Go, Bucks!!!

We were in Columbus for the OSU-Michigan game, which is practically a holiday down there! Matthew and his buddy, Andy, were the only ones with tickets to the game, but that didn't stop us all from going to enjoy the skull session. We took the bus (possibly Bethany's favorite part), and clapped/danced/yelled through the band's performance. And of course, had a bathroom emergency, which is always fun in a crowd of 15,000 people. All our cheering paid off. Go, Bucks!!!!

New Friends

"Uncle" Andy came all the way from Rochester just to have dinner with us tonight and meet little Bekah. They were fast friends!

Camping Misadventures, Episode 3, Day 2

Saturday we were with everyone again. Well, kind of... all the big people were going to try out the jet skis. Instead, A.Kim and A.Paula got stranded way out on Lake Erie with a broken jet ski!! Some nice fishermen had to rescue them. On the bright side, I got to ride on a swing for the first time.

After the jet ski was abandoned, we all met up at the beach. I loved relaxing with A.Kim, and even tried my hand at Bethany's "longhorns." I think I could get used to that!

Bethany, on the other hand, spent most of her time in the water. It was nice and shallow and warm, kind of like a big bath! All the uncles and Daddy had fun entertaining her.

Happy Camper

This weekend was spent at Green Lakes State Park with friends! It was Bethany's first time out for the season, so we were a bit nervous. Thankfully, she loved being outside all day, and didn't fight sleeping for too long. The tent was a big hit. She cried every time we tried to zip it up. The beach was also a huge success, with Bethany ending the afternoon completely covered in sand after me burying her up to her waist. Too bad I forgot my camera!

Wildlights!

The Columbus Zoo has the coolest Christmas lights ever. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day out, so Bethany didn't need much bundling to join everybody venturing out to kick off the Christmas season! We met up with Uncle Pete and Aunt Kim, along with various members of their family, and Bethany met yet another Uncle Andy!! What fun! As for the Christmas lights... well... people are so much more fun to look at.

OH-IO

Here's the much promised remaining Ohio pictures. Saturday night we visited with Andy and Paula. Yay! We did a lot of catching up, and they subtly suggested that Columbus may be a good place for us to live. Bethany had a lot of fun playing with her grandma and grandpa. She tried crawling, ate a lot, and got plently of cuddle time. Grandparents are so much fun!

Niagara Falls

Sometimes I forget the power of the falls. And boy did the Maid of the Mist remind me! I could not believe how soaked I was by the time I got off that boat. Thankfully, Matthew was with it enough to head toward the middle of the boat to protect our little Bethany. It made it a much more enjoyable experience for her. We trekked the complete circumference of the falls, including Goat Island and the entire Canadian side. What a great way to start off the vacation! We ended the day chatting up a storm with Andy, Paula, Pete and Kim. It is so nice to spend such quality time with them. And they definitely loved being able to see Beth!

Happy 4th of July!

Bethany's first 4th of July was spent visiting friends in Rochester. We spent the night Monday, and were able to spend the entire 4th hanging out with friends. Bethany spent some of the afternoon lazing around on the couch watching the world cup...

Then we headed outside for some foxtail. Bethany had a fun time watching her dad and Uncle Andrew act like complete doofuses trying to attack each other for the ball. I'm sure if she could talk the mocking would have been nonstop (her Aunt Day and I did the talking for her). And, surprise surprise... she won over Andrew's heart, and he actually held her.


Evening came, and Bethany experienced her first fireworks! Believe it or not, she actually enjoyed them! OK, maybe not enjoyed them, but she never cried. That's something.

So, after a late night out, and being able to sleep in this morning, my little girl woke up a happy camper. It's just too bad that mood didn't last too long...

Michigan!

Once again, Bethany had a very event-filled weekend! At the last minute, we decided it would be great to go to Michigan and see a bunch of my mother-in-law's family. So, it was off to Great (to Beth) Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house. We got to see lots of family - Uncle Bruce and his awesome girlfriend Marcy, Andrew and Emily and Baby Ailey, Mom and Dad Lafferty, and of course Grandpa and Grandma Brown.

Here's us in Frankenmuth - we had fun bumming around there Saturday afternoon.


And here's Bethany with her great grandparents!

And finally! Ailey and Bethany meet! Ailey's 2 days older than Beth... what fun! The cousins had a great time meeting, and next time they may actually know what's going on and interact!!! (I'll let you play a little bit of Where's Waldo with these pictures - where's Bethany?)