Camping at Caledonia

For Christmas this year, Mark's only request was that I "take him camping" at some point this summer. Well, he finally got his gift this weekend. We spent the night in Caledonia with our friends that Mark met when he was working in Hagerstown. We always cherish the time we have with them - such special relationships have been developed over the years. There is nothing like living in the midst of God's creation and we are so fortunate to have such a marvelous specimen so close to us - nothing compares to the smell of pine trees covered with dew, the crackling of camp fires, the songs of the birds in the early morning hours, the crickets serenading us to sleep (well, some of us - see below for details ;)...

We set up camp after a rain storm so things were a bit soggy and muddy but thankfully the rest of the weekend was gorgeous!

Daddy taught Lydia how to roast hot dogs and she discovered the joy of eating them right off the fire. MMMMM...



Baby Andrew (5 weeks old!) was such a trooper on his SECOND camping trip. His parents are so brave.



Ok, so sleeping was an interesting issue on this trip. We attempted to put Lydia down near her typical bedtime (7ish) on her little air mattress in her little sleeping bag in the tent (with her cow, blanket, and ba-ba's). She found it much more fun to crawl around the tent, so daddy let her sit on our laps by the fire and have a snack. We decided to all hit the hay around 10pm. We thought perhaps if all of us were "sleeping" she would be inclined to do likewise. Um, no such luck. Lydia preferred to crawl around the tent saying, "Daddy, what you doin'?" Crawling over daddy's head. "Mommy, what you doin'?" While running her fingers through my hair. Response: "I'm sleeping Lydia" "Where'd Guinney go?" (when she discovered him at the end of her mattress) "I found him" REPEAT. Finally, when we totally ignored her, she crawled into bed and fell asleep. This process lasted about an hour. At 3:00am Lydie woke up wailing. It sounded as if she were totally disoriented and frightened. Even with daddy and mommy right beside her, she was challenging to console. At this point, Mommy had to get out of the tent to use the bathroom (not surprising for a woman in her 3rd trimester), take some Tylenol (I missed my extra pillows :), and have a snack. Well, that set Lydie off again. When I returned she had another outburst and Mark said, "Liz, you're going to have to take her home. She's disturbing the campground." I was all prepared to pack up and head into town. A minute later she settled down and we all slept until 7. Gotta love adventures with a toddler. ;)
Obviously Mark had no problem catching a little shut-eye.


Camping with the Timmon's always yields some fantastic food. We had "MountainMan" casserole for breakfast - hash browns, sausage, eggs, cheese. MMMMMM... For dinner we had chicken cordon bleu with sauce, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, bread, salad - and they ate peach cobbler after we left. Unbelievable. Of course we all ingested more than our share of S'mores which was certainly fine with me and Cosmo!

Avery came on Saturday morning and these two just had a blast. Amy had the foresight to bring 2 of every toy to prevent any "It's mine." squabbles and they played quite nicely. Lydie was a little on-edge running on negative sleep, but with minimal redirection they had a blast.




Here are some photos from our jont through Caledonia.
A pre-hike hug. Mommy's belly is getting a bit big for that! ;)


The whole crew (minus the Moore's who joined us for dinner Sat. evening). Next year we'll be adding at least 2 new little ones!

Early Summer

Photos of our early summertime adventures...

Our Play Group Mommies took the kids to the wildlife refuge in Fairfield. As you can tell they were in awe of the animals. And Lydie was obsessed with feeding peanuts to the goats.



Can you believe we got them all to sit still? (Didn't quite achieve the whole "looking at the camera and smiling" thing, but what we got was quite an achievement!)


Chasing ducks over Memorial Day Weekend


Lydia LOVES her dog - and I mean, LOVES! He's the third person she asks for when she wakes up in the morning (after mommy and daddy). She enjoys snuggling with him on our bed, chasing him, commanding him, feeding him... She thinks he's hilarious repeating often, "Guinney's funny".



At 31 1/2 weeks pregnant I finished the YMCA 5K in the middle of a thunderstorm (rain was literally pelting us) while pushing Avery. Mimi pushed Lydia and we met up with Avery's mommy at the finish line (she jogged it in her 2nd trimester!)



I just love this photo of me & my precious little girl.

A windy day in Johnstown visiting Lydie's great-grandparents.


Mommy & Daddy took a Pre-Cosmo, Sans-Lydia get-away to New York City last weekend. What amazing experiences we had and so refreshing for us! We are so thankful for this opportunity to be spontaneous and connect and relax.



Our fair little girl enjoying her banana in the shade. She loves climbing up onto these comfy chairs on our porch and relaxing.

Picking "strah bah dees" with Aunt Leslie

Our little farmer helping Dr. Bobo plant pumpkin seeds.



We took a morning jont to Cowan's Gap. Lydia loved our hike around the lake during which she pointed out all of the animals, boats, and waters.

"I see fishies!"

She was sooo funny with the sand. When daddy was about to put her down, she hiked her legs up to her chest. When he got her standing, she refused to move. We finally coaxed her into the water and played some games which included splashing. She attempted to mimic a little boy swimming which was not the smartest idea for a child who doesn't really know how to hold her breath under water. Understandably she was hesitant to pursue "swimming" with daddy and we resumed splashing. A gorgeous day.


Our little mimicker is now into doing "faces". Check this one out! When I was a teenager I got scolded for "wrinkling my nose" - she's starting early, G-pa!


Lydie visits her Great-ma once a week and loves to run up to her lap & engage her.


Happy Father's Day, Daddy!


Lydia loves for others to join in her own little adventures. She often says, "C'mon, Mummy" or "Sit down" She's also a riot with her plurals and pronouns. For example, if she's looking for a stuffed animal she'll say, "There she is, I found him" which can be quite amusing when it's totally the wrong use. I was quite impressed when she actually handed me something and said, "Yours" the other day (quite a contrast from the "Mine" we hear with increasing frequency). Our little drama queen also decided today to emphasize her longing for certain things by saying, "I NEED it" :)

Songs

Here are some examples of pieces of Lydia singing and doing motions.

For all of these she will spontaneously break out into song at times. Getting to do it on command is a bit challenging, but I think you'll get the idea... :)

For "Twinkle Twinkle" she is looking at her "Twinkle Twinkle" book, obviously distracted.

She learned "Ring around the Rosey" and "Head Shoulders" at school and her Aunt Vic taught her the "Teddy Bear" song. I think it's cute how she puts her hands on her hips when she says "shoulders."

Enjoy!

Counting

Big Girl

Some of these photos just crack me up. She is more and more like a little girl each day.

New favorite sentences include, “I find it.” “Want some?” “It fell down.” “I’ll get it.” “Where did _____ go?” “I hear a plane” (for any noise sounding like a motor).

Well, Lydia has successfully made the transition to her "big girl" room. We finally have moved all of her decorations, books, and most of her clothes over too. She doesn't even seem to miss her crib (but she does miss the Snoopies in there!) Lydie likes to show everyone her new room. Here are some photos of her and Avery during their play-date - only 3 weeks apart in age and just like little peas in a pod with their blond locks.




Her first try at corn-on-the-cob. She was in heaven.

When daddy wanted to help her finish it, she clutched it to her chest like this and said, "Mine!" :)


So she finally figured out how to crawl up onto chairs (thus far she hasn't been much of a climber). She loves to be like mommy and daddy and "work" on the computer. These are priceless. Her intensity is a riot!




Washing her hair

Mommy having a little fun with the hair she has - remembering photos of my brother and I with the same "do" about this age.

Psalm 8

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children;
You have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger.
When I consider the work of your fingers, the mood and the stars you have set in their courses,
What are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them, human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you have made them little less than divine; with glory and honor you crown them.
You have made them rule over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet:
All flocks and cattle, even the wild beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prior to hearing this morning’s Psalm, I was thinking about what to write in a new blog entry… Lydia has become enthralled with nature – basically anything involving “outside.” I guess the new life of springtime will bring about this joy. She comments on every “birdie” she sees and has recently become focused on “waters” (puddles, rain, streams, swimming pools). She even pretends she’s “swimming!” in the bathtub by getting on her tummy and kicking her legs. She also is now able to name pretty much all of the animals for which she knows the “noises” We go through an Eric Carle book (“The Very Busy Spider”) and she can say, “Cow says Moo” and “Dog says Woof”. During our brief coloring sessions she consistently asks me to draw a “sun, moon, and stars.” When I summarized all these new developments in my mind, I realized that they relate directly to God’s wonderful creation. Although interested in cars, the computer, planes, and school buses, her priorities and main topics of conversation are clearly related to LIFE. Our pastor encouraged us, as we’re driving around or taking a walk, to take notice of the trees, flowers, animals, and rejoice, for “This is God’s sign of how much He loves me.” Lydia certainly facilitates this realization, thankfulness, and joy in her exuberance. God’s “glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children…” (Psalm 8:2)

Picnics and Play Group

Here are some photos of Lydia's friends and family at some recent playgroups and picnics. Enjoy!

We are THRILLED to have our dear friends return from the West Coast. Lydie loves playing with Hayden and I love watching him grow. What a blessing to be part of their lives.


Lydie and Lukey: What a pair! (I couldn't capture little Owen or the preschoolers this time - they were on the move!)


Maeve has entered toddlerhood. What a joy to see her and Lydia play.


Of course Lydia continues to enjoying playing with "Maevey's" big bro, Owen. He's so good with her!


A picnic at "Untle Jahn" and "Ant Lesie"'s


Like mother, like daughter: Ice cream officianatos


Playing with her cous' Gabby


Daddy's Girls