one last conneaut post

This is my first full week of being "back to work."

While the start up to the school year is generally pretty gradual, it is still a bit of a shock ...  So, I find that my mind is constantly wandering back to the lake.

Much like Pearl did every day that we were there ...

Bathing suit: Osh Kosh B'gosh (thrifted for $1.50)

She and the small "beach" were inseparable.

I wish (my) summer didn't have to end so soon!

baby bear (gets bigger)

Last summer at the lake, I took a photo of Pearl in a white beach hoodie.

As luck would have it, she ended up with another white beach hoodie this year ...

My little cub is growing up! 

the rock collector

I don't know if it is all three (almost four)-year-old boys or just mine, but Malcolm is very big into gathering and "collecting" things right now.

Whether we are hanging around the house, or talking a walk around the block (or doing any other benign activity), he will inevitably gather up a group of items and declare them his "collection."

Last week, while we were at Conneaut Lake with my family, Malcolm got to it right away ...

Down at the beach one sunny morning, he and the husband were milling around on the shore, looking for rocks to throw into the clear water, when Malcolm found one that he liked ... 

So he hung on to it.

He then proceeded to find dozens more and declared them all his collection.

"Come see my collection, Mom!" he excitedly called to me when I made my way down to the lake that morning.

The "collection" wasn't hard to spot.

There they were, lots and lots of rocks, lined up carefully along one of the neighbors' docks.

It's good I snapped the above picture because, every day since we've returned from the lake, Malcolm has asked to look at his collection ...  Better an image on a computer screen (and eventually a tangible 4x6 print) than a box full of rocks in our living room!

Now if only I could get him interested in collecting something that will grow in value and help to subsidize his (eventual) college education!

girl on a mission

Our vacation at Conneaut Lake was a bit busier this year ...   

(Having two active children to chase around is no joke!)

From the moment we climbed out of our van, Pearl wanted to do everything that her brother was doing.

She wanted to run down the lane.

To walk out onto the dock.

To throw rocks into the water.

To feed the fish and the ducks.

To explore every room of the cottage.

To roam the backyard.

To climb on anything that was on her level.

Shirt: Miniwear (thrifted for $0.50)

Shorts: Healthtex (gift)

She definitely got into a lot this year, but, as always, it is so fun to watch her grow into a little girl right in front of my eyes.

wishful thinking

We just got back and I'm already wishing that we were back at the lake ...

I can't wait for next year.

baby bear

When Pearl was still a tiny little thing, I found this beach hoodie at the thrift store (for $1.00!) and promptly scooped it up.

 
I was certainly not disappointed when it (finally!) made its appearance down at the lake!

big brother on the move

He's unpredictable.

Like a storm.

One minute he is standing, quietly considering his next course of action ...

The next he notices me (with the camera) and comes straight for me ...

Splashing along the shore, his mischievous smile as bright as the sun that is making its descent in the sky ...

Tee-shirt: Carter's (gift)

Jean shorts: Jumping Beans (hand-me-down)

Shoes: Disney (hand-me-down)

Words can not describe how fierce my love is for him.

My little boy.

The "big brother" of our family.

beep! beep!

All of a sudden (with no poking or prodding from us), Malcolm has become borderline obsessed with cars and trucks.

His favorite thing to do with them is carefully (and meticulously) line them up on any surface that is willing to accommodate them and then move them back and forth ...  If you ask him, they are always headed to "Pa-Ma's House."

That was definitely the case at Conneaut Lake when he would tote them anywhere and everywhere.

He spent a good half hour down at the lake (ignoring the water) and just playing all by himself.

I hope this trend (of occupying himself) continues as school starts up again for the 2012-2013 school year.  With two kids at home, I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle all of my different (teaching and mothering) responsibilities ...  So if a growing collection of cars and trucks will give me a couple minutes of quiet, I'll certainly take it!

late day sun

I was playing around with the aperture on my camera and this is what I came up with ...

getting along swimmingly

We spent the entirety of last week at the family cottage in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, so I have lots of lake-related pictures (and even a few stories) that I wanted to share.

To kick things off, here is this week's "fashion post."

I guess I should just confess that most of our waking hours at that lake are spent wearing swimwear ...  Nothing quite says "summer vacation" like the absence of regular clothes (for kids and adults alike)!

Swim shirt: Old Navy (gift)

Swim trunks: Old Navy (gift)

Sandals: Disney (hand-me-down)

But when the weather is sunny and warm, and boat rides are plentiful, it doesn't make sense to wear anything else!

lessons learned on our first family trip

At the end of last week, my husband and I packed up the kids for a long weekend in Erie, Pennsylvania.  It was only a two hour drive, and, since we've been there many times before, it was easy to come up with inexpensive activities to occupy ourselves ...  Among them were visits to the Erie Zoo and Waldameer Park.

Although I would consider the trip a success, we learned a couple important lessons that we'll certainly keep in mind whenever we decide to round up our kiddos and take to the road ...

Lesson #1: Hotels with pools provide lots of warm-weather entertainment at little cost.

Lesson #2: Some family portraits are actually fun to take ... All you need is a camera with a self-timer.

Lesson #3: Getting the two-year-old to ride on one (non-kiddie) ride should be considered an achievement.

Lesson #4: Just because he enjoys the local zoo, doesn't mean he likes all zoos ...

Lesson #5: You can't really call it a "vacation" when there are two kids involved, but that doesn't make it any less fun!

poolside

It's a rough job being a baby ...

But someone's got to do it!

little lady by the lake

When I was taking photos of Pearl during an impromptu weekend away at Conneaut Lake (her very first overnight trip!), I remembered that Malcolm also posed on this same towel when he was but a wee lad.

Onesie: Carter's (hand-me-down)

Almost (exactly) two years later and here he is, again ...  But with a sister to join him.

What a good-looking pair!

shades of blue

There's just something about the hues of sea and sky that are so relaxing ...

last week at this time

It's hard to believe that just a week ago, we were vacationing on the sandy shores of Runaway Bay, Jamaica with the rest of my family.

The weather was warm and wonderful.

The resort was small, yet full of things to do and people to meet.

The end-of-the-week upgrade to a "beachfront cottage" was a fun surprise.

All in all (even with a two-year-old in tow) it turned out to be quite a relaxing getaway.

Swim shirt: Land's End (thrifted for $1.00)
Swim trunks: Old Navy ($1.95 on sale)

I wonder where our next travels will take us ...

i'm thankful for vacations

I'm taking a break from blogging this week ...

Not because life and work have been overwhelming as things gear up toward the long holiday weekend ... But entirely because I'll be on vacation with my wonderful family in Jamaica!

Last time we took a vacation of this magnitude (to Mexico) I came home with tons of photos, memories to last a lifetime, and Malcolm (true story!) ...





That trip will certainly be tough to top, but I know the whole family will have fun trying!

my little lake monster

We went back to Conneaut Lake again last weekend.

So, naturally, Malcolm was in his element.

He spent countless hours (and boundless amounts of energy) feeding the fish and ducks ...

Sleeveless tee-shirt: Circo ($1.75 from the sale rack at Target)
Cotton shorts: Circo ($0.75 from the sale rack at Target)
Shoes: Crocs (gift)

Swinging in the beach-side hammock ...


And generally going crazy (or, in other words, being his usual, goofy self) ...


While I'm sad to see these last few weeks of summer pass us by, I'm also ready to make the transition to fall ...

With Malcolm's second birthday just around the corner, it's hard to truly absorb how far we've come over this past year. I will certainly remember this summer as one that was unusually laid back (with no big vacation plans to speak of, which is really unlike us), yet packed full of fun and fond memories.

Hopefully, Malcolm agrees!

much to our amusement

We are lucky that both sides of the family go up to Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania in the summer ... So we just returned from a second trip (this time, a long weekend) there.

Unlike last time, we got to spend a bit of time at the old amusement park and many of the rides were actually running when we visited ... Giving Malcolm the opportunity to experience some of them firsthand!

It took some careful scrutiny and deliberation ...

Tee-shirt: T. K. S. Basics (thrifted for $0.50)
Jean shorts: Garanimals (thrifted for $1.00)
Sandals: Baby Gap (thrifted for $2.00)

But, eventually, Malcolm made some selections ...



Then we ended the night by watching the fireworks from across the lake on our rental cottage's dock.


Not a bad way to spend the dwindling days of summer ...

tiny traveler

There are times when I look at Malcolm and wonder how I got to be so incredibly lucky.


What can I say?

The kid is awesome.

Throughout our entire week of vacation (to Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania), he was an absolute angel.

Really and truly.

Except for a single incident during dinner where he was blatantly misbehaving (and therefore placed in the "Naughty Spot"), he didn't cry or fuss at all ...

He loved exploring his new surroundings and playing in the sand and water (and basically occupied himself from sunup to sundown)...

He was a pro during a day of errands (and shopping) with Gramma ...

He slept like a champ (even in his Pack-n-Play which is looking smaller by the minute) ...

He survived the "hottest day of the year" in style ...

Tee-shirt: Jumping Beans (thrifted for $1.00)
Jean shorts: Garanimals (thrifted for $1.00)
Sandals: Baby Gap (thrifted for $2.00)

He was unusually pleasant during the two-hour drive back home ...

I could go on and on ...

I guess it's highly beneficial that my boy is so easygoing because my husband and I (and my extended family as well) love to travel. In fact, we will be going to Jamaica in the fall, so any successful trips before then are further indication that Malcolm will be an asset (and not a source of stress) to our time in tropical paradise.

I guess, if we give him just enough freedom to do "his thing" we will be rewarded with more wonderful vacation memories.