Celebrity Sighting

Today the YMCA hosted its annual Healthy Kids Day in partnership with the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and Fit For Life Toledo.

Our entire family took part in activities that included games,

health education,

raffles,

crafts, animal encounters,

fingerprinting, physical activities,

and dance instruction sessions with actress/dancer Alyson Stoner. She's an up-and-coming Disney channel star who has appeared in many films (Camp Rock and Cheaper by the Dozen 1 and 2). During her appearance, Stoner, who was reared in Toledo and now resides in California, promoted her Alyson Stoner Project (http:www.alysonstonerproject.com), a dance instructional DVD with emphasis on health and nutrition. The kids even got her autograph!

New Traditions

The Easter Bunny forgot to move the kids' baskets from Arizona to Ohio, so he gave the children new Lego sets instead. The basket tradition hasn't died out altogether though. Jake and Emma have been planning a special surprise for us for months. We received this lovely basket from them...

Little by little, they've created sweet cards, origami egg holders, and drawings. Everytime we've gone to the dollar store, they've bought a secret something for the basket.

Emma made several of these cards at Activity Days:

She lined the basket with homemade Easter Egg cutouts.

We now have a soft cuddly bear for our bed...

...and Easter statues for next year. Jake has decided that we will now have a family tradition of making baskets for each other every year, even the parents. We will also eat Easter dinner with Dad if he has to work at the hospital.

The kids and I got to attend church this morning. The Institute Choir presented an Easter program in Sacrament Meeting that featured some beautiful music. Later in Primary, the three of us sang a special musical number as part of the Sharing Time program. We sang, I Wonder When He Comes Again. I was very proud of them for singing in front of their peers. After an afternoon of playing Legos, we drove up to Toledo. Here we are in the lobby of St. Vincent's Mercy Medical Center, waiting to eat with Dad:

Don't they look spiffy?

Our Easter spread was quite delicious and filling. We gathered around the coffee table in the resident's lounge to enjoy a meal of ham, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and rolls.

After the feast, the kids played their own version of pool.

Time to go home and get ready for your first day back at school!

Castles, Caves, and Close Calls

The kids and I joined our future neighbors, the Dworczyks, on a road trip to West Liberty yesterday. This little town is "famous" for its castles and caves (not much else). It was a windy, rainy day which made driving a little treacherous, but I was intrigued by the whole American castle idea. On the 1 1/2 hour drive there I narrowly avoided a car accident. I happened to follow the Dworczyk's mini van as they approached some train tracks. They slammed on their brakes to allow an approaching train to pass, but at the last second changed their minds. I too slammed on my brakes which caused my tires to skid and slide on the rain-soaked road. I stopped before the train tracks, but nearly drove down an embankment in the process. As the train whizzed by, the reality of what happened sunk in. It really was a close call!



Once we safely arrived in West Liberty, we were surprised to find this castle in the middle of farmland:



We were free to take a tour inside the beautifully preserved Piatt castle. Many of the rich furnishings were still in tact and on display. This odd chair sat in the library:



The Piatt family loved art and music, though none of them really played instruments. Here is one of the many instruments in their conservatory:




And another...



This particular sofa was made of horse hair!



Many of the frescoes had been stenciled by a Swiss artist named Oliver Frey.



This "lawn jockey" was used in the underground railroad. Mrs. Piatt would put a scarf in the statue's hand to signal safety.

This was the master bedroom (I believe). Notice the chamber pot at the foot of the bed.

I thought the pram and cradle were so sweet...

It was very popular for ladies to collect seashells for their home in Victorian times.

Emma was a perfect little nanny to little Quinton.

Dallin (age 6) though Jake was pretty cool.

Here is the second Piatt castle. We didn't go inside this particular site because the kids were fed up with the history portion of our trip.

Instead, we stopped to play and picnic. The fun on the playground lasted 5 minutes. The picnic took place in the car. The weather sorta ruined our fun.

Always with the karate...

Next we took a tour of the Ohio Caverns.

We had to wait in the gift shop for quite awhile before our tour began. Emma and Jake were happy to entertain the little guys...

The rocks around Dallin's neck are held together by magnetic power. Pretty cool, eh?

My guess is that they have you wait in the gift shop so that your kids will beg you to buy stuff. I held strong though!

We learned that stalactites hang from the ceiling and stalagmites form from the ground up. This particular cave is unique because of the variety of color.

The path is fairly unchanged since it was created a hundred years ago. We walked single file most of the time.

When stalactites and stalagmites grow together they're called columns. Some of the stalactites are called straws because they are so slender and delicate. They're also hollow like a drinking straw.

The Crystal King...

Once outside, the temperature dropped in comparison with the cave. Look at those rolling hills in the background! Beautiful!

Easters of Old

My visiting teacher came over today. When she asked about my Easter plans, I had the terrible realization that the kids and I will be all alone this Sunday. Rick has to work a 12-hour shift at the hospital. He won't even be able to go to church with us. So, it is with great nostalgia that I present a few photos from Easters past:

In 2002, we lived with my parents in Glendale. What should have been a 3-4 month stay while our house was being built, turned into an 18-month long adventure. Fortunately, our time with my folks (and siblings) was a great experience. Every holiday was special because Jake and Emma were the only grandkids at the time. This picture shows Jake (age 4) and Emma (age 2) coloring eggs with Daddy:



This picture always makes me laugh because we all look so awkward. Emma appears to be quite ticked off about something...



My dad's side of the family usually gets together for an Easter picnic every year. The kids hunt eggs while the adults lounge around in lawn chairs. I'd like to draw special attention to Jake's outfit. Rick just informed me THIS YEAR about how much he hated it when I'd dress Jake in overalls. Oops! Why didn't he tell me then?



This was our first Easter spent in our home on Sands Drive out in Sun City. The kids are wearing their Sunday best. Emma's dress used to be one of Aunt Bonnie's when she was a little girl. Isn't she sweet? You wouldn't catch her wearing a dress like that now, especially with her hair all curled up.



Another Colyar picnic...



When Rick was in medical school, we used to attend the many family functions they'd hold on campus. This was J&E's first picture with the Easter Bunny. They also got to play games and hunt eggs.



Yet another Colyar shin-dig...That year, the hunt was very competitive. I believe Rick had to reign Jacob in a little bit.



Check out Emma's haul!

Ummm...Rick? I think you may have something in your nose.

Ho hum. I'm afraid those picnics and Easter Egg hunts are a thing of the past. Our kids aren't believers anymore and it's still too cold to picnic in Ohio. I'm trying to look on the bright side this year. No one expects me to cook an Easter ham! Any day I get a break from cooking, I'm happy. I think I can get away with making sandwiches since Rick will be working. Or, better yet, we can join him for Easter dinner in the hospital cafeteria. Won't that be special?