Summer Is Finally Here!

This is the first week that it has actually felt like summer. We got the pool out for the boys and they loved it! Kaylen loves it a little more than Jess. :) So here are a few of the boys and their baggy swim trunks.

Jess!

Jess playing with his blocks. :)

Summer Stuff

Jess wouldn't look up from the drawing long enough to smile for the camera. He's going to be an artist. :)

Kaylen playing at the park.

Jackson (and Hollie) won this quilt at a work party. Jackson was so proud of it. :)

Jackson with the loot from the trip. A Civil War hat and canteen from Gettysburg, a dog tag from the WWII Memorial, and a Revolutionary War whistle from Valley Forge.

Philadelphia Trip!

Here are some pictures from the REALLY fun trip we took to Philadelphia to stay with Annie & Austin. We laughed for 5 days straight. :) We had such a good time and everything we did was so much fun. I know Annie posted a lot of pictures, but I tried to find different ones. Anyway, we never got lost (not really lost anyway) and we made it to everything we had planned to see (and it was a busy list). So here are some of the nearly 400 (yikes!) pictures I took...

Our first night in Philadelphia we went to the Cheesecake Factory. Had to post a picture of the extra yummy cheesecake. Extra super yummy! :)

Washington D.C.

Thursday we took the train to Washington D.C. The power was out at Union Station, so our train was about 30 minutes late, but we still got to see everything (the quick one day tour). About 2:00 it started to rain really hard, but that didn't ruin our fun. Our feet maybe were ruined, but not the fun!

On the train heading to D.C.

Mom, the super fantastic Tourmobile, and the Washington Monument!

Jefferson Memorial

At the Jefferson Memorial

Korean War Memorial...the tour guide says this is so pretty at night, but we didn't get to see it.

Washington Monument

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Memorial...so pretty

Mom was temped to have a Forest Gump moment and run into the reflective pool yelling "Jenny!", but she restrained herself. :)

Arlington...Robert E. Lee's House

Arlington Cemetary, this is about the time the rain started. At least we made it through half the day. :)

World War II Memorial...It is so beautiful. I won't post pictures with us in them because it was pouring and we look horrible!

World War II Memorial

Valley Forge

Friday morning we went to Valley Forge. Again, it was pouring rain. There weren't too many people there, I think the rain kept them away, so we got a personalized tour of Washington's Headquarters.

Replica cabins at Valley Forge

Strollin' in the rain...Valley Forge

Rain and mud at Valley Forge

Valley Forge

George Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge


Philadelphia

Friday afternoon we went to see the Liberty Bell & Independence Hall. Still raining...very hard...Annie slipped in a wet ditch and sprained her ankle and my flip flops got all wet and rubbed my feet until they were bleeding, so that was fun. So we limped around, but we still had a good time. History is great! :)

Liberty Bell...A break from the soggy rain!

Tricia & Mom between Independence Hall and Congress Hall

Independence Hall

At Independence Hall

New York

Saturday morning (at about 5:00am) we got ready to head to New York! The train was about 30 minutes late because a fire had knocked the power out at Penn Station (hello, are we sensing a theme here?). First we saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then we took the walking tour of Manhattan. :) Feet problems and all! We did take a few cabs (including a rather roller coaster like ride down Broadway), but for the most part we just walked. It was so cool, we had so much fun!

At 30th Street Station in Philadelphia waiting for the train to New York

Lady Lib!

On the boat

Mom & Annie at Ellis Island

Manhattan skyline

Annie was dragged into a street show in Battery Park. She is in the middle of the line there. She was not amused, my mom and I loved every second of it!

Annie & Mom in the Big Apple!

Takin' a break at Rockafeller Plaza.

Resting in Bryant Park. I'm a huge Project Runway fan so I just kept thinking Fashion Week! :) Sadly, no fashion week for us, we just needed a break from all the walking!

Annie & Mom hangin' out in Times Square

Tricia & Mom (plus several thousand other people) in Times Square.

Annie & Mom in Times Square

Tricia & Mom at Madison Square Garden

Annie & Mom on the train at Penn Station waiting to go back to Philadelphia after a super fun day in New York!

Annie & Mom with the Philadelphia skyline. We were at the train station just getting back from New York. We were soooo tired.


Lancaster County

Amish Country

Sunday morning we left for Amish country. The farm land was so beautiful it was interesting to see how different their lifestyle is.

Mom in Amish Country...She was so excited, she loves reading about the Amish culture.

Gathering of Amish wagons

Beautiful Amish farmland

A blurry Amish carriage

Amish in Lancaster County

Gettysburg

Sunday afternoon we went to Gettysburg. It is so beautiful, it's very sad to think of all the people who lost their lives there. We had such a good time, even though Austin didn't get to see a ghost. He did ask one guy dressed in a Civil War uniform if he was a ghost, but he wasn't very amused. Maybe he was just a ghost in a bad mood. :)

Mom, Annie, & Austin learnin' some history

Annie & Austin with statue

Mom & Annie at Gettysburg Cemetery

Mom, Annie, & Austin

Austin wanted to see a ghost at Gettysburg...This is as close as we got.



Monday morning we headed for home. We were exhausted, but we had such a good time.