First Day in TN

Our first stop was to visit Aunt Beullah & Aunt Sharon. Lucky for Syd, Chloe was there too. So they were able to play together. And of course that led to more plans for them to get together later in the week.

Anderson had fun showing off his ball handling skills. I think Aunt Beullah was really impressed.

Of course Anderson was at the receiving end of tons of hugs from Aunt Sharon.

Then we went to one of Sydney's favorite places Old McDonald's Farm Putt Putt. This is a must stop at least once (sometimes more) while we are visiting. There is actually three different courses one is cows, pigs & chickens.

Everytime one of us hit the ball Anderson squealed & waved his hands around. It was hysterical. Although with 4 people playing there was alot of squealing. Did I mention the kid loves to play ball? He doesn't care what kind of ball just as long as he can play with it.

 

We also stopped over for dinner at Uncle Michael's and Aunt Kelley's house. While Anderson had a blast playing in the water all the other cousins were busy running and sliding into the water. You should of seen his face when they came down the slide and the cool water came up on his back. It was priceless.

The Cousins

Riley, Logan, Anderson, Sydney & Emma
You can see the great slide in the back.

 Did I mention Anderson has found a new favorite desert? Unlike his sister he thinks ice cream is AWESOME!!

Leaving in a Toyota

For vacation this summer we went to Tennessee to visit Steve's family. We had not been there in awhile and with Steve's Dad being diagnosed with lung cancer we needed to get the kids down to see him. This was to be Anderson's first LONG trip in the car we were not sure how things were going to go. Lucky for us he has a great big sister and she kept him entertained.

The kids as we were leaving the house. They seem pretty happy we will see how they are after 10 hours.

As you may remember Steve's new car is not exactly large in size, but gets twice the gas mileage my Explorer does. So the choice in what car we took was easy.

Anderson somewhere in Virginia. Not too bad for only having slept a total of an hour and 15 minutes. He normally takes two naps that are two hours each. Thank goodness for dvd players, Blue's Clues and Veggietales.

We made it down with no big problems. Hopefully our trip home is as uneventful. I have a really cute video but blooger is not cooperating.

Snow Event #1

At the beginning of the month we got about 18inches of snow at our house within 24 hours. This started a week off school for the kids when another snow came between Tuesday & Wednesday (more photos to follow).  So I figured I would take Anderson out for his first major snow fall & get some photos. Of course Steve being at work this proved to be harder than I thought. With so much I couldn't just set him in the snow as I would lose him. Lucky for me his big sister loves to help with him. Until she gets snow down in her boots that is.

This is a shot I got while trying to dress Anderson for outside. One might think this would be easy as he is only 8 months old. People who have children realize this is no easy feat. Especially, when the child does NOT like to put on his coat.

Sydney hopping into the snow to show how deep it was. What she really did was fill her boots with snow UGH! Which of course was followed with whining. After we emptied her out the photo fest continued.

Holding up her brother so he didn't fall in the snow. He did play with it a little but his gloves are so big he wasn't able to do much.

A couple of outside shots. One which you can tell was the walkway to  the house. The other I was trying to get a shot of how high it was from the ground. Didn't get it all the way to the ground. But the blue sky is awesome.

Lucky for us we didn't lose power. And did not get as much as our family & friends down in MD. Who ended up with over 30 inches of snow within the first 24 hours of the first storm.

Over the River & Through The Woods...

We didn't get to Mom's until 11:30pm Christmas Eve. As we decided to leave after Steve got done from work because bad weather was moving in. Amazing how happy a little boy be that late at night. Although, it was pretty strange to hear him babbling in the backseat in the complete dark. With his sister yelling for us to make him be quiet. What a good sport he was.

Even though we got in late Syd was very excited to see what Santa had brought her. We managed to make it to 7:30. This is Anderson doing his morning exercises.

Sydney with her new MP3 player from Grandma Terry & Roger. I don't even have my own yet. Aunt Jackie & Uncle Aaron got her speakers so she could play it in her room.

Sydney finally got a Wii. Well actually the whole family did. Thank you Grandma Betsy! The whole family had a blast playing the games.

Anderson in his new ride Santa brought him.

Sydney & Anderson after we were done opening gifts. She really does love her little brother!

Visiting Family

Sydney, Jasmine, Anderson, MomMom, Mason, & Madison

This past weekend the kids and I packed up to go visit family at Alicia & MomMom houses. The car trip was about four hours so it was Anderson's longest car ride to date. Thank goodness both kids travel well. He slept most of the way and she of course asked questions most of the way. She was pretty excited about seeing Jasmine and Madison so sleeping was not an option for her. Of course rain was our travel partner for a majority of the trip. Sydney did spot some wind turbines on the way down. She actually scared me when she was trying to point them out. I thought something was wrong.

This was the first time for us to see Alicia and Steve's baby Mason and the first everyone had seen Anderson. Friday night was spent mostly catching up and feeding babies. Also wondering what the girls were doing that was making so much noise. And if they were asleep yet.

Mason Ray Fowler

Anderson & Mason marching together.

Can you believe we have to do this? These people are CRAZY!!

AWWWWWW!!

On Saturday Anderson and I went down to MD. Sydney stayed in York with Steve and the girls. They had a whole day of fun planned. Poor Steve! First they went to Madison's soccer game. Then later they were suppose to go to Hershey Park to trick or treat. Well of course the weather made this impossible. Luckily they hadn't paid to get in yet. Of course the girls were bummed out until they heard mention of Chuck E Cheese and roller skating. From what I heard from Steve, Sydney quickly caught on and was zipping around in no time. The rink looked really nice they even had a separate part for beginner skaters. A huge thanks to Steve for letting Sydney tag along and being so nice to her. She had a blast!!

Sunday was spent with a little more visiting, a good breakfast, a little shopping and lots of driving. Our trip home was alot nicer. This time Syd slept almost all the way home. We did try to find the wind turbines again unfortunately I couldn't get as good a picture. There was a bunch of them it was neat to see.

Some of the wind turbines we saw.

Beautiful fall colors.

Thanks to everyone we had a really great time. It was really nice to see everyone.

Another Visit to Northern PA

We traveled north a couple of weeks ago (yes I know I have been slacking). The first day we were there we traveled to Eldred,PA for what they call Old Home Days. They have vendors, rides, car show & food. Well with the way the weather has been all summer we ran between the raindrops. It was fun even with the weather. We went back over for fireworks Sat. night. They were awesome. For the size town Eldred is I had no idea what a treat we were in for. They went on for forever & they were what I expected to see in Pittsburgh. I would defiantly go see them again.

The next day we went to church which is always nice to see people we have known for a number of years. We went to Lionel & Alice's for lunch. Then later that evening we had friends over for a bonfire. Of course we were able to have a huge fire and eat some marshmallows & pizza pies. Our friend Sam showed us how to make cinnamon sugar treats with crescents. Everything was very tasty but I did not get my Smore as a storm blew in & we were running for cover. Anderson's First Bonfire

We also went to the state park while we were there so Sydney could go play in the water. They have 2 lakes we were on the Quaker side I must say I was impressed. Everything was very clean & the swimming area was quite large. Syd had alot of fun playing in the water & sand. Anderson enjoyed lounging under his umbrella & taking a nap. We had to tie the umbrella to stuff so he would not lose his shade. A little redneck I know but very functional! He loves to be outside & with the breeze we had he really enjoyed himself.Anderson Lounging at the State Park


Sydney was able to go on her first boat ride. We went out to Willow Bay. She was able to see Kinzua Dam from the water. We had stopped earlier in the week so she could feed the huge Carp that live below the dam . At least she attempted to feed them the birds are pretty quick to steal their goodies in mid air. She was able to get in the water a couple of times which I must say was eye opening. It was really cold! Getting her back in the boat was another story. Nothing like trying to lift your 8 year old back onto the boat while keeping yourself afloat! With her life jacket it was hard for her to maneuver but she figured it out. We had lots of fun swimming, eating, sunning the whole day.
Anderson had his very first babysitting experience. He spent the day with friends from church Ed & Shelley Wright. They were also keeping their grandchildren so he had a play date too. Bless them as they were very busy with Anderson, Evan (3 months) & Owen was is almost 2. I was very grateful that they were willing to do it.
Kinzua Dam

Syd riding at the back of the boat.

Sydney then headed over to my Dad's to attend her third vacation bible school of the summer. This is the second or third year she has gone up & stayed the week with her grandfather. This year she made a friend with a neighbor they had lots of fun riding bikes, swimming & playing. We went to Barb's family reunion. It was fun to catch up with her kids as we do not see them very often. Something always happens when you get a group together Justin's little girl stepped on nail about 10 minutes after we got there. She is recovering well from that.
All in all we had a great trip even with the weather not cooperating.

Going To See Nanny

Nanny & Anderson


Nanny (as Sydney call her we call her Gram) and Anderson have finally met. I waited awhile for him to be a little older with her living in a assisted living home. Although, I am not sure either of them will remember it was nice to get a picture of him with his great grandmother.
Aunt Pat talking to Anderson about his weird family.
Sydney getting in her time.

Our cousin Chris & Syd I really like this one.

Fourth of July

To continue on with our trip north for 4Th of July. We were at Grandma Marysue's house. Which was a work weekend on the house & yard. Well not for me because of the baby. Hard to do anything when you are running around holding a baby. (My Uncle Lou said next time I will have to do double to make up for it.) Many things were accomplished from cutting down trees & burning them, painting, staining decks, taking out electrical wires & many other things there was a long list. Sydney was a trooper & helped alot. And there was no complaining until I told her she had to get out of the creek & get ready for dinner.Syd & mom working the wheelbarrow

Like their rubber boots?

Child labor laws what are those?

Gunner & Angus helping clear the brush.Syd & Anderson goofing off.

Playing in the creek after working hard.

We had a really nice family picnic also. Luckily cousins James & Parker came with Uncle Bill & Aunt Cathy so Syd had kids to play with. Uncle Ralph, Aunt Susan, Uncle Lou & Aunt Sally were also there. Everyone got a chance to eat good food, catch up and play some games. James, Parker, & Sydney in the creek.


Aunt Susan & Syd playing lawn darts.Another game not sure what it is called. You have a rope with a golf ball on each end. You try to get them on 3 levels that give you different points. It can be quite challenging because the other team can cancel you out. Aunt Susan & I beat everyone. Yeah us!!

Aunt Cathy & Anderson

Anderson got to meet & sit with all his other Aunts & Uncles. He was a good boy and enjoyed himself.

Company

Last week Grandma Betsy & Aunt Elizabeth came from Tennessee to visit. It was nice to catch up as we have not seen them in awhile. We had a nice relaxing visit. As we came to realize with the addition of Anderson traveling with everyone in one car becomes a problem. We went to Smicksburg and saw lots of Amish working & riding in their buggies. We also went to the zoo. Anyone that knows Syd & I knows that we LOVE the zoo. Our trip down was eventful in its self we were almost taken about by a box truck. He came so close to our car it was crazy. Steve said he almost got someone else after we got around him. It was SCARY!!
The Pittsburgh Zoo had another addition on the 13th they had their first baby seal so Syd was looking forward to seeing her. It was Steve, Anderson & Elizabeth's first trip to the zoo. I think they all enjoyed it. Anderson had a good time looking around, napping & getting all the complements from other visitors. We saw lots of babies, both elephants, orangutan, 4 beavers, and a seal. Baby seals are born not knowing how to swim,so as she kept running along the edge and fell in. Her mother actually dunked her underwater & pulled her by her flipper then flipped her out of the water it was really neat to see. Although, the baby seal was scared after that she ran to the door to go inside. We did get to see the polar bear swimming around he came up right in front of Syd. They also have a tunnel so you can see from underneath. He jumped in right over Syd's head. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I do not have any photos. Elizabeth said she would email what she took with her phone. Hopefully I will have a couple to share later.
Grandma Betsy & Elizabeth headed home early Saturday morning. Sydney had alot of fun playing with Aunt Elizabeth for all those days. We want thank them for everything.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Happy Father's Day!Hope all the Father's have a great day!

Bradford, Relatives, Shopping & A Baby Shower

Well last weekend we went to Bradford to visit family and to attend the baby shower my Mom & cousin Amy were having for me. Syd was super excited because not only were her Aunt Jackie & Uncle Aaron going to be there she got to miss school on Friday. I figured with there future living arrangements in Alaska it might be awhile before we saw them. So we wanted some extra time. She had alot of fun & immediately took up with her Uncle Aaron whom she tormented the rest of the weekend. Sorry Aaron! (Luckily he is a VERY good sport!)

Of course going to Bradford in April the weather is not very cooperative! We ventured out anyway on Friday in the rain to do some shopping. We found this really great kid's consignment shop in Olean. So if you know of anyone in need of anything especially clothes send them there. It was insane. Then we were off for one of Aaron's favorite eats Tasta Pizza. It has been a long time since I have been there boy was it good. Brings back memories of middle school.

Saturday we had the baby shower. Only it did not rain it actually snowed a little (again it is Bradford). First surprise for everyone our cousin Jen came up with the twins Benjamin & Annamarie so that was exciting. I had alot of fun getting to see people from Evans our old church. These are people who have known me since I was in fifth grade. They are always supportive of our family. Of course the food was good. Aunt Cathy makes an AWESOME cake!! If you have never had a piece you are missing out. Amy was in charge of games which everyone seemed to get into.


I was lucky to receive a bunch of great gifts and salot of really cute clothes! The Little Man should be one well dressed baby. Big thanks to Mom and Amy for all they did. Also to Jackie I know she chipped in too. And for the rest of the family for helping out. Especially for Jackie superior cutting skills where the pasta salad is concerned! I don't have any pics yet Jackie took them & she is somewhere between Port Allegheny & New York. I am thankful she took a bunch for me. We will miss her photo taking skills after the baby gets here.


Saturday evening was a crazy one! I am sure we may have broken some fire code with all the people in my mom's house. It was like being back at Nana & Grandpa's for a holiday. We had beds set up on all available floor space. Between the 7 adults, 3 kids & 2 dogs I am sure the house breathed a sigh of relief Sunday evening.
It was fun seeing everyone time always seems to pass too quickly though!

Sled Riding At Pratt Hollow

While I was copying some photos for my cousin Amy I remembered I had not posted about sled riding. Sydney had the best time sled riding at her Grandma's. We spent a good portion of black Friday trying to find sleds for her & my mom. She was so geared up to go on Saturday. What topped things off for her was cousins James & Parker came over too. After the first trip down I thought we were in trouble as her sled came up & banged her in the ear. Luckily, Mom & Amy were at the bottom to check things out. Her pregnant mother was halfway up the hill taking pictures.

After about the second time up the hill I figured the kids would be ready to go home. It was a really big hill. But they were troopers and toughed it out. Parker even went down on Amy's back he looked like Superman. I missed getting the picture because I was too busy watching. They actually hit the jump and flew through the air. It was pretty cool. I did get a picture of James flying through the air in the midst of a crash.

(Sorry this the first time I have posted a video so it just ended up here.)

Anyway on the sled are James, Mom, Sydney & Amy. You can tell they are having a blast I do believe my child's mouth was open the whole way down the hill. As you can imagine she cannot wait to go sledding again!

Christmas Tradition

A little while ago my sister blogged about our family Christmas traditions. Though I do remember those fondly. I have my own copy of Chipmunk Christmas that I requested from my mom several years ago. The other we still use with Sydney which I cannot comment on because she reads very well and that would ruin Christmas for her. (You can't wait for them to read but then you can't hide things either anyway...) I did remember another one. This was more of a tradition with our Nana & Grandpa. It started every year at Thanksgiving. At the end of the meal we would get our advent calenders. They would make one for each grandchild which ended up being 12. Yikes. From what I can remember they were different every year. We would get pennies through the week, nickels for Sat., dimes for Sun. and quarters for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. I do remember some days were alot harder to get off than others as you can see if the pictures. It would continue til we graduated from high school. It was something we all looked forward too.

Now that Sydney has gotten old enough her Grandma makes one for her also. Sydney actually asked a couple of days before we left for Mom's for Thanksgiving if Grandma was going to make her one. So she would know how long til Christmas. My reply was your going to have to ask Grandma as I had no idea if mom had planned on it or not. Thank goodness she had. I know Aunt Sally has also continuesthis tradition with her grandkids.

Close up of calendar

Syd's 2007 Advent Calendar