We headed to Cincinnati for a few days. It included the usual, including Skyline, LaRosa’s, and Graeter’s, all in the first 24 hours. It will be our last visit to Cincinnati before #5 arrives.
Cincinnati Visit
First Bike Ride of the Year
Today we got out for our first bike ride of the year. We rode toward downtown, to visit the horses near Water Works Park. On the way home we stopped at Colby Park to enjoy the nice weather.
Andrew’s Crossover
Tonight we celebrated Andrew’s Crossover from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. There was a neat ceremony put on by a group from the local Order of the Arrow.
Andrew’s den has been together since first grade and 4 of the 5 are moving on to the same Boy Scout troop.
Playing Hockey on the Creek
It has been cold here, but not too snowy of late. Since we can’t go sledding the kids and I have been spending more time playing on the ice on the creek. It has been really fun. Yesterday we could see some 8-12″ fish swimming underneath the ice. A couple of times the puck has found its way into the water at the edges or where the current is stronger. We haven’t lost a puck yet because we can just quickly reach to the bottom and get it.
Hike at Brown’s Woods
This afternoon we got out for a hike at Brown’s Woods, one of our favorite hiking spots in town. I don’t think that we have visited since we moved. The kids had fun in the snow. When winter came in November Lucia wasn’t so sure, but she has been loving the snow lately, as long as it is not too cold.
Lucia & Books
Lucia has been looking at books more lately on her own. She doesn’t have the patience for reading with us most of the time, but lately I have found her looking through books more frequently. She definitely favors books about animals.
24 Weeks
What has Susan been up to, you might be wondering? Growing. She is 24 weeks pregnant and feeling good. We are all excited for the 7th Liesland, expected June 2015.
Super Bowl LXIX
Last night we went to the Reagens’ for the Super Bowl. This year the Sullivans joined us for some fun and good food. This year’s highlights included a good game, the Katy Perry halftime show, and the halftime Doritos were a hit, as usual.
200,000
In 2006 we bought our good old Mazda MPV. I think it had around 68,000 miles on it at the time. Today we crossed the 200,000 mile mark. We have always asked a lot of our car and with our growing family we will be asking even more. I am sure it is up for the challenge!
Andrew’s Snowman
I have blogged before about the snowmen that the kids built on Christmas Eve. Andrew’s snowman is still going strong, though his neck is getting a little thin. This morning I can actually see through it!
Ice Skating!
The kids were outside this afternoon and they decided they wanted to play hockey on the creek. A few minutes later we had our shovels and skates out and were getting to work. We were cut short by the dark, but I can tell we are going to enjoy having the ice skating in our back yard!
Safety notice: How thick was the ice? I am not sure. It looked really thick but I didn’t have time to drill. Tomorrow I am going to drill a few spots to see the ice depth. No one fell in, and it is supposed to stay below freezing for the foreseeable future.
Good Snow!
Today we had our first big snow of the year. We had a couple of good snowfalls back in November, but December was warm and dry. It looked like we were about to enter a cold period with no white stuff on the ground, but mother nature took care of us!
It snowed all afternoon and we got out after dinner to clear the driveway and sidewalks. This year we also haul some of the snow from the driveway to the back deck, so we can build a little hill for our kids and the school kids to play on. It is a little work, but well worth it.
In other news, remember Andrew’s snowman from Christmas Eve? It is still going strong, which is pretty much a Christmas miracle.