So, what is up with us?

We have been sublimely lucky to be able to stay in the Magee Chalet at Blue Knob while we wait for the closing on our new house (hi, Kate!). 

This has meant that our family can all be together in the meantime and maintain some type of normalcy as we make this massive transition to our new life in Southern PA.

While in our temporary home, we have been:
Learning how to shoot hoops

 and watching the chipmunks

and blowing/popping bubbles

and playing in splash pools

and painting

and learning new things (like animal sounds!)

and teaching Bullet tricks

and visiting Grandparents

and meeting Sophia & Aunt Kate for playdates

and just hanging around

It has been a crazy time, but we are making the most of our little “vacation” from regular life. Sorry for the lack of blog posts, I promise when we finally move (July 22) and I have steady internet (let’s says July 25-26…gotta give the cable people some time) I will be back up and running like old times. Thanks for sticking with us in the meantime!

Memorial Day weekend 2011

We had a very busy and fun Memorial day weekend. We’re actually going to call it Idldewild/Petrunak Wedding/Koch Wedding Shower/Marianne’s Birthday/Memorial Day weekend…from here on out referred to as “IPKMM weekend.” As suggested by the acronym the weekend started out for Greyson with a trip to Idlewild with his Grammie & Pappy Studer. It was Grey’s first trip to Idlewild; which is favorite childhood amusement park. Grey got to stroll through Storybook forest and (his favorite) play with the balls in the playground. He also crashed out and got some sweet pizza (among other spoiling) with his grandparents. Such a lucky little guy.

While Grey was having the time of his life at Idlewild, B and I attended our friend, Danny’s wedding. Brandon and Danny worked together all through high school at Stuver’s Nursery and have been friends ever since. It was a gorgeous reception and a really good time. I completely forgot my camera all together – but take my word for it; the place looked beautiful and we looked hot. Hah

On Sunday, we made a trip out to Apollo, PA for Uncle Jonny and Ninny’s wedding shower. My boys came along too, since Uncle Jonny was going to need some company while the girls oohed and ahhed over wedding presents. The wedding shower was beautiful and Ninny got so many nice things. The top secret Memslide that I had my sister make was a huge hit and a surprise. (A memslide is a video of photographers set to music. See my sister’s website here. – hi, Tash!)

After the shower, we loaded up our truck and helped unpack all the new presents at Jon & Linds’ new house. It looks great already and will be ready for move-in after the wedding! We all went out to dinner and Grey chowed down on some pizza and then crashed out on the way back to Blue Knob.

Memorial Day Monday was celebrated with lunch and birthday cake at Grammie & Pappy’s. (Don’t forget – the double M’s in IPKMM stands for Marianne’s Birthday AND Memorial Day!) Grey had a heck of a time being sprayed and getting drinks from the hose.

Then it was over to Abba & Poppa Chum’s house for more Memorial Day celebrations. Grey did a little swimming in the splash pool and hanging with his pals.

Although we had a very busy IPKMM weekend – we did not forget what the real reason behind the weekend means. We are so grateful to all of those brave men and women who have donned a uniform for our country. Thank you for being brave enough to do what you were willing to do – so that we can freely do whatever it is that we want to do. Our freedom is because of you and a million thank yous (or a million photo shoots of my baby and dog) will never be enough to explain our gratitude. But we’ll keep saying thank you…and I’ll keep taking the pictures anyway.

Especially thank you to our favorite heroes, we love you and we're honored to know you.

Kayla Adams, Michael Jurich, R. Jason Hardwick, Al Mesaros, Tausha Studer, Cara Studer, Matt Hagerich, Melanie Uzelac, Albert Rummel, Tyler Ribblett, Mallie Stephens, Kevin Turner, Justin Yingling, Amber Burkhart

Why selling your house is so annoying

Its the showings.
Its the people that want to come look at your house during naptime.
or dinnertime.
or bedtime.
Its the finding some place to go with a baby and a dog while someone shows your house.

Some place that is both safe and not overstimultaing for both a toddler and a dog.
When I'm by myself, that means driving around aimlessly with said parties in the car sleeping/screaming and hanging his head out the window/licking my face.
But when Uch was visiting it meant semi-fun trips to let Bullet drag us all over Presque Isle.

And trips to public playgrounds while I walked Bullet around the block.

Its the trying to keep the house clean with a sticky-fingered toddler and a wet nose dog.

Do you know the amount of glass within sticky-fingered and wet nose reach at our house!?!

Its the semi-moving out but still needing to keep your yard trimmed and beautiful after literally 4 weeks of rain.



seriously - that's like knee high



who is raking that?



Its the driving 3 hours back to the house on a day off with your husband to redo the mulch in the front and back flowerbeds.

 Its the waiting for an offer.

Yea, its mostly the waiting for the offer.