Maternity Pics

While we were up at my Dad's cabin, Tina took my maternity pics...again.  Funny how in my last pregnancy I was also at my Dad's cabin at this exact same stage in my pregnancy.  So we did my maternity pics when I was pregnant with Addy up there, and now we did my pics while pregnant with Emma there too.  Oh yeah, did I mention that we are naming our new baby girl Emma?  Emma Jane to be exact :)

Now let me preface these maternity pictures by saying that I realize my belly button is out of control. I thought it was too hot to wear a belly band that day, but perhaps I should have rethought that decision, ha ha :)

So here are some of my favorites.  Now, not all of them are maternity pics, some are just cute pictures of Addy, but how can anyone resist those?

Addy says, "Don't mind me, just snaggin' a quick cookie during my photo shoot."

That flower sniffing face gets me every time :)

Sniffing flowers, sniffing grapes... it's all the same face :)

So there you have it!  The ever fabulous work of TinaJayPhotography.  Love my sister for always taking the most fabulous pictures of me and my family :)

Camp SOKI

On the Friday of our PA trip, Mike and I headed over to Camp SOKI to pick up Addy and spend the weekend with my Dad, Step mom, sister, brother-in-law, and grandparents.  Now, Camp SOKI is the name of my Dad's cabin, and it stands for Spending Our Kids Inheritance.  Hmmm, very cute...thanks guys ;)

However, the first name of their camp was simply "The Land".  Back when they first bought it, that's all that it was .... land.  They would bring up their RV and camp there.  But now, the RV is sold and there is a brand new, beautiful, permanent cabin on that land, so they have decided to rename it.  Camp SOKI.  Well, the sign clearly states the property's true name (LOL), and it's the name that Tina and I prefer, so we've still been calling it "The Land". ;)

We had such a fun weekend up there, and it was so great seeing our little lady again!  She had a blast with her grandparents that week, we could tell :)  But nothing topped Addy' excitement when Mike and I got there on Friday.  It was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.  She got a huge grin and was so excited that she got this shoulder shrug thing thing every time she looked at us.  By us, I mean Mike.  Ha ha, she was pumped to see me, but it was nothing compared to her reaction at seeing Daddy.  Like I said, cutest thing ever :)  I got out my video camera, but by the time I did, it was awhile later, so I didn't quite capture it.  Still cute though.

After we got settled in, we decided to take a stroll down to Swamp road.  Addy led the way :)

True family photo, with the extended family in the background, ha ha.

 

Here comes Daisy!  She loved being free up there!

 

 And poor Holly bringing up the rear.  I'm sure she's thinking, "Daisy, can we take this down a notch?"

 

The guys digging the fire pit

 

Check out the determination on Jay's face, ha ha!

 

Addy in her camp attire.  Overalls were a gift from her great-grandparents, and everyone loved them!  But I had to pair them with the pink sparkly shoes, just so there was no mistaking that she is a lady ;)

 

Addy and Grandpa looking for pine cones, while Grandma supervises from the porch.  Note the beautiful, handcrafted door at the top of the steps.  That was a clever DIY project of my Dad's to keep the dogs and the child up on the porch.  Just a good old piece of plywood :)

 

Heading back out to Addy's favorite spot, Swamp Road.  Look at her face.  I'm sure she's thinking, "Get this carriage moving Grandpa!"

Addy and Aunt Tina, checking out the wildlife

Sniffing a flower...love that face!

Those are some true mountain boys.  Huskin' corn while their watchdog is on the lookout ;)

Their helper has arrived.

Me and my girl :)

And no evening would be complete without a little playtime with Daddy....

...and ice cream :)

Whew, what a week!!  Zonked out as we left the cabin to head back to Philly.

We all had such a fun weekend, and I know Addy had a whole fun week up there at "The Land".  It's so nice to just relax and hang out with family.  There is truly nothing better :)

On the Road Again

Whew, it has been a whirlwind two weeks, as our little family was taking a grand tour of PA.  I often catch myself wondering why we don't just live there, because it seems like we are up north all the time! 

The main purpose of this particular trip was dropping Addy off to stay for a week with her grandparents (my Dad and step-mom).  I know she had so much fun, and I have an inkling that her grandparents did too :)  Mike and I got frequent text pictures, which we looked forward to every day.

Here are some of my favorites:

No doubt Addy is teasing Daisy with a treat of some kind

Relaxing with her new friend Piglet

Just chillin' in the dog crate

Nope, your eyes are not seeing double.... she has two ice cream cones!

And....done!

Checking out the flowers on Swamp Road

It looks to me like her grandparents put her to work, but they insist that she was just playing with that bucket of water ;)

Ha ha, so Mike and I got a kick out of getting these text pics every day.  Gotta love modern technology :)

While Addy got to relax in a cabin in the woods, Mike and I put 1500 miles on our vehicle in that one week traveling to, from, and around PA!  Fun?  Yes.  But, very tiring too.  Especially being 7 months pregnant.  We literally stayed in a different town almost every single night.  All week we were joking that we were nomads.

So we started it all off in Philly, where I shot a wedding with Tina on the hottest day of the summer.  Also fun when you are 7 months pregnant ;)  Literally though, it was the hottest day so far.  The couple even got interviewed for the evening news about getting married on the hottest day of the year!  I have a whole new respect for my sister's career.  I always knew it was tough being on your feet all day; I mean I often am at my job too, but this day took it to a whole new level.  On your feet for 9+ hours, several hours of which being outside in the 100+ degree heat, lugging heavy camera equipment.... and, oh yeah, did I mention that I am 7 months pregnant?  It was fun, but I was completely drained when we were done.

So anyway, the wedding was Saturday, and then Mike and I headed to Allentown on Sunday to spend the day with my mom, grandparents, and sis and bro-in-law.  It was great to see everyone and be able to have some time for adult conversation without chasing a toddler around all day.  I realize that I may not speak for everyone when I say this, as they all mentioned that they missed Addy.  But it sure was relaxing for Mike and I :)

Monday we headed up to Schuylkill County to visit my oldest and bestest friend, Julie.  We have been friends since kindergarten and we hardly ever get to see each other, so it was awesome going up to her house, hanging out and chatting the night away while our hubbies got into trouble ;)  I miss this girl like crazy!

P.S  Check out the view from her house!!!

Julie and Justin have all kinds of fruit trees and bushes on their land, so I had my first experience picking blueberries.  Oh my gosh, they were delicious!  I may have ODed on blueberries that day.

Yup, I (by myself) ate almost two of these containers in less than 24 hours!  But boy, were they good!

The next day Mike and I headed to Hershey to check out the sweetest place on earth.  We met up with Tina and drove around the area all day to scope out potential places that we'd like to live.  Tina and I have it in our heads that we want to live within 15 minutes (or less, ha ha) of each other, and Hershey seems to be the perfect spot to do so.  Now, our master plan is all very dependent on Jay getting a job there, since the rest of us could probably get jobs fairly easily.  It's a lot trickier to get a job in the law field than it is in the medical field.  And Tina, with her skills, will find clients anywhere :)  So, go Jay go!!!

Don't you just wanna live here?  Right there at the grand Hotel Hershey.  Ha ha, me too!  That place is gorgeous!

Next stop, Lancaster to visit with my other grandparents.

Love just relaxing with them on their back porch :)

Add a little oatmeal with blueberries, and fresh flowers on the table, and that is my idea of the perfect morning :)

We had dinner at the Jigger Shop in Mt. Gretna, an old favorite from our youth.  I had Tina snag a pic of Mike and I there.... I was unaware that he was making that awkward hand gesture, ha ha.

Wednesday morning we were on the road again, and off to Mike's hometown of Hollidaysburg.  We met up with his sister and our nephew and got to spend some time with them at the pool :)

Love this picture:)

Then Thursday we went up to State College to spend a little time at the Arts Festival.  I know this is the millionth time I've mentioned it, but again, the heat killed me.  Being pregnant in the heat of the summer, I literally feel like I can't breathe sometimes.  I felt like such a wimp walking around there because I had to stop a few times to sit down for fear of passing out.  This pregnancy is a whole new ballgame.  Give me my winter pregnancy back any day.

Anyway, Friday it was time to head up to my Dad's cabin to see our little Addy Marie!!  I took lots of pictures there, so I'll save that for the next post.  This post will be designated solely to the nomadic week of Mike and Jess.  You probably got tired just reading this!  It was a crazy week, that's for sure. 

As fun as it was, there is nothing better than getting home and back to your routine after a hectic week and a half away.  It's true what they say.... There's no place like home :)

Silly Girl

Addy got a new ball to play with the other day, and here is how she decided to play with it....

Ha ha!  Gotta love little kids :)