Summer Lovin'

Well, the summer is half way over for this momma (though, for my Indiana friends the summer is drawing to a close very soon) and I want to just take a minute to say that I am loving (almost) every minute of it. This is my first summer as a SAHM and it has been fantastic to enjoy all the things I used to hear my bank customers raving about. And I'm TAN! Like an actual, honest to goodness tan. Okay, well, maybe not super tan like some people but "Irish girl tan" which is like a bunch of freckles really close together and a healthy glow. The girls and I have been having a blast (for the most part) so I wanted to share a little bit of what's been going on here at the Horn Homestead.

Our summer started out with a trip to the Midwestern paradise known as Sandusky, Ohio. We took our girls on their first trip to Cedar Point (America's Rockin' Roller Coast). Our girls had a blast so in turn, we had a blast. Some might think taking a 3 year old and a 5 year old to an amusement park is a waste of money but CP has a surprising amount of kiddie rides...including roller coasters!

Carrigan LOVING the coaster

Charlotte is our silly face queen

Seriously, I think the highlight of our day was seeing Carrigan's beaming smile as she rounded the corner of the Jr. Gemini. Three years old and the kid has already conquered her first roller coaster. Our only parental complaint (and really it was our own fault for not properly planning ahead) was the price of food. HOLY CRAP! I would say we spent AT LEAST $80 on food. Ridiculous! Anyway, I digress. I don't want to be too much of a curmudgeon because honestly, the joy I saw on the faces of my little girls was totally worth it.

The next adventure came the following day when we stopped off at the Toledo Zoo. First of all, let me just say that the Toledo Zoo is awesome! I saw baby polar bears, and a baby elephant, and baby monkeys...there were adorable babies everywhere...except mine. My babies were nightmares.

Why did we come here again?

I am chalking the experience up to one of two things. One being we made a mistake going to Cedar Point first. Logically, it made perfect sense. Sandusky is further East than Toledo so our logic was we would do CP first, swing back to Toledo, spend the night, go to the zoo, and be on our way home. No back tracking. However, when you take your children to one of the country's most celebrated amusement parks and then follow up with the zoo, it really does pale in comparison. My second theory is that the kids were just too tired to enjoy the zoo but let's be honest...I really don't think the average child truly enjoys the zoo. Most kids are in it for the chance to ride a train or carousel and to visit the gift shop. That's it. Parents take their children there to show them animals they don't get to see in their everyday lives but really, by the time you're midway through the zoo, it just becomes a game of survival and you trying not to feed your children to the hippos.

 If your kids actually enjoy the zoo (and I mean genuinely enjoy it) then congratulations...you're one of the lucky ones. Also, can I just say that I HATE that most zoos have a playground in the middle of them? Yes, I understand the zoo planner THOUGHT he/she was throwing us a bone by breaking up the monotony of animal watching by placing an oasis of playground equipment in the final plans. but can I just say that if I wanted to take my kids to a playground, I would have just stayed home and saved myself the cost of admission and overpriced zoo food...just saying. Anyway, the zoo was wonderful but the experience...eh. We decided when we go back, we'll go by ourselves and save ourselves the agony of dragging whiny kids along in a wagon.

This picture I believe captures the essence of our day at the Toledo Zoo

Well, after our Ohio adventure it was time for me to settle into my new role of stay at home mommy. All in all I feel the transition has gone well. I am still trying to figure out my "routine". I do know that Tuesdays are our library days and Thursdays are grocery days but beyond that, it's all kind of a free for all right now. Most days I feel like I'm a referee and nothing more but the house isn't in total disrepair so we'll call it a win.

Charlotte and Chris have both been busy with a community theatre production of The Sound of Music. Charlotte is playing Gretl Von Trapp and Chris is playing the role of Captain Von Trapp. They have been busy but I think both are excited. I am very excited to see my daughter upstage her daddy. I just hope Chris is ready to share his spotlight.

Lifeguard duty at the Horn Family Pool

So, when I am not doing housework or running errands, the girls and I have been spending a lot of time in our inflatable pool. The girls love to splash and play and I like to lounge and work on the aforementioned tan. Seriously, the best $25 I have ever spent. The only downfall is the amount of work that goes into keeping it clean. No filter means a lot of water changes. Probably not the greenest summer activity but I guess I am keeping the worms happy (the girls and I caught and then released 10 worms the other night...they liked the water we were dumping on the ground).

All in all, this first summer "on the job" has been great. I think we're well on our way to making some everlasting memories. However, I'd be lying if I wasn't just a little excited for Charlotte to go back to school. One kid in school means only one kid at home...and if Carrigan starts fighting with herself I'll be a little worried. Maybe I'll actually get this place organized...hey, a woman can dream!