Without much up front planning, Friday turned out to be a great day. We went downtown to check out one of the new parks, and was pleasantly surprised by what a great job they have done there. The new playground has something for little and big kids, and wherever you looked there was something interesting. From the giant chimes, to the flying pig "ride", to the climbing poles, to the huge open areas where you can play frisbee, soccer, or just sit down and have a picnic. It was cloudy, and there was a chance of rain, but that didn't bother us. I had an umbrella and the girls' rain jackets. In fact, that didn't seem to bother many other people either, as the place was relatively crowded.
We also sat down in the swings overlooking the river, went to the Cincinnati-themed carrousel, and had a late lunch. Lionel wasn't there the whole time, since he stayed cleaning the yard, but he met us at the carrousel and for lunch. It was a great way to relax, enjoy time with the the family, and appreciate the city.
These 2 pictures literally warm my heart
The guest bedroom has now become the girls staging area for swimming and tennis, which basically means it is always a mess. Better than having their stuff spread out all over the place.
On Thursday night the girls wanted to ride their bikes for a little while, but it was already getting dark. So I got ingenious! Two hand lanterns, and a little of duct tape, and the girls had lit up helmets. They really got a kick out of it.
Yesterday I was lucky that my work calendar was open enough to be able to have lunch with Isabel and the girls and give them a quick tour of my work buildings. Many people were already gone for the holiday break, so the place was mostly empty, which worked out great. The girls had been there before, but Bella wanted to see it again. And I believe it was Isabel's first time there. Their visit was probably the best part of the day.
You know you are doing something right as a parent when your 10 year old sends you a picture of two yellow squash she harvested from your yard saying "Yum".
It's hard to believe, but today was already swim meet #5. This time it was at a club in Northern Kentucky. The girls did well, and I managed not to be completely eat by the mosquitoes by getting bug spray from one of the other parents. Lionel and I didn't have to volunteer this time around - in fact we have been off the hook a couple of times already - so we just hung out.
