It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Nothing says autumn like a trip to the pumpkin patch! Peyton and Kali love everything about pumpkins - picking them, carving them, eating them and most of all, roasting the seeds. This is our 1st round of the big orange gourds. We still have a couple pumpkin farms to visit and we never leave one empty handed. A friend of ours has a farm, we have to ask him for some "undesirables" to hack up for their seeds. There are never enough pumpkin seeds to satisfy my family. We even have to share them with Kali's teacher. Apparently, Kali is the only kid in the class who delights in seed roasting and Mrs. DeBerry made it clear she wants to cash in. I think Kali can continue her straight A's without the bribe, but we send them in for a little insurance! This is my favorite time of year. The foliage is gorgeous, the air is clean and crisp and the pumpkin spice latte has returned to Starbucks. Life doesn't get any better in Akron, OH. Add to that the pumpkin-flavored donuts, bagels, cream cheese, cakes, pies.......You get the picture. Somewhere I've heard how healthy pumpkin is for you. If this is true, I am simply exuding good health!

89 and Going Strong

We spent Sunday afternoon celebrating my Grandma's 89th birthday! The whole family came together to make it a very special day for Kali's "grandma with the white hair." We teased her that next year, the big 9-0, will warrant a bona fide "shindig" - her word, not mine.

Kindermusik Fun

Peyton is up to her ears in fun this autumn. Kindermusik, Storytime and Explorations in Dance class... she has us hopping. Jimmy is still home and Peyton is eating up every minute. Kali is busy with school and dancing. She is looking forward to making her dancing debut with the Akron Symphony Orchestra later in October. The arrival of October brings birthday planning with it. Kali has decided she wants to bake pies at The Pie Factory at Quaker Square in beautiful downtown Akron. Can't wait to see 18 kids up to their elbows in flour! The best part of this party will be the 9 inch pie each kid gets to take home! We will rent the partyroom at our condo for Peyton, she chose to have a "Curious George" party. Clowns, games and a pinata will be on the ticket - your typical 3 year old garden variety birthday. Should prove to be an exciting month!

All is "Fair" in Geauga County

Well, the girls returned to the county of their birth for the final "Country Fair" of the year. The Geauga County Fair is one of the oldest fairs in Ohio. We had a great time. My aunt and uncle moved to this area a few years ago and we are continuing to discover the beauty of Amish country. Of course, for Kali and Peyton it was all about the greasy food and the friendly (or not-so-friendly) animals. We ate homemade and delicious (read, unhealthy) food, saw the most lovely animals and rode some pretty scary looking rides. The girls were able to interact with all kinds of animals - little rabbits to draft horses and everything in between. The llamas and the alpacas were especially interesting to Kali. Peyton liked the miniature horses and the sheep. Good, wholesome family fun! The food selection was mind boggling. We all agreed that the fried sweet potatoes were wonderful, but nothing beats fried shoe string potatoes with malt vinegar! Can you hear my arteries clogging?

Back to School Blues

Well, it's official, Kali will be in school here this year. She started 2nd grade yesterday. She is excited, I was a little sad to see the summer end. We had a fantastic 3 months! Kali seems to like riding the bus, even though I think she is on there way too long! I'd prefer to take her in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon. Oh well, it's only for 3 months. The new school building will be finished in December and they will move over Christmas break. Kali is really excited about being part of the 1st group of kids in the brand new school. Miss Peyton reached a milestone yesterday, as well. She took her 1st dance class!!! She had a great time! Next week she starts Story Time at the library and the following week she begins another session of Kindermusik! We are going to be busy this fall!

A little bit of Africa in Sandusky, Ohio

Jimmy and I took the girls to Kalahari, an indoor waterpark/resort, for a last summer "Hurrah." We had a great time! Kali is really starting to enjoy playing in the water and Peyton is a kamikaze! She was on every water slide Jimmy could talk them into letting her ride!

Butterfly Magic

The summer is quickly fading and we are trying to make the best of the last few days of Kali's freedom. A trip to Cleveland's Zoo proved to be a bunch of fun! A day full of playful polar bears, hungry sting-rays and beautiful butterflies! The girls love going to the zoo, our membership got quite a workout this year. Kali's favorite part of this trip was the TOUCH! exhibit. She was able to pet sting-rays and sharks! The sharks circling the pool made her a little nervous, but she plunged her arms in and had a wonderful experience. Peyton's favorite animals were the reindeer. She insisted on looking for Santa, but couldn't find him. Go figure, August in Ohio, is it any wonder why Santa was a no show!?!?!?

Lazy Days of Summer

As Kali was cooking her heart out at The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, Peyton spent a day feeding the animals at the Akron Zoo and she enjoyed an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese. We have had a GREAT summer and we are looking forward to a couple more days of excitement before we settle into our Autumn schedule.
Bonehead and Jasmine are getting old and these days they just seem to lay around the house and sleep. I managed to catch them with their eyes open! Our sweet cats!

Working at the Car Wash.....

Jimmy spent a beautiful summer evening washing his beloved GMC Cyclone. The girls had to be content washing their wagon! Summertime in Akron! Ain't life grand!?!

A Lobster Feast

This year Jimmy got a great birthday present from his darling wife - A Lobster Gram. Today we had 4 live lobsters delivered from Maine. Kali and Peyton thought they were pretty "cute," and unfortunately, they bonded. Kali shed some tears when she realized we were going to eat them! She got over it soon enough and donned a "chef" hat and joined Daddy at the grill. This past week she was in "Cooking School" and we all ate some Hawiian Sweet Bread she made as an appetizer. Kali set a stellar table - complete with lobster "gems," lobster buckets and of course, champagne for kids - sparkling grape juice. Life is good for the Oliver's this summer!

We Thank Our "Dancing" Stars

Kali had a great time at Pointe West's Dance Camp this week. She was the youngest dancer there, but she held her own - and I'm not just saying that because she's my daughter!?!?! Peyton got into the fun on the last day. She wanted to "dance" with the girls. We ended the week by attending Ohio Ballet's outdoor performance in Hardesty Park. As you can see, both girls enjoyed the pre-performance opportunity to take class on stage. Do you think it's in their blood?

Summertime

Well, summer is in full swing in Akron, Ohio! Kali and Peyton have both been to Zoo Camp at the Akron Zoo. Kali's camp was "Animal Theater" and both the girls are still playing with the masks Kali made. Peyton really got a kick out of watching the giant tortoises get a shower at her camp! On the homefront, Kali raised butterflies - with the help of her Grammie and Jasmine, our cat! We were able to let 4 "painted ladies" go in our backyard. What an interesting experience.


Our little "Stinkerbell" wakes up with a smile on her face every morning!!!!

Disney Mania