First, as many of you already know, toward the end of March, Colten found out that he will be a big brother come November! Tom and I had been trying to get pregnant since last June but were not having any luck. Once we got frustrated and gave up, we got pregnant!!! My due date is November 30th but since I'm a diabetic, my doctor won't let me go to term. In other words, by Thanksgiving we will have a new little one! Needless to say, I am a bit bummed about missing Black Friday this year!
In other news, we recently had an above-ground pool installed but have yet to swim since we are still in the process of hooking up the electric and gas; in northeast Ohio, we need a heater! One reason that the pool is not yet ready is that after installation, we immediately headed south to Isle of Palms, SC to visit the Krieg's and to meet up with the Belschner Family! We all hadn't been together since Amy's wedding (a little perspective: I was newly pregnant with Colten). Needless to say, it had been way too long! We had a blast catching up and having some girl-time. And the kids were so great together! Here are a bunch of pics from the four days we spent together. Thanks Beth and Dave for welcoming all of the chaos into your home!!
As soon as we arrived, Colten was ready for the pool!
Aunt Beth is so smart; she unrolled thick paper down the hall so the kids could draw with chalk and markers; sometimes we couldn't get Colten away!
More pool fun! After seeing Avery jump in, Colten wanted to try, but he wouldn't jump. He was happy being tossed to Mommy by Daddy!
All the kiddos!
A random photo of David but I love it!
Time for the beach...
Colten and Avery spent some time collecting shells together.
Artie caught a small crab and was showing it to Colten and Spencer.
Off to Magnolia Plantation with a quick lunch at Five Guys.
Such a beautiful place!
The Belschner Family on our way to tour the slave cabins.
Feeding the deer, even though they preferred Tom's shorts!
Instead of our tour of the main house...
Artie and I had to take the kids outside; they had had enough touring...
After the Belschner's headed back home, Aunt Beth kept Colten occupied by letting him help decorate for July 4th!
The Krieg Family -
Colten hugging David after helping him open his birthday presents (a bit early).
From South Carolina, we made the 10+ hour drive to Philly so we could take Colten to Sesame Place. I have to say that I was dreading the trip to say the least, but Tom did a fabulous job driving the WHOLE way, and Colten was a real trooper. Between dvd's and drawing and of course snacking, we made it with few issues!
Sesame Place is amazing and would have made even the worst of trips worth it!!! Colten had so much fun and was so exhausted by days end that he fell asleep even before we pulled out of the parking lot! And that is saying a lot for a child who maybe slept a total of 5 hours in the car during all of our travels from Ohio to SC to PA and back to Ohio. Tom and I will never forget the look on Colten's face when Elmo came out during the Elmo's World show. That was the first thing we did when we arrived and Colten's face absolutely lit-up. It literally brought tears to both of our eyes. Colten enjoyed every moment, from the shows to the rides to meeting the characters. We were on a man-hunt for Cookie Monster because that is Colten's favorite and he really wanted to meet him. After asking just about everyone, Colten had his special moment. As soon as he saw Cookie, he ran into his arms and Cookie bent down to hug him. It couldn't have been more perfect. While we were meeting Cookie, Daddy saved us seats at Abby's show where Colten got to see more the gang, and we ended the day with the parade. My only wish is that we could have done the water rides too, but the water was freezing. Next time, for sure because there will be a next time; it was that great! Check out the photos! (but they don't do justice to the fun we had).
Abby's show
Part of the parade
So tired, he is sleeping through dinner...
Cuddling Cookie before bed
The next day, we headed to the Please Touch Museum in Philly. Again, I cannot say enough about the place. They had so many exhibits ranging from construction, to hospitals, and markets, to Alice in Wonderland, to rain forests, and space. In every section, there was so much for kids to manipulate and experiment with. If you are in the area with your kids, it is a must!!
We ended that day by tasting cheese steak sandwiches from Pat's and Gino's - two restaurants that battle for the best cheese steak. After trying both, I can't say that I can decide; they were both delicious, but Tom votes for Gino's!
and a sandwich from Pat's...
Off to try Gino's...
What a wonderful vacation from start to finish! When we came home, we took down Colten's crib and set up his twin bed. I was really worried about the transition, but Colten has done an amazing job, sleeping through the night since night one! That's my boy!
My next goal is to be swimming by the weekend!
Happy Father's Day Daddy, Grandpa and Papa! We love you all!
