Summer Fun Driftin' Away...

I've mentioned in previous posts how this summer with Anna has been the best one yet (her 1st summer was nice too, but she was a newborn). We've been able to enjoy a lot of fun activities with little to no drama (most days). She usually wakes up around 7:00 and says, "Can I have some yogurt? I don't want to stay home today." Bryan and I are homebodies, so we aren't too sure why she doesn't like staying home. She would always rather be outside than inside, too. When I choose activities for us I make sure we can be back home for her nap around 12 or 12:30; if I mess with her nap or don't give her one she is very unmanageable, so we stick to routine!
These are some of our fun activities from this summer:

• Arboretum Children's Garden (I think it is $3/person): There are water features, paths, learning stations, and a garden to dig in and water. It's great fun on a sunny day.


• Swimming Lessons: Anna took 3 sessions at the Tate's Creek Pool and did so well. I'm really proud of her swimming ability. We are going to look into joining the YMCA so she can swim all year round. We also swam for fun before swimming lessons and on weekends.


• Chick-Fil-A: Always fun to eat some Chicken Minis (yummmmm) and play in the play land.


• Library: We don't do story hours since she can't sit still for long, but we love going to the library to check out books and wander around.


• Jacobson Park: What's better than feeding the ducks and playing on the giant playground?


• Explorium: We went here for the 1st time today. It was enjoyable, but I think it's just a once a year thing since the learning stuff is over her head. She did have a good time playing and exploring.


• Our very own backyard: We have a swing set, baby pool, water table, and giant bouncy ball to play with. We like to also play with her car, bike, bubbles, and chalk in the front yard.

A few more places I'd like to visit on the weekends while it's still warm:

• Lexington Horse Park


• McConnell Springs


• Salato


• Raven Run: We only made it here once, but I would love to go back.


• Cincinnati Zoo: We have passes, but haven't been in a while. We love the zoo because of the animals and the walking around.

All around it's been a fun summer. We've stayed busy with the above activities, had a nice vacation to Hilton Head, a trip to Cedar Point, and Anna started daycare 2 days a week at LHSC. I'll be going back to work full time next Monday, and Anna will start daycare full time at LHSC's new center (in the old JR Ewen building). Pre-school will start on August 22; I'm excited for her! She's made a few friends at daycare, so hopefully at least one will be in her class for the year.

Today I am thankful for:

1. a few more days to sleep in


2. a few more days to have fun with no real commitments


3. library books