Finally Fair

We got to go to another Fair last night-- and not only did we get to go on the Carousel, but the fair happened to be across from Kate's house... at the FIRE STATION!! So Christian was mostly enthralled by the Trucks, Ambulances, Police Cars, and Farm Equipment...
Though the Carousel proved to be 'quite a ride'-- his favorite part was waving to Poppy (who stopped by the fair and surprised us) when he'd come around to where he was standing... and each time we'd go by, he'd get this serious look on his face and do the sign for "more". .. more Poppy! it was so cute! unfortunately he was not tall enough to go on any of the other kiddie rides... so the thrill was short-lived. . . but it was a great First! (p.s. he got to ride on the "bunny horse", whose "hop, hopp-iness" added to the adventure.)

Sweet Corn

We can't get enough of this sweet sweet corn this summer! 4 for a $1 is a pretty good deal for a week's worth of snacks (since we eat them in halves)! It's also a great babysitter-- it takes Christian a long time to eat it, and keeps him entertained while doing so!

truck puzzle

The truck puzzle has officially become the toy of choice lately-- and every puzzle piece has its own name. not necessarily a name you'd recognize, but we're starting to grow quite familiar with each one, and they are often selected individually to be taken with us-- to the diaper changing pad, in the car, around the house.... just to have, and to talk about...over and over and over. God forbid we ever lose one of them. we'd never hear the end of it...

bus= "buttz"
blue bus= "boo-ba"
ambulance = "beet"
fire truck="Waaaooow"
police car= "Waaoow"
mail truck= "ma-ma"
tow truck= "doe-duh"
delivery truck= " doo-da"
trash truck= "hash"

it's amazing what a little determination will do to get those fine motor skills working! he can now put all of them in without help. . . though he still gets frustrated sometimes if he doesn't get it after a couple of tries. when he does succeed, he claps for himself-- a little self esteem boost he learned from the DeVita girls' encouragement this past week!

Hi

Last week we went to visit Kate and Kaila-- and of course, the firetrucks across the street. while we were there, the ambulance (or "beet") returned from a call. As it was backing into the fire station garage, the "manna" who was driving it saw us standing in the driveway across the street. he flashed the lights and waived at christian, who was wide-eyed and drooling. a few minutes later, while inside kate's house, he wanted to climb up on the couch to look at the trucks out the window. "Beet! Beet!" he pointed. i started recounting what had happened. "Yes. The ambulance came back, and the man flashed the lights and said 'hi!' to you." i waived my hand as the man had done. he looked at me, with a big grin on his face, waived, and said, "HI!!!!" in a high-pitched, excited tone. it was the first time he'd made the connection between the word 'hi' and its meaning. i don't think he'd ever said it before. and now... i don't think he'll ever STOP saying it. we recount the story several times a day... and if you ask him what the man said... he will grin, waive, and say "HI!!!" just as excited as that moment.
Last night i had a "girls' night" party for my friend Jenn who's getting married next week. the LAST thing christian wanted to do was go to bed right when all the guests were arriving and chatting down the hall from his room. he screamed for a while, and when i went in to check on him, and try to calm him down...it was obvious there was no hope of sleep arriving anytime soon. i picked him up and told him he could come say hi to everyone. he was shy and clingy (more common lately than not), but was happy to be out of bed. a while later when i tried to replace him in his crib, he began to cry, and whimper, "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!!! Hiiiiii!!"
I guess he understands the meaning a little more than i thought!

true blue

yesterday christian and i went to harrisburg to visit amy and her brood of 5 chicks! it was so refreshing to be in my dear friend's new home--an extravegant blessing from God! -- and to just be together!! there is something about being with an old trusted friend who knows you like no one else does. it is soothing to the soul... like wrapping a comfy blanket around your shoulders on a cold day. She knows how to draw me out, encourage my heart, and speak to my spirit. and when it's time to go, i never want to leave. i respect her so much in the way that she parents, serves her family, decorates her home, and sees life. her children already rise up and call her blessed... and her love is the reason. "it's all about love," she says all the time. she knows the keys to contentment, and it's God's Love that pours out of her day in and day out-- on her husband, her children, and her lucky friends!! i can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than with this woman!
I took some absolutely adorable pictures that i will try to post soon. christian had a blast playing with baby sawyer's toys-- especially the noisy ambulance and ride-on airplane! and abby and hannah entertained him and gushed over him when he put the puzzle pieces in their proper places. he adored the praise and attention from such beautiful girls! who wouldn't? toward the end, when baby sawyer started to cry, christian offered him his binky-- a first! i guess the love was just wearing off on him!
and despite a little tumble and his first bloody lip, he had a really great time. it is so fun to watch him starting to interact with other children. i think he will be ready for a playmate come January (hopefully!).

celebrating... sad and sweet

Dave's Nana was supposed to fly up from Florida this past weekend to celebrate her upcoming 90th birthday with the whole family... but instead of celebrating with her present, we celebrated her life in her absence. She passed away just 5 days before the party. Everyone still flew in to attend her memorial service and the planned get-together at the Janes's. It was a beautiful sunny day and a lovely service. I only got to meet her once, at Matt and Amy's wedding last year, and she was a gentle and classy lady! It was obvious from listening to everyone's memories of her that she was dearly loved by all her family. I know she will be missed. And someday all the little ironies of this life will drift into place to somehow make sense.

(Not) Fair

we tried to take Christian to his first carnival last night-- ye old Malvern Fire Company Fair. used to be one of the highlights of my childhood summers. we thought the little guy would get a huge kick out of the baby airplane/steering wheel rides and merry-go-round. he loved watching all of the lights and colors and movement, and was immediately wide-eyed. But as soon as we stepped foot onto the grounds, it started to rain. and then pour. we sat under a food tent and ate some funnel cake (he loved it) to pass the time. it only rained harder. he started getting antsy in the stroller, so we let him out and he headed straight for the rain! it was classic-- and i wish i'd gotten the camera out-- but i decided to watch and enjoy the moment instead. his little hands up above his head, a look of pure joy and wonder on his face. gramsy went out and ran around with him, and the two of them soaking wet and giggling was a sight to behold. so it wasn't the memory we were hoping to make-- but perhaps it was sweeter. when life rains, make your own rainbow...

A little cuz 'n' cuz

Willa And Christian starring in their own little film together-- They make us feel younger -- even tho they can be somewhat exhausting just to watch!

nightmare on blog street

how do you choose a catchy title for a post about something so ... depressing? i just realized that i have accidentally deleted every photo i have ever uploaded to this blog in the last year and a half (excluding the past couple of days). i don't want to take time to explain the nitty gritty of how this happened. just that it did is sad enough. so now what...? i am still deciding. the only way to restore them is to go back through each and every post and re-upload what i THINK may have been there. truly sad. truly not a happy day in the blogosphere. woe. is. me.
...and at the same time it is a good reminder that this, while fun and memory-making, will someday be left behind. i can't take it with me... so... oh well?... sigh.

Happy 3rd!

My Prince Charming stole me away last evening for a romantic getaway to the luxurious Pocono B&B, French Manor. We took a little detour on the way there through Scranton, PA to see a few touristy spots from The Office. . . not quite as fun as it sounded. . . no offense to Scranton. :) Then on to fine dining and our first full night away from our first born. Thankfully he did great staying over at Gramsy & Poppy's, and we did pretty well without him (though we were excited to come home again!). It's hard to believe it's been 3 years since our fairy tale wedding, on a day just as beautiful as this one, and just as in love! I'm so thankful for my sweet and generous husband. He is a romantic at heart, and he knows how to capture mine!


mmm, looking further along than i am, after a nice big meal!

3 years already!

The French Manor

It was indeed a very "nice" room!

acting like a baby

Christian has suddenly taken to babbling. jibberish. nonsense words... sounding more like a baby! for a while there we thought he was really a man trapped in a tiny body. we've been expecting sentences to erupt from his mouth any minute. but the past couple of days he is playing around with sounds and words-- and it is so funny. he likes to repeat them over and over, and we have no idea what they mean:
mindi
nahndi
mops
pops
mahmbi
...to name a few.
he's still adding real words to his vocab-- like burger, buckle, and woodchips ('chipthz'), and he is still talking about Seth (Hess) and Willa (Hahda) on a daily basis-- but it's good to know he's still just a baby! however, crying for no apparent reason last night for over an hour from 12am-1am was completely not necessary to complete the picture.
Today we spent a good 15 - 20 minutes sitting outside just thumbing through some old truck magazines of Poppy's. i'm pretty sure he would have sat for another hour if we'd had enough magazines. his fascination is endless. not so much a baby-ish quality, but definitely a highlight of the day...
then we went to find this park that is supposed to be close by, but i can never seem to find. after a little driving around and investigating, we stumbled upon it, and it was superb. a playground for toddlers, one for big kids, and every kind of sports field you could imagine. . . including a sand volleyball court, where little man threw himself down (just like at the beach) and practically rolled around in it with glee. fortunately he'd brought his bucket and shovel ('huvv'). there was also a walking trail, but it was too hot to try it out today... the weather is gorgeous -- clear, sunny and breezy, but the sun is way too hot to be in it for very long.
anyway, there are a few nights throughout the summer where there will be concerts in the park (they also have a stage/outdoor amphitheater-type thing). hopefully we can enjoy some of that! i love free summer fun!!

Beetle Boy

Willa's Short

Eventually I will post the actual video, but here is the LINK to a fabulous short film, starring the charming and adorable Willa Rose! Enjoy!! She is a doll!

Always Be Prepared

We thought a little walk into town on this perfect, breezy summer night would be just the right thing! It was. We thought letting him wear cheezy Pinnochio pajamas was harmless. It wasn't. At least not for the photo opps. that we should have anticipated were coming! And the playground stop where we had to squeeze his footed pj feet into his already-too-small sandals. It was a night to remember nonetheless... and the videos of him with his ice cream and climbing up the slide are priceless, regardless of his attire!

Baby Spoon Swap

Climb to Mama

this isn't the best video, but it captures that gleam in his eye for just a moment that, off camera, broadened into a grin of pure joy every time he attempted to climb to Mama...