Welcome Fall!

The last few weeks of summer were full of family, friends and playing outside!

Paige and the girls came up for a visit.  We always love our time with them.  We took the kids on a hike to Governor Dick so they could climb up the tower. 

 

The opening ceremonies to the Olympics was on while the girls were visiting.  We celebrated by playing some Minute-to-Win-It games.

Watching Michael Phelps and Simone Biles will forever be a special memory for my family.  Most nights we put Adam to bed and let Owen stay up past his bedtime watching the Olympics with us. 

We took a final trip to Raystown Lake.  This time, the Habalar boys came along.  The boys had a great time playing on the lake all day long.  Going up during the week when the lake is empty is my favorite time to go.

Mike and Owen went on an overnight camping trip to the Black Forest Trail upstate with a few friends and their dads.  Owen had such a great time.  In fact, he couldn't stop talking about it and said he loved camping as much as Disney.  This boy is crazy!

 
They swam in this incredible swimming hole, hiked, camped, and ate freeze dried food.  Owen thought the lasagna was as good as Finney's lasagna.  Oh, this boy!

While the older boys were camping, Adam and I had fun together at the Hershey Pool.  They have an awesome water slide.

I took the boys to the Lancaster Science Factory for some fun learning!


Then.... School started.  We were all sad to see summer end.

Both boys are enjoying their year so far!

Over Labor Day we took a family trip back to where Mike and Owen went camping with friends a few weeks before.  Owen couldn't wait to show us the swimming hole and rope swing!  We left all electronics at home (other than our camera).  In fact, where we were staying there was no cell service at all,... for about 20 miles.  It was heavenly.  Since we took Mike's truck, we didn't have a TV in the car which meant no movies.  Just listening to music and watching the beautiful sky.

 

In order to get to this swimming hole we had to drive Mike's truck across a creek or take a road which would add about 40 minutes.  Of course we chose to cross the creek.  Mike had attempted this back in college with a bunch of friends and it didn't end very well.  He was borrowing a jeep from a friend and the jeep got stuck in the ice.

 This time... we made it :)  And the boys were thrilled for the little adventure.

Even I did the rope swing.  I figure I want my boys to marry a girl one day that isn't afraid to get dirty, enjoys being outside, and doesn't shy away from an adventure...so I better do my best to be that way too.


Mike got a picture of me walking on water.  Haha.

It was soooo much fun.  I can't wait to go back.  I have a feeling this will be one of our special spots.

Here we were on Rattlesnake Rock.

My world.

 

Friends of ours were so kind to let us stay in their cabin.  It had no running water which meant we went to the bathroom in an outhouse.

There were no tvs which meant we played lots of games at night.  It was really the perfect getaway.

The highlight of the trip was seeing my first black bear.  I've never seen one in the wild.  It was neat!

Before you leave the cabin there is a tradition that you write something on the wooden beams about your stay.  The boys had a lot of laughs reading all the things Mike and his buddies had written in years past.  Some not so appropriate- but it is a cabin. 

 

The fall soccer season began a few weeks ago.  Both Owen and Adam's teams are doing really well and I love watching them play.  Mike is coaching both teams so our only day without soccer is Fridays.

This month we celebrated Mike's 39th birthday and Papa's 65th birthday.

We just so happened to run into our favorite candy bar at the Hershey Hotel.

Our home will forever be an ongoing project.  I think that's how it is with old houses, or maybe all houses.  This time, it's the deck.  And it's a bitter sweet project because so many wonderful, special, memories were made on this deck with my grandparents.  I just love it.  I love the bench seating all around and so much about it, but it was getting very old and it was time for a new one.  

 

 

So that about sums up everything we've been doing lately.  We are looking forward to the cooler weather and all things fall and pumpkins!

What We've Been Up To...

We have been having such a great summer!

I forgot to post this picture of Owen on the last day of school.  He packed some props in his school bag and put them on on the bus on his way home from school to make Adam and I laugh when he got off the bus.  I love him and it definitely made me laugh because it's pretty out of character for him to do something silly like that!

At the beginning of June the boys ran their final mile in the Kids Run Crest marathon challenge.  Adam ran the entire time without walking.

 Owen got a pretty amazing time of 6 min. 24 seconds for his mile.  Crazy!

We have been up to Raystown Lake a few times.  The boys LOVE playing on the lake.  Whether it's tubing, skiing, knee boarding, tube wrestling, you name it.... as long as they are in the water, they are happy!

 

 

Adam was always our chunky monkey when he was really little and we figured he would always have a stocky build.  However, this summer he is all of a sudden getting long and lean.

 

 

The boys are now old enough to help do all the not-so-fun chores that go along with boating like wiping down the boat when we come in off the lake.

Susquehanna University, where I went to college, is sort of on the way home from the lake and for years I have been wanting to stop and show the boys around.  We finally did it and I had such a good time walking around campus, even if it was empty.

We HAD to stop at BJ's for some of their famous Bongo Bongo dip!!!

We have loved getting to babysit Caleb a few days and spend extra time with him.

 

 

 

Paige and the girls came for a visit.  We took the kids to Michael's craft club.

And to Patches Day on the Farm

Owen was deeply in love with this kitten and was thinking about how he could sneak it home.

Shortly after we got back from Disney we had to put our sweet Cheech to sleep.  He had stopped eating and bloodwork confirmed that he had cancer.  It was awful.  He was a part of our life since before Mike and I were married and he was Adam's very best friend (according to Adam).  It was so hard to say good-bye and I still think about him and miss him every day.  He was the very best cat- so friendly and cuddly and always looking for a cozy lap to sit on.

Adam asked me to take a picture of him as he was saying good-bye to Cheech so he could always remember him.  Our hearts were breaking.

At the end of June I took a little trip with my college girlfriends to New Hope.  It was so nice seeing them and catching up.  I didn't take any pictures except this one..

In July we took a trip the beach to visit Paige and the girls and Aunt Sally.  We stayed with Aunt Sally and had a wonderful time!

Cousins on the beach!

Aunt Paige painted faces.  She's an expert face painter.

Checking out the horse shoe crabs.

We had a delicious crab feast while we were at Aunt Sally's house.

We spent the last day of our trip to the beach with Shaggy, Maureen, Below and Maddie and their little girls.

Our anniversary was that weekend and it was so nice to be able to spend it with most of our wedding party (minus Pope, KT, and MB). 


Soon after we got back from the beach we got a guinea pig.  The boys named her Muffin and she is such a sweetie.

Adam loves animals and will probably always need a pet in his life.  Part of me would like a dog, but I know we aren't home enough.  Part of me would like another cat (for the boys), but I know it probably wouldn't compare to Cheech.  Plus, I need a little break from pet hair and litter boxes and cat puke (if I'm being honest).  So a guinea pig was the perfect pet for us.

 

We have enjoyed spending time with friends.

I showed the boys how to make friendship bracelets like we did when we were kids.

Adam loves The Price is Right.  It is on his life bucket list to be on the show.  On this day he was introducing it to Caleb and Teddy.

BIG NEWS.... Adam climbed the tree rope and touched the knot.  That meant he got to sign his name on the board.  We were very proud!

A group of us went to a polo match.  Polo always makes my heart happy!

My mom and I took the boys to the Lancaster Science Museum.  What a great place!

 

 

We went to see the butterfly garden at Dreamscapes. Lots of investigating went on that day!

 

 

 

 We celebrated Aunt Beth's birthday.

 

 We started playing tennis.  None of us are very good and we could all use some lessons, but our whole family loves it.

 

 This week is the Lebanon Area Fair.  I love this fair.  I love all the animals and I love seeing young kids so passionate about farming and showing their farm animals.  Our boys have always loved riding all the tractors (they still do).

 

 
 Supporting some friends that were showing their goats.

 And you can't forget Mr. Sticky's famous sticky buns.

I love going places and doing fun things with the boys, but I also love being at home with nothing to do and nowhere we have to be.  I think I appreciate being at home so much because I know once school starts and I am back to work and the boys are back to school and soccer is in full swing, our schedules will be full.  We have made many trips to the library because both boys have found chapter book series that interest them. We have been playing a lot of games and playing games with our boys at this age is FUN!

I wish time would slow down.