"Let us not say goodbye..."

"Let us not say goodbye, but as the French would have it, 'au revoir!'"

- George Wickham, Pride and Prejudice

Yes indeed, a crazy, fun, whirlwind fortnight has passed and we are yet again, prepared to venture out into the world of travel and airlines. Hmm... yes. We've all had such a great time, with much fun had by all. Now our bags sit packed, awaiting tomorrow's morning flight.

I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to come up here to see family, play with Greg, and "relax" with those we love. ;-)

Until later!

Brian

Kitchen Remodel and the Sweetest Place on Earth

Picture time, as promised!

Today was spent mostly doing a kitchen remodel, and we have more to do on Monday.

Last Sunday we took a trip to Hershey Chocolate World: the Sweetest Place on Earth!

 Greg loved all the pictures on the walls, and I was sure his little pointy finger would become worn out before the end of the trip. ;-)

 He could only stare in awe, mouth open, at everything; especially the singing cows.  He danced and sang right along with them.  There is no way for me to describe his face, but we loved watching his delight.  What's better than going on field trips?  Seeing your children experience them!

 Pointer finger poised and ready for action!

 The little stinker wouldn't look at the camera, but he sure enjoyed the chocolate!  Since he has had some, any time he spies a wrapper, he asks to eat it.  He also tried pickled eggs and beets and salt and vinegar chips this week.  He was so insistent about trying them, that I gave him some.  His face became quite the sour pucker, but he kept going back for more until his Daddy declared him his Mother's boy (in regard to food).

 The little bit of snow we got.  I'm still holding out for more. Greg wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  He touched it, but thought it too cold and tried to shake it off.

 More Christmas at Great-Grandpa and Grandma's!

 He made this face right when I took a picture--he's such a ham!  Takes after his Daddy when it comes time to take pictures. 

 He is saying "hello mama" with the play phone.

 Great-Grandma fed him chocolate.  After devouring it and looking at his sticky hands, he reached for a cloth and handed it to me.  Maybe a clean child?

 Riding on Uncle Ethan's express way!

 The new entry way floor!

 Cutting countertops...

 This little guy wanted to help so badly, but was banished by the older guys...

 Before picture...

 Not sure how, but this little munchkin keeps sneaking in every other picture or so.

 My amazing husband hard at work!

Progress thus far!  More to come later next week, and someday, the rest of Mom's dreams.

Smiles!

Many Generations

 This is my grandparents' farmhouse in western MD.  It's a lovely drive, nothing around for miles but beautiful farmland, mountains, rolling hills, and loads of trees, creeks, and brooks.  The three of us traveled there to visit Greg's great-grandparents on my Mom's side of the family.  This house is newly built, as the old farmhouse burnt down in an accident last year.  It was awful!  They are starting again; this place has so much history.  We enjoyed talking with them about their housing materials, and comparing notes with what my SIL Amy is choosing to use.  I LOVE their floor!  In the kitchen and entry way, it's tiled.  However, this is a different tile.  Porcelain on top, vinyl underneath.  It's warmer, not as hard, and easier on your feet, and extremely durable.  It looks lovely.  My Pop-Pop explained that he chose more traditional materials, like copper plumbing, because they can stand the test of time, and he doesn't trust the newer stuff, though it is less expensive, because he's not sure that it would last 100 years.  Their advice to us was that quality matters. 

Greg had a blast opening and closing every cabinet and finding its treasures.  He smiled and charmed his way into the hearts of those watching him.  I think my grandfather truly enjoyed watching him play, and asked to keep him.  My Grammy kept him occupied with all kinds of fun things.  And of course, he loved her hot dogs and cookies!

Later on, we visited Brian's former work here in MD, and his boss's family.  It's always so much fun to visit with friends and family.

We left early because there was a winter advisory out and we didn't want to be stuck in both snow and traffic during rush hour.  As it was, we only received a bit of slush.  I'm still holding out hope that it will snow once while we are here.

This bird is keeping watch over the land.  Reminds me of how God, though sometimes seemingly silent, continues to keep watch over his children.  Through many generations.

Smiles!

A Moisty Sunday

Hello hello!

This is Brian this time. Alicia is absorbed in some book (titled Byzantium I think). Speaking of reads, I recently finished a new book that I started on the flight here. It is called Storm Over Warlock and was written in the 1960s, I believe. The library in Bryan was getting rid of it and I grabbed it because it looked interesting. It's a sci-fi book that is similar to any of the Tom Swift books. It was enjoyable and read fast.

Today broke with ashen skies moisting on the Susquehanna Valley here in PA. I say moisting because it wasn't raining, and neither was it dry. We headed for church with the family. These are the beauties we had with us:

Heard a great message, then home for lunch.

After lunch and Greg's nap, we traveled the short distance to Hershey for Greg's first trip to Hershey Chocolate World. But that's a story for later.

When we got back, it was Aunt Lianne who wound up Greg.

They crawled all over the house, raising a racket and discovered a new game! Chase down and pet Macco! Macco is the bum dog who lives here, mooching food and stroking off of anyone willing to give it.

Full of energy until it was all expended, Greg had a blast.

---

Until later,

Pip pip!

~Brian

Off We Go Into the Wild Blue

*Pictures coming tomorrow*

Greg flew on a jet plane for the first time today!  And he LOVED it!  Daddy's boy after all.  He charmed absolutely everyone he encountered, and everyone said he did such a great job.  The pilot was taken with him, a young father said it made him miss his son the same age at home, and another passenger offered him a toy car (yellow mustang to be exact), and told him not to eat it.  Not sure we totally conquered that one...

He loved looking out the window, and as soon as the engines came on loudly, he growled with enthusiasm and clapped his hands.  Mommy didn't fare quite as well since the first part of the flight was rather bumpy, and she became rather motion sick.  The last 45 minutes of the flight was a bit difficult since Greg continually signed "night night."  He just wanted to go to sleep--to be laid down and left alone (didn't want to be held).  We plowed through and thought up random amusements to pass the time away.

We also discovered that traveling with a young child makes everyone super nice to you.  Security was a breeze (the ladies were taken with his smile, tilted head, and fluffy hair--the new do!).  And we had the extra seat in the row all to ourselves because no one comes anywhere near you. ;-)  Snacks and juice kept the young lad fairly happy as well (the flight attendants went so far as to keep his sippy cup full with half juice and half water).

Greg slept from BWI to Harrisburg in the car, then proceeded to charm his northern relatives just fine.  Still not to sure when Mommy isn't around, but decided to be rather cute.  (Mommy has a feeling he's going to be spoiled)

When all is said and done, it was an uneventful, successful trip.

Smiles!

Time to Build an Ark

Time for a monthly baby update!  But before I show you pictures, I'd like to plead with everyone to please pray that the rain would leave this area.  Every day now I dread listening to the news and seeing pictures.  So many of my family and friends have lost their homes and evacuated areas due to flooding.  Roads are closed, major highways shut down, streets are buckling, businesses are submerged, schools are closed ("snow" days in September!), sewer plants, water plants, etc are shut down.  It's bad up here--mostly in PA.  The flooding hasn't been this bad since 1889.  I personally don't mind the rain--autumn is my favorite time of year!  Rain or sun, I love the weather, baking, the leaves turning (peak around Oct. 18-25), the colors, decorations, candles, sweaters, fireplaces, etc.  However, my heart aches for those I know who are losing so much.  I find it ironic that those in TX pray desperately for rain, while we pray desperately that God would send it elsewhere and away from our water-logged soil.

So, what have we been up to recently?

 Brian's company sponsored a company outing at a local baseball game!  If there's one sport I actually enjoy watching, it's baseball.  The company paid for one of those elite boxes and all the food we could eat!  The weather was beautiful, the home team won, I enjoyed meeting my husband's coworkers and families, and we enjoyed a free date night.

 Next was a trip to Annapolis, MD to spend a day with some good friends.  We loved touring the old city, seeing incredible buildings, and watching the ships in the harbor.  It was a bit rainy, but we had fun anyway.  Brian and I especially enjoyed the fellowship with friends--something that happens rarely.

 The only plants that have survived my balcony gardening are these sunflowers and the pepper plant.  We should be able to pick the pepper soon, though I must admit, I'm more anxious than Brian is.  He keeps telling me to wait, and I want to just pick and eat it.

 Our anniversary!  I was feeling pretty miserable that day, so we just decided to stay at home and spend time together.  I did make a special breakfast, though, with Brian's help.  We have always wanted to try Eggs Benedict, and that's what we made!  It was a lot of fun and tasted great--even if it did make me sick afterwards.

 Brian made yummy mochas--complete with whipped cream!  I tasted some, but decided against drinking it.

 I also made a brownie layer cake with peanut butter frosting and ganache.  Let me just say....there are no words to describe how amazing this tasted.

 I've been on a "everything must be cleaned NOW and all my projects completed YESTERDAY" phase, so we refinished some furniture over our anniversary.  We had a lot of fun, and I'm pretty sure the paint landed other places besides the furniture.  The house is looking GREAT, and I only wish I could paint the walls and remodel a bit.

 Baby at 24 weeks!  We're getting very close now & I cannot WAIT to be done and hold this little person in my arms.  Actually, I can't wait for the day when I'm finally done throwing up and trying not to be sick all day.  I've tried to do well dealing with it, but I think after 9 months, I just am ready for a break.  That said, I've had a bit more energy and motivation the last few weeks and have greatly enjoyed it!  Brian teases me daily about the size of my belly and how clumsy I'm becoming--he claims if this rain keeps up he'll need to build an extra big ark--just for me!  I also think baby has a conspiracy to play all night long while Mommy tries to sleep.  

Thanks to Hope for this picture!