Off to Grandma's house we go!

Over the trees and through Pennsylvania's highways, to Grandma's house we went! Our first family vacation was a great success and a lot of fun. Evan rode on an airplane for the very first time, and thankfully we survived! The way there was smooth and uneventful, but the way back was full of delay and let's just say not a 17 month olds idea of fun haha! Airplanes aside, our trip was wonderful and included an amusement park visit, a day in Philadelphia, lots of yummy food, some shopping and of course plenty of quality grandma time!

Our first stop was the deliciously fun Hershey park where Evan rode some of his very first rides, including the merry-go-round(my favorite) and even got to see a brown bear in real life at the new Hershey zoo.

On Tuesday Chris and I took a train into Phily while Evan spent the morning with Grandma. We saw the major historical landmarks like the liberty bell, toured the famous Reading station, and of course no trip to the city of love is complete without this token tourist picture. It was a good day, and full of walking, walking, and did I mention walking?

 

(Yes, I intentionally blew up the cupcake picture!)

No doubt the best part was seeing Evan spend quality time with his grandma...and playing with the new toys she got for him. :-) Thanks for being a wonderful host Sharon, we so wish you lived closer!

Baby update

On the first day of Fall we are jumping the "half way there" marker at 20 weeks.  There have been a few big changes recently. For starters, I have officially moved past feeling huge to actually looking pregnant.  We now know our new baby's gender, and along with that have given him a name. :-) I'm just starting to feel those first flutters of movement, and am slowly steeping in sweet ideas of brothers, big boy rooms and boy-S.

Here I am at 19 weeks-we took this picture in Philadelphia, PA. *Post to come soon on our first official family vacation, airplane and all.

And here are our first pictures of little boy Scott at his 18 week ultrasound. I can't believe it will be time to post Evan's 18 month pictures next month!

It's a.....!!

Looks like more snips, snails and puppy dog tails for us, and we couldn't be more excited! Pics to come soon! :-)

A MOPS Milestone

I am so excited to be a part of MOPS this year and this morning was our first "official" meeting. Delicious brunch-check! New friends and getting to know  you games-check! Mounds of mommy talk-double check! Moreover, perhaps the most exciting part was that Evan had a good time in the little toddler nursery for TWO HOURS! No doubt one of the longest times he's been away from me in this type of setting. He was a little sleepy at the drop off since we're in the midst of weaning out his morning nap, but it was nothing a sprinkled cookie couldn't take care of! Besides, he was in toy heaven once he saw the new cars and trucks, and mommy could barely squeeze in a hug goodbye next to Thomas the train!

Two hours of "moppettes" playtime for my growing boy and quality, baby free girl time for this mommy equals one great morning. I'm so proud of Evan for doing so well on his own and especially for our first time-a great milestone and one I'm happy to reach!

Snapshots of Lake Wilson

If there are hidden treasures of places to see in this small city of Wilson, "Lake Wilson" is surely one of them. It's a beautiful spot, and largely undiscovered. It has nature trails for walking and biking, an ultimate frisbee golf course, lots of picnic potential and of course, a gorgeous lake for fishing-that is, if your a fishing kind of gal(not I, said the fly!). 

So tonight we packed up the car, dog in tow, and took a quick trip down to the lake for a little fun and fresh air to end our weekend. Of course, while the weather was cool for an early September afternoon, the gnats were out en masse, and they were on a mission! Tired of battling with natures gnats, we cut the trip pretty short but managed a quick photoshoot on the way back to the car.

 

This is the best part about riding in cars with dogs...

 Goodnight sweet Sunday! I'm looking forward to a great week ahead, complete with MOPS, church care groups, storytime at the library, packing for PA and-drumroll please-our ultrasound on Friday!

Everyday blessings-sleep

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. -Psalm 4:8

3 Day weekend

Labor day weekend=A trek to Raleigh to "treasure hunt" those holiday deals for Evan's Fall/Winter clothes, many a miles logged on the car with trips to and from Greenville for our first Sunday at Integrity Church, too many trips to Target, visits to the great grandparents, Toys R Us and Noah's Ark Park, redbox rentals, frog finding, lawn mowing and a bit of rest and relaxation sandwiched in between. And of course, lots of picture taking.

 On Saturday morning Evan spotted a new green friend on our porch. Yes, I do believe we have a boy on our hands. I can do alot of "boy" things...however, frogs and other creepy crawly critters are not on the list.

 

At ToysRUs we picked up a new "big boy" basketball hoop for our ball lover. He's an excellent dunker at 16 months, and I fear sweaty gym socks may lie in our future-oh, say it isn't so.

    

This last picture below was taken on Sunday morning at the Winterville Amphitheather, where we had church at the park and a pig pickin' afternoon.

It's been a busy weekend and I'm thankful for these restful, rainy days ahead with not too much to crowd our daily agenda. Now to peruse the weekly grocery specials and brainstorm meals for this next week before we're off to PA for a family vacation!

First Day, September

Good morning September! Welcome back cooler weather and candy corn.

Pumpkin bread made the house smell like Fall

 

A tornado of toys post morning playdate-the bigger the mess, the more fun!

A morsel of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

and exciting mail.

Topped off with a birthday dinner for dad in Goldsboro-the perfect end to a great September start!