Just Curious

I am just curious... how many people are actually reading this blog?? If you are reading this, please leave me a comment and let me know! Also, if you have your own blogspot page, let me know so I can read yours, too! Thanks!

A Few Snow Pictures

After Lexi's nap (and after the snow briefly stopped falling), mommy and Lexi decided to venture to the mailbox to get 2 days worth of mail. We also tried to clear a path with our booted feet for daddy's tires when he comes home - not so easy without actually shoveling. Lexi did enjoy the snow, but it was a bit nippy, so we kept it short. Enjoy!

Snowed In!

As most of you are aware... over half of the USA has been hit with a HUGE snow storm over the last 24-48 hours. Here in Akron, it started at about 5 pm on Tuesday and hasn't stopped yet. I hear the end of the snow is near (at least with this system), but then we are to get even more on and off throughout this weekend and into next week. I just thought I would share some photos of our lovely snow - especially for those of you reading this from warmer climates. And to those of you who are in my same neck of the woods, good luck digging out of this mess! As you can see in the last picture, one of our neighbors is trying to dig his car out of his driveway as he has been doing for the last half-hour... thank the LORD for our 4-wheel drive CR-V (and to leaving the minivan in the garage on days like this). I just feel bad for Matt sitting at work today - he got up early to shovel the driveway just so he can come home after work and shovel once again (as my pregnant self won't be shoveling snow this winter). Sorry honey... maybe we should invest in a snow-blower??!! Enjoy and stay warm.

Straw Success!

After getting home from our busy weekend, we mastered the straw!!! Lexi spotted the special Dora cups mommy had purchased for her a while ago and wanted "juice". Mommy poured some juice into a Dora cup, and daddy helped Lexi learn how to suck through the straw! No more sippy cups at restaurants - YAY! What a BIG GIRL!

Splash Universe! (this is a long one)

What a weekend! We decided to travel to the beautiful state of Michigan and meet the Culler family - Ben, Erin and Jack - at Splash Universe for the day Saturday and overnight until Sunday. For those of you who aren't familiar with Splash Universe, it is an indoor water park attached to a Holiday Inn Express in Dundee, Michigan (right next to Cabella's). Click the following link to book your weekend getaway today! Splash Universe! The price was excellent ~$150 per night (water park and awesome continental breakfast included) as compared to similar larger-scale indoor water parks like Kalahari or Great Wolf Lodge, both in Sandusky, Ohio ~$300+ per night. Our room featured 2 sets of bunk beds in their own little cubby with a T.V. and then a queen bed near the window with another T.V. We also had a microwave, mini-fridge and sink outside of the full bathroom. After dropping Banky off at Matt and Brittany's in Perrysburg (thank you soooo much for watching our poochie), we met the Culler's in the lobby at noon and our rooms were already prepared for us!!! We unloaded the cars and went straight to the Pub and Grub for some lunch. Lexi feasted on chicken strips and waffle fries while Jack had grilled cheese. After lunch, we suited up and discovered the water park. Lexi was a bit overwhelmed at first, but it didn't take her long to break free from mommy and daddy and explore everything! She must have went down the kiddie slide 100 times!! I do believe that was her favorite thing to do. She also took turns with mommy and daddy cruising along the lazy river and also decided to try the bigger slide that sprayed water on you from the top. Towards the end of our 2-hour stay at the pools, she just couldn't decide what to do, so she was running around from one thing to the other and experiencing it all! We did try to take her up in the jungle gym that led to the larger slides, but she was perfectly content to keep her feet closer to the ground - which was fine with mommy and daddy. When the adults were tuckered out, we ventured to the small family pool for the main hotel, which was in a completely different place than the water park. It was much less crowded and more relaxing. Then it was nap time! Yay! Lexi went right to sleep in her bottom bunk and slept for nearly 2 hours. We then decided to eat some supper at Bob Evans and then went to check out Cabella's. Matt and I had never been there. Wow! What a place. There were TONS of stuffed - once real - animals and Lexi had a great time telling us what they all were. Her favorites were brown bear, the big bad wolf, and the real fish that were swimming in the indoor stream. By now, it is 9 pm and time for bed. We decided to hit the breakfast buffet early and try to get in one more hour of swimming before 11 am check-out. We ate around 7:30 and were back in the water by 9 am! Only the promise of a snack and getting to watch Dora the Explorer for a bit got Lexi out of the pools. She loved it! We showered, packed and were out by 10:50. Whew! What an adventure. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cheaper/smaller scale water park. We made it back to Matt and Brittany's house and Banky was so glad to see us. After meeting Nola and Gary at Carraba's Italian Restaurant for lunch, we visited and let the girls play for a while and then headed home. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
P.S. I decided to put all the pictures at the end this time instead of scattering them through the text.



























We didn't know anyone in this last picture on the right, but I thought you could see the jungle gym that dumped 500 gallons of water on us every 10 minutes or so.

Haircut!

Yes, mommy did it! I finally cut Lexi's hair. Daddy has been bugging me about it for a couple months now and so we finally got the scissors out after our bath and trimmed it up. I will have to admit that Lexi was getting quite a few tangles on the curly ends every morning when she woke up, so maybe this will help. It really is longer than it looks, but those curls just bounce right up and make it look shorter. Let me know - should I open my own hair boutique???

More Snow Fun!

After it stopped snowing (and after Lexi's nap), we decided to go back out and enjoy the snow even more! While daddy shoveled the driveway yet again, Lexi and I went next door and asked Chloe to come out and play in the snow with us. She did come out and she brought her sled with her!! Lexi LOVED the sled and our driveway was the perfect sled ramp for the two girls. I just had to snap a few pictures... Enjoy!

Snow Day!!

Well, the snow is here in full force! It started snowing Friday around noon and hasn't stopped!! The weather man says 9 inches or so, and I may actually believe him this time. As you can see from the pictures, we already have a good start to that 9 inch goal. Matt went out to shovel the driveway around 10:30 today and Lexi, Banky and I went out to join him in the snow. We were out there for not quite an hour. Lexi LOVED the snow this time. She was even throwing snow piles (it was too powdery for snowballs) at mommy and daddy - and even Banky too! Speaking of Banky, I am pretty sure he enjoyed himself also. We didn't even leash him and let him romp around in the snow drifts. It was almost over his little head! I even had to promise Banky and Lexi both a snack to get them back in the house. We will let our coats and gloves dry out and then maybe enjoy more snow later today or tomorrow. After her snack, Lexi wanted to play with her new Play-Doh she got for Christmas. What better time to play with Play-Doh than when you are snowed in?! Enjoy the pictures and check the kodak gallery for even more.