Somebody's sleeping in my bed!

The way a day off should be

I wish I had a photo or two to share from today. Today was my only day "off" because I will spend all day tomorrow doing schoolwork, so we tried to make the best of it as a family. And I would say we succeeded. A late morning hike at Shingletown followed by a picnic lunch with Connor's Aunt Heather, Harner Farm (which is full of terrifying, moving Halloween displays that I don't recommend for any child - will not be heading back there this season), nap, Penn State game, and then on to a dinner and a bonfire with some friends. Connor had an absolute blast, and there's not much better than watching your child enjoy life... especially when you're enjoying yourself too.

A Penn State loss, but we still win

Yesterday was a Penn State game (didn't go so well), but more importantly, an end-of-the-season cookout with dear friends (a wonderful time). I wish I had thought to take some pics of the great people and food, but we were too busy chasing a toddler, a dog, and just enjoying ourselves. So you'll have to settle for this pre-game shot.

Labor Day at the Lake

My parents fulfilled a dream this year and bought a second house on a lake. We finally found the time to visit for Labor Day weekend and Connor absolutely could not have loved it more. We walked from the house down to the "shore" where he played every day in the sandy soil and threw rocks into the water, then ran and ran and ran around the huge grassy area next to it. Ty loved it too. No wonder Connor slept better, and longer, there than he ever does at home.

Beach Bums

Our beach days were pretty relaxed. Connor just wanted to sit in the sand and dig, fill a bucket, repeat. A fine way to spend hot summer days.

... hello Virginia Beach!

We arrived at our hotel around 5 and had every intention of getting a quick dinner, then heading to the beach in the morning. Connor had other plans, though. As soon as we got out to the boardwalk he headed straight for the ocean. To say he enjoyed his first shore experience is an understatement.

Goodbye North Carolina...

Sunday we said goodbye to our North Carolina family (cousin Laura, Aunt Fran, and Aunt Sandy, at left) after having a super fun morning at Hill Ridge Farms and delicious lunch hosted by Aunt Sandy at which Connor ate 3 pieces of watermelon and wanted more - he is definitely my son.

Working his way through the maze - such concentration!

In addition to the rides and other fun activities, they also have animals you can feed. This llama scared me big time and I think he knew it!

Hiking up to the Giant Mountain Slide

Children under 4 must slide with an adult, eh?Occasionally rules are meant to be broken, like when your 2 year old asks to do this crazy huge slide by himself - he loved it!

Climbing around in a fort - I don't know why I have my crazy face on

Connor told me to go into the teepee and that I wasn't allowed to leave. Hmmm... how should I take that?

I wonder where he'll be on this the next time we visit? For the record, their chart is a little off - he's easily over 36"!

And we're off to Virginia Beach! It was naptime and I wanted to take a pic of him with all of his animals, but he was none too happy about that. Luckily, the trip went by easily - perhaps helped by an after-nap stop at DQ.