Photo Shoot

Yesterday afternoon, we got to take part in something very special. Bridges Magazine, a local publication encompassing the nearby communities around the Ohio River, is doing a feature on tailgating for an upcoming issue, and asked our group of Kentucky fans to congregate for a picture! So, we dug out our Big Blue attire & accessories, and met in the parking lot at ACTC:

Here's the photographer, Ashley, getting a shot of Mary Jo "serving" some tailgate nosh, with Sherry, Brooke, and Bruce looking on.

It was very steamy our there on the blacktop, milling about, waiting for all the pictures to be taken...

Caroline, especially, seemed to wilt in the humidity. She spent the whole hour we were out there exactly as she is in this picture: thumb in, head on shoulder, hand in hair. She was not loving it!

Even the newest member of the gang, Baby Ava, 2 months old, got into the act! Here she is with Mamaw Susie & Jordi. Our other newest member, Brady, 4 months old, was there, too, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't get a picture of him. However, I've got a link to his own blog just to the right, and I saw his mommy, Allison, taking lots of pictures. Check it out!

An Evening in Huntington

The other night, after supper, we drove to nearby Huntington, WV. Our first stop was at Ritter Park...

As we pulled into the park, the girls were so excited to see this huge sand pit! The practically burst out of the car, and then immediately flung themselves into the sand. Besides the expansive pit, there are also some other neat features:

Stone tunnels to crawl through (the whole place looks like a castle!)...

.. and several slides of various sizes to slide down!

After we finished up at the park, we headed over to Pullman Square. Starbucks for Chris & me, and several laps around the fountain for the girls. Something for everyone! All in all, a very pleasant evening!

Dora Umbrellas

Jordi has had her Dora umbrella since last fall when she turned three, and Caroline was so thrilled to recently receive her very own Dora umbrella for her birthday!

We've not had much rain lately, so we have to take advantage of any opportunity that comes up. It was barely sprinkling when I took this picture, but they're enjoying themselves just the same!

Isn't she sweet? (and don't you wish that something as functional & mundane as an umbrella could bring you this much happiness??!)

Fitness Fun

Last Thursday, the girls & I checked out a big event going on nearby in Central Park called "The Longest Day of Play." The Ashland-Boyd County Health Department organized the event, which included more than 30 local organizations, in order to demonstrate the wide variety of fitness-related activities offered in the area.

Here are the girls enjoying a little soccer practice, courtesy of the YMCA. This was probably the girls favorite stop because not only could they kick a ball around, but we also got to play corn-hole and watch the YMCA ladies energetically demonstrate step aerobics to the KC & the Sunshine band's classic song "Shake Your Bootie" (that song never fails to entertain the girls!) When it was time to go, Caroline cried when I informed her that we were leaving the soccer balls behind, and, 4 days later, is still talking about "her" red soccer ball!

This was an obstacle course for kids to navigate while "scooting" along on these small, wheeled seats. Jordi caught on quickly, but not so much for Caroline. She was more intrigued by the boys nearby as they attained maximum height & then launched themselves off the swings!

And what outdoor event for kids is complete without some sort of inflatable fun? Here's Jordi, being brave & going down the 20-foot slide all by herself! (Caroline was too little to climb up by herself, so she had to sit this one out.) There was an enormous bounce-house, too, but it was full of rowdy big kids, so we just stayed with the slide.

We had so much fun at each stop that we didn't even get to about half of the demonstrations! Next year, we'll be sure to get an earlier start!!

Goggles

As you know, the girls have been swimming a few times already this summer, and they're both really enjoying it. But what could make swimming even more fun?? Accessories!

At Caroline's birthday party, each girl received a pair of Dora swim goggles as a gift. Here's Jordi in hers...

..and Caroline in hers (she's especially fond of wearing them!)

I couldn't resist including this picture of the two girls together in their goggles; look at how fogged up Caroline's lenses are! Believe me, she didn't care a whit that she couldn't see a thing; she just wanted to wear those goggles!!

Stomp Rocket!

Aunt Renee, after doing a little asking around, came up with a great present for her niece's 2nd birthday:

It's called "Junior Stomp Rocket," and here's an action shot of Caroline giving it a bi-iig stomp! It's a really fun toy that the girls (& their dad) have enjoyed immensely since it arrived last week.

Here's Caroline giving you a close-up view of the foam rocket. This toy is a great, kid-friendly gift; it's not only fun, but also easy enough for them to use by themselves, plus it doesn't even need batteries! You just stomp on the air pad and the foam rocket is launched skyward! (Just be careful where you aim it, otherwise you'll be fetching your rockets out of the trees!) Then you gather them up and do it all over again! Way to go, Aunt Renee!

Caroline's Birthday Party

Caroline had a wonderful 2-year-old birthday party on Saturday this past weekend. Here are just a few pictures:

This is Caroline while we're all singing the Birthday Song to her. That look on her face tells me that she likes it!!

After cake, Caroline got to open all her wonderful gifts. I like this picture because she looks so happy, and she behaved very well during the whole gift-opening process. That's really quite an achievement because, when you're a kid, you really just wanted to stop & play with each thing as you open it!

Yay! A new tricycle! Please note that she can actually reach the pedals, too. (There's not been any pedaling yet, but I'll be sure to post a picture once there is!)

After the party, the girls had a dance show out on the porch. Caroline was thrilled to receive her very own ballerina costume from little Emily Fields, one of Jordi's classmates at ballet school. She insisted on putting it on ASAP (& Jordi, too, of course!) and was very content to wear it the whole rest of the day!

This picture sums up the end of a very long (but fun-filled) day. New toys everywhere, and us girls relaxing to the champagne sounds of the Lawrence Welk show. We were pooped! But it was a good tired, the kind that comes from having a good time with family & friends. Thanks, everyone!

Happy Birthday, Caroline!

Caroline turned 2 years old yesterday, and although her official party isn't until Saturday, we decided that the birthday girl (not to mention the rest of us) would enjoy an afternoon in the Daniel's swimming pool!

Here's Grandad helping Caroline stay on the float, Jordi, and young Richard in the pool. The girls are really coming along in their ability to get themselves around the pool in their floaties. You should see their little legs go! (Next time, I'll try to capture them motoring along on camera!)

After a couple hours of swimming, it was time to dry off, eat supper, and have CAKE! Caroline had been telling us for a couple days that "I eat ALL the pink!" when the topic of her birthday cake came up, so here it is: strawberry cake with strawberry icing! It was made with love by Baker Chef Jordi and her helper, Grandad.

Here's our hostess & new grandmother, Susie, with her beautiful grandbaby, Ava Grace, who's only 7 weeks old. So tiny & so sweet!

Here's Ava getting a bottle from her mommy, Megan. Jordi was very interested in what Baby Ava was doing, especially during the feeding times. She stayed close by Megan's side, just in case Megan needed any help holding Ava's bottle (which, luckily for Jordi, she did a couple times!)

All in all, a wonderful afternoon!

Weekend Fun

Ah, summertime! Seems like every day is full of outdoor fun! This weekend, we had a lot of typical summertime goings-on, such as...

..swimming! Here's Caroline, getting the hang of pool lounging over at Jack & Susie Daniel's house. For the first time, both she & Jordi got to float around by themselves, each in her own floatie. Not surprisingly, they loved it!

..sliding! This giant, inflatable water slide is the latest addition to the Ford's backyard, and is quite a sight to see. Check out Jordi, climbing up the back of this thing like she's been doing it her whole life! She's becoming such a kid, but I guess that's what happens when you're almost 4!

..eating gigantic lollipops! These came courtesy of the Ford's, something they got for the girls while they were on vacation. They were so excited, but what a yukky, sticky mess!!

BTW, today is Caroline's birthday, so stay tuned for some b'day pictures!!

Shirts from the Past

At Nana's house, these shirts are a big deal! You see, these shirts belonged to Daddy & Uncle Al when they were boys and played on a baseball team together. Nana has kept them all these years, and now lets the girls wear them, on special occasions only!

Caroline calls it her "Kentucky shirt" (I guess she can't remember "baseball shirt," but knows it has something to do with sports!), and since I took this picture last week, has requested to wear hers almost every day! It's no wonder, though, as these shirts have aged quite well, and are very soft & cozy for napping or lounging. I'm glad Nana saved this bit of history!

Made with Love by Grandma

We got a wonderful package in the mail from NH the other day, full of love from Grandma Henri & Aunt Donna. I speak figuratively, of course; literally, it contained hand-sewn dresses and a nightgown for each girl. Grandma is an excellent seamstress, and Aunt Donna contributed by using her savvy fashion sense to select some of the fabrics. Here are some pictures of their teamwork:


We traveled to Pullman Square (in nearby Huntington, WV) on Saturday evening, and I took this picture of the girls near the fountain. They are enjoying some after-dinner sweets, courtesy of the church group that was putting on the live music that night.

Here they they are in their ballerina nightgowns! Both girls love their new nightgowns, but Caroline especially does. She's loathe to remove hers when it's time to get dressed each morning and, yesterday, she even insisted on wearing it during her nap! Thank you, Grandma!

First Friday

As yesterday was the first Friday of the month, it was time for our monthly trek downtown to the Pendleton Art Center. This month's was the 2nd anniversary of the First Friday Art Walk tradition, and they marked the occasion by adding some festivities:

First of all, cake for everyone! Here are Caroline & Jordi, who were very excited to get to have a piece. Yummy!

Secondly, they closed the whole block to traffic so the crowd could enjoy some wonderful live music. Here's a picture of the girls cheering as the band wraps up a lively number!

Oops! Sun's almost down... time to head home!

But there's just enough time for one more stop. This is one of our favorite statues in the "Paws Along the River" display: the Kentucky Tomcat! It's half UK Wildcats & half Ashland Tomcats, and just right for little girls to climb on!