Maria Qualifies for State Fair!

Last night was the Union County Fair Style Review. Here the girls who sew for their 4-H project model their outfit and learn how they did in the judging, which took place last Thursday. There were five girls in Maria's category, "Tops for Tweens." Of those five girls, four received an Honorable Mention, but Maria was the only one to get an "Outstanding" ribbon. That also meant that she qualified to take her project to the State Fair next week. In addition, she received 2nd place for the Skillathon for beginners (out of 10-12 girls). The judges also give out seven awards for each of the "Seven Clues to Fashion for a Total Look" - out of all girls who took a clothing project - about 50 girls. The seven clues range from things like design, construction, and posture and poise. Maria won the award for "Grooming," and on her sheet her judge commented "Perfectly Groomed! Adorable!" So apparently she made quite an impression.

Maria's thrilled, and we're very proud of her. Two of the awards came with cash prizes - $15 for the skillathon and $10 gift card to JoAnn fabrics for Grooming.

The State Fair competition is next Tuesday, and unfortunately Ben will be at band camp, so it'll just be the kids and I. Her judging takes place from 1:00 and lasts until after the Style Review, around 5:15. That is going to be a long afternoon. I'm hoping Sam and I can escape for part of that time and see some other things at the fair. After the judging I'll probably let both of the kids ride some rides too, as long as we're there. I just hope the weather cooperates - I don't know if I've ever been to the State Fair when its been cooler than 90 degrees!

4-H Clothing Interview and Skillathon

Maria has been preparing diligently for her skillathon this year. Winning first place two years ago (the last time she sewed) really motivated her to win again. She made flashcards, and stayed up late in her room studying many nights in the last two weeks. I went over everything with her last night, and she really knew her stuff. We were also pleased with her top, which Rita, Maria and I worked hard on and even sewed two tops when the first one we made showed a few errors. And Maria and I spent time last week completing the outfit, including shopping for accessories such as necklace, headband, and earrings.

And it looks like all this work has paid off. We won't have final results until the Style Review on Monday night, where the judges look everything over again. But as you can tell from the judging sheets we got this morning, I don't think it could have gone better. Maria is very relieved it's over, and is giddy with the satisfaction that she worked hard and did her very best. I'm very proud of her (and I'm glad it's over too!).

Another special thanks to Rita, whose sewing experience, even if it took place 40 years ago, was very valuable. Rita - notice the comments under "Construction" about the neat hem that had to be gathered - that was all your idea!

Click on any image above to enlarge.

Warning: Proud Parent Gushing Ahead

I've been debating on whether I should blog about this particular topic or not. But then I remembered that this blog serves as a kind of scrapbook for our family and not just a way to inform others of our activities, so I decided to include it. WARNING: I'm going to brag about my kids here. Stop reading if you don't want to be offended.

Ben and I were among the first of our group of friends to get married, and as such we were also among the first to have children (even though we were married almost five years before Maria joined us). What that means now is that Maria, at 11 years old, is pretty much the oldest of the kids when we get together with our Miami friends. And Sam, at almost 8 years old, is also older than most of the other kids. And both Maria and Sam enjoy helping and hanging out with younger kids at many of our get-togethers.

At Miami Alumni weekend in June, both Maria and Sam helped with the younger kids as there were large inflatable obstacle courses and the 3-year-olds (mainly Elliot Owsley and Rachel Stuller) had trouble getting through on their own. Maria loves helping any of the younger kids, but Sam really likes being an older brother-type to the younger boys, so he hung out with Elliott quite a bit. After that weekend, we received a message from Andrea thanking Maria and Sam for helping with their kids. Both Doug and Andrea mentioned that their enjoyment of Alumni weekend was better since Maria and Sam helped with Elliott. They also mentioned how polite our kids were, and how they were both able to carry on conversations with adults. Maria also helped Doug assemble their tent at the Stullers' on Memorial Day weekend. The Owsleys even sent Maria and Sam a gift card to Cold Stone Creamery to thank them for their efforts. Certainly not expected or necessary, but very appreciated.

This past weekend was Ben's big birthday bash, and once again our house was invaded by lots of younger kids. This can make our kids, especially Sam, a little protective of their own stuff. We really went out of our way to put away anything that might get ruined by younger kids, but Sam still seemed anxious about the invasion. So I was pleasantly surprised by an e-mail from Elise telling us that Sam spent some time with Joe, her son who is almost a year old. Elise's note stated that Sam was not only enjoying hanging out with Joe, but was able and willing to carry on a decent conversation with Elise and her husband Mark. And it felt so good to hear that Sam made an impression on his own - without having to be in his sister's shadow.

Needless to say, Ben and I are always extremely pleased to hear these comments, and pass them on to the kids in a way that hopefully lets them know we're proud of them and that their behavior makes an impression on people. We are hopefully successfully riding that fine line of passing on the compliments without causing them to get complacent about their behavior. The surprising part, to me, is not the manners as much as the willingness to carry on adult conversations. Of course we talk with our kids, but have never made a point of teaching any conversation skills except the importance of using manners at all times. I guess they must have picked that up along the way.

And as long as I am bragging about them, maybe a little pat on the back for Ben and I is in order as well. I just hope the kids continue to be so polite as they grow up.

Ben's 40th Birthday

Yesterday was Ben's actual birthday, although the big party was Saturday. The kids wanted to do something special, so they baked a cake and made homemade ice cream to go with it. The two of them really did most of the work - I just supervised and did the dishes (of course). They carefully drew the picture of his running shoe which they decided they wanted to put on the cake. Then Maria did the outlining on the cake and Sam filled in the color (with some help).

Ben chose to have his birthday dinner at California Pizza Kitchen at Easton, and after we walked around a little bit we returned home for the cake and ice cream. Ben's big gift - an iPad - was a Father's Day/birthday combo, from both his parents and us, and he already got it in June. So yesterday we just gave him a gift card so that he can buy some apps for the iPad.

We tried to make it a great day for Ben even though his birthday was also his first day back at work after his summer break. And I think we succeeded.

Ben's Birthday Bash

We are lucky to have so many good friends come spend the day to help us celebrate Ben's birthday each year. This year the weather was hot, but at least not stormy (as predicted), and the kids kept busy with outside activities as well as the toys in the basement. Each year gets a little more difficult for the kids, as Maria and Sam don't necessarily enjoy the other kids (many of whom they don't know very well) playing with all of their stuff. We've gotten so much better at putting most of their main stuff away so it doesn't get ruined, but there are always a few unforeseen casualties every year.

The adults had a great time eating, drinking, playing Can-Jam, and catching up. The evening ended with the usual bonfire and s'more making, and later the adults just hanging out at the fire after the kids were asleep. Four families spent the night - two in the house and two in the tent, and even though I'm pretty sure it was a little warm in the tents, we were thankful that we didn't get any of the thunderstorms they had been predicting.

Another successful party, and I should probably note that this was the 25th anniversary of Ben's birthday bash, and we are celebrating his 40th birthday. Not that he feels 40 - he's in better shape physically then he was at 30, and I'm betting feels younger too.

A huge thanks to all of the wonderful friends who travel many hours (in some cases) to be with us on his special day. We are truly blessed with such great family and friends, and try to remember that each and every day.

Maria's Golf Season with UCJGAT

This was the second season that Maria golfed with the Union County Junior Golf Academy and Tour. Last year, as a 10-year-old, she played shortened holes and was at the top of her age group. This year, she was at the bottom of her age group (11-12-year-olds) and golfed from the women's tees. So it was a big difference.

As usual, Maria missed the clinic with the golf pro since we were still on vacation, but was able to golf at all 6 events - one at each of the six county golf courses. Ben went with her on her first three outings, but then left her on her own for the second three. Her scores ranged anywhere from a 62 to an 83. She usually ended up in the middle of the pack - out of 7-8 girls who were in her age group, she came in first place once (62) and also came in last place once (83). She did very well for being the youngest girl in her group. And next year, we need to try to get her out on the course for some practice before the season starts - our spring was so busy it just never happened this year, and I think she would have benefited from golfing with Ben a few times before her season started.

Maria seemed to enjoy herself and I think will continue with golf next summer as well. She seems so grown up to me when I watch her organize her own bag and take care of all of her stuff. It was very hot most of the outings - above 90 degrees and she always teed off at noon. And she got rained on once - but was able to just finish her round.

Overall, a valuable experience and one that I am thankful we are able to give her - if we had to work in the summer we wouldn't be able to transport her to play in the middle of the weekday.

Kings Island

Yesterday we took a mini-trip to Kings Island with the Smiths. We went to Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon, right after Maria's 4-H meeting, and were able to enjoy a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill and some hanging out time at the hotel. All the kids also went for a short swim in the hotel pool before we went to dinner, but the chlorine was so strong that they opted to watch a movie later instead.

We had a great time Monday at the park. Maria was all about the roller coasters, riding Flight Deck, the Racer, and the Beast. The first coaster we rode was Flight Deck, which we thought would be a smoother ride, and so we tried to get Sam to go on it. But he didn't want to, and I am ashamed to say I tried to convince him to go. But he held strong, so Maria, Mason, Ben and I went while the others headed to the Carousel.

It ended up working out, because it was a pretty fast, very rough ride. Sam would have hated it. I can't say I really enjoyed it much, and didn't feel great afterward. Mason and Maria rode it a second time, but Ben and I just watched. Meanwhile, Sam endured the Carousel and then rode the Scrambler with Lisa, which ended up being one of his favorite rides. So it ended up working out.

Over the course of the morning and early afternoon, the kids and adults split up in various groups so that the kids could do rides that they wanted to do - each kid was in a different range as far as rides they liked. Maria wanted to go on mostly big stuff, Mason went on some big things but liked the younger coasters better, Sam liked mostly younger kid rides, and Lindsey was all about the little rides. Ben was thrilled that Maria rode the Beast with he and Andy - it's Ben's favorite roller coaster of all time. I think everyone got to do mostly what they wanted and there wasn't peer pressure from each other, which was nice.

By mid-afternoon we headed to Boomerang Bay, the water park area at Kings Island. For the most part, Ben took the three older kids, and Lindsey and Lisa S. were on their own. Andy and I watched the towels and stuff while we had cold drinks in the shade. Not a bad way to spend the hot afternoon. The bigger kids went on a few water slides and Ben said it was his favorite part of the park.

After Boomerang Bay the Smiths headed home since they had work on Tuesday. We decided to change into dry clothes on then ride some more rides. The lines were so short yesterday that we thought we could ride some of the favorites another time before leaving. But changing into dry clothes ended up taking forever, due to a few reasons - mainly a lost locker key, hot and tired kids (especially Sam), and my dead phone battery, which made communication difficult. So by the time we came back into the park, everyone was beat. We ended up getting some ice cream and then Ben and Maria rode the Beast one more time while Sam and I rode the Boo Blasters (kind of like a video game and a ride) again. We ended up leaving by 8:30, and as soon as we got in the car Sam said, "I'm going to be taking a nap." He was that tired.

We all had a great time and made more fun memories. We also got lucky with the weather - Sunday there was a 70% chance of thunderstorms for Monday, and we ended up with no rain at all. It was a little hot, but not compared to Disney World heat. But I (and I think maybe the rest of the adults) felt pretty old. I just didn't feel good after almost all of the rides, and Ben got beat up quite a bit the last time he rode the Beast. At one point, the kids wanted to ride something and we didn't know if we had an available adult (out of four of us) who felt well enough to be able to do it with them. It's pretty depressing to realize my roller coaster days are over - it's just not worth feeling sick for the rest of the day.

Picture note - Kings Island is all Snoopy now, instead of the Nickelodeon characters. So the kids ended up meeting Peanuts characters that they weren't necessarily very familiar with. Sam still loves to see characters - always has. The picture of him with Linus is too cute - if you knew Sam as a toddler, then you know he also never went anywhere without his blue blanket with the tag on it.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland today. Ben and I have been at least twice before, but this was the first visit for Maria and Sam. Mom and Dad went too - my Dad had been there before but this was Mom's first time as well. We each drove separate, so we could head straight home after the tour.

Not surprising given Ben's profession, Maria and Sam have a pretty wide range of music they recognize, even at their ages. Playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band has also broadened their musical knowledge, and much to Ben's horror, my love of 80's music has also exposed them to some things they saw today.

What I like about the museum is that the exhibits change, so a lot of what was there today was different from our last visit. And Maria was extremely interested in all things Beatles - she's become quite a fan and even listens to a lot of Beatles music on her iPod. Michael Jackson's Thriller mask and white glove were a big hit as well. We knew a lot of it would be over Sam's head, but he did well until the very end - the Bruce Springsteen exhibit, where he got bored and asked how long until we could go numerous times. But for a 7-year-old he did really well.

Overall, it was really fun and I think we all learned a little something too.

Geneva-on-the-Lake

We just returned from spending two action-packed days and nights at my parents' house in Geneva. Usually, the kids and I visit in August when Ben is at band camp, so this year was special since we went earlier in the summer and Ben was able to join us. The only bad part was that most of our plans revolved around being at the lake - the best thing to do up there in this nice weather, and it rained most of the day on Friday. We needed the rain, but maybe a nice long overnight rain would have been better.

Ben and Dad were able to get in six holes of golf on Friday morning before the downpours started, but then gave up on it stopping and came home. Mom and I ended up taking the kids to a movie - Despicable Me - in the afternoon since it was raining and we couldn't do anything outside. And surprise, surprise, we thought the movie was pretty good. The kids liked it - laughed and laughed - but even Mom and I thought it was entertaining.

When we got back from the movie, it looked like the rain might quit in an hour or two, so we went out to dinner, and things had cleared up by the time we left the restaurant. Then the six of us played 18 holes of miniature golf, the men and kids did a round on the bumper boats, and we stopped and had ice cream. While eating ice cream, the kids reminded us that they hadn't gotten to take Ben to the lake to skip rocks. Since it rained all day, we couldn't exactly visit the lake like we thought we would. So we stopped by the state park on the way home from the ice cream shop. The kids and Ben skipped rocks and we lucked into seeing a beautiful sunset over the lake.

Since my parents live in a small subdivision neighborhood, the kids are able to ride their bikes without any adults going with them, which they love. We live on a country road with a speed limit of 45, so here we always have to go with them. But we brought their bikes along this time and they were able to get plenty of rides in throughout our time there, in spite of all the rain. Maria especially rode around the circle quite a few times.

Friday was a long day, but we still had energy to stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before heading back this afternoon.

Baseball Season Comes to an End

Sam's first season of coach-pitch baseball ended last night when his team lost their first tournament game. It was a season of ups and downs for Sam - some nights he had some good hits, some nights he did not. His usual fielding position was right field, where he didn't see a whole lot of action but did a fairly respectable job when the ball came his way. Coach-pitch baseball is a big jump from T-ball, and I think it takes a lot of experience for the boys to get the hang of it (not to mention attention span issues any time you get a group of 7 and 8 year old boys together). Our team was young, and fought hard for their 4-8 record. We ended up 11th seed out of 16, so we weren't the worst team out there. And overall I think it was a positive experience for Sam.

It was hard to figure out exactly how Sam felt about playing baseball. He never complained about going, and was usually excited to have a game, but he also was usually not interested in practicing in the yard with Ben either. After most games, when we would compliment him on some good things he did, he would often reply "Yeah, but I made some mistakes too." Which was true, and I'm hoping that meant that he was learning from those mistakes.

But after the loss last night, after we got into the van and began driving home, Sam said, "Can I play baseball again next year?" So I guess that answers my question - its more enthusiastic then he is about most of his activities.