Camping at John Bryan State Park

One of the great things about Colombus is our new friends. We have made friends with a family that has kids the same ages as ours and that like the same things we do. July 18th we went camping with them. Saturday we went and ate breakfast at an actual flour mill.

The mill is famous for their pancakes and from the photo I think you can see why.

This is Laura and Chris in front of the water wheel. It is sadly not great for pictures because they keep Christmas lights on it. At Christmas time they have a light show that we will have to go back and see. I think then I will appreciate all the lights on the Mill.
Rock climbing is the reason we chose to camp here. It was the first time we have gone since Laura was a baby and we lived in Logan. So a first in over four years. It was so fun.

I have this same picture of all of my kids now about the same age in this pack. It has come in handy many times and this was one of them. Thank you Chris's parents! The big red mark on his forhead is a misquito bite. We all have had more misquito bites this summer then all the rest of them combined.

Here we are starting our kids young. Chris made a harness for the kids out of some webing. They thought it was great!

Reaching for that hold. Laura loved rock climbing.

Steven had some very interesting technique. We will have to work on his form some.

Here is Chris truly in his element. I like rock climbing but Chris LOVES rock climbing so this was an especially great trip for him. He was a bit rusty but still scrambled up to the top.


Here he is, his favorite place to be, on top of a rock. His favorite rocks to be on top of are of course much higher but this was still fun.


And last and also least is me trying to remember how to rock climb. Lets just say I didn't really remember but I had a wonderful time trying.

This gives a new meaning to "CHEESE". Our last picnic on a moss covered table. mmm.

So now for a little bit of history. Posting these pictures brought back memories. A good six and a half years ago Chris had me climb up this rock pinacle up Logan canyon. He climbed up first then he belayed me from the top while I climbed up after him. When I finally made it to the top he had sparkling cider and our song playing (John Denver's Annie's song). He also had flowers (some ended up blowing off but I was sitll impresssed). He then told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. I wish I could remember what he said exactly. I know I wrote it down but I'm not going to look it up right now. Anyway it was a special day that I will always remember and makes me fall in love with him all over just thinking about it.

A Happy 4th of July

We really had a fun 4th of July this year. We started the day with a rainy parade but we had a great time anyway. Steven and Laura enjoyed walking to the car splashing in the puddles. Then Chris got home and we went to a bbq. WE both met a few more new people. Then we went to a park and watched the fireworks. Someone there was playing music over a speaker and that provided for some good fun dancing. I spent some time reflecting about what a great blessing it is to live in America. When I was in Russia everything there was so uncertain. The best anyone did there was buy a two bedroom apartment and only a few people owned a car. The people that I knew in Perm would never be able to live in a house like I have and it is very small for American standard of living. Even though we live in a economically uncertain time I'm not worried about wether I will have enough food to feed my children. I have so many wonderful things because I live in America.

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Exploring Colombus

When we first found out that we were for sure moving to Colombus there were a few people in our ward who had lived there before and they told us we would love it. They were right! We are having a great time. I can't believe all the fun things that there are to do. This picture was taken at a park with fountains that squirt up and waterfalls. The ladies in the ward call it the Bunny fountain park because there are huge bunny statue's on top of this hill that the water park is by. It is free you just come with your toys and swimming suit and play.

We got zoo passes and we have gone a few times now. They really have a wonderful zoo here. The kangaroo's were especially fun to watch this particular day.

Lots of statues all over the zoo to climb on. And of course we had to stop and climb on all of them!

So much for looking at animals. Once the kids discovered this amazing playground it was hard to get them excited about anything else. Oh well it's great exercise for them and Chris and I just need to remember to bring a book.

Here is a picture of only half of what is there. It is quite the playground.
This little clip was taken at Fancyburg park in Upper Arlington. We went with our good friends from Hershey who also moved to Colombus for residency. It has been so fun having them here. It was a really nice park with an awesome playground. This clip doesn't really show it but I thought it was cute of mykids interacting. In this clip Steven says he is going to a music festival. We went to a jazz and blues music festival the night before with some new friends and had a great time dancing to the music with helium balloons. So that is what inspired his imaginative play.

Here is a video clip of the kids playing at the bunny fountain park. I'm not sure what the real name of the park is. I am sure we will be making lots of visits to this park this summer. We are having so much fun exploring and we also are having fun making new friends. Everyone here has been so friendly to us. We have been invited to lots of things and we feel very welcomed. There are so many young families like us in this ward and someone is always planning something. So if I get bored or lonely here it is my own falt!

Steven told us to!

I don't know which was funnier, finding these two cuties covered in stickers or their quick response when I walked in the room that Steven told them to do it.

These kids had so much fun playing together. These are our good friends in Hershey. laura and Steven went to pre-school at their house all last year and we also got together and let the kids play alot. For a long time almost everyday Laura would ask if her friend could come over. Steven also loved having them come over. My favorite was when they would all play hide and seek together. It was so funny to watch. This picture was taken while we were at their house waiting for our truck to be loaded the day we left to Colombus. We really miss them!

Our New Backyard Paradise

It all seems too good to be true. I can't believe I have this wonderful back yard. We were even able to put in a nice big garden. I bought the slip and slide and the kiddie pool for the kids to play in while we put in the garden. We planted the next day and the kids enjoyed helping put in the seeds. We put in cantalupe corn, beans pumpkins butternut squash, zuchinni, summer squash, potatoes, onions, green peppers, broccoli and some zinnia and sunflowers line the edges. Everything has already sprouted except the carrots. I hope they come up. Since we got here we have been working hard on the yard and also painting. We are done painting the rooms we are going to paint and now we are working on finishing up unpacking. I am hoping to be all done before Chris starts oriantation next week. We were so grateful for my parents who came and helped us for a week. Thank you mom and dad! The kids are absolutely loving the backyard as well as having stairs that is one of their favorite places to play. I am feeling very blessed!

The house has a really nice patio. We weren't eating on it though because it was too hot!

The only way to play in 90 degree weather!

Aaron loves our new backyard too!

Good -Bye Hershey

Today I went running on my favorite trail here in Hershey for the last time. It is so pretty here and I am really going to miss it. I have run this trail so many times running past the duck pond, and up through the nature trail past Shank park. This is my time to think and also to pray. It is running on this trail where my best ideas come. Running has always been an outlet for me and the pretty scenery was an added bonus. Yesterday was my last day at church. It was a really sad day for me. I did really well until relief society. I was standing in the back of the room holding Aaron and I looked around at all the women sitting in the room and I thought about how each of them had taught me, inspired me, helped me, and been my friend. Some of them I have come to love very much. I was grateful for the many hugs I recieved and for all the sweet sisters who cried with me as I said my good-byes. It is so hard to leave knowing that many of these people I won't see again. Yesterday I also spent a lot of time reflecting on the last four years here. So much has happend and we have changed and grown in so many different ways. When we moved here Laura was four months old. She is now four years old and Steven and Aaron were both born while we lived here. It has been a wonderful, difficult, trying, and fun four years. Hershey PA we will miss you.

Chris's graduation

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Yes it is another long slide show posted by me but I am having so much fun making them. We had a such a fun weekend with Chris's parents this weekend. They spoiled us as always. We really loved having them here.