::{ Summertime }::

Last blog update for a while, but at least I'm caught up on the last two months!

Here are some random adventures we've had that we wanted to share.

For many months now, Ainsley has become my favorite sous chef.  She loves helping me cook, and Steve finally got his turn with our little helper earlier this week when he felt like being domestic.  He had a hankering for cookies, so he busted out two batches.  Ainsley helped with the first: oatmeal chocolate chip, and then Steve made sugar cookies after the munchkins were in bed.

I can personally attest to the fact that Steve is a fantastic baker.  The end product was ridiculously delicious.  In a random twist of events - yet one more way in which Team Adams isn't your conventional family - Steve is the better baker and I'm the better griller.  

Go figure.

We spent yesterday morning in Gahanna so that Steve and Bug could go paddle-boating.  It wasn't a huge operation, so it was perfect for Bug, but they had fun on the water and AJ ended up figuring out how to steer the boat and had a lot of fun with Steve.  Beck and I stayed on dry land and captured the watery adventures of the other half of Team Adams.

This is near the end when she was a pro at steering the paddle boat.  Steve would tell her which way to push or pull, and they figured out a pretty good system.  He was the muscle and she was the rudder.

Wandering on the paths next to Creek Side in Gahanna.  This was such a pretty place.  I'm pretty sure we'll head back and do some more exploring later on now that we know about it.

She wanted help for the first round of climbing across the huge boulders, but then she ventured off on her own...

This picture is a pretty accurate summary of Ainsley Jane.

Showing me all the cool sights along the way.

Of course, we had to end up at a fountain at the end of our paddle-boating adventure.  Funny how she didn't get wet, or even desire to splash in the water on the paddle boat, but couldn't keep away from the fountain when we stopped for a snack.

Our favorite little firecracker.

The highlight of her day was swinging over the fountains with daddy.  These two have a pretty special bond and I think Steve has been a bit nervous that his relationship with Beck won't be the same since it won't have the same foundation of 3 years of one-on-one weekend adventures like he's experienced with Ainsley.  I tell him not to fret.  He makes family a priority and I know Beck will have just as much fun with him on their adventures, and have just as strong a relationship with him as Ainsley has.  

I knew Steve was a great catch when we started dating, but seeing him as a dad has taken things to an entirely different level.

He is the greatest.