Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish

Yes, you are about to see actual footage of northwestern Pennsylvania's #1 tourist attraction, drawing 1.5 MILLION tourists annually. This Taj Majal of Crawford County is none other than the Pymatuning Spillway in Linesville, PA.

I personally believe that the spillway sees so much traffic because it appeals to a wide range of individuals:

1. The Bargain Hunter. Admission is FREE and some old stale hot dog buns are all you need for the ultimate fun.

2. The Family. The spillway is family friendly. The attraction involves no swearing, no nudity, and no violence... well, just a little pushing and shoving.

3. The Wildlife Enthusiast. You couldn't thoroughly explore every inch of the largest aquarium in the nation and see as many fish as you can see here, standing in just one spot. Not to mention the variety of water fowl hungering for your attention.

4. The Lovers of All Things Gross and Freaky. Like watching a surgery on tv, staring at an accident scene, visiting a freak show, or the graphic representation of a bullet entering and exiting someone's body on CSI, the spillway is something that totally grosses you out, but you just can't help but watch.

Just watch the clip... and be sure to turn your volume up:

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Damico Family Reunion

Finally, I am getting to posting this =) On Sunday, July 19, we attended the annual Damico Family Reunion. This is John's mother's big Italian family. As always, we had a lovely time visiting, ate some great food, and Cindy (my MIL's cousin) was a great hostess =)

Amy was in charge of games and activities for the kids and did a great job. The men, of course, played their annual game of bocce and Mars won the gift basket. (I heard a chorus of AGAIN!?!? when she won. ;)

They had a whole group of people travel from Rochester, NY and some from Florida to be there! I think it's so nice to see an extended family get together. There is too little of that these days. I know with my family, our reunions stopped not long after the death of my great uncle and the heightening of my gram's Alzheimer's. We still tried to get together for a few years, but it just wasn't the same. Growing up, my family reunion was the absolute HIGHLIGHT of my summer. Nothing else came close.

Fun with Friends at Hershey Gardens

Last week we spent a lovely day with our friends, Kylee and Lexi, at Hershey Gardens. There are so many beautiful photo-ops there, so I have a ton of pics for you. I just couldn't help it. I am not the best at laying these blogs out, so I'll just describe each pic briefly, beginning at the top left.

#1 Ky and Nat - good buds. #2 A view from inside the butterfly house

#3 Our picnic lunch under a little mushroom-like tree, complete with a darling little table

#4 My Jules #5 Nat and Ky in the "Indian House." Ky gave us all a very thorough lesson on the American Indians while we were there - where they slept, where they sat, what they cooked with - very informative.

#6 The whole pink-wearin' gang in the rose gardens.

Outdoor Evening

Last Wednesday, the whole family headed to Memorial Lake State Park. We took Jazzy swimming and grilled burgers. It was a nice and relaxing evening just hanging out as a family. We played in the sandbox and swung on the swings too. Here are a couple random pics and a short video. I'm still learning how to use it and seem to always miss the best parts of what they are doing. Like on this one, I missed most of Nat's song. I figured I'd post it anyway because many of you haven't seen Jules run... or be a stinker!

My Stinky Night

The girls and I hit the $2 movies on Saturday night. Beforehand, we ran a few errands ... and ran into a few snags.

Snag 1 - Jules poops in her diap as we walk into Michael's.
Snag 2 - I go to change her and realize my diaper cache is empty, but I know there are some in the car. Unadvisedly, instead of wrestling the kids to the car and back, I decide to risk it. I de-diaper her and let her go "commando."
Snag 3 - No SOAP! Although I rinse with water and use a baby wipe, I can't get the poo smell off of my hands - Yuck! I'm not even exaggerating.
Snag 4 - (a direct ramification of Snag 2) Jules pees all over the floor near the check out while Nat and I are contemplating the snack we should smuggle into the movies. I don't mention the "accident" to anyone and simply clean it up with my stash of diaper wipes which were, unlike my diapers, actually in my purse.
Un-snag 1!! Yay! : I get Jules to the car and my spare diapers and clothes are exactly where they should be.
Un-snag 2: We hit the bathroom at the movie theatre immediately and there is soap! We finally get the poo smell off of our hands.
Un-snag 3: We enjoy the movie and eat TWO (2) Jumbo popcorns!!
Snag 5: Nat forgets her bear at the theatre and we have to go back to get it.
Un-snag 4: It's there!
Snag 6: We come home and are immediately confronted with a terrible stench. I am afraid, and I run to take out the garbage, hoping that's what it is. No such luck. To my dismay, I see that Jazzy has gone diarrhea in her kennel. (Luckily it's only in her cage and not the carpet or walls). I give her a bath outside and bleach the kennel floor as it begins to rain and lightning is seen in the near skies. I do get inside just before it pours.
Snag 7: Nat decides to go potty in the training toilet seat instead of the regular toilet. You guessed it, #2. And I had to empty it, wipe the #2 from the bowl and sanitize. Ugh.
Snag 8: One more poopy diaper for Jules.
Snag 9: Nat spills an entire bowl of oatmeal on the floor. Between the Sham-wow and Jazzy, we cleaned it up pretty easily --- and at least that didn't stink.

Lake Tobias

Well, we finally made our first trip to Lake Tobias. We had a great time. For those of you not from the area, it is a wildlife park. There are TONS of animals there including lions, tigers and bears (oh my!). There are monkeys, fish, ostrich, capybara, a reptile show, camels,... a petting zoo, and I could go on.

The best thing about it was the affordability. It only cost $4 a person to get in (under 3 is free). Then, to take the safari ride, it is another $5 a person. We got a whole day of fun for four for only $27!

The other best part was the safari ride. We rode in a topless bus =) and were able to pet lots of big animals. My favorites were probably the elk. We made fast friends with one in particular. He stayed with us the entire stop. He must have known we were "elk people." Either that, or everyone else was a little timid with the crackers at first. Even the girls hand-fed this gentle giant. Well, here, see for yourself.

On the way back home, we hit up the 3B Dairy Isle for some GIANT cones. (check out Nat's "kids cone") Mmm. The perfect ending to a great day!

Oooooh and Aaaaah

Hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July festivities. We did. John worked 12 hours yesterday, but as soon as he got home we got ourselves together and went to Sunset Park in Londonderry Twp. The 257th Army Band, "The Band of America's Capital," performed and was followed by a fireworks show.
We came prepared with snacks, a big blanket, and extra warm clothes for the girls. While I was wishing I had brought myself a sweatshirt or something, the girls, of course, wanted no part of their warm clothes. But like any good mother - I forced them. =)
We enjoyed our snacks.... in the first 30 minutes of being there =) We just can't help ourselves. If food is in front of us, we eat it like we may never eat again. At one point, John said, "have you noticed anyone else feeding their faces since the moment they sat down? I mean, other than anyone in our family?"
Sometimes he cracks me up. I looked over and saw a large rectangle in the grass, about 8ft by 20ft. It was filled with pea gravel, tamped down tight. I said, "what is that thing? I mean what's it for?" John said, "I don't know, but it must be filled with gators because no one will set foot in it."

Anyway, back to our story. So finally, the fireworks begin and Julsie says her first full sentence "I wanna go home." For the entire show, she sat cradled in John's arms and would not remove her hands from her eyes. Poor girl.

So, as the show was going on, I commented on something I had noticed a few year back. Do you remember, how when we were little kids, everyone oooohed and aaahed at the fireworks? Back then, each fire work was set off individually, until the Grand Finale, of course ... which is what made it so special. But as each firework exploded in the night sky the entire crowd would, spontaneously and in unison, say "oooooh" and at the cue of the next bang, say "aaaaah."

I loved the synchronized "ooohs and aaaahs." It made you feel like part of something, like this entire group of strangers and you had something in common. This wave-like, rocking chorus of "ooohs and aaahs" made the fireworks extra fun.

But have you noticed? No one ooohs and aaahs anymore! It's so sad to me. I tried to personally bring it back last night, but not even my own family was catching on. Maybe its because the rapid succession of fireworks now comprising the main part of the show, comparable to our old Grand Finale, simply doesn't allow for it. Maybe it's because, as one kid so eloquently yelled out in a moment of silence, "hey it's just like Dutch Wonderland." The 4th used to be the one and only time of the year I saw fireworks. Now, you can see 'em almost every Saturday night at Hershey Park and like anything, if you start indulging in something "special" every day, it's just not special anymore.

A Day in the Life

Well today. Today was a pretty good day. We hit K-Mart and used our double coupons to get 2 free bags of Quakes (mini caramel rice cakes), one free Crest toothpaste, 2 - 18oz bags of Easter Candy for $1.75 each, and some Sudafed Nasal spray for $1.99 (reg $5.99)

Nat and Jules wore their pink princess dresses to the store and Nat also wore her light-up Ariel high heels. Even with their coats on top, they were still a hit.

While at K-Mart, Nat said,
"Maybe since we're being good, we can get a snack."
"Maybe, we'll see."
"Maybe we can go to Giant after this to get a snack or something."
"Oh, to Giant.... and what would you like to get at Giant?"
Eyes squinted, as if really pondering something, "hmmm. I don't kno-ow. Maybe a donut or something."
"Oh, maybe a donut! I bet I could have guessed that."
(I had to get some BOGO carrots for dinner, so I DID get each girl a donut... little stinkers)

When we got home, I got the mail. Yay! I love days like this! No bills and ..... One free sample from Always with $1 coupon, Pampers mailer with $1 coupon, one of the $10 gift cards that I've been expecting from Rite Aid, and a thank-you letter from Bounce-U (for having Nat's party there) enclosing 2 free tickets for admission!

Later, all of us went to mommy and daddy's doctor. He rocks. John got some blood work and didn't pass out and he is going to be seen for (a long over-due, if you ask me) consult with a neurologist specializing in SLEEP!

Later we had homemade stir-fry for dinner, Jules fell asleep in my arms, I helped Nat practice some somersaults and .... guiltily, I admit, I watched Idol.

All in all, a pretty good day =)

Headin' Home

Well, we are heading home for Thanksgiving. Yes, I have packed my stretchy pants. As always, we are leaving later than planned. John got off work at 7 and I had an appt for the car at 8. I wanted him to take the car so I could finish up at home... and because I knew what would happen.... and it did. I came home and found a suitcase on the sidewalk, the back of the truck wide open and my little man sleeping on the couch. Not saying I blame him, he's been up all night.... but I forsee a struggle getting him into the car. I also have 2 girls who are awake and know (at least one of them does) that its time to go to nana's. Trouble is brewin' - pray for me. =)

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

Last week, we went on our annual trip with friends to the pumpkin farm! Daddy was able to go again this year, which is always so much fun.

We had an informative presentation on pumpkins and gourds

Went through a corn maze

Took a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick out our very own pumpkin (The joy of finally finding just the right one can hardly be described haha).

We finished out our trip with donuts and cider!

Hershey Park in the Dark

On the 19th, despite suffering colds, the whole fam went to HP in the Dark. It was the only night this entire Halloween season that Tob would be able to go with us. Here are some pics from our adventure. HP has many rides open (with new spooky names), a trick-or-treat area for the kids, fall food and entertainment. It was free for the girls and I with our season passes.

We even splurged and bought a bag of Kettle Corn. When I met up with John and Nat after buying it, we just stood in place and feverishly shoveled handfuls into our mouths - like we hadn't eaten in days.

Here is Nat on her favorite ride - the Frog Hopper.

Here is Julie on her first "big girl" ride!!!! It was mom's first time on the Frog Hopper too. Here we are telling the little girl on the right it was J's first ride, she was so excited, she passed the info on to all of her little friends sitting on the next car. Turns out, Julsie is NOT in love with the Frog Hopper like Nat. Maybe next year.

Here are my little girls at one of the photo-ops in Treatville. More candy please!!!!

It was chilly that night, and by the time poor Julsie got home, she was like a little ice cube. I had to stick her in the bath just to warm her up. Eventhough she had shoes and socks, her feet were frigid... takes after her mom, I guess.

The Fair

Sorry I'm behind again. We went home on Wednesday last week so we could attend the big Cochranton Fair.

The night before, I accidentally fell asleep on the couch waiting for my last load of laundry to dry around 12:30 am. I have no idea how I got there, but at 4:30 am I found myself in my bed ... with a little stinker that had wormed in at some point. I raced to finish preparing before John got home. One task was to pack Jazzy's food so I head to the outdoor closet. After wrestling Nat's trike and a twined pile of firewood, I find the partial bag of food. I pull and hear "c-shchshshsh" like a heavy rain. The entire bottom of the bag fell apart and the contents spilled all through the closet. So, in the pre-dawn light, I'm vacuuming the outside closet floor. Ugh.

John got off work at 6 am. I made him some eggs while he loaded the car and we were on our way. He tried to sleep on the ride up, but alleges I drive like a drunk blind man. Additionally, he was cramped into the Elantra. Yeah, we took all five of us home in the Elantra. Luckily, Jazzy rode at the girls' feet the entire time and was just a dream. (Now, don't get me wrong, she is NOT a dream in many other ways, but she is in the car. )
So, anyway - parade: We headed down early to get a good spot. Despite the 4 comfortable lawn chairs we brought, we all ended up sitting on the ground on a sheet ... to get the candy, of course! Almost 2 hours later, as the first unit was finally about to come to us, Nat had to go pee. She and Nana went to the Country Fair and stood in a giant line while the band (her favorite part last year), and the Zem-Zem cars went by. I couldn't believe it, "we drove 5 hours to see this parade and she's going to miss it!"

We had a good time though. Daddy was in a fog from his strange hours, but did well to keep up with us. Little Julsie waved at the men in the fire trucks and loved the animals. (We could tell by her grunting.) She looked so cute sitting on the curb, which was a perfect seat for her, and chomping on a big Tootsie Roll all on her own.

We hit the fair for a little while and they put up with my chit-chatting. It was sooo crowded. While we did get Nat a snack, and visit some animals, we didn't ride anything, thinking we'd get there another day. Oh well.

Land of the Little Horses

On Monday, we went to the Land of the Little Horses in Gettysburg, PA. We went with John's coworker, Eric, his daughter and two nieces. Nat really gets along with his daughter and really LOVES horses so we were excited. After struggling to get someone moving (not mentioning any names), an hour+ drive, and $41.00 in admission we were IN! (The price included a $5 commemorative blue plastic mug filled with horse food pellets -- getting it was all daddy's doing.)

So, after paying admission (in the huge gift shoppe full of kid-geared equine paraphenalia - brilliant maneuver) we entered into the "horse park." It really was a land of little horses! There were little tiny corrals containing mini stallions. There were other mini horses and mini donkey roaming freely, following anyone with a blue plastic mug. Immediately we saw the main barn and a sign outlining the events of the day. (Kind-of like what I imagine on a cruise ship... or a retirement community - 10:00, 2:00 Shuffleboard) The events here included a "close encounters" program where we met the horses in the main barn, mini horse races, and an arena show complete with its own concession stand. There was also a nature trail with exotic animals featured along the way, pony rides and hay rides. There was even a restaurant where you could get pizza, burgers, fries, etc.! It was kind-of weird almost; this big production for these little animals who meander around looking for treats.

In the "close encounters" we learned that the family that started this park were the first to bring mini horses into the United States in 1971. The couple saw the minis while on vacation in Argentina and had 25 of them shipped via boat to Gettysburg. Eventually, one barn expanded into this extravaganza complete with mic'ed announcers. Even more amazingly, we met one of the original 25 horses whose name was Bebe. He'll be 38 this year!

Later, we went to the air conditioned arena, ate popcorn and watched the show which included horses performing jumps and moving in formation, a llama who can bow, .... hmmm ... some dogs, oh, and one horse who can do math.

Most importantly, all 5 girls were very good and had a fun time. By far, Nat's favorite event was simply the pony ride... and then, probably just being able to pet and hug the animals. We had a good day.

To see our album from the day, with some good pics of the kids, go to the right hand side of the blog under Albums and click on "Land of Little Horses"

Camping Part Deux

Part two.... for our family. Here is some more info about my kids specifically.

After a 40 minute ride in our friend's jam-packed Honda Pilot (2 adults, 4 kids and all our junk), we arrived at Gifford-Pinchot. Luckily, for once, I packed light!

With the humidity, we were glad to get into the lake. Nat kept saying "fatha, fatha" until we were in water as high as her chin. She has been daring in the water lately. Of course, she could be daring because she had already checked with daddy to make sure there were no alligators there =) ...oh, and if there were monsters in the woods.

Little Jules enjoyed herself in the shallow waters, but kept sticking her fingers in the water and then sucking on them. Ugh! I was keeping my fingers crossed that we wouldn't end up with some intestinal issues later that night.

The girls (with my assistance) did their first teeter-totter and we swung on the swings. While I was pushing Nat, Jules was chillin' nearby like a good little girl.... like usual. All of a sudden she stood up and took a step all on her own! I was pretty excited.

When we decided to head to the campsite, I took both girls into the showers and with some fairly adept manuevering, we shimmied out of our soaking wet suits, lathered, washed and rinsed (with some may say "cold", I say, "refreshing' water), dried and dressed without anyone touching the inherently creepy floors, walls, or fixtures! Yeah!

My responsibility was to bring the firewood and I was therefore the default choice for firestarter. I brought newspaper and a lint filled paper egg carton and it started like a dream. Too little kindling though and we were soon on the way to get some more wood. Oh, well, over all, we got our schmarshmallows, hot dogs and foil dinners cooked, albeit a little late.

Nat and Jules were little angels the entire day. Nat sat in her Dora chair and Jules sat patiently on a blanket while I worked on the fire, etc. At the lake, I left Nat with the group of moms while I got her a snack. She never left the exact spot I left her at on the blanket. They were so so good.

Late in the night, Nat finally got the gumption up to ask to go play with some of the other kids. Miss Cheryl held her hand and took her over to little Kylee who took over the hand-holding responsibilities and off they skipped. I was happy for Natty. To Cheryl's surprise (and mine too), Nat even asked for a turn with the flashlight!

Later, Natty comes to me and says, "you know that boy, Kaitlyn's boy?" "Yeah, her brother?" "Yeah, he talked to me! ... I think he likes me." I said, "yeah, I think he does, you're a nice girl." She was also saying bye to some of the little girls she met for the first time, was chit-chatting with Kaitlyn, and was so excited to be in Miss Chrissy's car. I was very happy for her. (She's pretty shy.)

Oh! and Julsie wolfed down one whole hot dog. Natty had TWO! ... and she loves s'mores, just without the marshmallow and graham cracker!

Adventure to 141

Yesterday 6 other mommy's and I ventured to Gifford Pinchot State Park with 13 of our children in tow. Average age of these kids? --- THREE!

Our initial plan was just moms and kids... over night... in tents. Most husbands thought we were just crazy (I mean, who would start a fire and pitch a tent?) As it turned out, only about 4 of us moms were on board for all that. But we were determined to do it and to prove everyone wrong..... that is until John heard of the plans.

Upon realizing I was serious about this camping business, "trooper daddy" came out and in no uncertain terms, forbid me to go, highlighting the stars of the show we'd just finished watching - America's Most Wanted. (I probably could have picked a better time to bring it up.)

Once I emailed everyone that I couldn't stay over and why, all of the rest of the husbands said, "See? Its not just me! Finally, someone with a little sense." And all the mom's gently pulled back on our spoiled rotten teenager talk - the "Oh yes I am!"-s.

Our solution? We WERE going camping! (Oh yes we were-er!) ... We just wouldn't actually sleep there. ... I know, you're thinking, "huh?" "lame-o!" "that's not camping."


But it WAS camping! We swam in a lake, we made our own fire, we set up a tent, we cooked foil-dinners and hot dogs and smarshmallows, we made S'mores, collected plants and creatures in jars, showered and pee'd in public facilities (not at the same time.) And we did it ALL with little to no crying, no fighting, no broken bones, no splinters, no burns, no poison ivy (that I know of yet), no hot-dog-stick-pokes-to-the-eyes, I don't even think there was a knee scrape. So if you didn't know it already, I'll clear it up...

we're a bunch of super-moms who will face votes of 'No Confidence' from those around us, confront meal plans that are destined to be the antithesis of our current diet, battle bugs and sand, dirt and sun just to give our kids an adventure to remember.... and I know they will.