Gone Again

Our Poconos weekend is something we look forward to all year. It finally comes, it goes by all too fast, and the next thing we know, we're looking forward to next year already.

Such is life.

We woke up, we spent a little time relaxing on the deck, we cleaned, we packed, and unfortunately, it was time to go. But not before taking our annual group photos.

We were missing the two poodles (who were in the house), and Susan and Vinny's daughter (who was traveling in Scotland), but it's still quite the group, eh?

A quick family pic...

...and then the boys and their wives (and Hunter) took off. While we loaded the car and checked the house for misplaced belongings, Susan kept Nora busy in the garden.

Dare I say that this girl might end up with a green thumb?

As we drove off, I said to my mom, "It's always so sad to leave here!"

It truly is.

Until next year...

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Dogs, Babies, Food, Wine + Fire

On Saturday morning, we did what we do every year... we went out for breakfast. When we got back from town, Nora was more than ready for a nap, but was in such a good mood that we lingered outside for a bit before taking her in.

Meanwhile, Hunter managed to sneak up on Coqueta from behind and essentially tackled her so that he could hug and pet her.

And then he might have put her in a choke-hold. You know, there was just SO.MUCH.LOVE. He couldn't contain himself.

Thankfully for Coqueta, she eventually escaped.

At one point, Trevor put Hunter in timeout. Doesn't he look so cute up there, sitting on the step? He seemed to handle timeout really well for a 2-year-old kid.

Once Nora went down for a nap, the entire group (except for my mom, the kids, and me) took a ride to Scranton for a little outing. The kids were sleeping, and my mom and I got to enjoy some serious peace and quiet. It was just us and the six dogs, ha!

Nora took a KILLER nap (like 2.5-3 hours) and when she and Hunter woke up, my mom and I decided to take them for a walk.

Hunter REALLY wanted to walk the dogs (we only brought the two little ones with us), so... we let him. Look at him, looking so responsible.

Nora decided on this walk that she no longer wants to recline in her stroller. She wanted to sit up completely straight. Big girl.

Hunter also walked Tessa for a while, and had a stint at helping me push the stroller. The little guy wants to be an adult.

By the time we got back from our walk, everyone was back, and we started thinking about showers and dinner.

Hunter modeled his sunglasses.

We "think about dinner" by consuming a few glasses of wine.

Everyone put together an impressive spread of grilled flank steak, grilled squash, corn and broccoli salad, baked beans, a fresh garden salad, salt potatoes... everything was so good. I hardly had enough room on my plate.

Nora was a fan, too.

Hunter spent some time loving on his own doggy (poor Buckley).

I put Nora to bed at dusk, and the guys started a fire in the fire pit. We spent the remainder of the evening hanging out together on the patio, enjoying s'mores.

Snuggling with Hunter. If you'll notice, he prefers his binky upside-down. Which is especially interesting considering Trevor used to do the exact same thing as a baby.

Great night. Great food. Great friends.

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Ol' Pocono

Another year, another trip with the family and friends to the Poconos. This year is extra special since it is Nora's first time in the Poconos. Well, her first time out of the womb, anyway. She was kinda-sorta there last year.

As always, we hit the road on Thursday night after work, and arrived in the mountains late. Once the cars were unpacked, Nora was in bed, and we all had the chance to sit down with a few beers or glasses of wine, we caught up for a little bit, only to discover that it was soon 1:00 a.m. Oops.

Nora woke us up early this morning--6:00 a.m., to be exact. We were pretty surprised since she had been up so late, but she was out of her element and in the same room as us, which can be a challenge. I brought her into bed and nursed her, then successfully got her to pass out again so we could all get more sleep. I have to admit that it was pretty nice to snuggle with her, because it's not something we get to do very often anymore. When we woke up again, we realized it was close to 8:30--whoa! Up we were, and downstairs for some breakfast in the morning room.

Nora was loving Grammy's banana bread!

Everyone else started to slowly trickle downstairs or over from the carriage house. We all sat out on the porch and enjoyed the beautiful morning together.

Nora practiced her standing skills. How cute are her little legs?!

This is a common scene during our Poconos weekends. Everyone sitting around with the kids and the dogs. Love!

With SIX dogs in attendance this year (yes, SIX), Hunter was in dog-lovin' heaven.

It wasn't even noon yet when the boys started loading up the floating cooler to take down to the pond with them. Vacation? Yes.

This is one of the new additions to the pack of dogs--this is Coqueta. Susan and Vinny (my mom's friends who own the house/land and host us every year) rescued her from Costa Rica. She is SO sweet.

The twin bros together. They don't look alike AT ALL. :)

Once Nora was up from her morning nap, I dressed her in one of the new shirts that her Aunt Marie brought for her. This one was a halter top! Adorable!

I had fun taking lots of photos of Nora on the porch. Gorgeous light.

Had to snap this one quickly, when Nora and Tessa were actually sharing a lap. Tessa is usually pretty cautious with Nora--doesn't like to lie next to her or anything. She's intimidated by Nora for some reason (she's a wimp).

My paradise. Seriously.

Later, after some struggle, Nora went down for an afternoon nap. When I suspected that she was finally sleeping, I went to go check on her, only to find her in her funniest sleep position yet:

That is her FOOT up on her face. Little one must've been sitting up, then was so tired, she leaned forward and passed out.

A clearer look from above (instead of through the mesh of the pack 'n' play).

These are Susan's other two dogs, Indie and Sashi. They were hanging out with the boys on the dock while they fished.

Tyler caught a pretty big fish (I'm told it was a walleye. Whatever that means.)

Doug (Susan and Vinny's son) fileted it while Hunter looked on.

This is the other new addition this year--Buckley. He's Trevor and Kara's (and Hunter's!) dog, a 10-month-old beagle they rescued.

Mom and Susan (and Sashi and Indie!) went out in the paddle boat for a while.

We walked back up toward the house from the pond, and played with the kids in the grass for a while. Hunter LOVES Nora (he calls her "Nor"), and after taking tons of pics of the two of them together, I managed to snag this one:

HOW STINKING CUTE IS THAT?! (I played around with this one in Photoshop, that's why the color/style is different from the rest.)

Mom with her grandchildren.

As we got ready to cook dinner, a storm rolled in and it started to pour.

It's funny, because it ALWAYS pours at some point when we're in the Poconos. Every year.

By this point, Tessa was so tired, she didn't care that she had to share my lap with Nora. :)

We grilled and enjoyed dinner together, put Nora to bed, and then all of the adults crashed in the living room to watch a movie ("Limitless"). In the Poconos, our days are relaxed, but full--we're all exhausted!

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