high and scary overlook rock. 60+ feet in the air, I made him crawl on his belly.

Beautiful waterfalls. Ash Falls.

The bats in this cave were so friendly!! Just kidding.

These bozos were jumping off everything. The park ranger's nightmare, I'm sure :/

I know! I know! I'm extremely neglectful! You would think I would welcome the distraction of sitting down to update my blog. I can usually find many distractions from cleaning, de-cluttering and such. This working thing has really invaded any "free time" I may have had. But, I will try to do better. *I promise

* Clearly, means very little

So, it's football season again. This year is Max's first year playing for Highland. He is the quarterback, again. The position may be growing on him a little. He's been eating, sleeping, and breathing football. <shocker!!!> He is really happy when he gets to catch as well as throw! He's had a few bumps and bruises as well as a concussion scare. All in all, it's been a fun season so far.

The cowboy mounted shooting was also a great season. Eric and Ally have been able to do some father-daughter bonding. They are the ones who will typically spend all weekend in Wooster, OH- riding, shooting and socializing. Watching Ally ride is a thing of beauty. She is such a natural.

Vanilla is holding her own as well. She's getting up there in age, so we were considering "retiring" her to a family who will let her eat and rest out the rest of her days. But, aside from her inability to "play nice" with other horses, she is a fabulous pony. She is awesome with kids and we are very comfortable with throwing just about anyone on her and knowing she'll be gentle. She may just retire at Harmony Stables :)

Viv holding a crawdad. Yah, it pinched her. We told her it would, but she had to hold it, just like the big kids did. She didn't even care that it pinched her. She always went back for more.

Funny story. Well, kinda funny, if you think nearly drowning is funny. Max and I swam out to this floating raft. It was kind of a haul, but for a decent swimmer, it can be done. Viv sees that we are out there, and wants to go too. Because Vivian always (almost) gets what she wants, I swim back, put on a life jacket and swim back out to it, with her on my back. We decide to swim back to shore, but Viv is pissed about it, and halfway to shore, pitches a fit. She is grabbing around my neck, trying to get me to swim back to the dock. This makes it almost impossible to breathe. Since breathing is kind of important to the swimming process, I am struggling. As soon as Eric could touch bottom, he grabs her and I drag my tortured body to shore and lie there, gasping for breath. * This beach is also where Jay and Eric nearly drowned last year.

Viv LOVES her cousin, Jax, but I'm not so sure he is of the same opinion




Ya know how I mentioned that Viv is a wild woman? Well, this beloved activity pretty much demonstrates that. She couldn't go high enough- even when Max gave it his all. Crazy, I tell you.

Washington Island, WI - 2011!!!!


One of my favorite things to do. Jay and Max got to help "drive" this time around. What goes around, comes around, mom.

Viv was all about touching the snakes, crawdads, bugs, etc. She would scream bloody murder when we had to release the critters back into the wild.

Our traditional ferry photo.

Or course she went wave-runnin'. She's a wild woman!

It's the newest installment of .... Some of My Favorite Things! I noticed there was a new party store going in beside our mall. It wasn't until I went in to grab some items for treat bags, that I was introduced to the wonder and amazement of this store. Colors, party supplies, candy.....not my usual draw. But, this place makes me happy because I love to throw parties (aside from jewelry ones...;) Backyard BBQ's, Cinco de Mayo, Superbowl.....it's fun, right? There is anything and everything you could want,to throw such functions. Because we don't use paper products so much, it's the extra accessories that really float my boat. *The treat bags were for Ally's teacher. Because the kids have had to work hard for the OAA tests, she likes to put together treat bags to reward them. Some of you may have heard of the less than acceptable attempts at gardening I've encountered. This year will be different. I started my seeds with this little contraption. They took OFF! I've had to replant them, and am anxiously awaiting the day that I can put those suckers into the ground! Spinach, okra, peppers, tomatoes, peas........yummmmm!!! Not that I have a hard time getting Viv to eat fruit, but when she wants a "Popsicle", this is a great alternative to the pure sugar ones. They come in tubes and freeze just like a Popsicle.

Thank you, Mom, for teaching me to sew. And, for getting me a sewing machine. In addition to the curtains that can be whipped out in an hour, I have also been burning up the 'ol Elna with Dylan's baseball pants that needed hemming and taking in Jay's tuxedo shirt.

Vivian's 2!!

Notice the wardrobe change?? Our neighbor, Micki, got her a dress and Dora sunglasses, so of course she had to change! Then, she proceeded to go catch frogs and fish while wearing the pretty dress. After that, she stripped it off and tried to jump into the pond.

All of Viv's best friends in the world were at the party....Max, Jay, Ally, Dylan, Triston, Brylinn and Satchel(not including cousins). She was princess for a day and loved every minute of it.