Well, here we are almost done with our officially scheduled "summer vacation". My sister, her family, and my family have all travelled to our parents' home for a little R & R. We decided to save a little money, stay with mom, cook cheap easy food and do all the touristy stuff we never really did growing up. My parents city has a lot to offer. So we arrived Thursday and went to a local aquatic center. Very Fun! Just big enough to offer more than our local little pool but not a full on water park. Other than the 30 minutes sitting out to wait for lightning to pass it was a lot of fun.
Friday we went to the big new Science Center. The Science Center boasts an imax and an exhibition hall each currently hosting Superman Returns and a Titanic exhibit, respectively. The kids did awesome. We did as many "discovery platforms" as possible in the morning. The platforms have hands on activities that kids and parents can all do to "discover" science.
We have also spent some time just hanging out. Saturday, we went to a Farmer's Market in the downtown area. Everything smelled so wonderful. We got coffee at our favorite coffee house, fresh bread and pastries and a fritatta from a vendor, flowers from a florist. The sights and sounds were so lively- lots of color every where, little bands playing on the corners with their guitar cases open for change. The only drawback was our sweet little Mellie, who seems to have inherited her dad's sweat gene was so hot. It was at least in the mid 80's by 10:30. Way too hot for her.
Saturday afternoon we did a little craft and everyone (Papa included) painted little clay pots to rember our Family Vacation by. It was a great time to relax, take naps, enjoy some new experiences with our kids but I am ready to go home! I can't wait to be back in my little town, in my own home and in my own bed.
PS. I started this blog on Friday but decided to finish it today so the date will be off. Does anyone know how to change the published date if you save a post for later?
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Lost and Found
Hope everyone had a happy and uneventful 4th of July. Ours started out as a wonderfully lazy day of just staying around the house. Dad and kids took a nice long nap, knowing they would stay up late. I sauntered around Walmart at my own pace. Early evening, we joined several other families at a friend's home in the country for grilling and games. The guys played football and the girls chatted away. Bill, unfortunately, jammed his thumb. A few of us, including me teased him mercilessly about it, but it is still black and swollen so he really did do a number on it. Later that evening, we drove the five miles to the neighboring small town that has the best fireworks show I have EVER seen. I would put it up against any midwest Big town. It is always great. This is when the fun began.
The fireworks are shot off from behind the elementary school, at the bottom of a hill in a field. Bill had the kids down at the bottom of the hill on the basketball court with several other dads and kids doing sparklers. I was talking with some friends, when another friend said, "Hey, Natalie, they just called you to the ambulance." The ambulance!!??
"Bill is down at the bottom of the hill with the kids, so it must be a child from church whose parents aren't here, so they called us.", is what I thought. So, I checked in with Bill.
"Bill, Bill, BILL, WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?!" I screamed.
Shocked, he replied, "They're right here." I saw Robby, but no Mellie. I immediately took off running for the ambulance, jumping over people and blankets sprawled out on the lawn. I may have stepped on someone, but I didn't care. Ahead, I could see my little girl held by an EMT crying! "Oh, No, she must be hurt." As I approached, she brightened up and showed me her knew Lamby puppet that they had given her. Of course, I held her and scolded her to NEVER walk away from her dad EVER again. The EMT quickly reminded me that she had done the right thing by coming to the ambulance, so that was good. But, it really scared me. Soon my heart rate began to slow, my breathing became normal. But, later when she wanted to go 3 feet ahead of me and sit with her friend, I said no and squeezed her a little tighter.
The fireworks are shot off from behind the elementary school, at the bottom of a hill in a field. Bill had the kids down at the bottom of the hill on the basketball court with several other dads and kids doing sparklers. I was talking with some friends, when another friend said, "Hey, Natalie, they just called you to the ambulance." The ambulance!!??
"Bill is down at the bottom of the hill with the kids, so it must be a child from church whose parents aren't here, so they called us.", is what I thought. So, I checked in with Bill.
"Bill, Bill, BILL, WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?!" I screamed.
Shocked, he replied, "They're right here." I saw Robby, but no Mellie. I immediately took off running for the ambulance, jumping over people and blankets sprawled out on the lawn. I may have stepped on someone, but I didn't care. Ahead, I could see my little girl held by an EMT crying! "Oh, No, she must be hurt." As I approached, she brightened up and showed me her knew Lamby puppet that they had given her. Of course, I held her and scolded her to NEVER walk away from her dad EVER again. The EMT quickly reminded me that she had done the right thing by coming to the ambulance, so that was good. But, it really scared me. Soon my heart rate began to slow, my breathing became normal. But, later when she wanted to go 3 feet ahead of me and sit with her friend, I said no and squeezed her a little tighter.
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