End of Summer Fun

One quick look out the door and it is obvious that summer has passed. Tonight the thermometer is going to dip into the low 40s. Leaves are on the ground and fall is officially here. But before we jump into the fall festivities we thought we should update you all on how we wrapped up the summer in the Bluegrass.

This first picture is for Grammy Gayle and the late Great Grandma Nice. As you can see Callie is sporting her San Francisco Giants t-shirt with pride. And if you look closely you can see how the true California girl wears her sunglasses.




For those of you who care, as I know I (John) do, she also has a New York Mets t-shirt. I'm just saying that both coasts are represented and she has a few years before she has to make a final commitment. In any case, this summer wear is seeing its last few days.


We are fortunate to live right near the University of Kentucky Arboretum. It is maintained year round and produces some beautiful flowers and other plant life. Callie and Sarah met up with a friend and her two daughters to take a walk and enjoy all that the Arboretum had to offer. Here Callie is posing for a quick picture while we were checking out all of the handcrafted birdhouses.


Here is a peek at Catie, Ada, and Ara, our fun companions on the tour of the Arboretum. Callie is the perfect middle child of these two and it was fun to watch how she truly enjoyed interacting with both of them. She took great pleasure in running around with the 4 year old and taking care of the 9 month old. It's neat to see how adaptable she is when interacting with other kids.


We had so much fun with them that weekend that the next weekend we met up with them again at Boyd's Orchards. Boyd's had a huge playground and the girls ran all over it the entire time we were there. Callie especially liked the tubes she could climb through and slide down. We were so impressed with the variety of fall activities which included apple and pumpkin picking, hay, horse, and train rides, and that huge playground. So be ready to see more pictures of Boyd's when we get to our October updates.

That very same weekend marked our neighborhood's Oktoberfest. And yes, it is in September and it is spelled with a K. Not sure what that is all about but it is a good time nevertheless. The last couple of years we have gone, eaten a slightly German meal, and had a few beers. But this year was different because Callie was ready to fest like it was Oktober. Check out the video below.



We do want to mention that this is Callie's very first moonbounce experience. Well I guess we should say this is her second. It took us a couple of times for Callie to understand the whole concept of the moonbounce. Honestly, the first time was pretty funny because she waited in line, pretty patiently we must say, only to sit in the middle of the moonbounce and watch all of the kids bounce around her. But her observations paid off the second time around.

Okay, prepare yourselves, although you can already see the picture most likely. In the ongoing battle to rid the house of diapers, this pictures seems to point to success. And although Callie has had some success over the last three months she is still not willing to make it a permanent part of her daily routine. And recently she has talked about her diapers more than one would think possible.





But she's cute, so I guess we'll be patient and keep working on it. We did just get word that she will be moving into the two year old classroom at daycare which does have a bathroom which should make the whole potty-training effort more consistent. Keep your fingers crossed on that one.


Next stop, Bloomington, Indiana, or apparently B-Town to the locals. In any case, they have themselves a Lotus Festival up there that brings in musicians from all over the world. We drove up on a Friday night so we could enjoy the festival on Saturday. Our fine hosts are pictured to the left. Neil is a biology professor and one of John's colleagues at EKU and his wife Karen is a grad student at Indiana University. We love to hang out with them and jumped at the chance to spend the entire weekend with them. The weekend included the best farmer's market we've seen yet, two awesome breakfast joints, a sumptuous Indian dinner, a Hungarian gypsy band, and a whole lotta rain.


Although we did get wet, we managed to walk around downtown and found a good photo opportunity or two. Callie likes dogs, but is a bit timid when it comes to actually petting them. So this dalmation was a perfect compromise for all involved. Callie got to touch a dog and we got a good picture.




And of course we had to spend some quality time with the Hallorans and their son Iain. It is fun to see the two kids hanging out together.

Iain started at Callie's daycare about two months ago and Callie has been very supportive and helpful during his transition. It is so neat to see her recognize him and view him as her friend. The two of them play together extremely well and we're sure this friendship will only grow as they get older.


That being said, I (John again) was not present and accounted for when the decision was made to have both children in this bath. Nor was Charles, Iain's father, consulted. As many of you know, John's feeling is that Callie will not date until she is 30. So you can only imagine where taking a bath with a boy fits into this equation. It doesn't matter how sweet Iain is and how few tatoos he has.

So that is it. The Summer of 2009 is officially brought to a close. Hard to believe that this Saturday we will celebrate Callie's second birthday. Time sure does fly. And only 28 years until she can date...