Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World.

--Christopher Columbus

Last vestiges of summer vacation.

With the first day of school just hours away, now is a good time to look back on some of the fun we had this summer.

Once again, we spent a bit of time biking along the North Shore on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. This a great way to see many of the major sites of the city, including the Carnegie Science Center.



And Heinz Field where the Steelers play.



And the skyline (Yes, I waved to all the poor suckers who were stuck working inside those buildings on that gorgeous day.).



Our new routine this year included taking a packed lunch and eating next to the USS Requin submarine outside of the science center.



We also went kayaking again.



This year, Lauren got her very own paddle. She was workin' it!



Me? I continue to steer us on course. Sort of.



Lauren also had her very first (of many future) salon visit. I've been cutting her hair myself since she was born, so I thought it was about time she had a professional stylist have at it.



Lastly, we took our annual pilgrimage to the Westmoreland County Fair. These festively colored tents house the people who steal your money under the guise of offering tremendous prizes.



There is no escape when there is face painting to be had. There's another five dollars that will go to waste once Lauren cries it all off when she doesn't get a prize from the scheisters in the festively colored tents.



Once again, we were accompanied by our friends, Mr. Scott, Ms. Beth and the Other Lauren. Can you tell which Lauren is which? Now that they have their faces painted, I wonder where they're off too...



Of course. The duck pond.



We hesitantly allowed the girls to partake of the rides. You never know exactly how safe they are, and in fact, we saw one operator trying to fix a ride by banging on it with a hammer! Not to mention that you had to pay extra admission in order to ride, but we decided to play dumb about it. And it worked - a couple of the operators actually let them ride!



Take that scheisters!

Kindergarten here we come.

Much of the month of August has been spent preparing for Lauren's very first first day of school. On Friday, we attended an open house at her school, where we toured her classroom and met her teacher, Mrs. Franz.



Check out the laptop to the right of the photo. There were five of them. They sure didn't have those when I went to kindergarten. However, there was a really cool table where you could string wooden beads together.



The classrooms all had a "Team" theme and were decorated with sports related cut outs. Didn't Mrs. Franz do a great job? You couldn't rest your eye anywhere in the classroom without learning something.



Check out all the books and supplies (There were much, much more - I couldn't fit them all in the picture!). Um, can I please go to kindergarten too?



Here's the circle time / reading corner. "Robust"? I think I learned that word in 7th grade.



And lastly, here's Lauren proudly standing next to her very own locker.

More about Lauren's kindergarten adventure when she starts school on Monday. Next post - we wrap up summer!

Reunited and it feels so good.

Some of you long time blog readers may remember that Lauren had quite a fixation with Toy Story when she was around two years old.



Okay, Buzz Lightyear in particular.

So when Toy Story 3 came out, we just had to go see it together.



And wouldn't you know it? Afterward, Lauren invited some old friends out to play.



It was just like old times.

(Side note: I think I must be losing it, because the ending of Toy Story 3 had me bauling. Those Pixar peeps really know how to pull at the heartstrings. Plus, that Bonnie was just too adorable. I want a Bonnie!)

This weekend, we spent a simply marvelous day in Ohio. As usual, I have a gazillion photos to sort through, but I promise that I will work hard and get them up here in a timely manner. You won't want to miss it!

Making up is hard to do.

The weekend before last, we attended my company's annual picnic at Kennywood. I'd consider it a successful day, just from the standpoint that, unlike last year, I did not lose my camera within 5 minutes of arriving. Even so, I didn't take very many photos because the camera that I replaced it with is very particular about batteries and was threatening to crap out at any moment.



Last year, Lauren was a daredevil and took on any ride she was tall enough to challenge. This year, she was a little more hesitant. She hated the Pirate ship and the Old Mill (Too dark, reminded her of the dreaded Noah's Ark, which she also hates) and had a freak out moment when we made it to the large hill on the Log Jammer. On the other hand, she absolutely loves the Jack Rabbit. Go figure.

However, the highlight of her day was getting her face painted, courtesy of funding from Aunt Mel. The kid wore it for two days straight, so Aunt Mel got her money's worth. Hopefully she didn't suffer any brain damage. I guess we'll know when she gets her SAT scores.



The highlight for me: Mark actually sat next to me at Kennywood! It only took him 16 years.



Lastly, Mel C and I, as taken by Lauren. Can you tell that this was the end of the day?

What we've been up to during the last 2 months in less than 50 words.

Mini Cooper.



Last soccer game of the season.



Turned 38. Got iPad.



Antiquing.





Preschool Graduation.



Swimming.



Groucho glasses.





Raspberries.



Fourth of July.





Nature in action.



Annual pond lotus bloom.

(*This* is only way to blog...)

It's coming...

The return of...the blog (Sounds like a horror movie doesn't it?).

Here are some photos of us, in case you've forgotten what we look like.





(Lauren took this one. Isn't she brilliant? Look at Daisy's ear - too funny!)



Later in the week...what we've been up to the last 2 months!