I'm a Big Kid now!!

This little jingle from the diaper commercials has been running through my head a lot lately. The kids are growing up so quickly.

Maxwell is officially a sitter. He sits so well and for long periods of time. Which means he gets to join his sister in play. A fact she is not always thrilled about.

Maxwell has also taken to popping up on his knees and rocking back and forth. This is a very scary thought for me. He is a little wiggle worm in his bed as well. He is still sleeping in his pack-n-play as I have many fears of putting them to sleep in the same room. But he isn't going to last much longer, the other day he had reached up the side of the pack-n-play and was peeking over the edge.

Maxwell is also eating solids now and so has moved into his high chair. He is already very comfortable there, obviously.

No day would be complete without some Lucy antics. We went garage saling the other day, and got this tool set for $1. One stop we made was facing a very busy road and selling a potty seat. We were checking things out when Chad turns around to see Lucy with her pants and pull-up down just about to take the potty seat for a little test run. Thankfully Chad caught her, however she managed to give a few cars a little show. Too bad she isn't that anxious to go potty at home.

Labor Day Weekend

So we had great ambitious plans for Labor Day Weekend to go on a camping trip, however as the weekend got closer we decided to stay home and take in the activities here.

Along the Susquehanna River they hold a big music festival, so we headed down to see what was happening. Here is what we found.

Some big blow-up bouncy things. Lucy loved these and wanted to go again and again.

Some messes to make. Lucy got to paint a small pumpkin. When she was done it was a very colorful pumpkin. We also found some delicous food to eat.

After the festival we headed to a park where the local fire station was holding some fireworks. They were very close and very loud.

It was a very long show and by the end Lucy was losing interest. But it was the perfect end to the day.

Take Two

After our adventures at Hersheypark we came to the conclusion that Lucy's favorite rides had been when she could ride along with other kids. So I arranged a Hersheypark playdate with our good friend Marla and her two grandkids, Emi and Matthew. They had a blast together. I also couldn't have survived the day alone as Marla put all 3 of the kids on and off every single ride they wanted to go on. Everything is better when you have a friend to go along with you. Lucy had been having a rough 2 year-old morning and I debated whether we should go at all but in the end I am sure glad we did.

This is the mini log ride they went on.

 The after effects.

And here is our happy tag-along. Maxwell is so good natured, he is happy to go along with whatever adventure we decide to drag him along to.

We have also been trying to introduce cereal to Max. The first attempt he just gagged and spit it out. After a few attempts, I knew we needed to try something different. So I added some formula to his cereal and now he looks more like this when its time to eat....

Today I couldn't get it in fast enough. I just love that smile!!

(Also, to get a good idea of how chubby this adorable guy is take a look and how tight his chair is around his legs. It takes two hands to get him out, one to hold him and the other to keep the chair still. But those legs are sure fun to squeeze.)

Hersheypark

This past weekend we took a day to go to Hersheypark. The park is huge and there is a lot to do. So we decided to split the day in two. In the morning we went to the Boardwalk which is the water park inside of Hersheypark. It was a blast. They had a huge wavepool that Lucy loved and also a toddler section with a smaller wavepool and a slide. She was too small to take on any of the tube rides. She loved the slide and could have spent all day there. By the end we had her going down all by herself, and she continued to love it even after she took a dunk all the way under the water. It was difficult to take pics in the water so we don't have any from the morning. We then headed home for a nap and some recooperation. After nap it was back for some fun on the rides. Here are some of her faces of joy and fascination.

This is the first ride we put her on and we were pretty unsure about how she was going to react. The mother of these two kids offered for her to ride with her children and I think it made all the difference. She was able to see that they loved it and that it was okay.

Checking out the carousel with Daddy.

What's going to happen??

The picture is a little blurry, but it shows her pure enjoyment. This was a mini pirate ship and was her favorite. She giggled and smiled to whole time.

Family Pics

With a new addition to the family we thought it was time to get a nice family picture. Here are some of our favorite shots.

The photographer attempted to have the kids sit together in the chair, but Lucy wouldn't have any of it. Max did an excellent job of sitting in it all by himself.

This is an attempt to keep Lucy's attention and give Max a kiss.

We had a hard time catching a shot with Maxwell's fists out of his mouth.

Doesn't she look so innocent??

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

Well, our little girl is now 2! She was spoiled rotten for her birthday. I planned a little birthday party for her and her nursery friends. She had a blast.

We had a butterfly theme. So I had butterfly nets for all the kids and they went on a butterfly hunt.

The cake turned better than I had hoped.

She loved playing at the park with her friends, blowing bubbles and opening her presents.

We also had a family celebration with our good friends the Fultz's. We had her favorite food, pasta and a delicious ice cream cake. Lucy loved the ice cream, but left the cake behind for someone else.

Mom and Dad got her a train set which she was very excited about.

The Fultz's were so kind and got her a drum and a few other musical instruments. The neigbors and Mom and Dad are so happy about it. The drum came with a harmonica which she managed to figure out. She is actually quite talented at it.

Happy Birthday Lucy!! You are the joy and the challenge we love so dearly. Thank you for being apart of our lives.

Hoodoo Hopping

Yes this is a real thing. When I told Chad about my childhood memories of going Hoodoo hopping at Writing-on-Stone Park he thought that I was making it up. So I had to prove him wrong. Here is the Rumsey family hopping in the Hoodoos.