Spring Break in Tville

Instead of going someplace during PSU's actual spring break, we decided to wait a week to head down to visit my sister in south Georgia, since flights were cheaper then. That meant we got to ring in spring in a wonderfully warm and sunny locale, rather than cool and often gloomy State College. We had a terrific trip, even with the 4 legs it took to get there (drive to Hburg, fly from Hburg to ATL, fly from ATL to Valdosta, drive from Valdosta to Tville). We traveled a good 12 hours but Hayden was a great traveler and we all arrived tired, but in good spirits.

This was the first time we had ever been to Tville so we got to see the town, see Lacey and JT's 'new' house, and just really enjoy time with family. It was the fourth month in a row that we'd gotten Hayden and Jay together - not sure if we'll continue that streak but it's been fun seeing them interact so much! And, as an extra bonus, Mom and Dad (Grandma and Poppop) drove down to join in the fun too. The only thing that was disappointing to Hayden was the fact that even though we were going on a plane, there was no "Sharaw-Bad" to join us. For those of you who haven't spent time with Hayden lately, "Sharaw-Bad" is our friends, Sarah and Brad, who traveled with us to Orlando. And I think they are permanently linked to airplanes in Hayden's mind. Just the other day, we saw an airplane flying "up in the sky" and after identifying the plane, she immediately shrieked, "Sharaw-Bad!" Alas, they were not on the plane, but it's hard to explain that to a 20 month old. :)

So of course we took lots of pictures during the course of our visit. We did get to do lots of fun things - see baby goats, try some fresh, local cheese, visit downtown Tville, see the Harrison grandparents and enjoy some special Texas barbecue, play croquet, introduce H and J to t-ball, go to an awesome playground, try fried pickles and local grass-fed beef, and simply enjoy the nice warm weather by being outside A LOT. I'll try to just include the highlights (with appropriate comments/labels) below.

Hayden posing for a picture in the Hburg airport. She's slowly getting the hang of posing, but I have NO clue why she put her hands out in front of her like that. So funny sometimes!

Goats! Lacey took us to a local goat farm and we got to pet the baby goats! Jay was pretty interested - notice he practically has his finger up the goat's nose. The picture with Hayden shows the closest she got to the goats, she preferred to watch them from a distance. After visiting the farm, we stopped by their market and got to sample some tasty cheeses!

For dinner Friday night, we went into Tville to explore a bit and eat at Lacey and JT's favorite local pizza place. Delicious food AND we got to sit outside (for dinner!). Sitting outside was a very good choice because the kids got into a screaming contest. All good natured, but VERY loud. I tried to capture Jay's performance on video, but of course he turned it off once I pulled out the camera. However, I think this photo captures the enthusiasm of his scream delivery!

We did spend A LOT of time outside, which was AWESOME. Lacey and JT have a fantastic backyard (Jason was VERY jealous). Here Hayden plays peek-a-boo on their slide.

As I mentioned, we introduced the kids to t-ball. Both did manage to connect bat to ball, but it was hard to predict which way the ball might fly off the tee. Hayden preferred fielding the balls but Jay might have a future if he can learn to connect with the ball on the forward swing.

The two munchkins pose with daddy/Uncle "T".

And here they are with Aunt Lacey. Don't you just love the sunshine glinting off their hair?! Such lovely weather we had!

The kids weren't the only ones "playing" outside. The adults all got to play croquet! We had a pretty good time, whacking the ball and enjoying adult beverages. Hayden and Jay were mildly interested, sometimes swooping in to steal a mallet or the ball (Babies were considered fair play!). This picture shows the two as hoodlums - Hayden had stolen a mallet and Jay had stolen Hayden's water cup. Maybe Hayden was going to use the mallet to ensure the return of her cup? I don't know. I don't remember any violence!

Here Hayden acts as a "hinder" for Pop-pop before he wins the game. (He won twice!)

Given Hayden's recent love of cornbread, we made some for our lunch of barbecue. Here Jay does his best interpretation of the cornbread chuckle!

Pop-Pop, Grandma and the grandkids! Smile!

Just one example of the silliness of the visit...
"what?! Do these shoes make my feet look big??"

Another fun time of the visit was the discovery of the air mattress in the living room that Lacey and JT were sleeping on after graciously giving up their bed. Hayden and Jay had a fantastic time bouncing around and giggling like crazy. Notice how Hayden has her hand ON Jay, like she's ready to wrestle! She better watch out, I think he's in another weight class from her!

One morning we walked up to this wonderful park. We first took the kids to the little kid play equipment, but Hayden was not interested. She headed off to the BIG playset!

At the playground, both kids pretty much did their own thing, in completely different areas. We did manage to gather them together for ONE time down the double slide.

Proof of how amazing the weather is in Tville in spring. Those are AZALEAS behind us! In mid-March! They were everywhere, in all colors, and were BEAUTIFUL!!!

"Carolina girls! The best in the world!" Hayden sports her outfit that does double-duty of cheering on the Tarheels AND being perfect for water play. There will be a blog entry just about the water play! Stay tuned!

The two kids, just before Jay headed off to school and Hayden started the trek back to State College.

Yay for cousins!