We had a beautiful weekend at the lake!  Of course I've been there before, but it all seemed new to me.  I guess I was too little to remember the last time I was there.  The weather was perfect, warm and sunny!  We went swimming, canoeing, and swinging in the hammock.  Camp Activities Director, Tia Debs, kept me busy with a lot of activities.  Grandpa and I had a blast getting into all sorts of mischief; he taught me how to make silly farting noises.  Here are some pictures of the fun and you can see the rest of them HERE:

We went canoeing.  I didn't mind the life preserver this time, and I got to ride with Grandma.

I LOVE to be in the water.  It was a little chilly, but the sun kept me warm.  I stayed in the shallow beach and played with all the water toys.

Grandpa and I were best buddies all weekend.  He thinks it's hilarious when I grab his finger and show him exactly where I want to go.  Little does he know that I have him wrapped around MY finger *wink*

The picture on the left was taken on Labor Day, about 9 months ago.  The picture on the right was taken this past weekend!  What a difference 9 months can make!  

From Mommy:
We had a very fun weekend at the lake.  I was a little nervous before we left.  Preston doesn't always sleep well in new places, and the 5 hour drive can be stressful.  Everything turned out great!  As predicted he didn't sleep well the first night we were there, but he took 2 good naps the next day.  
One of the big highlights of the trip was getting to see little Stella again.  Pres and Stella can interact more this year than they could last year, and they were adorable together!  We put them both in the hammock together, and they both stayed in there for a good 20 minutes!  Every time the swinging slowed down we would ask them if they wanted more. With very straight faces Stella would nod her head and Preston would sign for more.  So CUTE!!  They also played in the water together for a little while.  Mom and I commented about how it was the perfect example of "parallel play."  They were both doing the same activity, but they weren't really doing it "together."  It's very typical behavior for toddlers.  

We have some exciting news!  I am officially a guest blogger now.  My post is up on my friend Olivia’s Mom’s blog, Another Day in Paradise.  Olivia got a new baby sister, Deanna, earlier this week, so I was thinking about what it might be like to have a baby sister.  Check out my post!

This morning as Mommy was packing my lunch she asked me to put my shoe away.  It was right in the middle of the floor and in her way as she tried to get around the kitchen.  So I picked up the shoe and went to put it away.  Mommy didn’t specify WHERE to put it away, so I decided that it needed to go upstairs instead of into the laundry room (where shoes usually go).  Mom must have thought that I was going to put in the laundry room, because she seemed surprised to see me at the top of the stairs.  Oops! 

From Mommy:
This is actually the second time that Pres has climbed the stair unsupervised.  The first time was on Daddy's watch.  He actually did great, and clearly made it to the top unscathed.  I don't think I want to let him have a free-for-all with the stairs yet, but we are moving in the right direction.  
The other thing I discovered this morning is that Preston HATES his flip-flops.  I was surprised because he brought them to me and asked me to help him put them on.  I think he regretted that decision, because after I put them on he screamed for a 5 minutes until I gave in an took them off.  I think he would grow to like them if he just gave them a chance.  That's the life of a toddler.

Mom (and Grandma) made me a new shirt!  It’s a plaid, seersucker button-up with a pocket!  It took Mom a long time to finish it, and she ran into a lot of problems.  The sleeves were too small for the sewing machine, the collar was too small for the shirt, and her sewing machine was having tension issues while she was trying to hem it.  Despite all of those setbacks it is finished, and we did a fashion shoot!  
Stay tuned for matching pants (if Mom ever gets around to them). 

Preston turned 16 Months old yesterday! He’s still a little lovey, and I’m so proud of all his progress.  In the past month he has begun using signs, learned a few new words (one that I’m not super happyabout), and developed a taste for sushi!
Here is his snapshot in time (I’ll tell you about the dreaded word in a bit):

Favorite Food:
BANANAS (still – the kid is obsessed, it’s the first thing he thinks about in the morning, and the last thing he thinks about at night)

Favorite Toy:
Tough call, I’m going to say it’s his trucks (Toot-toots)

Favorite Activity:
Going for walks

Favorite Activity at Daycare:
Painting

Breakfast:
Banana (of course), milk, and cheerios

Lunch:
Chicken, noodles, cheese, peaches, goldfish

Dinner:
Spaghetti!!

Favorite Animal:
DUCKS

Least Favorite Activity:
Riding in the car

Things that make him sad:
When Mommy says “no,” when Daddy leaves his sight, not getting his way

New things:
Signing

New words:
Lunch Box, More, apple (maybe not new, I forget)

Preston is quite a character lately.  He’s really catching on to some of the things that we are doing, and likes to mimic Mommy and Daddy.   He has a new found love of YouTube Videos (what did we get ourselves into?), and our latest morning routine involves Preston pointing to a cell phone and saying “duck?”  We watch a lot of videos of ducks.  This is our favorite.  Which brings me to the dreaded new word…
You may recall this post about how much Preston loves his Daddy.  I have been waiting patiently for him to call me “mama,” and so I was thrilled on Monday when I picked him up at daycare to the happy calls of “mama”!  I gave him a big hug, and told him how happy I was that he was calling me mama, but he didn’t stop.  He kept saying it an pointing to a nearby bin.  Curious, I walked to the bin with him.  He pulled out an Elmo doll, handed it to me, and said “mama.”  Ugh, are you for real?  Elmo get’s “mama?”  Now, I REALLY annunciate “Ellll-moh” when we talk about that little red monster, but he’s still “mama.”  Sometimes we get “ma-moh,” but it’s not consistent.   We watch a lot of Elmo videos on YouTube now, too. 
Someday I will get some credit around here…  someday.

First of all, to all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's day.  Mommy, as part of mothers day wanted to take the night off from blogging.  I am not going to attempt to be as amazing at blogging as mommy, but I will try to be somewhat eloquent.

Preston is an early riser; most days he is awake before 7am, and for us that's too early.  Today, guess who didn't get up until 8:15am?  We can thank Grandpa Krug for tiring Preston out on Saturday.  We made it to Nazareth this morning at 10:45 for church, and today marks exactly 1 year since Preston got baptized.  Today there was another Baptism, a little girl, and to many's dismay she made it through the service without as much as a peep.  Preston on the other hand was a busy-body, eventually needing to go play in the kids room.
After church, as part of mother's day, Preston, Carrie and I all went out to lunch in Nazareth at our favorite Japanese restaurant.  Lets just say Preston loves sushi.  He had Salmon, Whitefish, and Eel.  All he could say was "more?".
After lunch we headed over to the Lehigh Valley Zoo.  Compared to Philly and San Diego, Lehigh Valley is relatively small.  Preston didn't care too much to sit in his stroller, but once we let him loose in the play area he was happy.  We got to see Turkeys, and Peacocks, and DUCKS!  Preston also loved the spring-loaded Toucan *see below.
We were not there long since Preston was being whiny.  On our way out we were trying to find the ford that Bob told us you used to need to traverse to exit to game preserve over 20 years ago.  We were unsuccessful, it might not exist anymore.
After the zoo, we came back home and Preston got to play outside while Mommy and Daddy did some landscaping.  I can't believe how much more difficult it is to do anything with a toddler running all over the place.  We got the job done, though!
Enjoy some picture below:

Boy did I have a busy day with Grandpa today!  We got to hang out all afternoon, while Mom and Dad did their last Bach Concert of the season.  Grandpa had some major activities planned for us, including my very first train ride!  It’s no surprise that my first ride behind an iron horse was with my Grandpa.  He’s a huge railroad buff, and it was really only a matter of time before my big introduction.  It was just Grandpa and me.  The ride was an hour long, and I loved putting my head out the window to watch the world go by.  I usually have to sit in my car seat when I’m in a moving vehicle, so I felt free!  Grandpa and I even wore matching hats. 

At the end of the train ride the timing was perfect to go visit Mommy and Daddy at intermission!  This isn’t any ordinary intermission.  The First Sopranos know how to “take a concert break” and do it in style with wine, appetizers, snacks, and picnic blankets.  Grandpa and I got there in time to show off for the rest of the choir members and sample some fruit and cheese (my kind of afternoon snack).  All too soon it was time for the concert to start again, so Grandpa and I departed for the next part of our adventure (go home you ask?  Not a chance, we have “things to do”).

Grandpa and I headed down to the canal to take a walk, and we saw some fish and ducks.

Phew, it was a busy day.  Grandpa brought me home to Mom and Dad just in time for dinner and bathtime.  I was tired, but happy!

And that was just today!  Last night Grandpa picked me up at daycare and we went straight to the fish hatchery to throw some Cheerios at some rowdy fishies!  And guess what?  We saw some ducks there, too!  I love ducks.  

From Mommy:
We are done with Bach Choir for the summer!   The festival was a big success, and I always feel full of music and a little bit relieved when it is over.  I’m really glad that Dad was able to bring Preston for intermission today.  Most of our choir friends don’t get to see him much, so it was a bonus.  I was also happy to see him!  I miss him when I have to be away so much. 
On an unrelated not, we did our family-good-deed of the day today.  Our mail carrier left us a empty paper bag to fill with pantry items to fight hunger.  Having just gone grocery shopping we were able to fill it with some cans and some crackers.  We aren’t always the best at being charitable, but we didn’t forget this time.  

Our lady Robin has an attitude, but we are still spying on her!

On Monday I ate 3 bananas.  “3 Banana’s?”  you say, “That’s crazy, why would your parents let you eat 3 bananas?”  Well, I ate 3 bananas because 1) I love bananas, and 2) bananas are on my “tummy safe” diet.  I ate so many bananas in the past few days that we are now out of bananas, and Mommy has to go buy some more before I throw an all out toddler temper tantrum.  
After being sick for 5 days straight I am finally feeling more myself.  I went back to school on monday, and then Daddy and I had the evening to ourselves while Mommy went to a special Bach soprano rehearsal.   We did bathtub Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa because it was Grandpa’s birthday!  Mommy misses out on all the fun!  
Over the weekend we went to visit Gigi, Grandpa, and Uncle Joe.  I was still not feeling well, but managed to have some fun with my new bubble lawn mower. 
You can see all of the pictures HERE

From Mommy:
I’m getting jealous of Daddy!  While I know Preston knows how to say Mama, and does on rare occasions, everything else is about Daddy.  When I pick him up from daycare he asks for Dada.  When we get home he asks for Dada.  When Daddy gets home and leaves the room he asks for Dada.  When Daddy leaves for work in the morning he gets very concerned and points to the door wimpering for Dada.  
When Mommy leaves?  Nothing.  
Even this morning he threw a major tantrum when I went to get him.  He didn’t calm down until Daddy took him downstairs for breakfast.  What am I?  Chopped liver? 
I’m not actually that upset about this.  I sort of set it up myself, because Preston and I talk about Daddy a lot.  I also know that kids sometimes develop parental preferences, and that it’s usually only a phase.  I also know that he loves me, and that he comes to me when he is upset and needs love.  He gives me the most kisses, and he’s thrilled to see me when I pick him up every afternoon.
I just wish he would call me Mama. 

I got a bug at daycare and I don’t mean the crawly kind.  I have been sick with tummy troubles since Wednesday, and I’m only just starting to feel better.  That, mixed with Mom and Dad going to hundreds of Bach Choir concerts and rehearsals, has made this a really busy and exhausting week.  On Wednesday, Mom had to pick me up early from daycare, and we stayed home on Thursday and Friday because I had a fever and was throwing up.  It is no fun being sick.  Finally today I am feeling a little bit better, but because I didn’t really eat anything for 3 days I got tired easily, and then didn’t want to take a nap.  I think in a day or two I’ll be totally back to normal.

Here's what I did today - Daddy let me drive, but I can't really touch the pedals:

From Mommy:
What a crazy week.  John and I have been at Bach rehearsals and concerts every day except Thursday.  Then when Preston got sick, everything got even more complicated.  We had a plan all worked out for Friday where Grandma and Grandpa were going to pick up Preston from daycare while we were at the a concert, but Preston didn’t go to daycare!  Instead we went to the pediatrician who told me that we just had to let the sickness run its course and gave us a prescription for $150 anti-nausea medicine.  We didn’t fill it.  I wasn’t even going to take Pres to the doctor except I got a little freaked out.  When he woke up from his nap he was still sick and was trying to throw up, but there was nothing in his tummy.  Then he was gagging, choking, and screaming when he could catch a breath (some super scary stuff).  So I called the emergency pediatrician line and they calmed me down and wanted to see us.  Mommy freakout = pedi’s dream.   He also was refusing to eat or drink anything, so that was a bit concerning.  
The worst part of Preston being sick this week is that I feel like I wasn’t there for him, and all he needed was me.  Of course he was in excellent hands with his grandparents, but I feel guilty for having to leave him each night.  The best part (or I should say “only good part”) of Peej being sick was that he was super cuddly.  He was clearly not himself, but my normally very wiggly and active boy only wanted to sit in my lap and snuggle.  We watched a lot of youtube videos of ducks and dogs (his current favs), and read his books over and over.  
Today I could instantly tell that he was feeling better, because he didn’t want to snuggle with me and only wanted to go eat a banana (which we were out of so he settled for some cereal and baby food bananas).  I was glad that he was eating again, but we could tell throughout the day that he was still pretty weak.  He got tired easily, threw some major toddler tantrums, and had to take a lot of breaks.   Hopefully tomorrow will be even better.

In other news our previously missing Lady Robin has returned to her “bugged” nest and is possibly incubating a flock of tiny robins.  You can see her on our backyard birdie webcam!   That’s not our only potential backyard family.  To John’s dismay, a family of rabbits build a hole/nest under Preston’s picnic table.  We only know this because we saw the bunny building it.  The hole is pretty well camouflaged.