Boats and Beds

Hot, hot, hot. That's summarizing the summer. Today it was 101 degrees --not counting the heat index. We've been continuing to find ways to stay cool but the poor dogs are not amused with the summer heat. Plus our air conditioner hasn't been able to keep up cooling our bedrooms. But it's nice that I barely have to warm up the grill to cook!

However, our garden is thriving. This is a zucchini from the sad little plant that Home Depot gave Elise when she painted a flower pot on one Saturday morning. Secretly, I hate zucchini in anything besides bread. Now Elise and I have been baking up a storm. The tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers aren't far behind. I better start looking ahead at recipes! (Please ignore my sad, fat little foot in the picture.... it's just for comparison. And I picked another large one today!)

 This past weekend we went on the Sandpiper river cruise. The Sandpiper is a boat that gives rides up and down the Maumee River. It was a gift for Daddy leftover from  Father's Day. Elise was quite excited about going on a 'big, fast' boat. It never really went fast but she thought it did.

The trip lasted 2 hours. Halfway through Elise got a little bored but perked up when they changed the music from Country (yuck! What were they thinking?!) to more contemporary music. Elise unleashed her dancing diva and put on a show for all who would watch. One of the ships attendants also pulled out coloring pages and crayons near the end for all the kids. She commented that Elise colored so well for her age that she even had Elise come up and show off her picture to the entire ship as they made an announcement as to her coloring abilities.

 That same evening, Elise was upgraded to a 'big girl bed'. She never wanted to or tried to climb out of her crib so what was the rush? Plus, I had a fear that she'd never stay in her bed again.

 Armed with tools, Elise and Jeff dismantled her crib and turned it into a twin bed- or so we thought. All these years we thought Elise's crib turned into a twin bed so I had purchased bedding and side rails in anticipation of the event. Jeff finished and laid the mattress on the bed frame. We stood and looked in silence as we really needed a full size mattress and bedding!

 But Elise is none the wiser. She's currently sleeping on mattresses on the floor and loves it. When she wakes up she sits quietly and reads books in her bed until someone opens the door. She loves her new 'big girl bed'. Our neighbors donated a twin bed frame that they no longer needed so maybe this weekend we'll up grade the actual bed!

Here's Elise on her first night!!! Anxious for bed. I've never seen her so happy and willing to take a shower and put on her pajamas....