Sunday Stroll

Last Sunday after church, (and after a torrential rainstorm) we decided to check out a Columbus Metro Park, Inniswood Gardens. It was breathtaking, even for having discovered it late in the season! Even better, all of the metro parks are free admission and there are many, many more for us to discover. It reminded us in a small way of Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C., although obviously on a much smaller scale. The kids loved it and we will definitely be making trips back in the coming seasons!

Because I got a new camera and went ballistic with taking pictures, we put them in a slide show. There's music to go with it, courtesy of George Winston :).

A Berry Good Day

Last night Peter and I went our on our first date here in Columbus to check out Easton Town Center (yes, more shopping). While out, we picked up this book that was recommended to us - it's a winner! They have so many great ideas for things to do with kids - festivals, fun places, tours, state parks - most of them within a couple hours of our home! The authors have traveled everywhere with their kids and have many other books, so check out their site - they may just have your state, too!

One of the listings in the book was for a u-pick farm about thirty minutes away. Since I left my peach freezer jam behind in Kansas and we've been suffering for it, we decided to head out and pick raspberries! The kids loved it, despite a little rain. We ended up with five pounds of raspberries in a little over an hour! When we were finished, all Parker had to say was "It's a good day on the farm!" Bring on the raspberry jam!

Parker the Preschooler

Today was the big day! Parker's first day at preschool. He has been so excited for so long, that he almost forgot to say good-bye to me at the door! He had a great first day, loves his teachers already and brought home his first painting - a tornado, of course! The teachers had written out every child's response to what their favorite thing was about their first day. Parker said he loved the fire truck (on the playground). We celebrated afterward by going to lunch at McDonald's with his new friend, Evan.

I can hardly believe my boy is so big already. I bought him new tennis shoes for school and almost croaked when I realized that he wears a size 12 already! How time flies...

The Ranch

Just thought I would post a few pics of our August trip to Utah. It was a blast to be with Grandma & Grandpa Stewart - lots of games, food, and hikes.

Grandma & Grandpa bought Parker & Tyler their "ranch boots," which are a standard at the Stewart family ranch house. The boys looked so cute in their boots, especially Tyler, who has only ever known sandals on his feet and took a day or two before he was running everywhere in them. Parker was a bit more timid of hiking around in the tall, sometimes spikey grasses, but by the end of the nine days he was leading the pack.

The boys also loved riding everywhere in the wheelbarrow.

While there, we got to see my brother Matt & his family (sadly, the pictures were all out of focus), and also Great Grandpa & Grandma Hovik. It was great to see them all, even if it was just for a short time.

Peter got his yearly stress relief by chopping tons of wood, while I finished book two of Harry Potter.

We also took a day trip up to see Mirror Lake, which was breathtaking. I didn't know such a beautiful thing existed in Utah.

Thanks, John & Debra, for the great time!

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Go Shopping

Thanks for helping me remember that I have great friends everywhere! Peter left yesterday morning for Utah and I decided that I just needed to take advantage of the huge Labor Day sales going on at the outlet mall I've been wanting to visit. After assessing the boys' fall clothing needs, we headed out and spent four-and-a-half hours shopping! There must have been angels attending, because seriously, the boys were SO good. Tyler stayed in his stroller the entire time (fully supplied with snacks, of course) and Parker was happy just to push the stroller. I found some amazing deals on clothes for the kids, but perhaps most importantly, I found phenomenal deals at Pottery Barn outlet and DIDN'T BUY A THING! That took some restraint, especially since I didn't have Peter there to help corral me in. We'll see if I'm able to hold out a whole year without giving in to my PB obsession!

Humble Pie

Okay, I must have needed to be humbled or something after all of my gloating about loving it here, because today I have felt really lonely. It may be because Peter is leaving tomorrow for a long weekend trip, and I feel like I'm barely finding my way around. It might be the gray sky outside today, or the fact that I haven't showered yet and it is 12:30. Ultimately, I think that moving is just hard some days.

We love Ohio!

• We've reunited with our old friends the Christensens and the Wallis's. Matt & Camie Christensen are our great friends from Kansas, who we love, and Ryan Wallis was Peter's roommate and our good friend back at BYU. We were greeted upon arrival by Ryan with some homemade bread (the BEST thing to give someone who's just moved in!) and had dinner with them the next week. It was cute to see Owen & Parker play together, even if it did make us feel old. We spent a day in Cincinnati with Matt & Camie, hitting the Children's museum and playing at Camie's parents' home. Parker loved being with Lydia again, Tyler & Clayton played together and it was great fun for us to be with Matt & Camie.
  
• We've also reunited with some family! Cannon & Ariel Silver live here and are actually in our ward. Cannon is Peter's second cousin, and we are familiar with one another through the Ranch in Utah. It has been fun to spend time with their awesome family and we're excited to be making more memories with them this year.
• Making new friends here is greater than we ever expected. The ward is awesome, and living in our complex makes it even better. There are tons of other student families. I have had to learn that I can't run around in my skivvies anymore, for fear that someone might knock on the door with cookies! It has been so great for Parker especially, since his favorite thing to do is play with friends. We went on a "walk" on Sunday around our block and ended up outside for nearly two hours, chatting it up with our neighbors. Everyone is just really friendly, and it's the perfect place to be for this year of our lives.
  
• Columbus is a fabulous, family friendly place. We've already discovered the zoo, the library, the bunny fountains (a great place to cool off for kids), the dollar theater (saw Meet the Robinsons), the malls (it had been a while...), downtown and some really great parks. We have yet to explore the famous Cosi (science center), North Market (a twin of Pike Place), Hocking Hills State Park, Kirtland, u-pick farms, and many, many more shopping opportunities nearby (like the Pottery Barn and Williams' Sonoma outlets...hold me back).
  
• Parker starts preschool next week! We've taken him by to play at the playground and he is super excited. We can't wait to see how it will change his little life....
• We got TiVo...oh happy day. Peter & I are so happily watching "Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown" at night, imagining we are there, and I am so happy to have control over what Parker & Tyler are watching in the mornings!
• We took an unexpected jaunt over to Utah to visit Peter's parents at the Ranch. That will be a separate post!

The Move

My ode to Lawrence is below my "mamma mia" post...for those who are interested...

I'm kicking myself that I didn't get more pictures of the whole moving process. Of course, it is really the last thing on anyone's mind when you are trying to fit your 1500 square foot house into a 26 foot moving truck. Miraculously, it all fit and we were really happy with our Penske (no more U-Haul's for this family).

My dad flew out to help with the move and drive out to Columbus. What a blessing! Peter worked himself to death on moving day, although we did have lots of help packing the truck. I was trying to keep the kids out of the way and getting Dad at the airport. We spent our last night in Lawrence saying good-byes to our good friends and swimming at the hotel. My dad drove with me and the boys in the Rodeo and Peter drove the Penske. Our walkie talkie (cell phone) names were "Peter Penske" and "Kill Me Now." I was so glad to have my dad in the car with me; it was great to visit with him for the sixteen-hour drive and to have him behind the wheel while I tended to kiddo needs. We even took a rest stop at the arch in St. Louis! We also broke up the trip by spending a night in Indianapolis. It ended up being a great trip.

We were very relieved upon arriving in Columbus. The city is beautiful; especially our part of town. Very clean and green. Our apartment was in great condition - another worry squelched. We're living in a townhome complex, where out of 52 units, about half are inhabited by LDS families - a Mormontopia. We were greeted with a gaggle of burly movers from the EQ and a few wives and kids. Parker found a round of friends and I got a carpool set up for his preschool within the first few hours of arrival - it just doesn't get better than that.

While my dad was here for a few days (again, kicking myself for the lack of pictures), we were in full-fledged project mode. He installed a cieling fan, built a railing for the basement stairs, installed a safety gate, and fixed our dryer hookup. Oh, and he and Peter got us a second car...a brand new Toyota Corolla, cherry red. Very nice. The most fun we had with him, however, were the few moments we found to discover places like City Barbeque, Downtown Columbus, and the beautiful neighborhoods here. The kids, although frazzled from the transition, loved having Grandpa around and can't wait to see him again! Thanks, Dad!

Mamma Mia!

That was my expression when I looked and realized how long it has been since I posted! Between the big move and an impromptu trip to Utah, our lives have been crazy. I am still on Utah time - which is good news for me, who wanted to catch up on all of your blogging news, while my boys are snoozing! It was so fun! However, it's now 1 a.m. and I have nothing left in me to post anything worthwhile! I have so much to report, and promise to do so in the next few days...stay tuned...

Leaving Lawrence

We've been here in Columbus for almost a month now, but thought that we should pay tribute to our beloved Lawrence! Home to us for four years, Lawrence and the surrounding Kansas City area definitely took us by surprise with its charm. We loved the people and the ambiance of the town, and will miss them tremendously. A few noteworthy places and events, specific to the area, that we will always remember are:

• Friends! They top the list. Without them, much of the rest of the list doesn't take on much meaning! We love you!
• Jayhawks on Parade
• Sheridans
• the Library - not to be rivaled, we've discovered
• Vermont St. BBQ
• Summer band concerts
• The Plaza
• Prairie Park Nature Center & Trails
• Clinton Lake Arboretum
• the Dead Zoo - a.k.a. Cabela's
• Sunsets
• Chiggers...mmm wait, not so much
• Douglas County Fair
• St. John's Mexican Fiesta
• South Park Wading Pool
• Santa on Weavers
• G.R.'s fireworks
• Farmer's Market
• Stitch On & Sarah's
• Winfield Home Furnishings
• Shakespeare in the Park
• KC Museum of Art
• KC & Topeka Zoos
• KU Natural History Museum
• Googol's
• Cici's = Pizza House
• Great Harvest = Bread House
• the Train Park
• Mass St. Sidewalk Sale
• Bloomington Beach
• the Bittersweet Vine
• Maple Leaf Festival
• our Backyard
• Thunderstorms
• Sunflowers
• a Garage
• Church sites
• Science City
• KC Speedway
• Jack Stacks
• Campus
• KU "Greeners"
• the Merc
• Joe's Bakery
• Sylas & Maddy's
• the Toy Store on Mass
• the Storytime Lady
• Vintage Junk
• U-Pick Farms
• Papa Keno's
• The Dusty Bookshelf
• Hy-Vee Kids' Club
• Deanna Rose Farmstead
• St. Patrick's Day & Christmas Parades

The list could go on & on...but those are our faves. Most of all I miss being so close to everything and running into someone I know wherever I go. I think it's still sinking in that we're not just on vacation out here in Ohio...Lawrence will be etched onto our hearts forever!