Amish Country photos.

Last week, Eric surprised me with a family trip to Amish Country for our anniversary. Only a few hours from home, this was an area that I've been wanting to visit for a long time. And, after our three day visit to Berlin, OH? I can't wait to go back! We rented a gorgeous cottage, and spent most of our time perusing antique stores, craft shows, and thrift shops--so much fun! The town was quaint, the scenery was gorgeous, the food was fantastic, and everyone with whom we came in contact was super nice. It was a wonderfully relaxing vacation, and I loved every minute of our trip (except for that pesky head cold!). Thank you, Eric!!
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip...

The boys loved "swimming" in the big jacuzzi tub in our cottage!


And, nobody could get enough of the graham cracker custard dessert!

Hey, I'm back!

Well, I'm not even sure where to start with this post. An update? Sure, that seems about right.....after a MONTH AND A HALF of absence. You know that last post about Levi's first haircut? Yeah, he's almost ready for his second! (Ugh , why have I turned into such a lazy blogger? Maybe because I'm a busy momma nowadays! Yeah, we'll go with that; it's totally not because I spend all of my free time on Facebook and Pinterest instead! Although, in my defense, I'm planning a birthday party, so Pinterest would be totally excusable....) Anyway, we have indeed been busy recently, but not in a bad way. It's summertime now, so our days have been full of playing in the sandbox, eating drippy popsicles on the patio, and visits to the zoo. Recently though, our days have also included lots of rain!
This particular week is Vacation Bible School at our church. I've had the pleasure of teaching the 2 through 3 year olds' class, where we've learned lots about the Armor of God through lessons, puppet shows, songs, games, and even snacks! And, of course, there's been more than a little chaotic playtime (Hey, it's the 2 & 3 year old class!). Nate is in my class, and I've loved watching him interact with the other children and leaders, as well as do his activities. His politeness just makes this momma's heart want to burst! Oh, when did my little guy get so grown up?!

A few weeks ago, Eric (and a group from our church) went on a mission trip to Honduras with Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International. They had an amazing time ministering and serving the people there! If you're interested, you can check out this video montage from their trip.


Though it seems like it was a million years ago now, I suppose it's worth noting that the week Eric was gone was the same week that both boys and I were ill. I had a sinus infection (that I'd thought was almost gone) flare up into a major issue that required TWO antibiotics. I'll keep the gross details to myself, but I can't even remember the last time that I visited the doctor for an illness previously. Then, both boys caught a horrible cough that kept us all awake for several days/nights. Nate kicked it relatively quickly, but Levi landed himself on antibiotics (ear infection) and breathing treatments for several days. Just about the time Eric returned stateside, we all recovered nicely!

In other news? Levi crawls now. Not scooting on his tummy "army crawling", but really truly crawling! And, he pulls himself up and walks along furniture too. Oh, he's getting so big! Nate has finally decided that the potty is an acceptable place to do all of his business. (Until last week, we've been entirely trained for #1, but not so much for #2.) Bribery, begging, punishments, ignoring the fact? None of it worked. We were up to our ears in frustration and worry that maybe it would never happen. And then, just like magic, he decided it was time. He has not had one single accident since he made the decision a week ago. Yeah, my kid is awesome like that. And, oh, I'm so HAPPY!

At the beginning of the month, we took a short weekend trip as a family to Eric's sister's wedding. We were honored to have Nathaniel be a ring bearer (even though he cried on his way up the aisle!). The boys enjoyed their stay in the hotel, and we enjoyed our time away from home. The weekend was a blast, and everything was gorgeous--most of all, my beautiful sister-in-law! Congratulations, Jessie & Chris!! (Sorry for posting these pictures in the same post that talks about my kid being potty trained!)


Other than those "bigger" events, I can' think of much that has occurred within the past month. I know, I know, that's silly since I've been "too busy" to blog, right? I guess life just gets in the way sometimes, eh? I do have several posts all wadded up in my brain that I'll need to unload here soon. Recipes for Mexican pizza or Greek yogurt, anyone? Burlap curtain tutorial? I promise to update again before the end of summer, preferably a little more often than of late! Hope you're having a most fantastic summertime!! We are!

Vacation.

We've spent the last week visiting Lakeside, OH, which is a small, gated community along the coast of Lake Erie. Lakeside has been a yearly summer tradition in our family since long before I was born; I think that Nathaniel is actually the 5th generation of our family to vacation at "The Chautauque on the Lake". We had a wonderful week of relaxing with my parents and brother, with gorgeous weather the entire time! As I expected, Nate had a super week. He enjoyed swimming, swinging, and his very first ice cream cone! But, I'm pretty sure that his favorite part of vacation was an entire week spent with Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Grandpa, and Uncle Matthew!
I wanted to share a few photos from our trip with you....and when I say "a few", you need to know that I entirely filled my camera's memory card last week (a feat that I didn't even achieve when we visited London and Paris), so this is A FEW! ({It's funny what a baby does to a camera-toting momma, huh?} Enjoy!