Wee bairns

This saturday we finally got to experience the Round Hill SCottish Highland Games. Every other year I have had to work so it was great to get a chance to go. Catelynn really liked the bag pipes and LOVED highland dancing. We had a wonderful time and was glad Grandma could come and experience a little scottish culture :)






Catelynn and mommy had a bonding moment over bagpipe music. There's no denying what runs through our veins.








We couldn't keep Catelynn away from the dance floor. She really wanted to be able to do what the big girls were doing.




Colin said " Let me have a try at the caber toss. I'll show 'em how it's done!"

Me and My Oma

We really enjoyed Oma's visit. The kids got to spend a few afternoons with her. It truly is a blessing for them to have two great grandmas :)

More photos from Strasburg

I've been promising to post more photos from our trip to Strasburg, PA so here they are. First we went to the Railroad Musuem which was AMAZING. I love the detailed engineering in antique cars and trains and this museum did not disappoint. There are WAY too many great pictures to post here so I'm just going to share a couple. I also was thrilled to be inspired to take more artistic detailed pictures of parts of the engines, displays etc. It's been a long time since I did something like that, way too long.






Catelynn wanted to know what Colin thought of all the trains.



Cate enjoyed Dad putting her up on his shoulders so she could see the model trains.



We also went on two train rides through the dutch farmlands. This was sooo much better than the rides on the Connecticut trains at Thomas Days.





Looks like we will have another train lover to bring back to Strasburg.



Contrary to the mood of this photo, Cate loved riding the train. Although she may look sad, I love how beautiful catelynn looks in this photo.






This is one of my favorite photos from the trip - the contrast between the Amish and modern modes of transportation.

Day Out With Thomas




The principle reason we all went to Strasburg was for the Day Out With Thomas event. Catelynn was sooo excited to see Thomas again. There were also lots of other activities to enjoy at the train station.




There was a minitaure " Cagney " steam train. Ken and cate rode this the



And " mine cars" you could sit in for a short trip back and forth on the rails. Grandpa Shirley had a great time too.




And a trolley car that Grandpa and Grandma couldn't wait to ride. day prior so they could avoid the long lines. The day before the Thomas Event started they had the train almost to themsleves. the next day there were over 53,000 people at the station.




Catelynn was fascinated by the engineers refilling the water tank of teh train when it pulled into the station. I think we definitely have a future engineer on our hands, She is so fascinated by finding out how things work.



A little one on one time with Dad.



and last, but not least - despite the heat Colin really seamed to enjoy the day too!

Colin's Baptism

What better way to celebrate Father's Day than to attend Colin's baptism? Thankfully, we were able to baptize Colin at a much younger age than Catelynn since we are already members of the church. Colin is 20 weeks vs Catelynn was 50 weeks old (almost 1 )!





Both Catelynn and Colin behaved like angels until...




we were almost done with pictures.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Catelynn couldn't wait to help Ken blow out the candles so she could dig into her piece of cake.

Sibling Fun

Those of you with more than one child know that there is no sweeter sound than that of lisening to your kids tryingto make each other laugh louder and harder than the other :)

End of Year Beach Picnic

Catelynn's class celebrates the end of the year with a picnic on the beach. It was pretty cool for mid-June ( where is summer?) so we didn't think Catelynn would dare go into the water past her ankles. Boy, were we wrong - she wandered further and further in until she managed to get completely covered. After a quick clothing change Catelynn was up and running around again.

Stepping Up Ceremony

Just before we left for vacation Ken and I attended her stepping up ceremony at preschool. It has only been 2 1/2 month but Catelynn's speach has made great improvements and she LOVES school. I couldn't help but cry watching her sing with the other kids and follow with all the body movement animation. Sh was very excited when she finally spotted us after scanning the crowd of parents.