Dutch Wonderland

Let's not talk about the fact that it's been almost exactly one month since I posted last, shall we?

Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

At the beginning of August, Patrick took a much-needed week off from work and we had a little family "staycation." It was just what the doctor ordered, since his work schedule had been terribly hectic and we were both feeling exhausted.

One of our day trips included a local amusement park just for young children called Dutch Wonderland. We had so much fun watching the boys experience this place for the first time.

The first ride we went on was a little boat ride that guided itself around a pond. Jack and I rode together and he "drove."

This was my view the entire time, and I have to say, it made me a little misty.

Still does, actually. But hey, I'm pregnant.

Patrick and PJ had fun together.

Patrick and Jack went on a tilt-a-whirl type ride with turtles, and as they waited in line Jack explained his concerns. Patrick assured him that it would be fine.

They chose their turtle car and got settled.

Thumbs up before the ride started to let me know that everything was okay...

...and then this picture while the ride is moving that I snapped too late because I have a crappy camera, but which shows Jack, white as a sheet, looking like he's about to die.

I couldn't help it. I cracked up.

PJ saw nothing funny about it and thought it was a little annoying that he had to wait while Daddy and Jack got to do fun rides.

Then we went to see a little Thomas show they had there. Both boys died and went to heaven.

Not literally.

There was clapping and singing and PJ was riveted...

...until the people behind us opened up a take-out container of some sort and started munching on french fries. Then he was focused on the food.

After the show, the boys got to pose with Thomas for a photo. Out of the four shots I took, this is the one in which they are most looking in the same direction.

Jack and I went on the merry-go-round. I thought he was having a great time until I saw this picture and realized he was pretty scared on this ride as well.

I crack up when I see this one too. You'd think we were going around at breakneck speed from the look on his face.

Jack took Patrick for a ride on the antique cars, which made Patrick a little emotional remembering that his dad had taken him on the same ride when he was young.

Again with the misty.

A nice spiral slide was just Jack's speed and he went on this one about four times.

And then, there were the monster trucks - the first ride that PJ got to go on too and was he ever in love.

Jack was thrilled because:

(a) they got the front car and it was like he was the leader pulling all the other trucks around.
(b) the car was red.
(c) there was no line when the ride was over so the lady operating it let them go around again.

Jack still talks about the three magnificent points of this ride.

Patrick got to go with them, and I think it's safe to say that were this a Norman Rockwell painting, it could be called "Proud Papa."

This photo makes me a little nauseous because I'm sure that before I know it, this will be 16-year-old PJ behind the wheel of an actual car and oh my gosh, can we please not talk about this either?

Mmmmkay.


Then, there was this tiny airplane/spaceship ride that both boys got to ride together in seats that were back-to-back. Although it's not much, this picture represents the most fun part of the entire trip for Patrick and me because PJ's face as this thing was going around was just PA-RICELESS!

Unfortunately:

(a) out of three tries, I could not time the photos to capture their plane, until this one.
(b) immediately upon snapping this photo, my camera battery died.

The end.

There are oodles more pictures to post from this summer, but I'm not going to make any promises about when they'll get here. I'll do it as soon as I can.

Thanks so much for checking in!

Crazy Daisy

That is not what this thing's called...I think it's something more along the lines of Splish Splash Marigold, but I think it should be called Crazy Daisy, so that's what I'm calling it.

Either way, it's Jack's new favorite toy. It's finally felt like summer around here the past several days, so he's loving the chance to run around outside and stay cool.


It's a good thing I have a decent zoom on my camera. I didn't even get wet taking these!


I love it when Jack has to analyze things to figure out how they work.



Patrick has been away for a few days, so I snapped these photos to send to him while he's gone, just to show him that life is carrying on just swell, even though there's a big giant 6'6" void in our home and we miss him something fierce.

And that's how it is nowadays.

Firsts

I think one of the best parts of being a parent is introducing your kids to something new and watching their reaction.

It doesn't have to be something huge - like their first bungee jump - it can be something as simple as their first time catching lightning bugs, or their first s'mores.

That's what we did the other night: first s'mores.


Jack was tentative at first, unsure of his approach. He liked the marshmallow, he likes chocolate and graham crackers. He just wasn't sure about all of them together in one bite.

PJ just got a toasty marshmallow and, initially, was giddy about the pure ooey-gooey deliciousness of it.

Then things started getting a little messy, a little sticky, and both boys, not otherwise neat-freaks, became a little perturbed.

Jack felt like he'd just like to have the chocolate all by itself, but wasn't sure how to go about it.

PJ was just anxious to get the sticky stuff off his fingers.

Then, Jack reached across the table for something, lying on top of his open-face s'more, and ended up with the whole thing stuck to the front of his shirt.

PJ lost interest and just wanted it all to stop.

But Patrick and I still had a blast watching them experience their first summer treat!

In the park

After dinner, sometimes we like to take the boys on a walk or let them run around outside to burn off some energy.

The other day, we visited the local park to feed the ducklings.

After tossing all our stale bread to the ducks and fish, it was time to run around like crazy.

Run, boys. Run.

A few shots in the gazebo.

Gosh, I love this kid.

And can we talk about the cuteness that is PJ? I think he smiles 90% of the day. He's so sweet.


They loved chasing Daddy around.

Well, I think technically Jack's chasing Daddy while Daddy's chasing PJ so he doesn't fall in the pond. Darn, that kid moves quickly on those cute little legs.

We had so much fun. Come on now, Jack. It's time to go.

Did he just give me the finger?

Catching up

I have a lot of catching up to do.

Usually I post while the boys are taking a nap, or after they've gone to bed for the night. These days, though, I'm usually climbing into bed myself at those times. The first trimester of pregnancy and I do not get along well. I feel as if someone is plugged into me, taking my energy and using it as their own.

Oh, wait. That is what's happening.

Now, couple it with waves of nausea throughout the day that decide to kick in full-force at 4 p.m. with such regularity that I can actually tell the time without having to look at a clock, like an arthritic person can predict coming storms with achy knees.

I am thankful for the symptoms, though. They suggest that things are going well so far.

But I'm a little behind in the blogging department.

I feel bad knowing that you're probably checking in here and wasting a trip, but please bear with me. I'll get some energy back in the next few weeks. I'm 11.5 weeks along right now, so by my calculations, I should be feeling like myself again in two and a half more weeks.

I have no shortage of photos, though, so there's lots to write about, as soon as I get the chance.

Since my last post, Patrick and I took a little camping trip to celebrate his 35th birthday. We got a tent as a wedding present back in November of 2005 envisioning the camping trips we'd take together, outdoor-lovers that we are, but since then, I've been pregnant or nursing a baby every summer and we've never had the chance to even take it out of the box.

A few months ago, I thought it might be fun to finally break it in and, not being pregnant or nursing (at the time), I planned a weekend camping trip for the two of us.

Then I got pregnant.

Still, I'm not quite big enough to be terribly uncomfortable, and not quite nauseous enough to be lying on the floor and moaning for large portions of the day (like I was with the boys), so we decided to keep our plans.

I'm so glad we did.

We went to Ricketts Glen State Park, did a little bit of hiking and a whole lot of sitting around the camp site reading, talking, and napping. It was so peaceful and we both came back refreshed and anxious for the day we can take the boys camping too.

We didn't take a lot of photos, but did manage to snap this one of the two of us by a waterfall.

(Please pretend you don't see the bags under our eyes. The night before, our campsite neighbor, who referred to himself as "Uncle Dave," spent the evening arguing with his wife and singing lullabye harmonies to his fussy baby - Andy Bernard-style - into the wee hours of the morning.)

I don't want to speak too soon, but so far I think that trip was the highlight of our summer.

What's been your favorite part of the summer so far?