Q-ball

This is the most recent fashion development in our house. I'm sorry, Thelma, he made me do it.

Camping Chaos

I (Nate) have been collecting data in the Pennsylvania State Parks this summer. That means that while everyone else is playing I am stopping them and asking them scores of questions.

Last Friday we finally got to do some recreation of our own. We packed up Olivia's bike trailer with all the camping gear hooked it up to one of the bikes, threw Olivia in her bike seat on the back of the other bike and rode to Bonnell Flats Campground (on the Pine Creek Rail Trail). The weather on Friday was amazing (dry and cool). Unfortunately, it had poured on Thursday night and some of the trail was really muddy. Olivia was riding with Lori when Lori's bike slipped in the mud. The two of them were pretty muddy and Olivia was not happy about the fall but was able to laugh it off. Then Lori's bike slipped again. This time it was in some really dark, black mud. Olivia looked like a chocolate dipped macaroon. We did not get a picture of it because we were both racing to get the mud out of Olivia's Eye. Olivia was not happy. "No mud! No mud!" So we promised that she would not fall int he mud again. She bounced back pretty quick once she realized she was okay. Fortunately, we lived up to that promise (so far).

Saturday, we went canoeing at Little Pine State Park where we managed to swamp the boat. For the last week we have frequently heard "I won't fall in the mud on the bike, I won't fall in the water, I promise!" Man is she one tough little kid.

So long, farewell. . .

One of the hardest things about living in a college town is that it seems like friends are always moving. It's really a happy thing to watch friends get done with school and move on, but it sure is hard to say goodbye.

Like the Souzas--they left on Friday.


One last playdate before the big move. . .

We all really miss them already!

Where would we be without the great friends who make this journey so much more enjoyable? Thanks for 4 years of fun!

Our favorite park

Spring Creek Park is our favorite park to go to because there is a little stream for the kids to play in, a great playground, and a huge sand area that seems to stay pretty clean.

Swimming

I was a little hesitant to bring Olivia swimming at the pool this year because, unlike last year, she started this year a little fearful of the pools. That was before she found out about inflatable toys. Kendra picked up an extra one of these babies, and Olivia was in heaven. This is the Bellefonte pool. She kept telling me not to be so close to her: "Leave, mom." Yeah right, not in the deep pool.



Total relaxation.

Gardening bliss. . .

Olivia LOVES gardening. When it was planting time this spring, she followed me around with the extra pea and sunflower seeds and planted them all over. I kept getting frustrated because she would dig up areas I had just planted. Finally, I just accepted the fact that this year it is going to have to be her garden, so we've both been enjoying ourselves much more with it. She's great at watering.

This year we've got strawberries, peas, tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro (that I neglected and let go to seed), basil, italian parsley, oregano, and thyme. Oh, and don't forget the tomatillos (I'm not sure we'll even get any). We usually have good luck with vegetables, but flowers are another story. . . I think I need to take a lesson from my mother-in-law on that one.

Lake Tobias

There is a petting zoo near Harrisburg that we thought we'd try out on one of Nate's days off. It was pretty inexpensive to get in, and Olivia loved it. Yep, this is a camel. I was surprised they could get so close to feed it. There were also shetland ponies and alpacas in the petting zoo.


Olivia loved the goats. There were several little babies, but Olivia really just liked these guys.

And they liked us, too.

Sorry about the view, but it was the best shot I got of Olivia.

They also had other zoo animals there, too, including zebras, tigers, lions, chips, orangutans, baboons, bears, ostriches, various birds, etc. I think we'll probably go back sometime when we're in the area.

Summer Love

They had this event called "Touch A Truck" at the local high school. It was meant to be an opportunity for all the kids to get up close and explore the trucks. But Olivia just wasn't too keen on getting too close, because there were noisy horns being honked everywhere, and it was just a bit overwhelming. She did, however, like the bus, and the zebra mascot for a local radio station. She's got a thing for mascots.


Speaking of mascots, Olivia has a major crush on this guy, Ike the Spike. Our local library has a summer program they put on with the State College Spikes. At this activity, the kids actually got to go onto the outfield at Medlar Field and play wiffle ball with some players. Then Ike shows up and I could not pry Olivia away from him. All the kids just love him, of course, and it was all I could do to get her to move out of the way so other kids could get their pictures. You can also see our friends Ben and James in this picture.

And I had to post this picture of Sage, hoola-hooping extraordinaire. She's so great, we just love her!