Chapter 5. Summer's End

Note: Re-posting due to technical difficulties with the video...hopefully it will work this time. For those of you that get these updates automatically, you may have to go to the blog itself (instead of reading it in your email) to watch the video at the end.

Even though it is mid-September as I write this, I'm still a little hesitant to admit that the summer is actually over. But, let's be realistic, school has started (more on that later), we are now watching football on the weekends, and the first leaves have started falling from the trees. Yep. It's official. Summer is over. But, in a last ditch effort to hang on as long as possible, let's review what we did in August.

The first weekend in August brought us visitors from the state of Wisconsin. Jon has a close buddy (and by close, I mean he convinced Jon to wear a kilt at his wedding) that lives near Milwaukee with his family. Carl's daughter, Aneliese, is Jon's goddaughter. Every summer the Conrath's drive to Erie, PA to visit with family. This year on their way back to WI, they decided to swing by our place. It broke up the drive for them (they usually have to stop to spend the night somewhere anyway) and gave us a chance to catch up after what has turned into a couple of years. Aneliese is just about a year older than Marie and boy did they hit it off. They also have a son, Hayden, who is just a little bit older than Joey. It was fun to see them all get along so well.



Also, in August, the kids and I took off to go to the "beach". This is something that I had promised Marie we would do and she probably would've forgotten all about it...but I wouldn't have. The "beach" is on a lake that is literally 10 minutes from our house. There is also a picnic area and Splash Zone for the kids. The three of us (Marie, Joey, and I) went last year as well and Marie had a great time. It was a good thing that we went on the spur of the moment this year because if I would have had too much time to think about taking all three of the kids by myself, I just might have chickened out. But, they of course did great. Marie and Joey loved playing in the sand and water and obediently stayed close to the shore. Stevie chilled in his stroller, watching them and all the other kids play. Marie and Joey were pretty hesitant to go into the Spray Zone at first, but finally worked up the nerve to venture into an area that was a little less daunting. They had fun and boy did they take good naps that afternoon!








In the middle of August, we had a visit from Grandma Meinhart. It was a good thing she was here because otherwise I'm not sure what I would have done with all the green beans and tomatoes. We got a lot of canning done and marinara sauce made for the freezer. We even made a trip to a raspberry patch / peach orchard but were disappointed by the fact that it wasn't a good day for picking either of them. :( We'll remember to call ahead before we drive there next time.

The week of Grandma's visit also corresponded to when Marie attended her very first Vacation Bible School. This was also the first time that our parish offered VBS, so we didn't really know what to expect. I figured Marie would have a good time AND that it would be a good chance to get primed for going to kindergarten this fall. Overall, I think it was a success. Marie did make a couple new friends and also learned some things.

On one of the days while Marie was at VBS, we decided to Joey to a petting farm that is about a minute away from our church. It took him a little while to warm up to the animals, but thanks to a nice volunteer and the cutest little baby bunnies, he finally did. He ended up feeding the goats and also going on a wagon ride. He was pretty interested in seeing the pigs for some reason...




Other than that, we were busy getting ready for the school year to start. We had a fun family outing to Target when we got all the necessary school items (supplies, extra booster seat, shoes that met dress-code, etc.). The kids were pretty excited about this because the trip also involved a trip to Wendy's, their absolute favorite restaurant. :)

We also took a trip to the doctor for Marie's 5 year and Stevie's 6 month check ups. Marie is still roughly 90th percentile for height, but closer to 65th for weight. Stevie must have hit a little bit of a growth spurt, because he stretched out to 95th percentile (26") while his weight was closer to 85th (19 lbs 4 oz). We aren't surprised given his older siblings and are just thankful to have such healthy kids.

Last items of note for the month of August have to do with and update on Stevie. He is really changing fast. First of all, he became the proud owner of two bottom teeth. It seemed like it took quite a while for them to actually poke through, but they finally appeared. Then we introduced solid foods to him. He made the expected sour face the first couple of bites, but he has really taken off. It's as if we weren't feeding him!! He is also now crawling. He's pretty slow, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in determination. And, he is definitely fast enough to annoy his big brother and sister. The toys and books that they have are always more appealing than any baby toy we might try to use as a distraction. He is settling into his little brother role quite naturally and it won't be long before he is rolling around and wrestling with Joey I'm sure. :)

Chapter 4. Trip to the 'Burgh

A couple of weeks after getting home from our shut-down week tour, we embarked on another trip. We took an extra day of vacation and spent a long weekend in Pittsburgh. We drove down Thursday night and arrived at Aunt Jess' house late in the evening.

The next day, our plan was to meet up with Uncle James, Aunt Jaclyn, JJ, and Gracie at Kennywood. It has been a couple of years since the last time we were there and Marie was very excited about going back. Joey was likewise excited, though not because he remembered it (he was only 9 months old at the time). Marie, Jon, and the rest of the family had really talked it up, so we were hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed.

On Friday, the kids took early naps and we headed out, meeting the others in the middle of the afternoon. It was a pretty hot and sticky day, but that didn't slow them down. We went straight to "Kiddie Land" and they spent all their time going from ride to ride, with brief pauses to hydrate. There were swings, motorcycles, flying elephants, roller coasters, cars to drive, and the much loved "Whippersnapper".











After a few hours, we decided it was time to get some supper, so we walked over to the cafeteria. While we were there, the sky grew dark and the wind picked up. Rather than heading back to the rides, we decided instead to go back to the car. It was a bit of a hike though and by the time we got there, the rain had really started to come down and we were drenched. Guess it wouldn't be a trip to Kennywood without a good rain shower!

On Saturday morning, we headed over to Uncle James and Aunt Jaclyn's house for lunch. Peg's dear friends from college, the Coffields, also joined us for a short visit. It had also been a couple of years since we'd seen them. My how the kids have grown!

Aunt Jess had brought some fun crafts for the kids to work on and then it was time for naps. After nap time, we got everyone in their respective baseball gear to get ready to go downtown for the Cardinal / Pirates game.







We were a little uncertain how long we would stay, but were completely prepared to call it a night whenever needed, no matter the inning or score. We were quite pleased with how the kids did. PNC Park is very kid/family friendly. Marie, Joey, JJ, and Gracie spent a good bit of time playing on the playground they have on site (with LOTS of other kids their age). On the walk there with Uncle James, they even got to give the Pirate Parrot a high five...or at least that's what Marie and Joey tell us.



We ended up staying until the middle of the 9th inning. They Cards were well ahead, so we felt okay not staying until the very end. Plus, we wanted to try to avoid having to deal with any potential crowds and traffic after the game. Needless to say, we were all pretty tired by the time we hit the sack.

On Sunday morning, we went to church, had lunch, and relaxed a bit before heading back home. Marie and Joey were so tired, they even took naps during the drive. It was a short visit, but packed full and well worth it.