The World As It Should Be

Here is my entry into the Manifest Hope Obama art contest.

Casey and Jacob Play on the Green Rose Couch

Before we left Nashville Kathy and Bogie gave us this retro green couch covered with gold roses and two matching gold chairs. The set has proved challenging to decorate around, so we took digital photos of the couch and printed them out and framed them above the fireplace. The room is starting to look great! In these pictures Jacob and Casey are clowning around on the couch. This morning before I posted on the blog Jacob said "I love this couch. It's so cosy!"

Checking In With Violet and Jackson!

On the first weekend in August we drove the 3.5 hour drive to State College where Rich, Amy, Jackson and Violet live. They were super hosts, making delicious fish, pie, dumplings, waffles, pasta and eggs. We also went to a pool with a water slide that was really fast and fun. Jacob and I (Kathy) must have gone down that slide 30 or 40 times! Casey enjoyed following Violet and Jackson around. Jackson was super nice to his young friends; he helped them play with cars and trains and other games. He just turned 8! And Violet is now 2. It was great to see them and their parents, too!

Jacob's Robot Costume

With all of our moving boxes there has been a lot of cardboard around here to play with. Jacob put this smaller box over his torso and started calling it his "robot costume." We got a piece of yellow paper and drew a robot body on it, and we also used a brown paper bag to make the arm straps. Jacob wore his costume with and without his Darth Vader mask, and he also did a robot dance!

Casey Gets In On the Water Action In A Fountain

On the same day as the water balloon fight (see below) Casey and Jacob played in the fountain outside of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Plaza. The fountain was full of kids, and everyone kept pointing at Casey and saying "look at the baby!" It was hard to get a picture of her where I could see her face because she spent so much time huddled over the fountain, trying to get a drink! Everyone dried off in the car on the way home!

Water Balloon Fight Downtown

On the first Saturday after Nana and Papa left Pittsburgh we read that there was going to be a water balloon fight for children and adults downtown. It sounded like the perfect way to beat the heat and reconnect with Pittsburgh.

Jacob and Josh Take Aim

The kids water balloon fight was up first. The rules were that you couldn't throw at another kid's face. Jacob had fun throwing the balloons, though he had to throw them really hard to get them to pop. The whole thing only lasted about 10 minutes, and there might have been as many parents taking pictures as there were children. Jacob was definitely one of the youngest kids there.

Then it was time for the adults to play. Josh stationed himself next to a truck filled with water balloons and threw as hard as he could for 10 minutes. He got soaking wet as well, but I think he probably pelted people more than he got pelted. Casey sat on the sidelines, a bit puzzled by the scene, and sad that she couldn't get past the police tape to join her dad. It was a fun day.