Smale Riverfront Park

If I were to compile a list of my favorite cities, Cincinnati would not be among my top choices.  However, I do applaud the work they are doing downtown to try to make it a nicer place to be.  In particular, we love Smale Riverfront Park.  They have added so much to it, the kids like the variety of things to do, and it almost makes me like Cincinnati!

We wanted to take advantage of the last days of summer by having a visit at the park over the weekend.

fountains are a big hit

You never know about Ben and being all wet, but on this day he was all about it!

exploring the rest of the park

when pigs fly...

more water play

and a stop at the carousel

a car! (that didn't move up and down!)

little legs were all worn out

Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't been!

Just another day...

Typical summer night in the country...adult beverages and kids turned loose in the yard.

So much happening here

college Anna

how we keep them accounted for

The night ended with the kids schooling their uncles in yard racing. I bet Uncle Adam was sore the next day...

Water Sliding

Sometimes the best activities are so simple...

We transformed the swing set and pool into a water park! It took some creativity with hoses to get the pool filled, but once we got it...endless entertainment. The kids loved it so much, we have done it a few more times since then.

Late Summer Zoo Day

We tried to squeeze in a few activities before school got into full swing, so of course that included a trip to the zoo!

picnic lunch before visiting the animals

Ben is all about dinosaurs lately, so he liked seeing the "dragons"

hot day, perfect for an ice cream break

hot mess

That might have been a good picture...

giraffe within arms' reach

Ben and I both hate the carousel, Natalie is perfectly fine to ride alone...so we all win!

Dress Up

This is what happens when you have a fashion-forward older cousin and no ability to say no...

She dresses you in her clothes and makes you perform a fashion show.

(Is it just me or does Jack resemble a Calvin Klein ad?)

A Fitting Tribute

For awhile now, we've been talking about locating a big rock to make a little memorial for Ty after he passed away over the winter.  It was locating the rock that proved to be a bit of a challenge.  Then, as luck would have it, Mimi and Pa had some stone work done and had some extra rocks around.  And we picked out the perfect one.  Of course, it was giant and heavy...just the thing I wanted to lug around!

we found paint, paint brushes, a sunny day, and went to work

team work

after the background work was done, Mommy was tasked with the letters, and this was our result

I think Ty would approve.

While we painted, we had a long conversation about Ty and Heaven.  And another dog.  We talked a lot about another dog.  2-to-1 is not fair odds, and they almost had me convinced!  

Our other adventure for the day was a box house!

First task was to cut a door.  Since then, carpet has been installed, the kids made a curtain from tape and flower petals, and several drawings have been done on the interior and exterior walls.  Quite the cozy little home.