Penn State Chics Dig Nerds

Yesterday, we traveled to Robinson, PA to celebrate Lilly's second birthday. Natalee was so excited to go and play with Lilly. Lilly opening her gifts: Meanwhile, Natalee thought it would be more fun to go slide instead of watching the present opening. Brady blew bubbles. Natalee was convinced to come over for some cake (or icing, rather). It startled her when everyone sang happy birthday to Lilly. I think she momentarily thought they were all singing at her! She had a disturbed look on her face. But, then, she must have decided it was okay. Natalee and Lilly seesawing together: Brady just chillin' Then, the punch balls came out! Natalee had so much fun that she was still talking about the trip when we got home last night. After we put her in bed for the night we could still hear her talking very loudly. She said, "Lil-ley! Oh no! balloon. Mom and Dad." I don't know what story she was telling, but the fun day was definitely still on her mind!

This morning Mom and I took Natalee over to Greenwood Furnace. We were supposed to go with cousin Lily, but unfortunately, she couldn't make it after all. While we were there, we saw an odd, funny scene. Not only were these Amish kids having their pictures taken (it's against their religious beliefs) but, they were posing for the pictures. And, the mother was helping them pose. The photographer definitely had a New York/New Jersey accent. Were they being paid handsomely by the photographer or something??? The kids did not look to be having much fun, and the photographer lady was quite bossy with all of the rest of us. She took over this area of the beach (the best spot for little kids) and did not let anyone else around. Another odd thing was that the photographer put fairy/butterfly wings (like a costume accessory) on some of the little girls. It just didn't feel right to even see this going on. Weird.... Anyway. Natalee had fun regardless! It is always very di...

Monday afternoon, we met Jesse after work and went for a walk on the rails to trail path that starts in Alexandria (really close to the Mead plant). It was a gorgeous afternoon and the trail was nice. I wish we could have gone further. It would be really fun to bike the entire 16 miles to Williamsburg sometime. Natalee, of course, did not want to look at the camera. She was too busy snacking on fish crackers. The Tiger Lillies were blooming and beautiful. One of my favorite wildflowers.

Yesterday, we needed something fun and new to do. So, I took Natalee's toy kitchen sink and some dishes outside. Then, I filled it with water. Of course, as any toddler does, she used it in ways other than the intended use. She had a lot of fun! So much fun that it lasted most of the afternoon and some of the evening. And, yes, she did get in trouble for the one use she decided to do on this video. I had to stop recording. Then, I took some video of Brady this morning when he was happy, kicking, and smiling. Of course, all he did was stare at the video camera.

Doesn't this look good? Salads are one of the great things about summer. Fresh local veggies-- butter lettuce, spinach, radishes, hard-boiled eggs, sweet peas, broccoli, cauliflower. I forgot to put on the tomato. I did use non-local carrots and I supported Sandpoint, Idaho, for the dressing. Great lunch with a piece of homemade bread from the Amish lady in Rockville. Fresh strawberries for dessert. The benefits of living in an agrarian environment. Eat local-- it tastes GREAT and is good for YOU.

I tried to get the two second cousins to smile in the same picture (or just look at the same time). As you can see, that didn't work! They are still cute anyway.

a deer? Nope. a bear? Nope. a turkey? Nope. a groundhog? Nope. a possum? Nope. a squirrel? Nope. All good candidates on a normal day. I almost hit a turtle!

We celebrated Lily Breon's 1st birthday this past Sunday afternoon at Greenwood Furnace State Park. Lily is Natalee's second cousin. It looks like Natalee is observing and thinking, "My goodness you are messy. What are you doing that for?" We tried to get her to taste the cake but she didn't want to. Playing in the sand with dad (while mom went to get the much needed swimsuit). After her feet were buried, she just decided to sit down for a while! She had so much fun jumping and splashing around in the water. I know she is going to have a blast at the beach this summer! She was so tired that it took her only two minutes to fall asleep on the drive home!

I don't know who this kid was, but he did have a minor issue here!

I think Brady approves of the Bumbo. I wish this chair would not have been taken off the shelves for a safety concern (the box pictured a child sitting in it on an elevated surface) when Natalee was this age!

This afternoon, we had a really fun time at the Circleville Park in State College. It was a beautiful, warm day. The whole way to State College (and throughout a few errands) we kept hearing, "Picnic. Park. Fun." As if she might forget!! We had a picnic of leftover pizza. Then, Natalee played at the park on the equipment and in the sand area while Jesse played a round of disc golf. While we were playing at the playground, we spotted this hot air balloon being filled up. So, Natalee and I walked over to view it. You can see Natalee, Brady and I in the picture. We found a tricycle today for Natalee at the consignment store, so we are excited to learn how to ride it. I now have a hoe to use in the garden -- found that at Ollie's Discount Store (a helpful thing to have). And, we now have a green Bumbo chair for Brady instead of the pink one I accidentally bought at Babies R Us. We did a trade-in at Walmart :)

That's what I paid for this outfit. Awesome, huh? During ladies weekend in New Jersey, we went to the Gymboree Outlet in Flemington. They had stacks and racks of clothing that was discounted to 49 cents each for shorts and shirts and 99 cents each for dresses and pants. Sandals and hats were 19 cents each. Can't beat that! Natalee made out VERY well. She got aleast 10 different outfits with few spare shorts (for those days when we got through more than one pair :), two sandals, and two dresses. I also got a few outfits for her that are a little bigger. Brady got a lot of outfits, too, but there was not near the selection for boys. He got atleast 6 pairs of shorts, 2 bib over all shorts, a onesie, a hat, a pair of pants, and three jumpers. But, I had to go over to the Carters outlet to buy a few shirts to match. My bill for a few plain shirts there was probably higher than the whole bill for his Gymboree gear. I don't know that I'll ever be this lucky aga...

This week we've been having some cooler temperatures, but it has been really nice for playing outside (except Wednesday). We've spent a lot of our days outside. Natalee asks to go out all of the time! Monday, she asked to go back outside as soon as I went into her room to get her after her nap. So, we went outside and visited our neighbors. This is our neighbor's great-granddaughter Reagyn. She is three years old. Natalee and I walked around to look at all of the blooming flowers. We are getting nice surprises since we don't know what all is planted! She wore the sunglasses that her Pappy got her. They are glued to her face sometimes!! I'm not sure how I got her outside without a hat :) Yesterday, Brady was posing for some nice pictures. He was smiling away!

Natalee, Brady, and I spent the past weekend at Aunt Bev's house in New Jersey with the rest of the ladies on that side of the family. We had a wonderful weekend visiting with everyone. Both of the kids traveled well and were exhausted by the time we got home. Natalee had a great time playing with Lily and having the attention of three of my aunts, grandma, and mom. I think she also enjoyed sleeping on a mattress on the floor (instead of a crib). When she woke up, she was free to read her books. Saturday morning, I didn't even know she was still in the bedroom. At 9:30, I said something to my mom when she came in the room. Then, out walked Natalee with a book in tow! Aunt Lois said that she woke up really early on Sunday morning. She read her books for about 5 minutes and then went back to sleep. How funny! The whole group of ladies, including us, my grandma, my mom, my aunts, and my cousins, after a BBQ dinner outside. Lily is almost a year old and ALMOST walking. We will ce...