Lilly's photography

Lilly seems to have her father's eye for photography.  Here are some of her photos from our morning walk.

She asked me for the camera this morning, put the strap around her neck and began shooting.  Every picture she attempted she took at least 3 shots in rapid succession.  (Jack had just finished playing in the sand box, if you are wondering why he looks sandy and pale.)

It was amazing all the things she found to photograph on our short walk down the street and back.

Who knew we had so much nature?

The color in this flower is striking, it has not been edited or enhanced, it looks like it was painted on.

After living in this neighborhood for three years we finally met Helen, who lives down the street from us.  She has beautiful gardens that she attributes to her farm upbringing.  She told us her husband died in 2010 and if he had just lived 4 months longer they would have been married 70 years.  She said it's no wonder why she misses him so, and people seem surprised that she would be lonely.  She told me she will be turning 90 on October 5.  She also told me she has no children so she doesn't know if she will do anything fun to celebrate.  Please help remind me to take balloons to Helen on October 5.

Not sure if I would have had that conversation with Helen had my children not waved hello. Lilly really helps us to see everything around us.

More Random Summer Musings

I love that I live in a place that has seasons.  I love the changes of the season that allow for a variety of activities and a range of memories to create throughout the year. Jim's garden thrives in the summer.  While I don't do anything with the garden, I do enjoy picking the produce and cooking said produce.

(Jim's garden from left to right, top to bottom: Pumpkin; giant yellow squash, zucchini, green pepper, more zucchini, potatoes, more yellow squash)

In addition to Jim's produce I also love hot dogs (and corn dogs and pretzel dogs).  Summer seems to lend itself to hot dogs.  If you make hot dogs for dinner in December you get dirty looks.  In the summer, it's festive! It's also festive to wear jersey knit shorts and a t-shirt while you play in the street with your children.

(Photo by Lilly)

When I was pregnant with Jack I would secretly eat hot dogs against prenatal conventional wisdom and advice.  I ate them secretly until I confessed in a burst of tears to my OB that I was probably ruining my baby with my processed meat products.  She told me there was no conclusive evidence against hot dogs and pregnancy.  She might have just said that to calm a slightly psychotic pregnant lady, either way it worked and slightly eased my guilt, and Jack turned out just fine. 

I am doing my best to enjoy the summer and to help my children enjoy the summer.  However it doesn't really help when people (and by people I mean online articles, blogs, and pinterest quotes) keep telling me to slow down and savor every minute of summer.  I feel a little like Scrooge when he said "Let me keep Christmas in my own way..."  I echo his sentiment by saying "Let me keep Summer in my own way!"  (I hope I have no ghost visitations tonight).

My children and I are trying our best to pave our way through this summer in our own fashion.  To find our own paths of happiness. Some days that means we go-go-go, and other days we rest.

The occasional breakfast on the trampoline, walks, pool time, outings, books, library.  All fun and all enjoyable, hopefully creating memories.

I hope you are having a happy summer in whatever way you choose to keep it.

More Lake Placid

Sunday morning Jim, my father, and Lilly attended church that just so happened to be less than a mile from our hotel in Lake Placid.

Oddly enough it was also located next to the grave of John Brown.

Having visited Harper's Ferry many times and having learned much about John Brown in my youth, this was quite the coincidence.    

We had planned to visit the Olympic museums and the ice rink made famous by the 1980 Olympic hockey team, but that didn't happen.  Our weekend didn't go as planned, so we will have to visit those places another time.  I was very impressed with the massive ski jump that can be seen from the highway towering over the trees.  I can't imagine skiing off of that ramp.

This concludes my Lake Placid update.

Back up, rewind.

The weekend Jack was in the hospital we had planned a lot of sight seeing between my house and Lake Placid.  Most of that was put to the side, but we did stop at a few places on the way to Lake Placid before Jack became ill.

Our first stop was the highest peak in New Jersey. You can see the highest peak in the distance behind Lilly.

Some people in our party were disappointed that you could drive to the highest peak and that it took no effort or skill to ascend the highest peak in New Jersey.  Other people in our party were happy to not have to hike with small children in flip flops.  Okay, so maybe I was the only one in flip flops.

Even though we all drove to the highest peak in New Jersey, we still climbed a wall and stood as high as we could get. That will teach New Jersey to make their highest peak easily accessible.

At this point the children were done with standing on the wall for pictures.  You can start to see their expressions changing.

Lilly took the camera bag and moved on.

My dad informed us that there is always a marker at the highest peak in any state.  Luckily some man, who was having a phone conversation, unintentionally found the marker while on the phone.  He had just bent over to examine it while talking on the phone and we all ran over to him.  He informed us he didn't even know he had found something significant.  He clearly did not have much respect for New Jersey, highest peaks, OR geological markers.

Lilly has a sixth sense about these things.

She probably would have found it on her own.

After we ascended the highest peak in New Jersey we made our way through New York.  Our next stop was Albany, NY where Jim met up with his former co-worker who is now the Commissioner of Health for the state of New York.  We had lunch right next door to the former home of Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick.  We entertained the children through a long lunch by reading excerpts of Moby Dick.  At least that was my intention, somehow they ended up watching Toy Story on the iPad.

After Albany we drove the rest of the way to Lake Placid.  Right outside of Lake Placid is a small restaurant called "Noon Mark Diner."  Jim's friend, the Commissioner of Health, told him it was THE best place to get pie in the state of New York.  That is a serious statement coming from the Commissioner of Health.

Jim agreed that it was the best pie in the state of New York.  In fact, he claimed that it was the best pie he  had ever had, period.  With the exception of his own apple pie he made 2 years ago with apples from our neighbor's tree.  He and Lilly, along with my father, returned two additional times over the weekend to eat the pie.  I actually did not eat the pie because I was hungry for regular food.  Jack saw the sign for ice cream and would only have ice cream.

I took this picture of Jack because he was so cranky eating his ice cream that he drove away some other customers and I thought it was quite adorable.  Just a few hours later he started in with his allergic reaction.

 I might have to whisper it in the night that I am the luckiest mother because I got to bring my beautiful baby home from a hospital stay.  I can't say it out loud during the day light, it's much too painful. I hold him and Lilly a little tighter and kiss them a little more.  Sometimes at night I sneak into Jack's room and hold him while he is sleeping.  He doesn't fight me or wriggle away when he sleeps.  During the day I even ask him "Can't you please pretend to be a baby, please?? Just let me hold you."  He doesn't let me.  He kicks and screams and begs to grow up too quickly.  I hope I tell my children enough how we love them so.

Summer update

We have really been enjoying our summer, but I just have not had the mental energy to blog after Jack's hospital stay.  So I will try to catch up.

Wednesday was the second annual Pitcavage 4th of July reunion AT Knoebels.  This reunion has been going on well before I joined the family, but it was moved to Knoebels just last year.

Last year I was sick and pregnant and only stayed at the reunion for an hour or two.  I was all ready this year to ride the rides all day long and have a great time.  Unfortunately 2012 marks the year where I became too old to enjoy amusement parks for hours and hours on end in the miserable heat.

Jim volunteered to bring a fruit salad and John volunteered to bring a watermelon so the two brothers decided to combine their efforts.

The truth behind this creation is Jim searched watermelon carvings on pinterest and liked this one best.  However, it worked out because our sister in law, Jaime, just had a baby and Valerie is pregnant.

Going into the park I had a sense of adventure and health.  I wasn't sick, I was strong and had just completed a boot camp and a few races and was in great shape to keep up with my 6 year old.  Sad to say that none of those things have improved my ability to stand rides that go in circles.  I made the mistake of getting on a ride that spins as my first ride of the day and felt sick for the next 3 hours until I went home and took a nap with Jack.

Can you see me holding on for dear life, trying not to throw up?

Lilly on the other hand stayed at the park with Jim for 10 hours.  Jack and I came back around 7PM and stayed until 9:30 PM.  What will I do when my children are too old to leave the park for naps??

John and Valerie stayed at our house with their two girls and spent the day with us at Knoebels.    Valerie came home with Jack and I and her two little girls to take a nap with us.

My niece Becca stuck with us for the day and it was so much fun. She was the only cousin who wanted to hang with Aunt Liz and Uncle Jim, which of course makes her our favorite.  Although to be fair her older sister wanted to meet up to ride the roller coaster with Jim and I, but someone went home to take a nap, so....

 Becca riding the ferris wheel with us, Jim didn't make the ride, you can see him below.

Lilly and Jack loved all the rides, Jack really had a great time this year.  They both screamed and cried as we dragged them home.  Apparently 10 hours is not enough time at Knoebels.

 (That is John and I am sitting behind him. Valerie took pictures of us all on the kiddie roller coaster.)

Happy 4th of July!