Katie's Dora Birthday Party

A big thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate Katie's 3rd birthday! With the exception of a visit from Dora that went downhill fast, LOL, Katie had a great time!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

If I cover my eyes, it will go away...

Mommy, is that big Dora head still here???

This is what Katie was scared of

Looks like she was the only one
(really though Kelly and Liam were hiding in the workshop and Livi wasn't into Dora either!)

Juli , Dora, and JaredDora and Two Mom-Mom

Even Uncle Chris loves Dora!

The (wo)Man Behind the Mask

Party People

And More Party People, :-)

Partying Fool, LOL

Katie opening her gifts

Livi and Aunt SandyI think Flossie was trying to see if Samantha could go a full 360, lol

THE MORNING AFTER... You know it was a good party when you wake up still in the same clothes you wore the day before!

Trying to imitate Poppy's crazy picture

Yep, a real yawn! Katie was pooped after her fun day.

Morning "Do"

I don't know what happens while Katie is sleeping but every morning she wakes up looking like a tornado blew through her hair all night! LOL Last night's tornado must've been tame, it doesn't look THAT bad today. But looks can be deceiving! Try getting a brush through that... not fun!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

We took a trip out to Strasburg Railroad to ride the train because Katie has been asking every day if she can go on a train since she went on the West Chester Railroad a couple of weeks ago. When we decided we'd go, the weather was beautiful and the forecast called for possible thunderstorms in the late afternoon. Well, here's my tip: Don't rely on the weather man! We got about 1/2 way there (around 11:30am, far off from "late afternoon") and this happened:

It seemed like the storm was lightening up and in the direction we were headed the sky looked clear, so...

The rain finally stopped but after seeing this we should have known more was on the horizon. They say cows lay down when rain is coming.
We finally got to the station and the weather looked like it was going to hold out and we'd get to enjoy a nice ride on the train.
We got our tickets and were ready to board our coach car.
But then the sky opened up again...
We made a dash for it and we finally got on the train. Here's Katie looking pretty wet and frazzled!
As they say though, the train must go on. Oh wait, that's the show, but you get my point! The conductor gave us the low-down on the history of the train before we took off.

Some of the beautiful scenery of the Amish landscape

Katie checking out the corn growing next to the tracks

Me taking a picture of...

Joseph taking a picture of me!

The locomotive had to switch to the back of the train so that it could become the front and we could head back to the station.

Katie relaxing with her milk AND water while we waited for the train to get going again.

Joseph calls this picture "Mini-Maddie"

These are my two favorite pictures from the trip.

Joseph's Train Pictures

Here's some of the pictures Joseph took of the Strasburg Railroad trains. No explanation necessary, they're just for your viewing pleasure! :-) I love the last one. It looks so old!

Red Caboose Motel

Ok, this is the coolest motel ever! Joseph and I decided when Katie is a little older and would appreciate it better, we are definitely staying there for a weekend! I have to admit, it didn't look like Marriott-esque accommodations but the cool factor of sleeping in a caboose makes it worth it!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

While I was taking a nap after the train trip, I missed out on this beautiful rainbow that Katie and Joseph went outside to enjoy.

Oh my goodness, I just saw a beautiful rainbow!

Objects In The Mirror...

We went over to Jenine and Chris' tonight and Joseph decided to ride his bike over. I took some pictures of him on his bike through the mirrors in the car. They turned out kinda neat so I decided to post one. By the way, it's not so easy to take pictures of something behind you while trying to pay attention to the road ahead of you. I wouldn't recommend it! LOL