Sunflower Staycation Outing

We had a small staycation at the beginning of August. We did a lot of our regular weekend things like trips to the pool, gardening, projects, cooking, and being lazy. I wanted to try and get out and go on one little adventure with the girls to somewhere we normally don't go. A couple of my friends posted pictures at Cottell Park, so we thought we'd check it out. 

I woke the girls up and tried to get there early (about 9:30) to beat the crowds, but there were still quite a few people there. We took couple pictures, explored the fields, and avoided people at all costs. All of the sunflowers were beautiful and kind of makes me want to plant our own little sunflower 'field' in a chunk of our yard. 

2019 Summer To Do List

We've never really done a seasonal bucket list before, but figured this is the time to start. My schedule is more flexible than ever and our kids are at an age where it is much easier to get out and about and enjoy activities as a family. I had a couple things around town that I wanted to try and I added some of our favorite places we like to go. It was fun to get Cora involved in making the list and seeing how many pool/sleepover combinations she could come up with. I'm looking forward to seeing if we can fit all of this in our 11 weeks of summer break. I'll be updating with links as we complete activities.

+ Pool (purchase passes)
+ Bike Riding
+ Cincinnati Art Museum (Burning Man Exhibit) Phase 1 and Phase 2
+ Ault Park and hiking
+ Highfield Discovery Center
+ Zoo Trip
+ Sharon Woods, Gorge Trail, and Root Beer Stand
+ River walk and Smale Park (carousel?)
+ Lemonade Stand
+ Taft Museum (Patrick Dougherty sculpture)
+ Cookout
+ Bike Riding
+ Sleepover with Grandparents (double sleepover)
+ Picnic
+ Parade (4th of July)
+ Louisville trip
+ Farmers Market
+ Movie in theaters (or drive in?)
+ Dye hair mermaid colors
+ Face paint
+ Play date
+ Sleepover with aunt and uncle
+ Paint inside play cottage
+ Vacation... Cottage!

Fall Walks With Cora

I've mentioned this before, but Cora and I try to get out on a walk on our street almost every day. Some days our walks last 5 minutes and some days I have to drag Cora in for dinner.  Yesterday, was one of those drag-Cora-in-for-dinner days, but I'm not complaining.  Cora finds so much excitement in ever little thing.  Cora got so excited to see a squirrel sitting on the fence that we paused for a couple minutes to watch it sit there and run around, then we focused our attention on a single leaf falling from a tree.  She also crouched down and squawked as she searched for noisy birds in the bushes.  It is so fun to experience things through the eyes of a child. Fall has brought so many fun things to discover and I'm looking forward to more fall activities.

Follow along on Instagram to see more #walkswithcora and progress on my current project. 

Walks With Cora

One of my favorite activities to do with Cora is going on evening walks together.  She loves to look at all of the sticks, rocks, acorns, and leaves on the sidewalk and always picks a treasure to carry in each hand.  Yesterday, we shared our evening walk with Pops and his neighbors.  We reached this field during golden hour and took the opportunity to snap a couple shots of Cora and her friend.

Georgia Trip: Sunsets

We stayed in a house on the river that gave us some awesome views of the sunset... and if you know me, you know that I love a good sunset.  Here are some of the pictures from our week of amazing sunsets:

Georgia Trip: Cora at the Beach

This was Cora's first trip to the beach so I was a little nervous to see whether she would like the beach/ocean/sand or not. Cora has done swim lessons and loves baths so I wasn't worried about the water portion of the trip.  The first beach day, we went to was in a small bay that was less crowded and there weren't many waves.  Cora liked the water and loved splashing around with her cousin.  The sand seemed weird to her since it stuck to her hands, but she got used to it quickly and found a couple rocks and shells to carry while she walked around the beach.

The rest of the week we went to a different beach.  We call this one the wedding beach because my cousin got married there a couple years ago.  This beach was a little more crowded and had more waves.  Cora DID NOT like sitting on the beach and letting the waves hit her.  She liked going in the water, but would cling tightly to me.

When I was getting Cora ready, my cousin mentioned that she had a watermelon swimsuit too.  She threw it on so they could match.  My cousin is great with Cora and they had a fun time playing with each other throughout the week.  Aren't they adorable?!

We ventured to the beach almost every day of the week.  Towards the end of the week, Cora was getting used to going to the beach and loved waving at the ocean when we got there.  I'd take her in to swim a couple times, but she mostly enjoyed hanging around under the umbrella and sticking her fingers in the sand.

On the last day at the beach, she got a little more adventurous and started to walk off on her own.  She was a little wary of the whole situation at first, but once she got more comfortable, she really enjoyed swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand.

We had a great time visiting the beach during our trip and it was such a relief that Cora loves the beach since beach time is pretty much 50% of our vacations.  I enjoyed watching my cousins and other kids playing on the beach and dreaming of future days when Cora will be running around playing in the ocean with her cousins and siblings.  Sigh... perfect!