Happy 1st Birthday Cai! Happy 10th Ayonna!

I can't belive how quickly this year has gone by for us! My niece Ayonna (Emily's middle child) has just turned ten, and Aubrey's baby Malacai has just turned one! That means my babies are almost one! It's so hard to believe how quickly they grow, even though I watch it happen right before my eyes.

Ayonna, Eli and Noah are all into the Webkinz craze. Yonnie got a few for her birthday and some clothes for them. If you don't have kids or just don't know, they are these stuffed animals that come with a code that you enter on an internet site in order to virtually "care" for your animal. If you fail to feed or nuture your online friend they will eventually die but at least you still have the stuffed animal to play with. It does help them learn about responsibility, however, I'm not sure I like the idea of kids sitting at the computer during summer.

Cai's party was a blast. The event was held at Walker Park which happens to be right on Little Sewickley Creek, one of Hunter's favorite places to play. The kids built quite the impressive dam, and worked hard at it all day. The picture is of Hunter sifting through the sediment to find fossils and Ella, a neighbor and good friend of Hunter's, perfecting the wall. Sadly, I'm sure all the flash flooding we've had this past week washed all their hard work away but they had a great time building it. Here's a glimpse of what Gryffin might look like with beautiful curly brown hair, like Izaya's. She adores her baby cousins and they her. Have you ever seen a more beautiful, nurturing twelve-year-old? She's the first grandchild of eight, my sister Emily's oldest, and if you even mention to my mom "thirteen" she says it's not going to happen, and she's not allowed to become a teenager. I say she can become whatever it is she wants to be, but she's not getting out of being a teenager. I'm just glad I still have about eight more years before I have of of those...

We Love Thomas the Tank Engine...and the Amish!

When Hunter was two, he had a toddler obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine. For Christmas, we took him to the Strasburg railroad for the Day Out With Thomas event where you get to ride on a train pulled by Thomas. It was awesome and Hunter loved it thoroughly. Though his obsession dwindled, he never stopped talking about the ride and continually asked if we could go back. We finally got up enough nerve to take a four hour drive with two infants in tow and invited my sister, Aubrey and her kids and my mom and little brother. It was a ton of fun and we also made it to a quaint little amusement park called Dutch Wonderland. It's geared toward younger kids, and since they're what we have plenty of, it was perfect for us.

We stopped for a picnic lunch on the way there and let the kids run off some energy in a field at the rest area. Lined up are: My little brother Noah, My sister Emily's youngest Eli, Hunter, and Aubrey's two kids Nadia and Malacai. The twins don't stand on their own yet and were chowing down on turkey sandwiches and goldfish crackers just to the left. Our kids are extremely fair skinned and Tom noted that Hunter looks like the cream of an Oreo cookie.

Here's the whole crew(minus my mom and me) waiting for Thomas to pull into the station. We missed our scheduled train, but there were no worries, they just put us on the next one. This is a very popular event and it was extremely crowded. We had perfect weather, and all the kids were really well behaved and patient. I recommend this to anyone who has a Thomas lover. It is a really fun time with lots of other activities besides the train ride.

Gryffin claps for Thomas as he pulls into the station. Olivia mastered clapping quite a while ago, but it is a new skill for Gryffin. He couldn't be more pleased with himself. It's the cutest.

Olivia's first Carousel ride was awesome! She loved every minute of it and screeched and squealed with delight. I think we've got a real thrill seeker on our hands which will be quite a change from the ever so cautious Hunter.

My mom with her three newest grandchildren. It was the end of the day and everyone was ready to go home. We had a great time in Lancaster and the kids got a kick out of the Horse and buggies(equipped with turn signals) driving around. Next time, we'll plan to stay a little longer and bring a babysitter for the kids so we can see some of the more historical sights and Amish farms with homemade root beer(yummy).

Aubrey, Nadia and Cai at Dutch Wonderland

My little Olive on the Train

Mama and Hunter on the train

Playing on the tracks after our ride on Thomas

Turning 30 and loving life...

This past week our dog Link turned six, the twins turned ten months and I turned 30! I feel a sense of empowerment as I enter my third decade of life as if it's going to be the best decade of my life! Hunter, Olivia and Gryffin are all full of such unique personality and it is a wonderful honor to be their mama. They will keep me young no matter how old I grow.

I had give up on growing Olivia's bangs long with the rest of her hair and cut her a cute little girl haircut. She looks adorable but less and less like a baby.

It somehow always amazes me how much Hunter loves his babies. He is such a loving and caring little guy and an awesome big brother. He loves to wrestle with Gryffin and tickle Olivia(who's very ticklish).



Hunter has a constant battle to keep his glasses on. Both Gryffin and Olivia are really quick and grab at them anytime he's close enough. They are relentless little buggers!

Just having some fun in jammies on a warm summer morning.

Gryffin looks on in disbelief as his big brother charges him four dollars a gallon. Gryffin thought that buying a foot powered truck would keep costs down, only to be ripped off by his own brother! Get used to it Gryff, that's what big brothers do to unassuming little brothers and sisters!

Alright, alright, I admit it, I love pictures of crying babies!

And last but not least, my first baby who's now six! Happy birthday Linky!