Chocolate World

Today we went to Chocolate World, and Luke had his first taste of how sweet Hershey, PA is! Growing up in central Pennsylvania, Chocolate World was one of my favorite local attractions, and today, Mimi, Luke, and I went on the ride there that tours the chocolate making process. There are colorful lights, lively music, life-sized characters, and the best part: free samples at the end of the ride, all while the smell of fresh chocolate is piped through the facility! Luke especially liked running through all of the displays of chocolate paraphernalia, and we even shared a special treat, his first milkshake, made with Hershey's ice cream! What a delicious day we had!



"Chocolate World, here I come!"
(I love how his Buddha Belly leads the way!)



"Mom, can I have just this one?"



So much chocolate, so little time!



Giant bottles of Hershey Syrup



Sipping a milkshake after the ride- Yummy!



Mimi & Luke in the gardens outside Chocolate World



Mama with her sweet Hershey Kiss!

Winterhoff Family Vacation

This marks the 44th year that the Winterhoff family has gone to Rehoboth Beach, DE! A tradition was born when Mark's grandparents began taking their children and grandchildren on this annual beach vacation, and Mark's first Rehoboth trip occurred when he was only 10 days old! Newborn Mark slept in a drawer that year at the beach, and has gone every summer since (he will tell you that the sleeping accommodations have improved greatly!). It was very special for us to bring Luke last year on his first Rehoboth beach vacation, but as an infant, Luke didn't do too much. This year was much more exciting with our toddler, who loved playing with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and 3 older girl cousins. Luke seems to have inherited his parents' appreciation for resting on vacation, as he took 2 wonderful, long naps each day, and truly "relaxed" when he wasn't busy playing. We certainly had a busy house, with 4 children ages 5 and under, and everyone had a fantastic week, which we attribute to Grams and Poppy's fun games and activities, yummy meals, and doting attention and love. What a great week of memories with our family! Here are a few of our favorite pics, with lots more in our Winterhoff Family Photo Albums:


Luke slept through beach time every morning and decided that he didn't like the sand, so we don't have very many pictures of him on the beach!



He did enjoy toddling around on the boardwalk, and waved at everyone who passed!



Luke was totally outnumbered by his 3 girl cousins!



Luke loved the rides at Funland this year, and rode the carousel for the first time!



Luke and Alexis were so cute riding the boats together!



There is nothing better than a hug from Grams!



Poppy took Luke on daily walks to see the "Vroom Vrooms". Here they are with Lauren!



Rehoboth Beach Week Slideshow:

Holding Hands

Since Luke started walking, he often holds hands with Mark or me. The first time he did this, it almost took my breath away. How had the sweet, fragile baby that once fit into my arms become such a big boy, walking along beside me, pudgy fingers wrapped so trustingly around his mommy's hand? I thought of all the days to come, where my son will unconditionally reach for me, grasping for the safety and security that my hand will offer. And I want him to know that as a parent, I will have a harder time letting go of his tiny fingers than he will loosening from mine, but that for as long as he will let me, I will hold on tight, and be right there beside him, with every step he takes.

July Snippets

A few bits and pieces from the past couple of weeks:

Friends:




Our friends from Roanoke, the Babers, stopped by on their way to Columbia, SC, and we were thrilled to meet adorable Baby Eden. I love how it looks like Eden is trying to hold Luke's hand in these pictures. What a ladies' man! We're really enjoying this stage of our lives where our friends are also becoming parents, and we can share stories and visits, and we've been very fortunate to see many of our long distance friends in the past few months.



We've been having Play Group outside at our pools this month. Here's the most recent of Luke with his friends. You can only imagine how silly we moms looked, trying to keep these 4 mobile toddlers still (and looking in the direction of the camera!) in order to get a picture of them!


Family:




Luke now likes to "help" us on our family walks in the neighborhood. If he is not pushing his walking toy down the street, Luke insists on holding Winnie's leash. We're not sure who is really walking who, here! Sorry about the poor photo quality in the above picture. It's hard to get adequate light for picture-taking before the sun rises (yes, we still wake up at a ridiculously early hour, thanks to the kids!).


Fashion:



Here are a front and back view of Luke on a recent day when Daddy was in charge of putting on pjs. I guess snapping the onesie is "optional" when a guy does it. Too funny! (In Mark's defense, he said that he anticipated a diaper change soon, and didn't want to go through with the wrestling match of snapping everything just to un-do it again.)


Lastly, here is our sweet Winnie, (who did not want to be left out of the "fashion" segment) tolerating her human family dressing her up in a hat as a good role model of sun protection for her little brother. At least we didn't put her in a bikini at the beach like last year!

Daddy's Shoes

I love to wear my Daddy's shoes
though my feet are small,
when they are in my Daddy's shoes
I feel 10 feet tall (*or in our case, at least 6',5").

Some day I'll grow to fill them,
I only hope to be,
as fine a man and great a Dad
as my Daddy is to Me!


(I saw this poem on the internet and searched in vain for the poet/author to give proper credit, but couldn't find anything!)

*adapted specifically for Luke/Mark Winterhoff, 2009

Uncle Jef's Ribs

Every year at the beach, my Uncle Jef grills his famous barbeque babyback and spareribs on July 4th. We look forward to this annual family tradition for months ahead of time, and this year, Luke had his first "taste". The pictures below explain it all:



"Seriously, guys? You call this dinner?"



"Oooooh! These are the ribs that I've heard so much about. Mom, you're really gonna let me do this on my own?!"



Taking the first bite... Yummy!



"Sweet, yet tangy, with a hint of smoky flavor... Absolute perfection!"



Winnie hovered hopefully in the background, as BBQ sauce went flying, and Luke DEVOURED his rib!



"These are the BEST! Thanks, Uncle Jef!"
(Look at that deliriously happy smile!)

Vroom, Vroom!

An otherwise peaceful Friday morning was disrupted today by an enormous backhoe and work crew digging up our front yard. We have been dealing with construction next to us for months as a new phase of our neighborhood begins, and Luke loves looking out the window at the "Vroom Vrooms" (construction vehicles). What a treat for a little boy, to have all of these huge, loud pieces of machinery right next door! Mommy is not as thrilled, as countless naps have been cut short by noise, we are awakened most mornings by the sound of bulldozer engines revving, and there is red dust everywhere, stirred up by dump trucks blazing through our good ole' South Carolina clay. However, today was an exceptionally interesting day, as the only connecting gas line to the new home lots happened to be in our yard, and apparently took 5 men with a backhoe & jackhammer about 8 hours to locate. If only I had an audio clip to share with you, of the unbelievable noise disruption in quiet suburbia, as our house literally reverberated from the vibrations. Luke and Winnie were enthralled and spent lots of time at the front door, checking out all the excitement. Tonight, I am extremely thankful that the men are gone, our yard has been re-sodded, and blissful peace restored. I'll chalk it up to another adventure to be tallied to our experience as homeowners- one that I hope is not repeated for a long, long, time!