Halloween Safari Style

We were on top of planning this year, so the girls knew well ahead of time what they were going to be. Reese wanted to be a zebra and Callie was excited to be a cheetah.  Meanwhile, their parents wondered about the symbolism of having costumes in which one child was the natural predator of the other.  

Although we were prepared early, Halloween was officially pushed back a day throughout Kentucky because of high winds and severe thunderstorms predicted for October 31.  Fortunately, the weather didn't get too out of hand, and the weather on November 1 was absolutely fantastic.  It made us think we were part of a Halloween commercial, as the setting sun hit the autumn leaves and all sorts of kids with their parents walked around a beautiful neighborhood.

Meanwhile, back at the zoo…seriously, though, how could we not take a picture like this when our children are dressed in those costumes.  And the girls were happy to work with our ideas.  Indeed, we did not include one of the pictures we took where Callie is gnawing on one of Reese's legs.  It was a fun discussion at dinner when Reese found out that, as a zebra, she was a preferred meal of her sister the cheetah.  Of course we had to let Reese share this new fact with any of the households we visited that night who commented on their costumes.

This year was a big year, because Callie did not hesitate one bit to walk up to each door and say trick or treat.  Her sister was a little bashful this year, but we imagine that will pass over time.  And this year we visited a different part of our neighborhood and certainly will be visiting it again next year.  It was a great evening and the girls had a blast.

Fall Visitors from Connecticut

In mid-October, shortly after Callie turned six (seriously, is she actually six already?), we had a great visit with Sport and Nana Banana.  The girls were very excited, and Callie was lucky enough to have her fall break when her grandparents were in town, so she got to spend a lot of time with them.

October visitors must make the pilgrimage to the weekend morning workouts at Keeneland.  It is always a little chilly, but it is just so cool to stand along the rail as so many different horses go running by.  You can feel the pounding hooves as they pass.  Each year it seems that these morning workouts get more visitor friendly.  This year they added tours of the grounds to the experience, and we spent a fun thirty minutes getting a more in depth education about what makes Keeneland such a great place to experience horse racing.

This picture has become a classic every time we get together with Taffy and Jay (aka Mom and Dad, aka Nana Banana and Sport).  John's has fond memories of his Mom reading books to him growing up, so it is only fitting that his daughters love it too.  Now we just need to get Taffy to visit long enough to read through all of Sir Machinery.  No one does the voices of the characters in Sir Machinery like her, that's for sure.

One thing is for sure, when we have visitors we don't let them rest.  Even if you have recently had your knee replaced you better be prepared to hit the orchards running.  Nana Banana did not let us down, and she was a trooper while Callie and Reese led her around their favorite spots, including not only the full bins of gourds, but also the play areas.

Of course it is not as if the grandparents got to have all the fun.  Sarah and Reese went down the slide quite a few times, and Reese loved every minute of it.  Callie is old enough to do it herself, and loves the fact that she is old enough to do it herself.  One thing about Evans Orchard is there is never a moment when your child says that there is nothing to do.  It's only a question of what to do next.

For us, the next stop was the petting zoo, where Sport was kind enough to spend a couple of quarters so that Callie and Reese could feed the assorted animals.  Although they enjoyed feeding the goats, we must admit that their favorite, and ours too, were the baby bunnies.  Our only complaint was that we couldn't hold them.  So far the girls have yet to plead incessantly for a pet of some sort, but when we saw them look at the bunnies we figure it is only a matter of time.  We have to be strong.

As we were saying, there are a lot of activities at the orchard, and we could not pass up a good old fashioned tractor ride through the grounds.  And we are pretty proud of the picture we got of the girls with Nana Banana and Sport.  That's a good looking foursome.

It is not always easy living so far away from our families.  But we are very comforted to know that the girls are very aware of who their family is and that they are loved.  We could not ask for more.

If you are reading this blog, it most likely means that you will be receiving this picture in the mail very soon with best wishes for the year ahead.  This picture captures so much that we love about Callie and Reese.  They are very sweet girls, and they love each other very much.  We feel very lucky that they get along so well and can only hope that it continues for the rest of their lives.  We have said it before, but it bears repeating every time we think of the two of them together.

Oh, Reese.  We added this picture just to highlight what a spitfire Reese is turning out to be.  She is sweet to the core, like her sister, but she can hold her own in just about every situation.  And while she may be feisty, all signs point to her enjoying and understanding a good sense of humor.  She loves to laugh and loves even more to make people laugh.  And while it may be hard to believe that Callie is six, it is even harder to believe that Reese is about to turn three.  As she would say, "Oh my goodness!"

Callie and Crew Hit Chicago

So it is still hard for us to believe, but on October 3, 2013, Callie Alexis Bowes turned six.  That's a lot to soak in.  And while we had a wonderful birthday party last year at Evans Orchard, we decided this year that a special family trip would be a great way to make this birthday memorable.  And what would be more memorable than a trip to the American Girl flagship store in Chicago. 

However, before we get into the excitement of the weekend, we must admit to a few mishaps that still haunt us, seeing as we are not rookie travelers.  Mishap number one was the realization that occurred five minutes before we left the house that although we had looked at different hotel options, we had never actually made a reservation at one.  Mishap number two, we forgot to bring with us the pre-paid American Girl birthday extravaganza packet that we needed to celebrate the big day.  Mishap number one could be handled through the magic of smart phones on the drive.  Mishap number two, which we became aware of about two hours away from Chicago and four hours into the drive, was handled, though it took a few more deep breaths and a little more time.

But we made it to Chicago safely and slept in a fine hotel room we had booked only hours before.  And the next morning, after a fun ride on the L, we had arrived at the place that would be our home for the next five hours.  Callie's eyes grew big the moment she saw the American Girl sign, and they never decreased in size the entire time we were there.  It made it clear that we had made the right decision for this particular birthday.

The first order of business was the purchase of Julie, the doll with the long hair pictured below.  Julie is a child of the 1970s, and adds some free spiritedness to our family.  With Julie in tow we headed off to the cafe for our birthday lunch.  

It is safe to say that the folks at American Girl know what they are doing.  They considered every little detail.  Since we had pre-paid for the birthday package, Callie immediately received birthday hats and gift bags for her, Reese, Julie and Zoey, one of the Bitty Babies who tagged along with us to Chicago.  And yes, the dolls are expected to be a part of things every step of the way.

The dolls even get their own little chairs that attach to the table.  Reese loved having Zoey next to her, and made sure that she had enough to eat and drink.  Although Reese knew it was Callie's birthday, she could not have been a better sport.  She loved the whole experience and never asked for a single thing.  It may be because she is only two and doesn't know better, but we are going to say that it is because she is such a sweet and selfless child.

Here is the whole family after lunch.  It is important to note that the American Girl Cafe also serves adult beverages which certainly helps the parents prepare for the rest of the afternoon.  And yes, those are cupcake headbands that Sarah and the girls are wearing.  Those are not AG - Sarah bought them for this special day.

So lunch was done and Julie was in our possession.  But we couldn't just let Julie walk out of there without making sure she got spoiled as well.  Off to the salon!

It falls into the category of, you have to see it to believe it.  There it is, a counter that has about eight of these chairs for the dolls.  And at any given moment four or five of them have hair stylists giving these dolls the full treatment.  It is truly stunning to behold.  After the salon, Callie got a photo taken of her and Julie as a gift from Grammy.  And then the final step in the process was Callie picking out a full outfit for Julie as a birthday present from Kate and Ashlyn.  Needless to say, at this point we were tired and needed to find a good place to sit down and eat.  Unfortunately this was easier said then done.  We walked quite a bit before finding a good place for deep dish pizza.

But we have to say that we absolutely love Chicago, so even though we were dealing with one cranky child and another who was falling asleep, we enjoyed the sights.  And once we had all been revived by a good meal, the four of us were able to take in the great city that surrounded us.  So on our walk back to the train station we took advantage of the opportunity to get a picture with the Sears Tower.  It worked out pretty well.

Let it be said that we would not drive six hours just to spend a full day at the American Girl store only to turn around and drive home the next day.  We had to make sure we saw more of Chicago before we left.  So it was off to Navy Pier on a beautiful Sunday morning.  We went to the Children's Museum, which was fantastic by the way.  We had a bite to eat at Harry Caray's, and then it was time to take on the ferris wheel.  Apparently the ride on the ferris wheel required sassy attitudes, as you can see in the picture to the left.  Looking at the two of them we are not sure if we should laugh or be scared.

John wasn't sure how the girls would react to the ride, especially because we don't often spend time more than a hundred feet off the ground.  But both Callie and Reese loved it.  And on a day like that, we could sit back and enjoy the beautiful skyline and shoreline of Chicago.  It was pretty amazing.  Fortunately, the girls were easily lured to the car by the promise of ice cream, and we headed back to Lexington without any fuss.

The very next day Callie was excited to wear her American Girl t-shirt to school and to show off Julie.  Notice that Julie has a matching shirt.  Reese refused to be outdone in the whole affair and was excited to pose with Zoey. Callie couldn't stop talking about the trip for the next several weeks, and we were happy to have shared a fun weekend as a family.  All in all, it was a successful excursion.

Fall Traditions

For the past four years, we have added one more tradition to our usual fall lineup.  It's called the Bourbon Chase, and it is a relay race in which teams of 12 runners cover 200 miles over the course of about 30 hours.  And in Kentucky, what better trail to follow than the Bourbon Trail.  The race starts at Jim Beam, passes through Maker's Mark, hits Wild Turkey, spends some time at Woodford Reserve, and finishes in downtown Lexington.  

The race is a blast, but while John is running, Sarah is taking care of the girls.  And it just so happens that our friends Kirk and Kelly also run the chase, which means that for the past four years the Bourbon Chase has also meant a sleepover and fun times for the Bowes and Abraham girls.  This year the girls' chase started at Panera where everyone fueled up for the night ahead.  That was followed by a quick trip to Michael's for some craft projects and a trip to Kroger's for some ice cream before the crew headed home.

It is hard to say who gets less sleep during the weekend, the folks who are out there running through the night or the girls who are having too much fun to sleep.  And the same thing goes for who is more tired by the end of the weekend, the folks who have run throughout the night, or Sarah, who has had to wrangle four energetic girls during that entire time.  When all is said and done, Callie and Reese are excited every year to spend the night with Claire and Ella.

And here we have a picture of some of the runners from John's team, Intellectual Pursuits.  The exact make-up of the team has changed somewhat over the years, but there is a core group of four (John, Carolyn, Greg, and Mark) who have done it each of the four years and another four  (Kirk, Dave, Sharon, and Ken) who have done it three years.  All eight of those fine people are not only avid runners but also college professors.  It's a fun time, to say the least.  Picture here are five of the six runners from Van 1 who are celebrating the completion of their final run with a shot of Woodford Reserve.  At the very least the alcohol made us forget for a moment that we had each run three different times over the past 24 hours, had slept a total of four hours, and desperately needed hot showers.  We can't wait to do it again next year!

Of course fall = orchards and lots of fun in the Bluegrass.  This year the girls got a chance to meet up with Libby and Lucy at Boyd's Orchard while John hung out with the Chrismans at yet another bourbon distillery to start the celebration of Charlie and Kate Chrisman's marriage.  We have said it before, but it is worth saying again, especially when coupled with the picture to the right.  Callie, Reese, Libby, and Lucy love hanging out together.  And it is fun to watch.


And if you visit Boyd's, you have to make sure to get a picture on the huge chair.  It's great, because no matter how big your kids grow, you can always get a picture of them looking small.

Notice how Reese and Lucy are holding hands here as Libby puts her arm around Callie.  These four certainly know how to pose for a picture.  They have handled enough requests in their lifetime, so they know the drill.

And if fall = orchards, then orchards = pumpkins, and pumpkins = jack o' lanterns.  We haven't reached a level of pumpkin craziness in our household, but John, Callie, and Reese figured it would be a good idea to at least carve one little one.  The girls had fun trying to get all the pumpkin innards cleaned out.  Their skills need some work, but that's okay, they have time.

And here is Callie with the final product.  It isn't going to win any awards, but it looked cool when the candle inside was lit and the lights were turned out.  And good thing we had the candle inside there, because shortly after this picture was taken a strong wind blew a tree branch onto the power line behind the Chrisman's house.  There was a brief and furious fire followed by a blown transformer and no power in our house.  But the pumpkin's candle saved the day.

And now that Callie is in kindergarten we can add another fall tradition to our list - LOGOS.  This is an after school program at our church that occurs every Wednesday, and is for kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade.  And part of the program includes learning worship skills, which means Callie and her classmates learn songs and on certain Sundays during the year lead the congregation in song.  Callie was so excited to get to wear the robe and sing in church.  Who knew this would be a joy to a little girl who has never wanted to participate in the Music and Arts camp performance over the past several years.  She certainly is coming out of her shell and becoming more comfortable with being on stage.

Callie Goes to Kindergarten

The real major event of the summer of 2013, however, was preparing Callie and ourselves for kindergarten and all that it entailed.  

We have been very good about making sure Callie has regular doctor and dentist visits.  But for the first time we had to have her eyes checked.  This is a big deal for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that John got his first pair of glasses in 1st grade and Sarah still has "perfect" eyesight.  So of course it was Sarah who took Callie to the optometrist.  During the visit, Callie was asked to identify a number of objects on the wall.  She started out okay, but as she started to get more and more them wrong, Sarah began to panic.  It was looking like John's genes had taken hold of Callie's eyes.  As Sarah prepared herself for the bad news, she began thinking about how good it was that glasses had become fashionable.  Then came the really good news.  Callie's eyesight was 20/20, and they were just testing to see if her eyes were better than that.  Medically, Callie was now fully cleared.

Now it was time to check out her classroom and meet her teacher at orientation.  Cassidy Elementary School was packed and the whole experience was initially a bit overwhelming.  But once she entered her classroom, Callie was pretty excited to see all of the different stations and learning areas.  

She met her teacher, sat at one of the tables, and just took a good look around the whole classroom.  You can see from the smile on her face here that she was definitely ready to go.  But that was just orientation.  What was really cool to see was how ready Callie was on the very first day of kindergarten.  She and Sarah worked hard on the sign she is holding below, and Callie was very proud to hold it for a number of pictures.

And of course, she was also prepared to break out some of her best poses for the picture.  Notice the "popped" knee that really helps make the photo work.

She was particularly excited about her backpack, which we had not let her take anywhere before this big day.  Callie also had a lunch packed in her new lunchbox and couldn't wait to eat all of the goodies that she helped prepare the night before.  We could not have asked for a better morning, that's for sure.

Then came the big moment.  Sarah walked with Callie to Mrs. Bradley's room so she could begin her very first day of kindergarten.  Callie walked right in without hesitation, listened to where she needed to put her backpack, and started coloring at her table as instructed.  No tears were shed, at least by her, and though Sarah knew this was when she was supposed to leave, it was difficult to walk out on this moment when she could see just how much Callie had matured over the summer.  What a wonderful experience for all involved.

Adults Only

2013 has certainly been a benchmark year, and we have spent quite a bit of time celebrating the arrival of the big 4-0 in people's lives.  In May, about fifteen women descended on Las Vegas to bring in Denise's new decade.

Sarah and the rest of the crew did their best to take on the town like they did in their 20s.  They drank in swanky bars, crowded pools, and danced like nobody's business.  However, the reality that they were not in their 20s came when they popped up at 6:30, had the urge to feed small children, and didn't understand why their bodies were sore from head to toe.  It was a good thing this was only a short weekend's worth of festivities.

Sarah did have to recover quickly, because she was back on a plane to the West Coast to celebrate Lauren's 40th in August.  It's pretty amazing that well over twenty years ago Sarah and Lauren became friends, and since then have maintained that strong friendship through so many significant chapters of their lives - marriages, kids, cross-country moves, etc.  They are definitely lucky to have each other.

One of the best things about going out west is the opportunity to see the whole gang and catch up with all of their lives and goings on.  And of course it doesn't hurt to try out all the new restaurants and other hot spots that have popped up in the ten years we have been out of LA.

But one of the best aspects of it is getting to see some of the cutest kids outside of Lexington.

Although it was sad not to have Callie and Reese there, it really allowed Sarah to spoil Kate, Ashlyn, and little Bradley.  The best morning was when we met up with Auntie Pi and strolled to a local bagel place for breakfast.  It's pretty amazing how much you can enjoy a breakfast with kids when you aren't the one responsible for making sure they behave and eat well.  The weekend went by too fast but it was nice to be able to celebrate another milestone birthday with the West Coast folks.

Of course the end of summer always marks our most consistent adults only date of the year - Picnic with the Pops.  This year was our sixth at this illustrious event, and we had a great time once again.  We knew it was going to be one for the history books when we saw that our table was sandwiched by tables holding Governor Steve Beshear and Lexington Mayor Jim Gray.  And it only got better when the Mayor felt the need to taste this year's pre-dinner cocktail Sarah had cooked up.

In honor of this year's performance of music from Looney Tunes, the drink included not only bourbon, but some carrot juice and other secret ingredients.  The mayor liked it so much he agreed to have his picture taken with us. (He's the only one not dressed as an ACME employee)  For those of you keeping score, this is the second time Mayor Gray has made our blog.  Who knows where he'll show up next?

The best part of Picnic with the Pops is the table decorations and other assorted props that folks bring to the party.  One table had even made an ACME rocket that they allowed anyone to take a picture wearing.  Needless to say, Chad and Sarah had to take them up on the offer.  Chad, whose first and only exposure to classical music was through Looney Tunes, was in seventh heaven.

We of course had to get our yearly couple photo that night.  But that ACME wine was so good it was tough to focus on the task at hand.  Seriously though, it was another great dinner, great company, great weather, and great time overall.  Picnic with the Pops is an event that we won't be able to miss as long as we are here.

And for those of you wondering about the whole Looney Tunes theme and struggling to understand how it all worked, here is a picture of the incredible orchestra that played the music while the cartoons showed on two big video screens on either side of the stage.  It was an impressive performance to say the least.  But it was also eye-opening to watch the cartoons and be reminded just how violent they were…poor Wile E. Coyote.  We can't wait until next year!

Summer With Friends Part Two

We have often shared that we are very fortunate to live next door to the Chrismans.  But we still could not have predicted how close our girls would be with their two granddaughters.  And this summer we finally made a point of traveling to Louisville to hang out with Libby and Lucy on their turf.  

The main attraction was the Louisville Zoo.  It was a hot day, but we were ready to tackle it head on.  Callie and Libby were ready to lead the way.  The entire day they were inseparable.  It is quite amazing how well they get along.  In fact they got along so well that the day adventure led into Callie having a sleepover at Libby's house.

Reese certainly didn't want to be left out of the mix, and as you can see from this picture, she was also prepared for a day walking around in the bright sun.  She couldn't wait to see all the animals, and loved pointing them out to Lucy.  It would be hard to say at this point that Reese has a favorite animal.  Each one received equal oohs and ahhs.

We did manage to get one picture of all of them together.  Ironically enough, this was in an open crate labeled something along the lines of "Gorillas from Africa".  Just by looking at them you can see that it was a hot day and we had been on the go for a while.

Chris knew how to solve this problem, however, and promptly bought all the girls ice cream.  It's kind of his special power, seeing as he was the one to give each of our girls their first taste of ice creamy goodness.

After the ice cream break we hopped in our wagon, saw a few more sights, and then made our way to the Gipe's house where Alex and Sarah prepared a wonderful meal while the girls played in the backyard.  And we did what we do best with the Chrismans and enjoyed a few adult beverages.  It was a great night overall, and once again demonstrated how lucky we are.

Although we did not get to the local swimming pool as much as we had hoped over the summer, we did have some great days there with a few of Callie and Reese's friends from day care.  Callie and Reese are more and more comfortable in the water, which is great.  But it also reinforces the need for swimming lessons.  Maybe next year we will finally make that happen.

We had quite a bit of fun over the summer and had a number of play dates.  But some of the most fun we had was when Callie and Reese just got to hang out and play in the backyard.  Any time it was sunny out Reese wanted to fill up the pool.  The girls would run upstairs, get on their bathing suits, and start playing around.  That pool is the best five buck investment we have ever made.

We knew summer was coming to an end when we attended the church picnic and the girls got to hang out on the inflatable slide for hours on end.  

The smiles reflect the fun they were having, but for Callie, it also was a smile of anticipation.  She knew that the end of summer also meant a big change was coming.  She was about to enter kindergarten!

Summer Fun with Friends Part One

We always manage to pack just a little bit of fun into every summer, and this year was no different.  With a little help from our friends, we managed to have quite a good time.  It all started when we got a call from the Ross-Pederson family letting us know that we would be within reach of us, and that is all we needed to plan a trip to General Butler State Park.

It just so happened that we were also able to get the Richter family to join in on the fun.  When all of us first became friends, there were only two kids, and both belonged to the Richters.  Now there are six, and those six are a handful, even in a small and contained kids' pool. But it was great to see them all together enjoying the hot Kentucky summer.

Although the Richters weren't able to stay in the cabin we had rented, they were able to make it over for lunch one day.  The cabin was a perfect way for us to have a casual weekend of catching up and entertaining the little people.  And it also gave us the flexibility to deal with the nap schedules of both Alon and Neil.

And here is the sweet family of three enjoying their last few minutes at General Butler.  It really was hot, but we managed to get in one last playground excursion before we got into our air conditioned cars and drove off.

In typical fashion, this visit included great food, a little bit of wine, and a lot of fun conversations.  We only wish they lived closer.

For the Bowes family, we also got another adventure out of this trip, which was Callie and Reese's first paddle boat excursion.  We were informed by the kind proprietor that they could go out by themselves while we watched from the dock.  "But," he said, cigarette hanging from his mouth, "you do have to stay by the dock."  Because if there's one thing we are comfortable with, it's allowing our two and five year-old paddle around a lake solo while we relax on the deck and enjoy the view.  Needless to say, we chose to go as a family and got quite a workout in the process.  The girls loved it and especially enjoyed telling us what direction to go.  We have a couple of backseat drivers in the making.

Friends or no friends, a summer cannot go by without at least one stop at Reed Valley Orchard for blueberry picking.  This year both the girls certainly were into it and were great about getting the berries that were just ripe.  We can say that Reese had a little bit of a hard time getting the ripe berries into the bucket and not into her mouth.  And Callie always wanted to know who had picked the most berries.  We are okay with both of these traits.

We can't think of a better picture to highlight a great summer day with our two girls.  They very much enjoy each other's company, and we love to see how well they get along.  It's also good to see that they are still willing to take directions so that we can get the picture we want.  In total that day we picked berries that only lasted about three or four days once we got back home.  They are just so tasty!


Speaking of tasty, it is tough to beat one of Reed Valley's berry slushies on a hot summer day.  It is a must have every time we visit, and the only problem is that their cups are just too small.

Unfortunately for us, Reese did not need any help finishing hers.  In fact, she may have been the first one to finish.  On a side note, as you can see in the picture above, Reese has some wonderful facial expressions.  This one states, stay away from my slushy or else.

On one Sunday we decided to stay in town and used that time to get together with our friends the Gabbards after church.  It was great to grab something to eat and then hit one of the biggest playgrounds in Lexington.  We are very lucky to know the Gabbards.  Christi and Matt have been pretty instrumental in Reese and Callie's musical education.  If you ever hear Callie sing Dona Nobis Pacem, you can thank the Gabbards for that.  Callie and Reese also enjoy hanging out with Skye and Adam, who both are always ready to jump in and have some fun.

Although we had plans to get together with the Johnsons for our traditional 4th of July parade and Seth Johnson's birthday cookout, Mother Nature had other plans.  It rained, and then it rained some more.  And then it decided to rain.  This ensured that we were not making our way to the parade, so we needed a good plan B.  Hence, the red, white, and blue cupcakes.  It didn't quite make up for no fireworks or a cookout, but it was the best we could do under the circumstances.  And sometimes that is all you can ask for.

This last picture provides an opportunity to showcase a weekend when John was not only without friends, but without his wife.  Sarah's absence is the subject of another post, so let's get to the story of these two runners pictured here.  It was yet another addition of Lexington's Fastest Kid in Town.  For the past four years, at least for us, it could have been renamed, the watch your kid cry while you try and get them to run 100 yards race.  But every year Callie insists that she wants to do it, so every year we sign them up and get a t-shirt that doesn't fit and a crying child who can only be soothed with ice cream.

But this year was a different story.  Sarah may not believe it because she didn't see it with her own eyes, but it was truly an impressive performance.  Reese ran well, and Callie showed her maturity by meeting John and Reese at the finish line.  Then it was Callie's turn, and for the first time she just ran and didn't hesitate or shed a tear.  And she came in second place in her heat!  As I said, pretty impressive.  Next year, watch out, because you never know what they will do.