End-of-summer Adventures

A couple weeks ago, on a hot, hot humid day, my parents took us to the Land of the Little Horses. We had a lovely time. :)
Before the show, Lydia got to pet some of the horses

And Toby rode a tractor

Here the horses show off

The roosters were super noisy. This guy crowed for us multiple times. Tobes is in awe.


Of course, the highlight of the day was that Lydia got to ride a pony.

The guys

The crew in our "adventure hats"


Last week we trekked to Lake Tobias. As we pulled onto Tobias Drive, Lydia lost her cookies in the back seat - poor thing gets motion sickness. So, she entered the park in underwear and sneakers. Thankfully we were able to purchase a big tshirt at the gift shop for her to wear for the day. Gramma and Grandpapa met us there and we had a lovely time with them enjoying the animals.
Gramma gives the kids a stroller ride while a llama was strolling by.

This sweet, tame llama came back to haunt us at the petting zoo - he took a bite out of Gramma's hat!

The petting zoo animals were very "friendly" (some even got a little fresh ;)

Toby REALLY wanted to get into the bears' cage to play with their big red ball

Checking out the birds

The kids also had a blast at the playground there. If it weren't for naps (and the crazy bees!) we could have stayed all day.

Tobias is 13 months old

Wow, this month has certainly sped by – maybe facilitated by the energy of our little Tobias. Yes, he’s on-the-move all right! He has taken those first wobbly steps and seems to gain in confidence every day, but when it comes down to it, he’d much rather use his speed-crawl. At this point it’s much faster. Toby is using his speed and ability to “pop” up into standing

to “explore”, surprise, surprise. ☺ He's into

and on top of

everything. Top on his list of things to do: unraveling the toilet paper roll, splashing in the toilet, and removing items from the trash can. His favorite little game is to climb, then throw himself on stacks of cushions, pillows, or bean bags. He also enjoys spinning around in circles on his bottom. He thinks it's hilarious.

Despite all of this movement, right after his birthday party, Toby was slowed down a bit by what I think was roseola. He had a high fever for 4 days followed by a rash. He did a lot of crying and a lot of sleeping.

He even lounged to watch tv (certainly not something he will slow down for on a regular basis).


Just looking into these eyes made mommy sad…

We’re so thankful he’s back in business now!

Tobias enjoys anything his sister does. And she's enjoying him more as a "playmate" now which is so adorable. She does still treat him like a "doll" and thankfully, he obliges...sometimes. After family dinner at Mimi & Gpa's she was having fun with bubbles and decided to "wash Toby's hair".


He must have thought Blooper wanted to go shopping. (and, yes, we do let him run around in a diaper most of the time. :)


Tobes is really starting to make his desires known by pointing.

In the morning, as soon as I lift him out of the crib he gives me a little hug then points to the stairs and says, “down”. As I walk past the fridge he says, “juice” (which means any cup or drink). He’ll also declare, “all done” when he’s ready to get down from his chair at meal times. Speaking of meals, Tobias FINALLY decided that he was interested in what was on our plates. He now eats primarily table food with baby food to supplement (when he decides to feed the dog or deposit his food on the floor). He is definitely a carnivore proven by stuffing his face with steak and pork chops. He also will eat fruits and breads and is gradually trying more finger foods.

Tobias is using his volume to express his disapproval of events as well, particularly if an item is removed from his hand or proximity. This causes a bit of an issue when his big sister decides she wants whatever he is playing with or eating. I definitely think the amount of shrieking in protest has increased this month. Screaming has been an integral part of Tobias’ life from the beginning so I guess I can’t expect it to vanish now, I just hoped as his vocabulary and ability to communicate increases that would decrease... A friend described Toby as “sensitive” and I honestly can’t think of a better word.

His sensitivity does lead to some sweetness like blowing kisses, kissing faces, giving big hugs, cuddling on laps, and snuggling his head on shoulders. Oh, we how love you Tobes!

Crop Share

Last year we signed up for the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program through Wilson College. My brother and I decided to split the cost and crops between us. It has been a blessing to weekly receive armfuls of organically grown fresh produce. We have been inspired to try new dishes and challenged to figure out how to use the sometimes unique vegetables. Leslie and I have made batches and batches of babyfood for our little ones. Click the title of this post for more info. We would highly recommend joining!

This is a photo of this week's share (and note, this is only 1/2 of it!)


They do sell the "extras" and some additional crops at the Farmer's Market Downtown Chambersburg on Saturday mornings. Check them out! Reasonable prices and truly organic. Here's a link for more info...
http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=809

Praise God for the bounty of the harvest and for His Almighty provision for us. Simply awe-inspiring...

images of summer

When I saw this photo on my babycenter.com email the other week

I thought it looked remarkably like this photo I took a couple weeks before...

...particularly the little blonde girl who looks so similar to Lydia with the pigtails. :) Love summertime!

Toby's 1st Birthday

When August rolls around I am typically teased by my family and friends regarding the number of birthday celebrations I will have. Well, I think Tobias “takes the cake” for the quantity of birthday bashes. Naturally, he deserves it!
Mimi & Gpa had cupcakes for him a couple days before his big day. He obviously enjoyed it.


We spent Tobias’ actual birthday as a family. Toby and Lydia spent much of the day playing with Tobes’ present from mommy & daddy, a train table.



Tobias decided that “banging” was a great way to celebrate his birthday. Here goes…



Toby got a lunchtime treat: a peanut butter cracker. Notice the peanut butter in his ear. Um, YUM!


He was sckeptical of celebrating on his big day.

Once he saw the flame, he was enthralled.

“Hmmm… what shall I do with this?”

“I shall toss it on the floor!”

“Ok, enough cupcake!”

“No, mom, don’t even try to force that sugary goodness in my mouth. I will NOT taste it!”

Toby had a long day… After his bath Mimi & Gpa stopped by to give presents. He loved the books

and got extremely upset with his sister when she wouldn’t share his new book (or Mimi).

We love you, birthday boy! Night night!


On the day of Toby's birthday party, Grandpapa came early and played with the kids in the sandbox and the wagon.

It was a lovely outdoor celebration with family and friends.
Here is cupcakes: round III.




And Round IV (Can you tell he likes chocolate? ;)


The party:

It started to drizzle/rain so we moved the present-opening under the oak tree. As you can tell, Tobias is obsessed with cards but now that the presents are open and play-withable, he's loving them too!



Oh, so very blessed. "Thank you, Heavenly Father for the gift of Tobias and the family and friends who love him too!"