Happy Holidays!

October Update

Fall and H1N1 are in the air! Ah, maybe that's not such a good combination. Anyway, as usual, we've been incredibly busy lately. Here's what we've been up to...

David - celebrated a birthday last week, has been playing his new Tiger Woods 2010 Wii game a lot since his birthday, and will soon be coaching Zachary's basketball team.

Michelle - has had an incredibly busy work schedule lately, seeing lots of kids with H1N1, filled in for the pediatrician in Huntington again, and will be helping in Lauren's class this week during the Halloween/Fall party.

Zachary - finished soccer season, had a great grade card, is getting ready to start basketball season, started piano lessons, is learning to play the recorder at school, and is anxiously awaiting upcoming trips to a Colts game and the IU vs. Purdue football game.

Lauren - got her first kindergarten grade card with sparkling results, started ballet lessons, continues with gymnastics, and just joined a Daisies (Girl Scouts) troop. We are celebrating her sixth birthday next weekend!

Happy Fall!

Happy Labor Day!

School has been underway for a few weeks now. What happened to the days when school started after Labor Day?

Zachary is enjoying fourth grade. He still loves math, science, reading, spelling...looks like he just likes school in general! He has also been playing fall baseball and soccer on the weekends. Lauren has been enthusiastic about her kindergarten homework. Each Monday they take home a letter worksheet that they need to complete and return by Friday. She has been finishing her worksheet as soon as she gets home Monday evenings! Since I have Fridays off, I'll be helping in Lauren's classroom one Friday a month. Kindergarten is half-day, so she rides the bus to her daycare Mondays through Thursdays. She is still doing gymnastics once a week at her daycare.

Now that school has started, I'm glad to say that the number of sports and school physicals on my schedule has decreased. That leaves much more room for well baby checks and sick appointments. I'm sure that, by the time winter is over, I'll be tired of looking at infected ears and red throats and will be looking forward to seeing healthy kids again!

We just got back from a long weekend trip to Chicago. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry, where we saw the traveling Harry Potter exhibit. The exhibit had movie props and costumes, including wands, brooms, robes, Quidditch hoops, Harry's four-poster Hogwarts bed, and Hagrid's furniture. We also went to the Hershey store, Ghiradelli's, American Girl, the Cheesecake Factory, McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, and Mike Ditka's restaurant. David, Zachary and Lauren even let me go to Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, and Ann Taylor! ;-) Our final stop of the Chicago trip was the Adler Planetarium. It was pretty interesting, but I prefer the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. We watched a 23-minute Sesame Street show about stars while we were at the Planetarium. Afterwards, Lauren informed me that she is "waaaaaay too old for Elmo."

We spent a rainy day at the lake today getting some of the outdoor "stuff" put away. The sailboats, paddle boat, and the canoe are packed up for the winter. We left the speedboat out so we could take a few more rides in the next couple of weeks. It's always kind of sad to pack up the lake toys for the winter, but before we know it we'll be getting it all out again next summer!

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend! Enjoy the short work/school week!

Where has the summer gone?

It's the last day of July already! Zachary and Lauren start school in two weeks. Z will be in 4th grade and L will make her school debut in kindergarten. Lauren was eager to buy school supplies so we rounded up pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and more at Wal-Mart today.

Here are some of the things we've packed into this summer so far:

* Zachary played baseball (and his team won the tournament in the 9-10 age group).

* Lauren and Zachary went to zoo camp and farm camp.

* We took a vacation to Hilton Head, SC, with stops in Asheville, NC, and Knoxville, TN.

* David and I took a long weekend trip to the Tampa/Clearwater area.

* We went to Muskegon, Michigan, for a weekend.

* Spent time at the lake (swimming, fishing, boating, fireworks on the 4th)

* Planted fruits and veggies in the garden

* Library trips

* Vacation Bible School

* Movies (Up, Harry Potter, G-Force)

* Zoo trips

* Tried out the new kayaks

* I started a new job as a nurse practitioner in pediatrics.

Here's hopin' we can pack in even more activities before the end of summer. Good thing I have Fridays off!

Our recent trip to NC, SC, and Georgia

Zachary and Lauren at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

One of Savannah's beautiful squares

BBQ at Disney's Hilton Head Resort

Zachary (on the left) waiting in line for the water slide at the Disney Resort

Hilton Head Island, SC

Lunch at the Salty Dog Cafe, Hilton Head, SC

The Lady and Sons Restaurant (Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, GA)

Lauren in Hilton Head

Face painting at the Disney Resort

Hilton Head, SC

One of our favorite vacation spots is Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It seems like we find something new to do each visit! We have always flown there in the past, but decided to be really adventurous and drive this time.

On the first leg of our trip, we drove to Asheville, NC. When we arrived, we ate at a seafood restaurant with live jazz music, and then got dessert at The Chocolate Fetish. I couldn't pass up a truffle called "Blossom," with the following description: "A must try for any Chocolate lover, this Truffle offers a rich Dark Chocolate center subtly flavored with lemon zest, a touch of ginger, and a hint of saffron encased in a Dark Chocolate shell and garnished with a candied Violet blossom." It was quite an unusual combination of flavors!

The next morning, we toured the Biltmore House before heading out of town (see pictures below).

With bikes and kayak in tow, we finally arrived at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. We stayed in Hilton Head for most of the week, but we did take one day to drive to Savannah, GA, to tour the city and eat at Paula Deen's restaurant. Here are some other things we did on our vacation:

* Went on a dolphin watching boat ride

* Kayaked with dolphins VERY nearby (less than a paddle length away at times)

* Went to the beach (and found creatures/items such as a horshoe crab, jellyfish, shells, and sharks' teeth)

* Swam at the Disney resort's pool, which has a very fun water slide

* Attended Disney events (Campfire with S'mores, BBQ, Pool Party, Fireworks, Low Country Shrimp Boil, Magnet painting activity, Beachcombers activity, Marsh exploration activity, Alice in Wonderland's Un-Birthday Party)

* Climbed 114 steps to the top of the lighthouse in Harbourtown

* Fished

* Caught crabs using crab nets and shrimp

* Ate at delicious Hilton Head restaurants

* Rode bikes

On the way home, we stopped overnight in Knoxville, TN, but we didn't stay to see much of the town. Our fine Knoxville dining consisted of Papa John's pizza that night!

We've almost settled back into our routine, although it may not be completely normal for a while due to my upcoming job change! I will soon be working as a nurse practitioner at a pediatrics office three days a week and at a family practice office once a week. I've enjoyed the OB-GYN world but have always loved pediatrics! David continues as one of ten partners in his law firm, specializing in civil litigation. The kayak that we hauled to Hilton Head was David's early Father's Day present.

Zachary's baseball season is in full swing (no pun intended) now. He has already attended baseball and basketball camps since school has been out! Lauren loves her gymnastics class at preschool and is counting down to the start of kindergarten in the fall. Both Zachary and Lauren will attend zoo camp and farm camp in the next several weeks. Summer tends to fly by around here!

Asheville, North Carolina

Here are some pictures from our visit to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. The house was originally owned by George W. Vanderbilt, beginning in 1895. His grandson, William A.V. Cecil, owns the estate today. They don't allow cameras inside the house but the outside offers plenty of picture taking opportunities!

The house includes 43 bathrooms, a bowling alley, a 70,000-gallon indoor swimming pool, and a gymnasium.

There are two Renoir paintings in the breakfast room: Young Algerian Girl and Child with an Orange.

Vanderbilt was an avid reader and had a library with more than 10,000 volumes in eight languages. There is a chess set once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte on display in the library.

We toured the house and the gardens, although we didn't cover all 8,000 acres of the estate! The audio tour kept Zachary and Lauren interested -and busy- on all four floors and in the basement of the house. Zachary's last visit to the Biltmore House was about seven years ago when he was 2 1/2. This time, he managed to restrain himself from dashing under the ropes in an attempt to leap on Mr. Vanderbilt's bed. Lauren was quite enamored with the elaborate canopy beds, but she politely observed them from a distance.

Happy Mother's Day

We're heading to the lake tomorrow for a Mother's Day celebration! Tomorrow is also my grandma's birthday. It's always nice to see the arrival of lake season.
Happy Mother's Day, everyone!