Mohican

Another day, another airplane trip. After flying to Pittsburgh and driving Aunt Jess to her baby shower, Simone took the short drive to Uncle Scott's house at Mohican Outdoor Center. Aunt Kristin, Uncle Chris, cousin Owen and our good friend Mari joined us for an evening on the deck of the boathouse. Mari presented Nancy and Becca with a copy of their wedding vows, beautifully copied onto pieces of slate. Once the tears dried up, the kids enjoyed playing in front of the sunset. Uncle Scott was the first to notice that unlike our baby pictures, Simone and Owen's pictures include many a bottle of beer in the background. Good times...

North Carolina

A little further down the road, Simone met her cousin Caden, Aunt Laura and Uncle Brian. The "Little's Bed and Breakfast" welcomed us for a night on the way home to Georgia. Uncle Brian even got up early on a Saturday to make his famous blueberry pancakes! Simone and Caden played hard and Caden happily practiced "the switcheroo" when Simone tried to steal his toys.

Ocean City

Following a visit with Grammy and Grandpa, Simone headed south to Ocean City, MD to see Uncle Robb and Aunt Erin. Simone played with her Maryland Crab sand toy on the beach and was chased back again and again by a quickly rising tide. We can't wait to meet Erin and Robb's little baby, due in October!

"The Trip"

At the tender age of 7 months, Simone became the youngest member of the Carlton/Heller/Patton tribe to embark upon what we know as "The Trip". For the past 25 years, various members of the three branches of the family have paddled down the Delaware River through New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Simone and cousins Melissa and Jonathan joined us on the river to represent the next generation. Simone spotted her first eagle soaring over the ridge on the opposite side of the river, learned the difference between a kayak and a canoe (thanks to Uncle Terry), learned how to build a proper s'more and slept like a champ in the tent! Truly, the only time she really fussed during the entire 3 day adventure was during the yearly re-telling of the Battle of Minisink. Go figure. We hope to see more cousins on the river next year and we look forward to many years of paddling with Simone.