A camera full of summer fun...

Does anyone else feel like the summer is getting away from them a little too quickly?  I was thrown back into reality when the packet of paperwork arrived from Joshua's school yesterday requiring that I a) fill out 100 papers, b) start sending them checks again ($125 for a preschool "book fee"?  Really?), and c) actually put Orientation Night and the first day of school on the calendar.  Don't get me wrong- I'm totally OK with the return of fall with it's cool temperatures and mums and pumpkins and scarecrows and all of the wonderful things that I love, but I feel like this whole summer has been run-run-run from one thing to another.

Which explains why my camera was full of pictures from some of our adventures.

These first two, I'm not even sure I wish to discuss.  We live very close by a place called Reptiland.  And you can imagine how anxious I am to step foot inside of it.  Right.  Not a bit.  So, this falls on the list of "If Our Children Are Going To Experience This, I Will Be No Part Of It".  Daddy, you're up.  So on his week of vacation/golfing, Daddy took Joshua for his second trip to Reptiland.  They were tormenting me with pictures via iPhone all morning.  People in my office must have wondered why I kept saying, "Ewwwwwwwwww!"  But, boys will be boys.  And I think they had fun.

 Little boy...Big Tyranosaurus

 Ewwwwwwww!  I could not bring myself to post the picture of the snakes.  Grossed me right out.

Why is this sideways?  Seriously.  But she's cute anyway, so I'll leave it here.

At the end of Daddy's week at home, we decided to take the kids to Knoebels for the evening.  Lauren had such a wonderful time the first time we went.  And she immediately began jumping up and down saying "YAAAAAAAAY!" at the mention of a return trip.  In our usual fashion, we headed over right after nap time, had some supper and rode rides until we were ready to come home.  And by "we" I mean Jason and I.  The kids would still be there if we would allow them.

In one of my favorite summer activities, Libby and I have ressurected the oh-so-fun Hooky Day concept to spend some time with our favorite kiddos.  When Brooke was a baby, I used to love to plan a day off from work to go and spend the whole day snuggling with her adorable little self without having to wrestle my own kids along with me.  So, on Thursday the 14th, Libby and Brooke headed our way and spent the afternoon and overnight with us.  We were so excited!

We played at the house in the afternoon, stuffed our faces with too much dinner and then decided to take the kids to burn off some energy at the park in Lewisburg for the evening.  We were excited to meet up with Emily, McKenna and Cooper there too.  The kids ran and played, and the moms supervised.  And talked.  (Our favorite part.)

We were having a great time.  Before we left the park, we decided to take a walk over to see the ducks.  The kids loved it--- began trying to throw leaves into the creek for the ducks and despite several warnings, it wasn't long until we heard the ker-plunk of one of the kids hitting the water.  The ducks scattered faster than they've probably moved in all of their ducky lives.  Joshua had gotten a bit too close to the edge (not that he hadn't been warned) and down he went.  He came up a little shocked and a lot covered in mud.  Thank goodness for Emily because her beach bag was already packed for their trip the next day, so she had a towel she could spare.  Joshua stripped down to his superhero underpants and had to ride home that way.  Libby and I nearly peed ourselves laughing about the whole thing after we knew he was OK.  But really. 

Libby and Brooke stayed around on Friday (incidentally, my birthday...what a special treat) until after lunch time.  The kids played some more and had a good time.  There were some squabbles, but for the most part, everyone did great.  I'm already looking forward to our next Hooky Day planned for next week.  Brookie- start thinking about what you want to do with Aunt Meg all day long!  It's just you, me and your Mommy sweet girl!

During the afternoon on Friday, Joshua created quite the play set up with his Batcave, Trio blocks, dragon castle and pirate play set.  He plopped down inside of it and had a great time while Lauren napped.  I just love to watch his imagination at work!

The rest of the weekend was a continued whirlwind with more errands than fun stuff, but the kids certainly kept busy.  Joshua did get to go out golfing with Daddy on Saturday afternoon and had so much fun.  He even came home with a miniature sized putter that he had used the whole time they played.  I know Jason loved having him out there with him, and I think they're going to be great golfing buddies in the years to come!

Busy weekend coming up, so I'm sure there will be more pictures!

Where the elk run away...

Time to play a little blog catch up.  Again.

We are now all fully recovered and rested after our third trip to Benezette for a weekend of fun with my family.  It's funny how this whole thing has evolved from an "I-don't-really-know-what-to-expect-here" experience into something that we're all really looking forward to from year to year.  It was almost amazing to me to think about how much Joshua and Brooke have grown since our first trip, but I love watching the kids as they explore the outdoors and learn to have fun like we did when we were kids.

When we left on Friday morning, I honestly thought we were prepared to stay for 6 months by the looks of the back of the van.  Seats were down and everything was stacked high--- it begged the question of what we're going to do next year when that seat can't be put down because we'll need it for car seats!  And then how on earth are we going to fit pack-n-plays, Boppy pillows, etc. etc. in with all the rest of our stuff.  But I tried not to let myself get too far ahead of the game and realized that we'll figure it out like we always do.  Or should I say Jason always does.  My job is to gather it all up.  His job is to make it fit in the vehicle.  I totally win on that one, and I know it.



Immediately upon arrival, the kids wanted to strip out of their clothes and get into their bathing suits.  Libby and Brooke were already playing in the baby pools and having a good time, and Joshua and Lauren weren't about to miss out on another second of that.  After lunch we set up a slip and slide for them to play with in the yard.  The water from the hose was just shy of icicle temperature, but it didn't slow them down.  Libby wins the Aunt of the Year Title for sitting down in the ice cold water and sliding with the kids.  It was fun to hear them all squeal.  But I'm pretty sure this yelling was the beginning of the end for our elk viewing on the trip.  The noise level wasn't quite what I would call inviting for the calm, serene elk to graze through the yard as they've done in years past.

Squealing, running, giggling and chasing continued until all of the kids fell into position to start settling down for the night.  I know you'll be impressed with our lavish sleeping conditions, right?

 The sleeping arrangements have really evolved over the past three years as we have more and more munchkins to fit into the number of beds and bedrooms that there are in the camp.  Last year Lauren wasn't loving her pack-n-play and I spent the majority of the weekend sleeping with her in my arms while she nursed on the couch.  So this year, we thought it best to just stay in the living room and try to set up some sort of air mattress kingdom for me, Josh and Lauren.  Joshua did great, and really so did Lauren all things considered.  I'll just say I was thrilled to lay down in my own bed when we got home on Monday night.

We had a campfire each night, and Joshua says that his favorite part of the trip was eating s'mores.  For a child who doesn't eat much, he certainly enjoyed his sticky, gooey treats.  We had to stop him at 2 s'mores each night or else he'd have kept going until he threw up.

 Lauren liked the s'more goodies too, although she mostly ate them separately.  Her favorite part was the chocolate.  Surprise, surprise.  When you ask her what her favorite part of the trip was, she'll tell you it was the "big elk" that we saw at the new visitors center.  She has actually been having pretend phone conversations with Nana and Pap this week while they're still away.  They go a little something like this:

"Hewwo.  Hi NanaPap.  (one word for her)"
"What doing?"
"Oooooooh.  Big elk?"
"MWAH.  Bye bye."

Somehow I think Nana and Pap avoided the camera most of the weekend, but I did manage to snap one with Joshua around the campfire.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful camp like Winslow Meadow Lodge, and to do so with our extended family is such a gift.  The kids are starting to remember it from year to year.  Maybe this will be among their cherished memories like Poe Valley trips are for me.  All we can say is a super special thank you to Nana and Pap for setting this all up again for us all to enjoy this year.  There is no greater gift than sharing time with people we love, and this was an awesome trip.