The Lieslands

Yesterday evening the older kids and I decided to get out for a bike ride. We had a great ride. The kids were riding fast and we made it from Greenwood to one of the pedestrian bridges downtown. We had a break and then headed home. I had allotted extra time for our ride home so we did not need to be in a hurry.

We were about 1/2 mile from the end, in the thick of the woods, when Mari threw her chain. Normally this would not be a big deal, but as soon as we stopped we were swarmed by mosquitoes. I was struggling to get her chain back on because her chain guard was in the way. The kids were running around, biking around, and swatting their hearts out trying to stay away from the mosquitoes. After trying for a few minutes we decided to just run the bikes back, so Mari and I ran the rest of the way, swatting as best we could.

Lucia has been very interested in eating lately. She gets especially crazy when we are trying to eat. At the zoo last week we let her munch on an apple. Today, Susan gave her some avocado to try.

Yesterday we headed to Columbus for my cousin Ariel’s wedding. We stayed at the Herrels’ (Simon’s parents). We had a great time at the wedding and a great stay at the Herrels’. Mr. Herrel even join us for the drive back to Cincinnati.

Today we headed to Orchard Hill’s Pool to swim with the Romans. It was Lucia’s first time in the pool and I would say that she was OK with it. She isn’t ready to go off the diving board yet, but she enjoyed the water when she was held close.

After dinner at Dewey’s we headed back to the Herrels’ for dessert. Here is a quick glimpse of the action.

Today marks the end of Cousin Camp 2013. Susan and I drove the kids down on Friday and they spend the next two days with their favorite camp counselors, the Connors.

Susan and I spent the weekend camping outside of Kansas City, or at least attempting to. The first night went well, but when we got back to our campsite at around dinnertime on Saturday we found that our tent was overrun by a tick invasion, so we decided to pack up and head to the Connors’ for a cleanse.

 

We didn’t come out with many pictures, but this weekend the boys went one direction and the girls went another.

Susan, Mari, Lucia, Erin, Hope, Mary, and Mimi headed north to spend the weekend in Minneapolis. They stayed at the Reagens’ and had a lot of fun taking in the Twin Cities.

Andrew, Elliot, Nate, Ian, Cameron, Luke, and I joined some families from Andrew’s Cub Scout den and headed to a lakehouse in Lakeview, IA. The boys had a great time playing in the water.

Today was the last day of school for the Lieslands and for the Bean Sprout kids. It is hard to believe how fast the time goes. There were a lot of concerns as we headed into the new year with a new baby, but everything went really well. Thanks, Lucia!

Lucia has sitting up more lately, which has been nice. She likes to sit and play with a basket of toys. When the weather is nice we can sit her in the yard.