June- A Busy Month

June was a very busy month for us. It was filled with lots of short trips and time with friends.

On June 6th & 7th, Sophia and I took a trip to Lancaster, PA to spend some time with my friend Lisa and her son, Jacob. Sophia and Jacob got along so wonderfully. Jacob is three years old and full of energy much like Sophia. They had a blast swimming together, playing on the playground and just hanging out in the room watching movies. It was so sweet to watch them playing together. We stayed at Willow Valley Resorts. It was so nice. The hotel is geared to young children with it's playgrounds, indoor and outdoor pools, farm and buffet dinners. We visited Strasberg Railroad and took a ride on the train. The steam engine scared Sophia but she seemed to enjoy the train ride. It was a wonderful trip. We hope to go back again soon.

On June 13, we went to visit Heather and Katlyn. They took us to the pool they belong to. Sophia and Katlyn had a blast playing in the water, especially the splash pool.

June 19th was a big day for Katie. She gradudated from elementary school. We drove up to New Jersey to attend the graduation. It was really nice. The kids sang songs. There was a powerpoint presentation with pictures of each child as a baby and then as a 6th grader. Katie had a dance to go to that night so we spent the night in the hotel. Sophia loved the fact that there was a swimming pool. This also gave Steve some time to hang out with Nick. We headed back to home with Katie the next day.

June 21 was another busy day. Sophia went to her weekly gymnastics class and then we spent the late afternoon and early evening at Heather and Todd's. Todd slaved over the hot grill while Heather worked her magic in the kitchen. Laura, Jim, Sarah and Ellie were there. The girls all played together. Katie was fantastic, as always. She kept all the girls busy, playing and laughing. The fact that Katie was on crutches did not seem to matter in the least bit. It did not stop her or the girls from having fun. It was nice to see everyone, hang out, chat and play some games. All the girls are getting so big.

To finish out the month we spent the weekend of June 27-29 in Williamburg, VA. Anne was presenting at the VRID conference on Saturday and we decided to make a mini- family vacation out of it. Steve, Katie and Sophia toured the historic town on Saturday. Anne joined them on Sunday. The weather was hot but we were thankful for the breeze and the pool at the hotel. Sophia and Katie enjoyed the weekend and the car ride back home. I never heard two kids laugh as much as they did on our drive back home.

Katie's Mishap

Katie and her friends went to the skateboard park over Memorial Day weekend. Katie attempted a half pipe just minutes after they arrived only to fall and break her ankle. Her ankle is broken in two places and the growth plate shifted. Needless to say the skate park trip turned into an all day hospital visit. She will need to have surgery on her ankle next week in NJ. Poor kid.

Visit to Connecticut

Sophia and I took a trip to visit Grandma Barbara for a long weekend in May. It was great to see my mother, sister, brother and neices. We spent one night at Linda's. Sophia, Stephanie and Hollie tried sleeping together but with all the giggling going on no one was going to fall asleep. On Saturday morning we went to dig for rocks and play on the playground at Nature's Art. The girls had so much fun together. Sophia loved playing make-believe with them. Sophia was often playing the baby role. It is nice to see all the girls get along so nicely.






On Sunday, George and Danielle made the trip up. Danielle entertained Sophia, Stephanie and Hollie while George, Linda and I did some work around the house. We all went out for a nice dinner before George had to head back home.









It is always great to go home to Connecticut. We managed to visit Aunt Philly and Aunt Rosemary on this trip. I really wished we lived closer. I grew up in a tight knit family and visited grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins every weekend. We don't get up to Connecticut as much as we would like. We always enjoy the time we do spend there and just wish we could do it more often.

May Fun

Sophia continues to amaze us everyday with the things she does and says. We celebrated Mother's Day and Anne's birthday with Grandma Beadle and Grandma Bev. It was a cool May day but that did not stop Katie and Sophia from swimming. The water was too cold for me to venture in. Nonetheless, it was a relaxing day spent by the pool with family.

Sophia and Anne did some gardening during the month of May. We started our vegetable garden in the backyard with some tomato, green pepper and cucumber plants. We also planted some rosemary, basil and strawberries. Sophia loves strawberries and is looking forward to getting to eat the berries. Sophia's gift for Mother's Day was a beautiful pot filled with sunflower plants. We planted them outside once they got a little bigger. Sophia loves to help out and garden work proved to be very messy and lots of fun. She loves helping water the plants.