Dave's prank on me

It was a good one. I forgot to mention that Dave did an April Fool's joke on me and I totally fell for it. He tied a rubber band around our kitchen sink hose so that when I turned the faucet on, the water would feed directly to the hose and spray me. It made me laugh...and drenched. :)

just a random pic of us during Conference weekend.

General Conference Box

I've started a new tradition for General Conference. A few days before each general conference, I'm going to break out the General Conference box (see below). I won't let the kids open it until the Saturday morning session. Inside will be all of our general conference supplies (i.e. Gospel bingo that I created, a matching game with the apostles faces and some crafts to do while general conference is on). We tried it for the first time just this past general conference and it was a hit. They are so excited for conference weekend.

Things to Do in Cleveland, part 2

I wanted to post a list of activities that are fun to do in Cleveland in the Summer. My winter list is on the right hand side bar (Things to do in Cleveland) and includes some parks and ideas you can also use for the summer.

Some activities we have done as a family and some have been given as ideas from friends...

OUTDOORS:
Sulphur Springs: bbcue pit, grills, shallow river and small waterfall website; website
Hinckley Lake: hiking, canoeing ($), swimming (includes a snack shop): website
Rocky River: website
Towpath: website
A cool website for biking: lists many biking trails: website 
Fairport Harbor Lake: my most favorite spot to visit the lake. Includes a snack shop, play ground equipment, canoe and kayak rentals; jet ski, kayaking, sailing, and canoe classes for kids just for $5: website
Mentor Headlines Lake: website
Punderson Lake: for camping and fishing: website 
Outdoor concerts and movies at Legacy Village: we love the outdoor concerts at the Legacy Village shopping center during the summer. We usually grab some frozen yogurt at Yogurt Vi and then sit on the lawn. It is so great (ok the bands aren’t amazing, but still fun). They haven’t posted their concert series yet but check out their events page as the summer draws near! : website
Horseshoe Lake: about...website; website
Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park: the actual ledges are really fun to hike around website
Chagrin River Park: Park, fire pit, river, biking and hiking, fishing: website
Parade the Circle (quite possibly the weirdest thing you will ever see…but so unique to Cleveland): website
Cleveland Museum of Art SUMMER SOLSTICE: website
Cleveland Museum of Art: CHALK FESTIVAL: website
Wade Oval Wednesdays: website
Chagrin Falls balloon festival: hot air balloon show, carnival, one of my favorite May activities--we go every year!! And while your here, stop in at the popcorn shop to get popcorn and ice cream website

($)($) (costs money)
Rolling Ridge ($); amazing amish petting zoo: website
Captain Kids marine academy at Fairport Harbor ($) (the classes I mentioned above) Call: 440-358-7275 and check out: website
USS Cod ($), take a tour of a historic submarine: website
Tall Ships Festival ($); went to this in 2010, can’t find info about this summer, but will come again in the summer of 2013: website
Splash Parks($): I’m pretty sure this link will give you info about any splash park you could ever dream of: website
But friends last year sent me info about this too…
Lyndhurst (pictures): website
(Directions): website
Memphis Kiddie Park($): website
Lake Farm Park($): website
Cleveland Botanical Gardens($): website
Drive-in Movies ($), long list of locations: website
Blossom Music Center($), legitimate outdoor concerts and symphonies...SO COOL! website
Holden Arboretum($): website
Cleveland Airshow, labor day weekend ($)...we've sat on the grass next to the Great Lakes Science Center and have also paid to go into the airshow...my kids LOVED going in to the air show: website


LIBRARY: Can’t forget the summer reading program. We go to the Bertram Woods Library ice cream social every year to kick off the summer reading…check here for event updates and activities for families/kids: website
Free outdoor movies in the summer: website
Geauga County Fair:website
This is Kirtland musical: website; 
Cleveland Indians tickets: website
can also find tickets on stubhub.com

Fruit Farms:
Monroe Peach and Raspberry Farm: website
Voytko Farms: blueberry, website: 11391 Franks Rd, Auburn Twp, OH 44023
Eddy's Fruit Farm: strawberry/apple website
Rosby Raspberry Farm: website

HOCKING HILLS: camping in a cabin or tent, hiking (it's a drive from Cleveland): website

please feel free to add to this list!!

April Fools

I'm in love with these pictures. The kids had been planning an April Fools attack on Dave for months. They watched the movie Spy Kids and the rest was history. It is from that movie that they got the idea to put blueberry pie filling in Dave's tube of toothpaste. Which we did.

The tube of blueberry pie filling that we used to fill the tube of toothpaste.

Corbin got these glasses from a birthday party earlier in the day. They go along with the sneakiness of the event.

I asked the kids to give me their sneakiest faces...

Rockefellar Greenhouse

Hike for Scouts

Squire's Castle

guinea pigs with bows

The girls could not resist dressing up the guinea pigs. The little piggies look really excited about that. The girls even brought a mirror into the room just in case the guinea pigs wanted to see themselves in the mirror.