Cherry Picking & Nagymama's Summer Visit

July is filled with lots of special milestone celebrations this year. Uncle Cory graduated from the Police Academy. Nana turned 90. Ella turned 1. Mama turns 80. Papa turns 60. These special birthdays are in addition to Uncle Tommy and Aunt Alex's regular birthdays at the end of the month. July is packed full of celebrations.

Nagymama came to New York to celebrate some of them. We were thrilled to have her here with us. The girls and I drove down to pick her up one Saturday morning and on our way home we stopped to pick cherries at a friend's orchard. Taking my little girls to the fruit farm with Mama was extra special for me because cherry picking is one of the sweetest memories of my childhood with my grandparents. When I was a little girl, we spent hours in the fruit trees, enjoying the sunshine and fresh fruit, often leaving with more buckets than we had anticipated. Sweet memories.

This was Abby and Ella's first time cherry picking. When we arrived, Abby told us she would help us, but informed us that she did NOT like cherries. By the time, we left her shirt and fingers were stained with cherry juice. As she walked to the car with her stash in her hands, she would pop one in her mouth and say, "Just one more guys!" There's just something about a mountain top and fresh, juicy cherries that can win anyone's heart.

At one point, Ella and I ran to the car to grab my camera. On my way back, I could hear Abby shouting, "Be careful up there, Mama! Please be careful, ok?" I came around the corner to find my three year old shouting to my grandmother (who just happens to turn 80 this week) to be careful because she WAS UP IN THE TREE! Mama couldn't let the good cherries go to waste! I love her!  I hope I'm still climbing trees when I'm 80...which probably means I should START climbing anytime now.

Mama was up in the tree.  Abby and I were working on the low hanging fruit. Then, suddenly I felt sticky juice dripping down my arm. I looked down to see Ella enjoying her very first cherry. Thankfully, I noticed just in time to get the pit out of her mouth. That girl knows when she sees a good thing and she is even more aware when she thinks it is being withheld from her. If no one was going to give her a cherry, she was going to help herself.

We left the orchard that afternoon with two extra large buckets of cherries, two little cherry loving girls and some sweet memories.

She was up high! 

the loot

helping herself to the good stuff 

When Nagymama was a little girl, she used to dangle cherry pairs on her ears to make earrings.

  Abby trying out her very first pair 

gorgeous day 

Ella loves any chance she gets to climb up and down the stairs. With Nagymama around for a week, there was an extra person to chase her around. She was a happy girl.

hi mom! 

Ella showed us how much she loves spagehetti when we went out to dinner one night. Click the link for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQKMO3E4Dsk&feature=youtu.be

Mama's visit wouldn't be complete without a tea party. This was Ella's first.

summer nights watching Wheel of Fortune before bed in her pajamas with Nagymama...just like Mommy used to. 

Nagymama's hair salon. Abby made her appointment, then sat patiently and had her hair set in curlers. She read a Food Network magazine while she waited.

my girl knows a good read 

As if she wasn't a dollface before...:) 

She melts my heart. 

Ella came down with the Coxsackie virus last week. It started with a high fever for two days straight. Poor baby was exhausted and burning up. As the high fever broke, a full body rash appeared. The virus lasted for about five days.

snuggling Mama 

One way to use those cherries is to make strudel! Abby loves every chance she gets to bake, so when Mama started her strudel, Abby ran to get her apron.

little helper 

This picture makes my heart happy! 

Yum! Ready to eat! Where's the vanilla icecream?

We had a great visit! Come back soon, Mama. Abby said you have to because she ate her last tic tac today. You heard the girl! :) We love you! 

Ella: 11 months

11 months 

seven teeth
first stomach virus
climbing on everything
says "Amen" when we pray
love playing with your cell phone, putting it up to your ear to say "Hi" and "Bye"
goes to find Abby when she gets sent to her room or is napping (so sweet when you crawl down the hall after your sister yelling "Baba, Baba")
not sleeping very well this month, probably as a result of travels, teeth and being sick
down to nursing just at bedtime
pointing to everything and communicating in very fun ways
nodding enthusiastically
favorite new activity: brushing your teeth
constantly eating. You love trying new foods. We have to buy your own kid's meal at a restuarant because you eat the whole thing and then some.
love to make people laugh
standing for a few seconds without holding anything and excitedly walking with anyone who holds your hand

Fun & Surprises

Our annual summer trip to Grammy and G-Diddy's was filled with fun and surprises.

 Fun = family time, playing in the grass with Greeley, the Please Touch museum, trying on flower girl dresses, going to the carnival, playing around Grammy and G-Diddy's house, Aunt Alex's bridal shower, going to the park with G-Diddy and Daddy, Aunt Cyncy's visit

 Surprises = the stomach bug that took our family down like dominoes. One by one we were taken out and slowly regained our strength...only to end our trip with Joe falling victim on the car ride home. Phew! Glad to be past that.

 Some days were so unreal we had to laugh about the circumstances. We just took turns having fun when we were healthy. :) Grammy helped to take care of all of us while we were sick. Playing with the healthy, helping to clean up the yuck, taking unexpectedly long car trips (while I had the stomach bug) with me only to find the dress shop we needed to go to was closed. Thank you!! It was such a blessing to be able to sleep while I was sick and Joe was working and know my babies were having fun and taken care of by their Grammy. Filled with sickness or not, we are thankful for all the days spent with family and the memories we will never forget....like really...there is no way to ever forget this trip! :)

 Here are some pictures from the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. It was such a fun place. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Abby loved every minute of playing and exploring. Ella loved watching all the commotion around her and people watching.

fun.

 Goldilocks was caught by the three bears.

 tea party with the Mad Hatter...

 ...and Grammy

 driving the ambulance

 Dr. Abby 

seriously the coolest...a baby MRI machine

 shoe salesman

 time to grocery shop

 Ella the butcher

 Ella the baker

 checking out

Uh-oh! Abby's turn to ride in the ambulance

love this! 

 Proof that the stomach bug didn't completely win!

 my girls

 my sweetheart growing up before my very eyes

 beautiful flower girl

 reintroducing food

 "Don't worry, Momma! That bug can't keep me down!"

 precious Father's Day moments with G-Diddy

 some serious bonding and discovery of a bullfrog 

 Yay! Aunt Cyncy came to visit too! 

 Back home and exhausted, Abby and I sat down for a late night snack of saltines and prayed together that Daddy and Ella would recover quickly and that we would get our appetites back soon!!