Beat the Heat

The funny thing about summer is that you spend all year looking forward to it, and then when it arrives you realize it's too hot to do all the things you were looking forward to anyway.  It's so hot and dry, in fact, that a lot of the trees in our neighborhood are giving up for the year and there are piles of brown, crispy leaves all along the sides of the road.  It reminds me of fall and the more I think about it the more I'm ready for it to be here!

Because it's been so hot and sticky, and because I can barely walk out to the mailbox without wilting, we've been missing out on some quality outdoor time and our daily walks.  And I really do miss them.  Just not enough to brave the heat to make them happen.  So sadly, we spend most of our days indoors.  In the wonderful air conditioning that makes everything cool - except for the 5 inch radius surrounding Jude.  But occasionally we do venture out armed and ready, of course, to beat the heat.

We've brought out the baby pool once again for Jack.  Although with his current size, it's more like a giant basin.  And then he starts throwing all his outside toys in it and there's no room for him anyway. 

It's crazy to look at him in this thing and remember the first time he took a "swim" in it.

I guess I wasn't being entirely truthful when I said we spend most of our days indoors.  What I should have said is the boys and I spend most of our days indoors.  Jon has been outside almost every day we've been home working on the landscaping.  All stinkin' day long.  It needed a lot of work, and he's a pretty meticulous guy.  But our house, er our landlord's house, is looking great!  And I'm not just saying that because we happened to be located between two houses that don't do anything to their yards.  It does make our's look even better, but Jon did a fantastic job.  The man loves having a yard!

And Jack loves waving at Daddy through the window.  Sometimes we go out for a visit and to check on progress.  Or maybe a hose-drinking lesson or two.

Or so Jude can work on his tan.

And if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?  When it's not too incredibly hot we like to enjoy dinner al fresco.  It certainly makes cleaning up around Jack's spot much easier.

But I have to say, one of my most favorite activities this year came about because of my garden.  Which, although thriving, has been very thirsty.  Enter: the sprinkler!!

Jack loves it and is leery of it at the same time.  He'll only run through if he's holding your hand.

And if you go without him he'll patiently wait for you to return.

And then he asks that you carry him through.   And so I do, we run right through the middle of the water and leap over the spray!

And Jack finds this incredibly fun and funny and wants to do it again and again.  I'm sure the neighbors find us interesting. 

But hey, at least we keep our yard nice!

A Pennsylvania 4th!

Our camping trip was the first, of many, treks to Pennsylvania from our new home in Maryland.  It would have been about 4 hours of driving, but kids just change everything.  We had to stop for lunch, and then Jack wanted to play in the playplace, and Jude needed to eat...  We finally got there just in time for one of my Mom's massive meals out on the porch.  It was lovely to be back home for a few days, just in time for the cooler weather.  In fact, I wasn't prepared to wear sweatshirts and jeans in July and my poor children were slightly under-dressed.  But the chill didn't last long anyway!

We spent the night at Marmie and Poppa's before leaving for the campground and then came back to my parents to spend the 4th of July.  We came back to Maryland for a few days, and then returned once again to Central PA for the weekend so Jon could go on a scuba trip with his Dad and I could get some more quality time in with our friends and family.  Yes, we pretty much ran ourselves ragged over the holiday and beyond.  The boys handled it pretty well and we've spent the last week catching up on sleep and restocking our energy reserves.  Then again, when does Jack ever run out of energy?

So anyway, we returned from the mountains with just enough time to throw our clothes in the washer, shampoo the smoke out of our hair, and take a quick nap before heading up to State College for what we were told was one of the best fireworks shows in the nation.  And I must say, we were not disappointed!

Photo Credit:  Jared Wineberg

This was both Jack and Jude's first fireworks experience.  Earlier in the day they had set off a few testers, Jack pointed at the sky and said "Whoa!" and Jude started screaming.  I thought this was a sign of things to come.  Turns out, as soon as the show started Jack buried his head in Uncle Jared's shoulder and promptly fell asleep.  And Jude just stared at the flashing lights in the sky.  I was a little disappointed.  I really wanted to see what Jack thought of the fireworks.  But he refused to watch.  Oh well, I guess there will be plenty more years of July 4th's to come.

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

One of the reasons I was super excited to come home for the 4th this year was the Watsontown parade.  Seems cheesy, but I have found memories of this small town event from my growing up years.  The celebration isn't quite the same anymore, but the parade itself seemed unchanged.  It is still mainly composed of classic cars and farm tractors.  Rows and rows of tractors.

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

And they still throw a ton of candy to the kids.  I taught Jack had to wave at each car/bike/horse/firetruck/etc. and then watch the candy fall!  He quickly learned to pick it up and throw it in his beach bucket.  It was a lot of fun for him.  Little does he know that his efforts have resulted in a nice little stash for Mom that he will probably never see again!

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

He was a little skittish of the horses, and not crazy about the people dressed up in pig and chicken costumes.  But waving, now that's more his thing. 

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

And I remembered another reason why I love small town living, not just for the cute parades and festivals, but because everyone knows everyone.  And when your little guy is thirsty and it's 100 some degrees outside, you have excellent chances of running into someone you used to be in gymnastics with, who knows someone who lives right behind where you're sitting, with an air conditioned house, where you can hang out with the hungry fella.  How convenient!

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

After Jack had his fill of the parade and Jude had his fill of milk, the rest of us grabbed some tasty treats and then took Jack to the playground.  Jack loves swinging bridges.  They play on my nerves since I'm always afraid he's going to trip and get smacked in the head by a bridge, and he does.  But he doesn't seem to mind.  Bridges yes, slides no.  I'm not sure what it is about him and slides.  I think it's because he had a traumatic experience once when the slide was "hotttt" (Jack always exagerates the "t" in hot) and he didn't realize it until he was already halfway down.  He tried to turn around and ended up finishing the slide backwards ... and in tears.  Well anyway, he was a bit finnicky about this slide too, until Marmie got up there and showed him how it's done.  I think he's been cured.

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

Speaking of hottttt, the day was boiling.  My parents don't have AC, Jude was his typical radiating self and energetic Jack was about to wilt. So my Dad suggest the creek across the street.  We used to go here all the time when I was a kid.  We built a dam and had ourselves a pretty sweet swimming hole, complete with "diving" rock.  The rock's not there anymore, and the dam seems to have been relocated a few feet away, but the water is still cool and refreshing.  And what little boy doesn't love a pool full of rocks to throw?  So Jack has officially been "swimming" in the ocean, bay, lake, pool and now creek. 

We wanted to test Jude's reaction as well ... predictable, as you can imagine.  Maybe he likes being a little microwave?

Seriously, I don't know where Marmie and Poppa get their energy from.  Between the two of them they keep Jack well occupied all day.  Which results in 4 hour naps and fantastic nights of sleep in "Uncle Jared's room."  Although, technically we're not allowed to call it that anymore.  My mom requests that, since all the kids are out of the house, we now refer to the bedrooms by color.  I'm still getting used to the changes. ;)

So that was Trip #1 to PA.  Trip #2 occured 4 days later with a subsidary trip to NY so that Jude could visit his great-grandparents for the first time.  Sadly, I have no pictures of the second trip.  I must have been too exhausted to pick up the camera.  But I'm hoping it wasn't our last trip "home" for the summer!

Head for the Hills!

Well, we did it. We survived 4 days of camping with our energetic 20 monther and our little 10 weeker.  And we didn't just survive, we really enjoyed it!

You see, we've been going back and forth over whether or not to go camping ever since we found out about #2.  My mother-in-law reserves great sites each year, and to get these top notch, lakeside, wooded, three-in-a-row spots you have to reserve 11 months in advance, at 7am.  They're THAT amazing.  So we reserved and paid for the site back when I was preggo and didn't know it.  Since then we've been discussing the feasibility of camping with a 10 week old.  But Jude, as you all know, is a great baby. 

Turns out he's a wonderful camper as well.  Piece of cake.  The real challenge was camping with the other baby.  The big one who can run, jump, explore and get real dirty.  Yes, there were several times over the weekend that I heard, "Aunt Janine, Jack's down at the lake again." 

Photo Credit: Jenn Smith

You would think keeping on eye on the kiddos would be easy with 12+ adults around.  Wrongo.  Everyone always assumes someone else is watching, and then toddlers end up up to their ankles in mud trying to throw rocks into the lake.  Or 3 campsites down the road stealing marshmallows.  But really, all heart attacks aside,  we had a great time!

 Photo Credit: Jenn Smith

We were a little shocked at how COLD it was.  After the heat wave we've been experiencing the Pennsylvania mountains chilled out for two days and our first two nights of camping were well in the lower 40s.  Brrr.  You could see your breath.  I felt so bad for Jude, I hadn't even thought to bring a hat.  He was sleeping soundly in the pack n play when I checked on him around 10pm, but I had a hard time sleeping myself because I was so worried about him being too cold.  So I scooped him up and snuggled him in the sleeping bag next to me.  I didn't sleep the greatest, constantly afraid I was going to lose him in the sleeping bag, but we were both warm and cozy the rest of that night and the next.  And surprisingly he maintained his sleeping-through-the-night streak even during those cold mountain nights in a tent. 

Photo Credit:  Megan Douglass

I had packed a limited amount of warm weather gear for the boys and I, which is why I'm wearing the same sweatshirt in all photos.  And of course, Jack got was covered in dirt and pricklies within minutes of setting up camp.  He really is "all boy" and it was fun watching him thrive in his dirt and rocks environment.

One of the best parts about camping was that it was the first time in three years that my husband's side of the family was all together in one place.  This might not happen again for another few years and I can almost guarantee our family will be bigger thaen, ... almost. 

Photo Credit: Megan Douglass

It was also extra-special since our friends Megan and family (from over at she.plus.glee) and Jenn and Nate joined in the fun.  This meant that Jack and Edie got to spend some quality time together getting re-acquainted after their extended absence.

Photo Credit:  Jenn Smith

My favorite part about camping is that it's free of any distractions.  There's no cell phone, computer, TV, even no electricity.  And depending on when you timed your shower there was no hot water either!  There's so much time to do whatever you want - hike, bike...

Photo Credit: Jenn Smith

... kayak, whittle sticks...

Photo Credit:  Jenn Smith

... swim, knit, read, play games, chat around a blazing campfire ...

Well, there would be time ... if you weren't me. Nothing says vacation and relaxation like nursing a baby every 2.5 hours.  It wasn't until the car ride home that I realized I didn't get to do anything that I had planned to do.

Photo Credit:  Jenn Smith

But honestly, that's okay. To me, camping is all about doing the normal, every day stuff in a new and different way.  Kinda like playing house, one of my favorite childhood activities.  We still brew coffee and tea each morning, except now it's on a camping stove (perhaps in a Snuggie??).

We still go to bed at night, except on an air mattress in a tent.  We still eat meals, but outside on a picnic table. 

And we still take out the trash, except that means driving it to the dumpster each night to keep the friendly skunks away.  Jude still eats all the time, except in the front seat of the car or by the campfire. 

Photo Credit:  Jenn Smith

And, I must confess, some of us still watch TV while camping.  Because honestly, even grown-ups need a break from chasing little ones once in a while.

 

So yes, that is how we camp with the little people.  I don't think we'll make it next year, since Jon will be graduating and we'll be moving.  Then again, we didn't think we'd make it this year either.  Jon says that pretty soon we'll have to rent a U-haul to get all our stuff up on the mountain.  I don't mind.  Bigger cars, bigger tents, bigger families.  All the more fun!  Right babe?

I'm Booking It! (June/July)

Somehow I managed to read two books before we moved.  I actually had picked up Emma for a quaint little re-read, then remembered the "no Austen" promise I made in my last post and put it back.  Instead, I grabbed a book based on one of my most favorite movies North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.  And no, it is not referring to the Civil War as I, and several of my friends, once thought.  It's about the difference between the north (industrial) and the south (farming) of England. And naturally with a little romance thrown in.  I got the book for Christmas right after Jack was born and thought that I had never read it, but about halfway into it I realized that maybe I had.  I'm still not quite sure.  Anyway, it's one of my all-time favorite novels.  And if you don't feel like reading a long book, the movie is also fantastic.  Someday I'm going to convince my husband to sit down and watch it with me since it is a bit economical. 

Ever since my semester in Oxford studying Jane Austen I've been digging footnotes.  I love the Penguin classics with the introductory notes (usually written by some uber-intelligent doctoral fellow) and the little numbers directing you to the back half where you can get the full background of just one word or phrase.  So while reading North and South I found out Gaskell was good buddies with the Bronte sisters.  Which led me to my next selection Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte.  Actually, I had originally planned on re-reading Jane Eyre (I know, I know, I'm such a re-reader) but then remembered I'm not crazy about the first few chapters of that book.  And it is a touch depressing, which didn't suit my start-of-summer mood.  Agnes Grey was a lot shorter too and we were moving in a few days so it seemed the better choice.  And, once again, about halfway through the book, I realized I had read it before.  This book is okay, I actually enjoyed reading the introductory notes more than the actual story.  I think all the Bronte's books are dark and depressing.  Plus it reminded me of my days as a Nanny in college.  *shudder*  Bad memories.

Then we moved and I took a break from reading for a while.  During our camping vacation I read the classic The 5 Love Languages.  I really want to read the one for kids but figured I'd start with this one, especially since it was sitting in my mom's house and I needed something to bring to the campground.  I used to think my love language was "Acts of Service."  My husband assured me it was not. :)  After reading the book I'm pretty sure it's actually "Words of Affirmation."  So lay it on me people!  Haha, just kidding.  Jon is a bit more difficult.  He's somewhere between "Gifts" and "Acts of Service" with maybe a little "Words ..." thrown in there.  We're still trying to figure that one out.  We think Jack is a "Quality Time" kind of boy.  He wants to be with either Mommy or Daddy all day.  Then again, he also likes "Touch."  That kid gets so many back massages and head scratches ... and he gets a kick out of all our cheering and hooraying when he does something good so maybe he's a little "Words..." too.  I think most kids are combos anyway.

I ended up finishing the Love Languages book on our first day of camping.  Thankfully, my mom returned one of my all-time favorite, non-fiction books in the whole world Feminine Appeal by Carulyn Mahaney.  I had lent it to her last summer and she's been reading and re-reading it this whole time.  So yes, I re-read another book.  But this one is just that good.  I'll probably read it once a year for the rest of my life.  Or until I get it right.  Anyway, if you're a wife and/or a mom I would highly recommend this.  The information is based in Titus 2- what it means to be a biblical woman, and honestly, it gives me fresh vision each time I read it.  It's one of the most challenging, yet hope-full books I have ever read.  Now, doesn't that make you want to go out and buy it THIS INSTANT?  I hope I don't let you down. 

And finally, my mother-in-law lent me If I Gained the World by Linda Nicholswhile we were home last weekend.  I wasn't crazy about it, but was certainly thankful for something to keep me occupied on our drive to and from NY to visit Jon's grandparents, and then back down to Maryland.  Which explains how I was able to finish all 600-some pages of it in 3 days.  It's not bad, just not incredible.  Certainly no Francine Rivers.  :) 

And with that said, I'm off to re-organize our bookshelf and pack up all the books that didn't make "the cut" tihs move.  Hopefully I can find a few good reads for our upcoming beach vacation!

Just another Jack-cident

I have some great pictures and stories to share from our week in Pennsylvania camping and celebrating the 4th of July.  Unfortunately, they're all on my laptop. The laptop that I was using at the kitchen table while sipping icy cold water from a glass.  The laptop that I walked away from for a few seconds.  The laptop that, after hearing Jack's all to familiar "uh-oh," I turned around to see sitting in a pool of icy cold water.  The laptop that started flickering and making staticy noises within a few seconds of icy cold bath.  The laptop that we just bought 4 months ago to replace the other laptop that broke.  Yeah.  That laptop.  *insert tears of frustration*

On a positive note, thank God for lifelong friends that go in to technological fields and actually enjoying working with computers.  Thank God for friends who can fix laptops, install hard drives, order new keyboards, upgrade RAM and *insert clashing cymbals* retrieve lost data from previous crashed hard drives.  Yes, thank God for friends who can make bad computers like new and turn horrible, sickening circumstances into something we'll all sit around and talk about when our son is older.  Maybe we'll even laugh about it someday.  But not yet.

Of course, this all takes a little time, and coin.  Good thing we set that savings account up for the boys 'cuz Jack's got some major purchases this week... (ohhh, just kidding, I can't bring myself to shake the piggy bank just yet.)  Once things are back to "normal" we'll be up and running again. In the meantime, enjoy the summer sun and the tiny break in the heat with this small piece advice, which is our new house rule:  No open beverage containers within 20 feet of a laptop.  Even if it's high on the table. 

And now I'm going to go check for gray hairs.

Another Scorcher

According to my Weatherbug widget, it's supposed to be another scorcher today. Yay, another day of watching my poor little plants and flowers wither in the sun. I throughly enjoy summer - the long days, ample free time, dinner outdoors... but nothing is more disappointing than seeing glimpses of a beautiful day out your window, and knowing that it is too incredibly hot to go outside. So instead, we sit inside our shadowy, temperature controlled abode doing what we did all winter - trying to keep occupied. Or maybe, trying to keep Jack occupied.

Occasionally we'll venture out into the heat. Like the other weekend when my little brother moved into his first apartment. Since he only lives 1.5 hours away from us we thought it'd be a great opportunity for the boys to see their Marmie, Poppa and Uncles again. Or maybe it was just a great opportunity for us to unload a whole car-ful of things we purged during the move to help Jared get started in his new grown up life. Either way, after church we packed into the car and headed up to the outskirts of Baltimore.

Photo Credit:  Jared Wineberg

After we arrived we realized we didn't bring a stroller. There wouldn't have been room for one anyway, but if you know my family, there are masters of spontaneity. And then there is us, the Coast Guard family, Semper Paratus, always prepared. It makes for an interesting combination. But on this day, always prepared was anything but prepared when the spontaneous ones suggested we explore Inner Harbor. So we decided we'd just carry the kiddos around town. There were 7 of us and 2 of them, so it wouldn't be too difficult.

Jack quickly made friends with Mr. Mark. The tallest in the bunch, his shoulder offered the best views of the harbor. Jack must have also thought he had a very comfortable perch, since he snuggled right up within the first few seconds.

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

Now Jack may be heavy, but at least you can shift his weight around or make him walk for a little if you need to. But Jude, this guy falls asleep and then you feel like you're stuck holding him on the same position for as long as your shoulders and back can bear it. And he may be light, but man can he put off the heat. Seriously. Jude has been radiating heat since his early days in utero. I was unusually warm all winter long, back then we'd joke that the baby was my personal space heater.

Photo Credit:  Jared Wineberg

But then he arrived and we realize it's really true! So much so that you almost don't want to hold him, and that's saying a lot from his mother!! There have been many times when I thought he'd soaked through his diaper, only to find out that no, he's just incredibly sweaty that day. And we won't even talk about nursing. Pleh. My love for fall babies has only been solified further these past two months. If I should ever have another baby in the spring or summer, you can probably bet it wasn't intentional. :)

But we made it through Inner Harbor just fine. An extended trip to the top of the World Trade Center definitely helped us through. We took in the views, and the air conditioning, for as long as we could.

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

Photo Credit: Jared Wineberg

And then a stop at Chipotle gave us the final boost we needed. I thought my Chipotle cravings were just a pregnancy thing, but nope, they're still around. And Jon gets them too, at the same time as me. It's very convenient. Because, I suppose, the best way to combat the scorching heat, is with hot and spicy food. Especially when you don't have to cook it yourself!