Sunday, August 12, 2012
Craig survives Scout Camp
While Lucas and I were having a week of fun! Craig was experiencing the outdoors at Scout Camp. He did get to come home for one night during the week and then a night earlier than planned at the end. Besides getting rained out on one of the nights, starting out with 13 scouts and ending the week a night early with only 2 scouts it was a successful week, in that Craig survived.
Rain, Rain, Rain and Humidity?
Though we have had several good thunderstorms and rain showers you can still feel the humidity hanging in the air with temperatures in the mid eighties. What is up with that!? It figures we would have a heat wave and abnormal temperatures this summer when I am carrying around a watermelon sized mound under my shirt.
Making the most of our Summer!
We have been having lots of fun this summer! Though we live in a small community (accentuated even more when the students are gone) , there is still a lot going on with various festivals and events! The library has their big reading program going on. There are free movies on a weekly basis at the theater downtown. We have done it all and continue to play and play.
This is just a portion of the activities we have participated in this week: We went to an activity hosted by the local professional baseball team, the State College Spikes. Lucas talked with the players, played with water balloons, and colored a picture.
We made our weekly trek to the library and attended storytime. Went to the theater and saw, "How to Train your Dragon" (Yes we own the movie, but Lucas loves going to the movie theater!), and then back to the library the next day to see a puppet show, which was so entertaining and fun!
Went to the 47th annual peanut festival, where you buy a bag of peanuts and use them either as payment to play a game or as the part of the games themselves and toss them through loops or what not to get treats! Though Lucas is small he does have quite an arm on him and we were impressed with his throws. He did struggle to get it through the actual holes, but he could toss it pretty far.
This is just a portion of the activities we have participated in this week: We went to an activity hosted by the local professional baseball team, the State College Spikes. Lucas talked with the players, played with water balloons, and colored a picture.
We made our weekly trek to the library and attended storytime. Went to the theater and saw, "How to Train your Dragon" (Yes we own the movie, but Lucas loves going to the movie theater!), and then back to the library the next day to see a puppet show, which was so entertaining and fun!
Went to the 47th annual peanut festival, where you buy a bag of peanuts and use them either as payment to play a game or as the part of the games themselves and toss them through loops or what not to get treats! Though Lucas is small he does have quite an arm on him and we were impressed with his throws. He did struggle to get it through the actual holes, but he could toss it pretty far.
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| The pigs are pretty scary looking. More like they're attacking you than inviting you to play a game. |
We ended the week by dragging Lucas to the dreaded mall, where I had him try on a variety of clothes for next summer, but he was rewarded with a hamburger and ice cream, and then got to attend a birthday party! What a week!
Goodbye James Family!!!
Our really good friends have abandoned us. We have lived across the street from them for the past six years! Two years in Utah and four years in Pennsylvania. Lucas has known them his entire life. Their two kids, Cooper and Sadie are his best friends, and are more like siblings then friends. We have been everywhere and done everything with them! Lucas would go anywhere with them in a heartbeat. He has been known to get in the car and want to ride home with them rather than his own parents.
I have been prepping Lucas for their departure for the past week, trying to explain to him that they are moving to a new house far away, but in a few months we will get on a plane and go see them and their new house. When they were packing I took him over there so he could see the boxes and the moving truck. When their apartment was completely cleared out we went over there and I explained it to him again. At one point I told him that he will get to go to preschool in the fall and meet new friends. Lucas responded by asking me if Cooper and Sadie were going to preschool, and I said that were going to a different preschool, far away. He said, "I don't want to make new friends." How do you answer that when you are feeling the same way you don't want to make new friends either. I have had the nursery leaders at our church telling me how they don't know what Lucas is going to do without Sadie in nursery, they walk to nursery together and then they are pretty much inseperable during nursery. Though it was tough and is still tough, a day doesn't go by without Lucas mentioning them. "Where is Sadie and Cooper?", "Will Sadie and Cooper be there?" "Is Sadie and Cooper eating dinner?" Sadie and Cooper wear underwear and go potty." "I went potty like Cooper." We have been making a great effort to continue to take him to different activities in the community and with church members and he is doing great, though we think of and miss our friends, dearly!
I have been prepping Lucas for their departure for the past week, trying to explain to him that they are moving to a new house far away, but in a few months we will get on a plane and go see them and their new house. When they were packing I took him over there so he could see the boxes and the moving truck. When their apartment was completely cleared out we went over there and I explained it to him again. At one point I told him that he will get to go to preschool in the fall and meet new friends. Lucas responded by asking me if Cooper and Sadie were going to preschool, and I said that were going to a different preschool, far away. He said, "I don't want to make new friends." How do you answer that when you are feeling the same way you don't want to make new friends either. I have had the nursery leaders at our church telling me how they don't know what Lucas is going to do without Sadie in nursery, they walk to nursery together and then they are pretty much inseperable during nursery. Though it was tough and is still tough, a day doesn't go by without Lucas mentioning them. "Where is Sadie and Cooper?", "Will Sadie and Cooper be there?" "Is Sadie and Cooper eating dinner?" Sadie and Cooper wear underwear and go potty." "I went potty like Cooper." We have been making a great effort to continue to take him to different activities in the community and with church members and he is doing great, though we think of and miss our friends, dearly!
People's Choice Festival
The same week of the Arts Fest, Boalsburg holds their annual People's Choice Festival. They also have some fun things for kids to do and we don't have to mess with parking because it is within walking distance. We fed the baby animals, which was a little traumatizing for Lucas since the animals literally maul you. Lucas was unfortunately bit by the pony, but he managed to enjoy the experience, though he preferred petting the big horses over being bit.
They had a tent set up with different hands-on things kids could do, Lucas seemed to enjoy that! To help him have a memorable experience, despite the animal attack, I let him ride the train. I couldn't bring myself to let him ride the horses, it was too expensive and not worth it, especially when he has had opportunities in the past to ride a horse for free! He loved the train, and rode it all by himself, without any hesitation.
They had a tent set up with different hands-on things kids could do, Lucas seemed to enjoy that! To help him have a memorable experience, despite the animal attack, I let him ride the train. I couldn't bring myself to let him ride the horses, it was too expensive and not worth it, especially when he has had opportunities in the past to ride a horse for free! He loved the train, and rode it all by himself, without any hesitation.
Hill Cumorah Pagent
We throughly enjoyed the first time at the pageant and really wanted to see it one last time, but weren't sure when to go. We thought that Lucas would enjoy the costumes and pyrotechnics, so when our really good friends were heading up for the last time, before they moved away the very next day, we decided to go with them. It was all somewhat last minute. We drove up the day of pageant, watched the pageant, and then headed home. Yes, that is right, we made drove the four hours homes that same night arriving home at about three in the morning. Was it worth it yes? Lucas seemed to enjoy himself and the time he was able to spend with his friends. So I would say yes.
This pageant is amazing and there is such an incredible feeling present during the production! We also have some ward members in the pageant which adds to the excitement and fun! Would we ever attempt to do it all in one day? Probably not. That was exhausting and I have to admit being seven and half months pregnant did not make it easy to sit in a car that long. The ride up is quite beautiful, and we drove along lake Seneca for about 40 miles. There are several vineyards along the way, and little tourists towns. Very picturesque!
This pageant is amazing and there is such an incredible feeling present during the production! We also have some ward members in the pageant which adds to the excitement and fun! Would we ever attempt to do it all in one day? Probably not. That was exhausting and I have to admit being seven and half months pregnant did not make it easy to sit in a car that long. The ride up is quite beautiful, and we drove along lake Seneca for about 40 miles. There are several vineyards along the way, and little tourists towns. Very picturesque!
Arts Fest Children's Day
Arts Fest is a huge festival where thousands of people visit downtown State College. They have music and hundreds of booths set up with crafts and art for sale. The first day of Arts Fest is kids day. They have booths set of with kids selling items that they have created. The University, along with businesses and organizations in the community, have booths with different activities for kids to do and see. We have attended this annually and this year was no different. In the past we have just stayed in the city and not made it up to campus, but this year we headed up there and it was lots of fun. They had several booths set up with educational activities from several of the departments on campus. One of my favorites was headed by a lady in our church. It was entitled "Lava Lamps". They took a tube, filled it with canola oil added a few drops of water and a tablet that is similar to Alka Seltzer, but with color, the end result is similar to a lava lamp, and she also said it looks cool in the dark. It was pretty neat.
They also had booths were you could hammer holes into paper and make a constellation, use balloons to make a carbon molecule, make your own torch for the Summer Olympic Games and get a gold medal in kicking a soccer ball, and making ice cream with nitroglycerin. They also an area set up with these buckets hanging up, filling with water and then dumping onto the kids. Lucas really liked the this, and didn't seem intimidated by the crowd of children, though I kept holding my breath, as he scurried in and out and around the area. It was hot and a long day, but I think Lucas had lots of fun!
They also had booths were you could hammer holes into paper and make a constellation, use balloons to make a carbon molecule, make your own torch for the Summer Olympic Games and get a gold medal in kicking a soccer ball, and making ice cream with nitroglycerin. They also an area set up with these buckets hanging up, filling with water and then dumping onto the kids. Lucas really liked the this, and didn't seem intimidated by the crowd of children, though I kept holding my breath, as he scurried in and out and around the area. It was hot and a long day, but I think Lucas had lots of fun!
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