a day at the park

 Dear Sophia - Last Wednesday we took a trip to Idlewild. It stared as a Moms club trip and Nana and Charlie were going to go.  I assumed that we would be hanging out with a group of kids and adults.  The day before Nana decided that she wasn't feeling up for it and volunteered to stay home with Charlie.  I was excited for it to be just you and me.  When we arrived at the park I couldn't find anyone we knew so we started riding rides.  When we finally met up with some friends they were going in the opposite direction.  We spent the whole day together, just you and me, and I loved it.  As much as I love having Charlie in our lives and can't imagine my life without him, I miss the days that it was just you and me.  This day was a great reminder of those days.  I love experiencing new/fun things with you because I feel like I'm reliving my childhood.

After a morning of riding rides and going through Story Book Forest we ventured to the car, hot and tired.  We drove a few miles and arrived at a great lunch spot out of the blue.  We ate on the balcony (that was your choice) and had a great lunch.  One the way home I was sure you'd fall asleep but instead we played "I spy", you teased me about going to school in Johnstown (far away from home) and we sang along to our favorite song "Carry On" by Fun.  It was the perfect day.

Vero

Dear Sophia and Charlie -

We just came back from a week a Vero Beach in Florida.  As I look back on our vacation I am amazed at how lucky I am.  I am lucky in that:
a.  I have two amazingly well behaved kids. (Traveling through the Orlando airport which was crowded with kids made me count my blessings!)
b.  I have amazing parents (and you have amazing grandparents) that love to spend every minute with you, which gives your daddy and me time to run, relax, and go out.
c.  We have a beautiful place to visit at least once a year.  Vero is a beautiful, small beach town and the resort is right on the beach (plus they have amazing truffle fries!)
d.  We got to spend the week with your Uncle Rich before he leaves for California.

It was the perfect week.  Soph, you practiced swimming (a lot!), made friends with everyone at the pool, loved spending time with Adelaide, and watched Oz the Great and Powerful (even if it scared you a little).  Charlie, you loved sitting on the lounger in the shade watching your sister play, eating a ton, and getting in the inner-tube in the pool for brief periods of time.  With iPhone in hand, I tried to capture it all....