Maifest

We had a great time at the Maifest this past Sunday. We spent the afternoon and evening strolling the MainStrasse in Covington - seeing all the vendors, eating some great food, enjoying some wonderful music and riding some fun rides. For some reason, we looked like the people to give your left over tickets to. We ended up with 21 tickets in all, never purchasing a single one (and they were 20 for $18!). Ryan rode a bunch of rides and was especially excited to ride the roller coaster. As you can see in the picture, he had a big smile on his face the whole time! Emma got to go on her first ride too - the Merry Go Round. She loved it. I got to go on that with the kids and Kris took Ryan on the Dizzy Dinosaurs and the Himalayan ride (a big ride). We all had a great time and even started our Christmas shopping!

Having Fun!

We've been having some fun since we got home from Michigan. We've met friends at B&N and the park to play. We've washed some of our outside toys that were caked with mud - was that fun for all! We've also been taking advantage of the nice weather when we can and play outside. We've played at the gym and today we got to go swimming (which knocked Emma out as you can see!).

Let's see - Kris ran the Toyota 10k at the Flying Pig marathon a few weeks ago. He beat his previous time and we were all proud of him. We spent the morning walking around Cincy and enjoying some time together! Ryan even got a tattoo.

Ryan is coming to the end of school. Only 8 days left. What I'm going to do with him once he's out is anyone's guess. He's full of advice and suggestions and is always very worried about what and how much people are eating. Not sure why - but it makes for very repetitive meals. Since Emma's birthday he has been very excited for his own. He knows we're going to Chuck E Cheese and can't stop talking about it! He loves to play in Emma's bed especially if she is in there (although he'll play by himself too). He's getting much better at playing without me or help. Yesterday, we moved all the toys around the house and now there seems to be a brand new set of toys to play with - even though all of them were out before! He had a great time at the pool today going down the slide and walking through the water falls. He is very excited for it to be warm enough for the outside pool to open.

Emma is driving us nuts lately. Two days last week, she decided against taking an afternoon nap. So at the suggestion of friends, I have tried to move her to one afternoon nap. Unfortunately, it hasn't lengthened her nighttime sleep at all - and she still gets up too early for us. Today, she fell asleep in the car and we put her on the couch until she woke up. She slept for about 30 minutes total and now won't go down for her nap. I'm really not sure if teeth or the books in her bed are a factor. She has been walking all over and is loving the independence. The other moms with 1 year olds at the park were amazed at the space I give her to climb and go down slides. She's great at all that stuff and takes after her mom in the climbing! I took her to get her 1st birthday pictures taken, so some are shown here.

In Sympathy

We are up in Michigan right now. On Sunday, I found out that my friend, Amanda Igel's husband Damon past away. He had surgery to remove his adnoids, tonsils and repair a deviated septum and died a few days later after developing an fever. At the moment, we don't know any more than that. But we are so sad for Amanda and their families. It is such a tragedy to lose someone at 34. It just seems unfathomable and really makes you reflect on your life. Tonight, Kris and I attended the visitation and tomorrow I will be going to the funeral. I am glad to know that Amanda is surrounded by family and friends to help her through this time. I have so much sympathy for her and cannot imagine being in her shoes. God Bless her!