Surfin' Safari

I finally got the waterproof camera developed yesterday after snapping a few shots of Cate (and Zoey) playing in the new sprinkler toy my mom bought her while we were in California. I'm not sure who was having more fun...Cate or Zoey?
Cate was cracking up the entire time. I have a short video of them together too that I'll have to post later. I apologize for the poor picture quality. The waterproof camera is essentially a disposable camera in a plastic case. Here we are, ready to start surfing:
We learned our paddling technique and how to get up on the board while we were still on the sand.
Finally, we got to get in the water to see if we could do what we did on sand out in the water.
Our "in water" pictures aren't very good. You can see Eric to the left in this one on his knees, about to pop up to standing.
This is me, paddling to catch a wave that's coming from behind (can't see it in this picture).
Taking a break. This is going to be my CD cover when I become a female Jack Johnson surfer turned guitar player/singer. But I need to learn how to play guitar first. And sing. Both of which Eric does very well. So maybe it'll just be his CD cover.And, despite my broken baby toe, and being totally beaten up on by the waves, we were still smiling at the end of the day.
We loved surfing and would like to do it again somewhere next summer if we can find somewhere along the east coast or Gulf coast to surf. It won't be long before this water baby is joining us. ~Melody :-)

Not Me Monday (Vacation Edition)

I skipped last week since we were on vacation, but I'm back this week to confess to all those things I really didn't did do. You can check out all of the Not Me Monday fun at MckMama's blog. Isn't the new Not Me Monday logo (above) cute?

While on vacation and away from this munchkin (who did NOT learn how to climb up on the coffee table while we were gone) I did NOT...
...polish off a bottle of champagne with my husband in about 30 minutes on our first night (he had chocolate covered strawberries and the bottle of champagne sent to our room).

I did NOT take a bath just about every night simply because I wanted to watch TV from the bathtub. There was NOT a TV about 10 times the size of the bathroom one in our bedroom that would've been much better for viewing but not as much fun.
While surfing (no, I don't have the pictures developed yet, we have a few more left on the waterproof camera...hopefully I'll finish it up at the pool this week), I did NOT break a baby toe. I did NOT continue to surf after breaking said toe because I was having so much fun (I got up to standing 3 times).

I did NOT think The Hangover was an extremely funny movie when we went to see it. And despite the opening scene in Away We Go, I did NOT also find that to be a great summer flick.

Eric did NOT think he saw Steve Martin at a Santa Barbara Starbucks and then say, "Nah, it was just some other old dude."

While driving to Hearst Castle, we did NOT have to take a little detour away from the scenic route because of all the fans crowding the road outside Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

And now that we are home, I am NOT obsessed with watching "America's Got Talent." I did NOT stay up until 1:30am (the latest I've been up in a while) on the 4th, catching up with friends. I am also NOT obsessed with the antique photo finish on iPhoto.Which makes this cute little girl (who did NOT turn 17 months old yesterday) look ever so scrumptious. Especially when she is in the arms of the man of my dreams overlooking a city we love.
Nope, NOT me.

~Melody

We Love Cincinnati

That's the title of the sermon series that just started at our church today. For the next six weeks we'll be talking about having God's heart for our city and loving where we live...loving it so much that we want to change it...for the better.

I think one of the best things about where we live, in the city, is that we can be anywhere we want to be in about 10 minutes...the ballpark, the stadium, the mall, the zoo, the museums, the playhouse, downtown, the various parks and pools and coffee shops and restaurants, and well, you get the picture. It's one of the biggest factors keeping us from heading out to the 'burbs (not that there's anything wrong with the 'burbs...I do envy your big backyards and closet space).

I guess it's only appropriate to celebrate a couple of the things we love about Cincinnati in this post.

Saturday morning we went bright and early to Findlay Market (the local farmers usually run out of stuff by mid-late morning) and cleaned up.
Farm fresh eggs, green peppers, green beans, potatoes, apples, and berries. Plus some great meat from the butcher. I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle lately and was feeling a bit inspired by the book (more on that in a later post, but essentially in part of the book she makes a very strong argument for buying food as locally as you can get if you don't grow it yourself). The term recently used in an editor's note of "Dwell" magazine (quickly becoming a favorite) was "locavore."

Anyway, Cate helped Daddy get the green beans ready for our 4th of July cookout.Even though it was rainy, we enjoyed the company of a few close friends and a very late night catching up. It was perfect!

Today, which also happens to be Cate's 17 month birthday, we headed to Sawyer Point Park downtown (by the river) after dinner...another place we love.
Cate was fascinated by every little thing, which I guess means her nickname, "Curious Cate," is appropriate. I am, on the other hand, fascinated by the antique effect on iPhoto, which I used in the above picture. I haven't been to the actual playground at Sawyer Point since I was a kid, and they've totally redone it. Who knew that under this bridge...

lies this park?

Where I think Daddy had almost as much fun as Cate playing around on the rock climbing wall. Cate played so hard, she got to try out her new, kid-size, Nalgene bottle. Yes, we're already indoctrinating her with the importance of using a reusable water bottle (and staying hydrated).After the park, we walked up the nearby Purple People Bridge that connects Cincinnati to Newport, KY, just across the river.
Cate got a lift from Daddy. It's a long walk for a peanut.
She enjoyed the view from the bridge though.
I love the views from the bridge too. I got the chance to play around with my zoom lens while Cate and Eric watched boats and barges. I think this shot below, of Mt. Adams, another favorite place we love in Cincinnati, is my favorite of the evening. Findlay Market, Sawyer Point, the Purple People Bridge, the views, just a fraction of the things we love about our city. Makes for a great night huh?
I'll take that smile as a yes.

~Melody :-)

Where Have We Been?

No, I wasn't posting blogs from vacation. I found out that Blogger has a way to set the date and time a post is published. So that's how the last two posts managed to get published while we were here:

(the pool on top of our hotel)

Not so bright and very early on Sunday morning, Eric and I headed out to Santa Barbara, California. Our fifth wedding anniversary is on July 10th, but June proved to be a slightly less expensive month to travel, so we decided to celebrate a couple of weeks early. My mom came down from Northeast Ohio to stay with Cate for the 5 days we'd be gone.

It was an absolutely wonderful trip! Probably one of our best vacations so far. The hotel we stayed at, The Canary, didn't miss a single luxurious detail when designing their hotel.
Yes, that is a TV in the bathroom.

Eric surprised me by ordering champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries via room service our first night there. That kind of set the tone for the rest of the trip-- romantic, relaxed, and slightly indulgent.
We spent our days wandering around Santa Barbara, exploring the Spanish-influenced architecture...

(the Santa Barbara County Courthouse)
(the view from the clock tower of the courthouse-- you can see the ocean in the distance)

(small chapel, part of the state historic park)
(tile artwork like this abounds in Santa Barbara...on buildings, in buildings, on steps and sidewalks)

...going to see movies (I did enjoy both "Away We Go" and "The Hangover") without having to worry to get home to a babysitter...

.... sitting on the rooftop terrace drinking water flavored by locally grown citrus farmers...
...shopping along State Street I got a pair of these...they're sweet...

...indulging in all kinds of wonderful food (both cheap and pricey)...

(Bel Frites, in San Luis Obispo, serves amazing seasoned fries with dipping sauces and Belgian beers--below)

(dressed up for dinner)

...walking along the beach...
...you get the idea.

We spent some time Tuesday learning how to surf. We both got up on the board in a standing position, which was awesome, but I managed to break one of my baby toes during a wipeout, not so awesome, but not a big deal either. We took a waterproof camera to the beach that day, so you'll have to wait for a post later this week of the surfing pictures.

Wednesday we rented a car and drove to San Luis Obispo (home of Cal Poly) to check out Bubblegum Alley (read more about it here), where we admired the gum artwork of students, some of it decades old.
I added my own pink wad to the mass.
From there we headed up to Hearst Castle. It was built in the 30's and even though one of my favorite novels of all times, The Great Gatsby, takes place in New York, I couldn't help but picture part of the story being played out here.

(the main house aka: the castle)
(the Neptune Pool in front of the castle)
(one of the guest houses at Hearst Castle)

On the way home from the castle, we stopped at the Madonna Inn, known for its desserts, to pick up two pieces of cake to enjoy that evening. They were huge slices and delicious too!
We were sad to leave on Thursday, but happy to be on our way to see Cate (we were starting to miss her). Eric ordered a wonderful room service breakfast so we could fill up in style.
We had an overnight layover in Los Angeles, so we were able to get together with our friend, Ryan, and see a reggae concert on Santa Monica Pier.
It was a perfect trip! I think it's so important for us to get away and have time together without Cate. It makes us better partners, better parents, and better people. We love the west coast and it will be fun to take Cate there when she's older. I swear she grew an inch and some hair while we were gone. A book came in at the library for me while we were gone, so we walked up there this evening, where Cate picked out her fourth summer reading prize, a book (from here on out, every five books gets her a raffle ticket to win a tricycle).
You can see all of our trip pictures by clicking here (our family photo site).

~Melody :-)

Bowled Over

I've been meaning to post this video for a week or so now. The last week has been really, really, HOT...like in the 90's...with tons of humidity. So while the pool and the sand table and our outside toys and the park have all been nice, our outdoor time is slightly limited as we just start to get really stinkin' hot when we're outside.

So then we move to indoor play. Keeping a toddler occupied indoors in no easy task. Especially in a small space (thankfully, we'll have a nice, large, dry, indoor playspace in the basement when we get around to putting carpet down). We were throwing Cate's large O-Ball the other day (yes, inside, she doesn't throw very hard), and it knocked over one of Cate's toys. She started cracking up, so we kept doing it. This "bowling" for animals seemed to be her new favorite thing for the rest of the day. Of course, she had to show Daddy when he got home. And of course, Mommy caught it on video. Enjoy!

~Melody :-)