Penguin Suit No. 2

I am giving an advance warning, this is a photo heavy post.  I am still working though the mounds of photos from this last trip, color correcting, cropping etc...  but if I don't get a post up tonight it will be a while before I do.  What follows are some highlights of last week's adventures in Chicago.  The kids and I headed out on Tuesday to spend some time with Yiayia and Papou before Kristin's wedding.  Despite Irene doing her best to stop him, eric made it out on Saturday for the big wedding and by the skin of our teeth we made it back to PA on Sunday.  18 hours after eric got to Chicago he was back at home.  It was a crazy but wonderful week.

Wednesday we spent most of the day at the Aquarium.  The kids (and me truth be told) had a wonderful time.

We did everything, we saw the Dolphin show, the 4D Dora/Diego show, Jellyfish, everything!

We of course hit up the local water fountain park for some fun in the sun!

Complete with neighbors grandchildren to play with we had a s'mores party in the back yard.

Mette loved the outdoor painting area at the local children's museum.

She was also the master of the check-out aisle at the grocery store.

The big day approaches so we did a little size checking in preparation for this...

Otto carried the Stefana (Greek wedding crowns) on a big silver platter with total seriousness and control!!

Mette rocked her same dress from Ben and Shannon's wedding, I just dyed it light purple/pink.  She loved it and looked adorable!

Dare I say it, this is a really nice photo of eric and I!

Working hard on picking up all the flower petals.

Here is the beautiful bride (eric's cousin) and her groom leaving the church.  Notice Mette's nice first shot with the rice!  Photo credit: Uncle Ben

Here's the whole gang.  Dee (eric's step-mother), her sister and brother and all their respective children and in the case of Otto and Mette, grandchildren.

As soon as the band fired up the kids ran to the floor.  They had been begging to dance from the moment we got it there!  They can really cut it up.

All our dance parties at home have paid off!

Letting loose!

Newlyweds Ben and Shannon taking Mette for a spin.

Ben was quite the dance partner.

Mette danced and danced until she could go no further.  At once she stopped and asked to be picked up. She promptly fell asleep on my shoulder.  It was time to make our rounds saying thank you and head home.  A great night was had by all.

I have a bunch more photos to share but I know there are some of you out there waiting to see these so I thought I should get in gear!

On a side note, Otto starts Pre-K next week!!!!  How did that happen??

And it goes on...

Ha ha Blogger, I tricked you into uploading more photos!  I win!!  (today of course)  

Alright, so back to the summer of amazing events, where were we??  Yes of course, eric's birthday.  So we have the coolest tradition ever for the boy who refuses to acknowledge his birthday.  Eric has a serious soft spot in his heart for cereal.  Specifically sugar cereal.  Then he married me.  Don't get me wrong, I like cereal too, but not the same kinds and not with the same frequency that he does.  We do however have some wonderful friends who share eric's deep love for the "good stuff" and every year we hold a little party.  We go all out.  The kids are allowed free reign in the cereal aisle to get whatever they want.  We bust out the wedding china, champagne and fine china and FEAST!!!!  All year long when the kids ask for a cereal that is not on my very short approved list I say, "yes, but not until dad's birthday" which helps to make this day THAT MUCH BETTER.  The build up is year long.

This year was a fine example of what a year of longing will get you.

There is an Amish grocery store in the next town over where you can buy bulk bags of Lucky Charm marshmallows   For the record, eric says adding them to Frosted Flakes is next level.  I wouldn't know because that is WAY out of my league.  I can't hack much beyond Fruit Loops, though I will admit they are pretty tasty.

Marcy, being the awesome person that she is, crafted this awesome contraption so we could put candles in eric's cereal out of an old jug and florist foam.  She rocks!  It gets pretty smoky these days :)

After eric's birthday we headed to D.C. to enjoy some lovely 105 degree weather.  Actually we went there to hit up some museums and hotel living.  Eric had to do research for a few days so the kids and I crashed his sweet hotel room and took in the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Zoo.  I will be honest though, we spent a LOT of time at the pool.

I don't think I ever have seen a panda as close as this.  We watched him eating and I swear "smiling" for at least half and hour.  The Zoo was wonderful but very very hot and we could only handle being there for the morning before we beat a hasty retreat to the A.C. and pool at the hotel.

Have you ever heard of the services where you get "flocked" and someone plays a prank on you and fills your whole yard with pink flamingos.  I secretly wish I had a front lawn and that someone would do that do me.  I think flamingos are such cool animals.  I have never seen a whole flock of them sleeping before but we did on this trip to the zoo.  How that is comfortable is beyond me, but it sure looks cool!!!

The National History Museum has an entire interactive level for small kids in the basement and we spent most of our time there.  Otto was over the moon to discover they had a whole corner filled with Legos and K'Nex.

I sat over in the block area with Mette knowing he wasn't going to run off anytime soon.

Mette found some great colored blocks to build with,

and make glasses out of.

Together they worked on building runs for the marbles.

But really what we did was hang at the pool.  It was such a great pool, how could you not?  The entire thing was 3 to 3 1/2 feet deep which is perfect for Otto.  He can just stand but it is enough to really push him to swim as well.  Plus they had a little baby pool to splash around in.  See the table with the umbrella on the left?  I kid you not, we had dinner there EVERY night we were in D.C.  We had all the grand plans of going for Ethiopian and wonderful other culinary events but when the kids are so happy in the pool, it cools off to a chilly 99 degrees in the evening and the pool is willing to deliver drinks and dinner.... yeah, it was a pretty easy decision.  Heaven is watching your kids frolic in the pool drinking a cold beer knowing they will sleep well tonight!!!

This is also the famed pool where Otto overcame his fear of going under the water and turned into a fish.  There he is, under the water, having a blast.  I am really hoping eric needs to do a lot more research at the Library of Congress every summer because I could get used to this!

Arg, it's not just for pirates

I have been trying to get these pictures up for days now.  Blogger and I have not been seeing eye to eye. Something has to change.  I have a bunch more, but these are up and I am going to post them quick before they float off into the intertubulars again.

A few weeks ago we took the kids to an air show at the Selinsgrove Airport.  This was a HUGE deal for Otto.  He was so excited I thought he was going to explode on the way there.  We were listening to the radio on the way there and every time they mentioned it (which was a lot, this was a big deal around these parts...) he just about lept out of his car seat.  We got to tour some really cool planes, sit in helicopters and see some amazing air show acrobatics.  I had never seen anything like this in person and I was really impressed.  We all had a great time.  It was a wonderful Saturday.

Otto in the cockpit of the helicopter.  The guy told eric he could touch what ever he wanted.  To quote him "if it isn't 4 year old proof, then our country has a lot to worry about".  Well said, but has he ever seen a four year old pushing buttons????

The whole airport was filled with beautiful old planes.  This one actually fired up it's engines and did a few flybys.  It was beautiful to see.

Otto explaining to Mette that what she is looking at are bombs.  Nice, thanks Otto.

Telling her how it all works.

Watching the fun start.

This summer has been filled with amazing adventures, but somedays it is nice to slow down and enjoy how beautiful it is here.  Life is good, milkshake in hand overlooking our river from The Fence.

We have made it to Knoebel's a few times this summer and I hope we get one more trip in before the season is over.  This picture sums up Otto's take on it.

Off they go....

Together.

Otto starts preschool in just a few weeks, eric starts classes next week, this was a summer of wonderful memories.  I have many more to share, lets see if blogger lets me!

For the record

I have been trying to post pictures and stories for two hours and nothing is working.

Blogger is in a funk. Wordpress is looking better and better.... wonder how much eric wants to help with the merge?? :)

I hope to have something up soon.

I would like to share that Otto spent ALL DAY today in an apron cutting wooden food in our play kitchen pretending to be a Japanese chef. It was beyond awesome. I have eaten in his restaurant for about 7 meals so far today.

LOVE!

Swim

Level 1 COMPLETE

I know I said I would back to blogging and then was silent for a few days.

Sorry about that.

See, my dear sweet husband wanted to make my day and put the great internet to work for him and scored me season 4 of my show, Doc Martin.  While I intended to keep it as a treat for myself when he is in L.A. later this month I couldn't stop myself.  I bawled my way through the whole thing and only now that I have seen the whole thing can I relax.  He took pity on me, sweet guy.  I was all set to have vascular surgery on Wednesday and at the last minute they are postponing it so the doctor can fill our more paper work prior.  UGH!!!  Needless to say I was a bit frustrated and shaken.

In addition to having my favorite pass time to make me happy, I also have great news from Otto.  He passed Level 1 swimming today!!!!!!  I can't tell you how excited I am about this.  He has been so hesitant around water and so scared.  Washing his hair up until a year ago resulted in blood curdling screaming EVERY TIME and forget getting his face wet at the pool.  He is now a fish.  He goes under that water and swims like it is nothing.  He is working on strokes.  As of now he can kick and do some freestyle type thing with his arms.  He needs form work and practice, but that is just details.  The important thing is he is doing it AND  LOVING it!!!!!

I am so excited for him.  One, the thrill of swimming is so liberating and two, conquering a fear is such an amazing boost of confidence. I was on the swim team for years growing up and I loved it.  I consider myself an athletic person, but no sport ever came as easy to me as swimming.  Watching him frolic and enjoy the water makes me so happy.  We have some wonderful video which I will make eric cut together so we can share, but for now I had so share the good news!!!

Behold, my fish, in all his under water glory!!!