Thibaud's Visit: Mudhens Game

One of our favorite outings was a MudHens game. Someone who is in our ward played shortstop for the team (he's since been moved teams) and got a ball signed by all the players. Thibaud had never seen a baseball game before, and it was a ton of fun. Even though there was a foul ball that bounced off the railing and almost hit Thibaud in the face.

Thibaud's Visit: Art Museum

We went to the Toledo Museum of Art the night before he left. We ate dinner there as well, and really enjoyed walking around and seeing the great stuff there. The cafe is fantastic by the way! I used a cool new app on my phone to capture and edit the pics to make them fancy.

Outside the museum

(The pic fix is called "So Emo". I love the feeling it gives the whole thing!)

The Glass Pavilion. This is Thibaud through one of the glass cases holding glass items including the walking sticks you see in the foreground.

This is an exhibit of Irregular Polygons by Frank Stella. They have space for the kids to draw and their own shapes and use geometric magnets to manipulate and create even more patterns and possibilities.

I love how in this picture, the floors are so shiny they reflect the art. Amazing atmosphere.

Reading in the middle

So I'm in the mood and mindframe to blog. So there will be many in short succession about varied things. Don't worry. Since I'm not a huge fan of typing, I'm sure I'll just hit the high spots and there will be lots of pictures.

But first, and moment of self discovery.

And a confession.

My name is Chiara Cameron, and I have never actually read a book from cover to cover.

Okay..not a novel. I read If you Give a Mouse a Cookie all the time from front to back. But its the long ones without pictures that get me. Which is probably why my 2 favorite types of books are cookbooks and psychological mumbo jumbo books (NOT textbooks) because you can start anywhere in the book and still get something out of it. I read the first 3 or 4 chapters and the last 2 or 3 chapters and then I bounce around the middle as I please.

My friends are baffled by this. They want to know how I can miss out on the excitement, the build up, the anticipation of not knowing what happens.

I think I know why. I don't like not knowing everything is going to turn out okay. I have to know how it ends so I can leisurely browse the middle with assurance that all things will turn out just swell. There is enough in my life I am unsure of, and quite frankly I need less excitement, build up and anticipation in my life. I'm swimming in it it would seem. I'm waiting to find out how my story will turn out, and its driving me nuts. If I knew, somehow, how it would all end, I could happily paddle around the middle and wait.

But tonight I realized the middle is kind of the point. By bouncing around the middle and picking up only random pieces of information I miss a lot. Like I missed the whole Bella and Jacob kiss on the mountain in Eclipse. I missed Katniss and Peeta finally joining forces in Hunger Games. I missed key points and moments because I already knew the ending and thought I got it and understood the whole thing. But I didn't. I knew where the characters were, but had no idea how they got there. I missed the character development.

And there it was...the explanation for my own middle story. If I knew how it ended, I would quit trying and just wait. I'd bounce around and miss a bunch of important stuff. I would fail to develop my own character. And even when I got to my ending, I wouldn't truly get it without experiencing all of the stuff in the middle.

So here's to the middle! Not saying I'll start reading books like a normal person...

Quotes of the Day

• I was looking at a list of school supplies printed off Maryn's Junior High website and noticed a course offering I found interesting. So I pointed it out to my daughter. "Are you going to take Exploratory French?" Maryn: "Nah. Science isn't really my thing." LOL.
• Conner and I were sitting outside together on the lawn while he was eating Laffy Taffy his grandma sent him. He shared something he remembered. I was surprised he could recall it and I told him so. He pointed to his head, "I have a big brain in here. Its full of memories." I smiled and said. "Its too bad that big brain couldn't do a little better in school." He quickly replied, "It's because its too busy with the memories."
• Maryn was lamenting the start of her new Junior High journey. She complains about it regularly actually. One morning Ashlyn had had enough. "Come on Maryn! It can't be as bad as getting married!" I chuckled and asked her why that was so. She looked at me like I was crazy and replied, "Because when you get married, you have to kiss a boy. Duh."

Balloons to Heaven

Today was David's Birthday. He would have been 42. We have always tried to make his birthday a celebration and day of memory. It seems to be the best choice. Father's Day may someday be lost to someone else, Memorial Day is inherently somber, and the anniversary of the death is not a happy occasion either.

Since birthdays are automatically cheerful for the most part...that is the day we have chosen to celebrate and remember.

We started talking about it earlier this week. The kids decided what kind of cake they would have. Their dad was a big Broncos fan, and that was what they choose. I enlisted the help of a talented friend who created a wonderful cake for us (see below).

It wasn't a long drawn out festivity. We kept it simple. It included 2 things really. The first was the balloons. I bought 10 helium filled balloons, 2 for each of us, one blue and one orange. And sharpie markers. I invited each child to write a message on their balloons. A message to their dad. And then we released them to travel to heaven for him on his birthday.

My boys messages were simple; "I love you.", "I miss you." "Happy Birthday."

Ashlyn and Maryn wrote short essays. But it is the way they are.

Maryn's says. "Happy Birthday Daddy your 42!" Everyone misses you! I Love you!"

Theyw ere smiling and cheerful as they wrote. And here is Ashlyns. She had a hard time letting this balloon go. She was afraid the birds would pop it before it got to heaven for her dad. She made me take several pictures of it.

"Daddy when will you come back will I ever see you Again?"

I stood by her and assured her it was okay to let it go. Letting it go was the only way it would get to him.

We watched as they floated out of sight.
"Mommy? Is heaven above the clouds?"
"Are there clouds in Heaven?"
"What does Heaven look like?"

Since we believe as a family that David is being a missionary in the world after this one to those who have not heard of Jesus Christ , Maryn wanted to know if Daddy was teaching Michael Jackson :)

A few hours later, Ashlyn asked me if I thought Daddy had gotten the balloons yet and if he was reading his messages. I told her I thought it was so.

The next part was the cake.

We put a one candle on the cake. We would light it, and each person would take a turn making a wish for themselves they thought daddy would make for them before blowing out the candle. They were instructed not to tell. Although Conner and Ashlyn confessed to wishing for their daddy to come back, and we had to discuss why this was not possible right now. Paul assured them that he would come back, and they would see him again, but when the Lord came again. They insisted on knowing when that would be.

But of course, no one knows. And something that vague is kind of hard to explain to ones so young. But we tried to.

I feel sure David is proud of them; of who they are and who they are becoming. He is proud of what they are accomplishing and the choices they are making.
And I think that is most likely, the best birthday gift they can give him.

Ashlynisms...

#1

Rob and I: We'll give $10 to whoever can lick their elbow! (All of the children begin desperately trying to do so).

Ashlyn: I can't lick my elbow. But I can lick my armpit!

#2

I gave Ashlyn some pants. I watched her put them on, turned around to grab something and when I turned back they were off her and on the floor.

Me: "Whats wrong with these?"

Ashlyn: "They don't fit right."

Me: "Well are you going to wear them ever or should I give them away."

Ashlyn: "Nah. Keep em'. I'll probably wear them when my butt gets bigger."

(I start laughing hysterically)

Ashlyn: "You're gonna put that on facebook aren't you."

Cincinnati Adventures: Wherein Tamra and I discover that the talent of ballon artist is measured in how long you can wait to use the bathroom

On Saturday we went across the river to Kentucky and Newport. There's a lot to see. There are shops and restaurants and street performers. Oh, and Cold Stone. Yummy.

But I digress.

Street performers.

This guy was super nice and gave the kids some free balloons. We left a tip. On the way across the Purple People Bridge to Ohio, Ashlyn and Miciah's both popped. So we stopped back on the way out and asked for another. He gladly obliged. While we waited for Rob and the kids wathced a juggler, Tamra and began wondering exactly hwo the stilts and the bathroom things worked.

So Tamra asked.

Apparently, he stand there for 10 hours without taking off the stilts or taking a break. Not even a bathroom break.

Talk about training.

It was hot. So Rob gave both the ballon man and the juggler a water bottle as a tip. They both seemed to appreciate it very much

The girls and their balloons. Tank had no desire to be in the picture.

These awesome little dudes are hermit crabs with cool painted shells. They were sweet!

So we walked across the river on the bridge. Which I failed to take pictures of. Walked around the riverfront park. Ate a picnic. Walked down to the water. Walked back over the bridge and watched a barge pass right under our feet.

And went home wiped out.