AAA Great Vacations Travel Expo

With the weather causing Megan’s birthday party to be postponed, we had the day free, so we decided to visit the AAA Travel Expo downtown.  A couple of the Duck Dynasty guys were there, along with Gavin Macleod – t.v.’s Captain Stubing; but we were more interested in taking part in Kid’s Day sponsored by Sea World.  They were there with a lot of animals on display.  He are some photos with the Sea World staff presenting a lemur, a hedgehog, and a lizard:

 

Here the girls are posing with some penguins:

And here they are with a friendly camel:

Look, We’re on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship!

 

AAA had a simulator that demonstrated how dangerous and difficult it is to text while driving.  Here Jenna is giving it a try.

 

Now it’s Alyssa’s turn:

They let Megan try the simulator without using the text distractors.  She lasted about 30 seconds before turning a corner into oncoming traffic.

I actually did alright with the texting and driving, but ended up crashing when a car turned a corner and cut me off.

Here I am in Shawshank Prison:

 

Here are the girls having fun with an off road racing game.  First up was Jenna versus Megan:

Now it’s me versus Alyssa:

 

And finally, Captain Stubing!

Play Date Friday

Each Friday, since Marburn lets out at noon, Alyssa and her carpool friends get together for a play date.  Today was my day to host.  After a pizza lunch, the girls had fun painting little animal sculptures and coloring wooden door handle ornaments – all while watching a movie on t.v.

Reds Caravan 2014

The Reds Caravan made it’s Columbus stop last night at Polaris Fashion Place Mall. After picking Alyssa up from school we headed straight there.  On hand for the meet and greet and to sign autographs were announcers Jim Kelch and the cowboy, Jeff Brantley; outfielder and speedster Billy Hamilton; Reds Hall of Famer, Mr. Perfect, Tom Browning; minor league outfielder Jesse Winker; and club owner, Bob Castellini.  We arrived at 4:30 for the 6:00 program, and just missed getting to sit in one of the few seats that were available.  Here is an overhead shot taken by one of the Fox Sports Ohio crew about a half hour before the event started.  You can see Alyssa and me at the very front of the line with just one person ahead of us in the upper right of the photo.  I’m wearing red and Alyssa is in white.

 

Some shots of the Reds personalities:

 

This was my first time going with one of my children.  I found it amazing how much more attention the Reds personalities gave to Alyssa, than to all of the adults that were present.  Jeff Brantley asked her what her name is, and how old she is.  He then told her that it was nice meeting her.  They were all very complimentary to her; many of them also remarking on how impressed they were with all of the signatures she already had on her Reds ball cap.  Also on hand was Kristine, the Fox Sports Ohio girl.  She asked Alyssa if she wanted to be a Fox Sports girl when she grew up.  Alyssa didn’t know how to respond, but later told me that it would probably be fun, because she would be able to meet a lot of the Reds players.

A photo Alyssa took of me with Kristine:

Making Bacon

Alyssa was so proud for making bacon all by herself, she asked me to take a picture and post it on the blog.

Indoor Soccer League

Jenna’s indoor soccer league began last night.  Jenna and her teammates were a bit rusty from not playing for 2 months, and it took  them a little while to get used to the rules of indoor play; but they all had a good time, and ended up winning 12-10.  Here she is after the game with her team – the Blue Demons.

Lego Mini Model Build

It has been a while since the girls attended one of the free Lego Store mini model build projects.  With the combination of having the day off of school, and January’s model being one of interest to the girls, it seemed like the perfect time to go.  Plus it was nice getting out of the house for the first time in over two days!

Can you tell what they built?  

 

They’re snowplows!

Tie Dye Cake

Jenna received a kit with which to bake a tie dye cake at a recent sleepover party she attended.  Here she is with the help of Alyssa, baking the cake.

 

Coloring the batter:

Placing the batter in the cake pans:

Fresh out of the oven:

Icing the cakes:

Jenna and her sisters with the finished product (which was pretty tasty):

Cabin Fever

While the kids loved having their winter break extended by two days due to the extreme cold, they were beginning to get a little bored with cabin fever.  I saw online that people were “making snow” by throwing hot water in the air outside, and watching the water dissipate instantly.  I thought it might be a little easier to do with a squirt gun.  That way, we wouldn’t actually have to go outside, but rather just stand in the doorway.

 

 

Fun In The Snow

Even with wind chills below zero, and unbearable wind, the girls wanted to play in the snow.  After shoveling the driveway 3 times because of the drifting, we were finally ready to go sledding.  It was so windy, the girls had to use their sleds as shields when hiking back up the hill.

New Year’s Eve 2013

As is our tradition, we spent New Year’s Eve having dinner at a buffet, and then coming home to watch old home movies.  Instead of eating at the Hometown Buffet, we decided to try the Golden Corral (mainly for their chocolate and caramel fountains).  As you can tell by the pictures, the deserts were a big hit with the girls.  Along with the fountains, they also loved the cotton candy!  Megan even urged me to remember the location of the restaurant, because she has decided that this is where she wants to have her birthday dinner next month.

 

Once we were sufficiently stuffed, we dropped Alyssa off at a friend’s house where she spent the night, and then headed home to count down until the ball dropped.  Jenna and Megan made it to midnight with no problem.  We blew our party horns, and then toasted the new year with champaign, sparkling apple juice and grape juice prior to hitting the sack.  It was Jenna’s 3rd night in a row staying up late after spending the previous two nights at friend’s houses.  As a result, both Jenna and Megan slept in until noon on New Years day.