Our first day included a visit to Nanny and Papa’s work places.  We started by visiting Nanny at her flower shop. She gave us a quick tour and gave Kevin a red carnation.  Then we were on our way to visit Papa at the hospital where he volunteers.

When we visit PA, we stay with my sister who is very nice to put up with us for 4 days (especially when Ryan wakes up crying at 5AM!)  Kevin and his cousin Roxie had a great time playing guitar that goes along with their video game. Kevin loves guitars!

We timed our trip to PA to coincide with the Mt. Gretna Triathlon, a local, fun race. This is the second year Dave has done the race. This year Heather also raced, doing a relay with Uncle Jeff and niece Roxie. Below left is a picture of the whole family out supporting at the race; below right is the relay team.

Dave competed with the best of them, and ended up with a 1st place Masters finish.

We packed in a lot of activities into the remaining two days of our trip. We took a drive to see Marshall, Nanny’s horse. Ryan got to meet and ride a horse for the first time. Kevin even rode all by himself!! We also got to see all sorts of other fun things on the farm including 6-week old kittens, roosters, and lots of tractors and farm equipment.

After washing off the horse hair, Kevin, Roxie, Uncle Jeff and Dave went to HersheyPark. I told Kevin “when I was a kid, I used to work at HersheyPark”.  [Now, wherever Kevin goes, he says, “when I was a kid, I used to work here!”]

Despite a little rain, Kevin had a great time riding rides with his cousin Roxie. Of course he loved the motorocycles, but I think his favorite ride was the frog hopper….he just couldn’t stop giggling.  He also went for a ride on his first rollercoaster and all he could say at the end was “let’s do that again!”

Kevin’s other cousin Maddie was away at swim camp during most of our visit.  She made up for lost time and played hard with Kevin and Ryan.  Below, she and Kevin are racing scooters down the driveway.  She taught Kevin how to lift one leg and “coast” on the scooter.  It is hard not to think of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant when he does this.

The remainder of the trip was spent hanging out with family. Nanny got a small bike set up with training wheels and Kevin rode it down their backyard hill over and over and over.  Ryan got to spend quality cuddle time with Nanny and Papa.

Below is a picture of 3 generations of LeRoy men. Ryan would have joined us, but he was probably napping during this picture!

Here we are just before heading out to the Philadephia airport for our trip home. Nanny, Papa, Uncle Jim and Aunt Elma Jean all came over to see us off.  We are very much looking forward to another trip back to PA next year.

Over Memorial Day weekend we flew back to Pennsylvania to visit my family.  There were a lot of family members anxious to see him.  It had been almost a year since we last visited and Kevin had changed a bit since then!! Above is a picture of Kevin in our driveway ready to head to the San Francisco airport. He hauled Mom’s suitcase most of the trip. He entertained quite a few folks at baggage claim.

When we stay in PA we stay with my sister and her family because they have a big house with plenty of extra room for all of us.  My nieces had a great time getting to know their cousin again.  They put him to work out in the big backyard helping them water the plants (below)

One of the first things on the itinerary for our trip was a little triathlon in Mt Gretna on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Friday I spent the day putting my bike together and then taking a drive on the bike course with my Dad and Uncle Jim.  Uncle Jim always likes to point out places where I can cheat and cut corners.   We also fit in a visit to see my Dad at work at the volunteers’ office of the Good Samaritan hospital. He loves showing his grandson off to all the ladies in the office.

Saturday was the race and the entire family made their way out to Mt. Gretna early in the morning to spectate. I think everyone had fun watching me suffer.   I had a good time and it was a well organized event.  The bike course was pretty hilly but the run was on a railroad bed trail that Heather and I had run on in the past.  I really enjoyed that part of the race.  The results of the race are on my website.

After the race we spent lots of time with family and visiting friends.  Nanny took Kevin to visit Marshall, her horse.  The picture on the left is from our 2008 visit, the one on the right is from this year.

By far Kevin’s favorite part of the visit to the farm was playing with the pitchfork in the hay…yes we’re horrible parents for letting him play with a pitchfork…but it did make for some great pictures and he had a blast as can be seen below.

Finally we packed up and started the trip home.  We were a bit worried on the 6 hour flight home as Kevin was super hyper and very loud. We were not making many friends around us.  He had learned to “sing” at my sister’s house while playing Guitar Hero and was practicing his best Adam Lambert whiny/screeching singing voice for the first hour of the flight! Finally he lost energy and fell asleep on Heather’s lap.  I  had loaded episodes of Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street on my iPhone and that helped put him to sleep. He would sit on Heather’s lap watching, fighting to stay away, but eventually his eyelids got REALLY heavy until he fell asleep.

After a peaceful (for everyone) 2 hour nap Kevin was awake, had a snack and seemed to be enjoying himself.  20 minutes before landing in San Francisco he was sitting on my lap when all of a sudden he started vomiting like a volcano.  He was completely covered and I started feeling a wet, warm feeling soaking into my lap.  Two minutes later he was sitting in his diaper in his own seat giggling like nothing had happened. Meanwhile I’m sitting in a pile of puke and smelling wonderful.  I must officially be a Dad now because I wasn’t even phased by this…I mean, what can you do? 

Aside from the final vomit event, it was an excellent trip and Kevin was a real trooper. He adjusted well to east coast time and to the new surroundings and thoroughly entertained the family.

Enough about the airplane ride. We stayed with Dave’s sister Margot, and her family. We took a trip to the hospital on our first morning, Friday. Dave’s Dad (Papa) volunteers there several days a week and has been bragging to his coworkers about his new and only grandson. So, we had to go prove him right. That was Kevin’s first opportunity, of many, to show off all his new-found tricks. He babbled, he crawled, he pulled himself up (and sat down again) a thousand times. He ate the paperwork, he licked the door hinges, and smiled at all the old ladies. He was a hit. I think Papa was proud of his grandson.

In the afternoon, we visited Dave’s Aunt and Uncle. Again, Kevin was a big hit. Elma Jean had a small barn with doors that opened and closed. Kevin tried to eat those, along with all of Elma Jean’s magazines. People must think we don’t feed him enough. Back at Margot’s, Kevin got to spend some quality time with his cousins, Roxie and Maddie. They watched the Wonder Pets. Side note: I cannot get the Wonder Pets song out of my head. I sing it all the time. I did a triathlon this weekend and I sang that damned song for the entire race. “Linny, Tuck, and Ming Ming too….What’s it gonna take? Team work! What’s it gonna take? Team work!” Argh.

Coach Dave doesn’t let my Ironman training stop just because we’re on vacation. So, I went for a 5 mile run. Margot had the family over for dinner that night – Dave’s Mom (Nanny), Papa, and brother Clint. She made a marvelous meal and Kevin entertained us all while he attempted to eat cheerios and a biscuit in his highchair.

On Saturday, we met Nanny at the Y and did a short swim workout. Then we went to visit a childhood friend of Dave’s, Gordy. Gordy and Sherri have three young boys – very rambunctious. So Kevin had plenty of action to watch during that visit. He tried to eat their dish towels. We went to Nanny’s and Kevin got to swing in their backyard and pet his first rabbit. Margot had some neighbors over for dinner Dave kicked everybody’s tail playing pool while Kevin slept through a huge thunder and lightening storm.

Nanny and Papa took Kevin on Sunday morning while we went for a 13 mile run. There is a railroad bed converted into a nice dirt trail in Mt. Gretna, PA. It is my all-time favorite running trail. It has a canopy of leaves over the top, it is soft under your feet, the elevation is flat, and the trail goes on forever. Dave slowed his pace down considerably and ran with me the first 9 miles, then he took off. I picked up the pace best I could to finish in under 2 hours. It was a fantastic run – we saw very few people and a few horses.

Nanny is really into horses. She has one horse, Marshall, stabled nearby. After our run, we met Nanny and Kevin and Marshall. Kevin was so excited about the horse! He poked at his eyeball, stuck his finger up his nostril, and scratched at his mane. Dave took him for a short walk around the farm and Kevin grinned from ear to ear. Kevin tried to eat Marshall’s carrots.

Here is a short video of Kevin and the horse

That afternoon we visited another childhood friend of Dave’s, Amy. Kevin pet his first guinea pig and watched their hyperactive dog run around in circles chasing his tail. Kevin tried to eat Amy’s bracelet.

That evening, most of the family met at Nanny’s for dinner. Nanny got the Haviland china out for the occasion! Kevin got to swing in the backyard again.

On our final day, we visited Nanny at Royer’s Flowers. Kevin was enamored with the electric carts hauling loads and loads of boxed flowers. Dave’s friend Joan came by to meet Kevin and give us a yummy bowl of peanut butter balls.

Given our long trip out east, we decided to “upgrade” our tickets home to a non-stop flight straight to San Francisco. We had lunch with everyone before we headed to the airport. Kevin slept all the way there, partied at the Philly airport, then slept for the first half of the flight home. He made a lot of friends the second half of the flight, flirting with the ladies. One flight attendant brought a steaming cup of dry ice for Kevin to watch. He tried to eat that too.

We were home by 10pm and in bed by quarter after. Kevin converted to west coast time overnight – he was back on track.

Throughout the trip, we wondered what Kevin was thinking. He was so excited about meeting his first horse. What did he think it was? A big, hairy person with a long face, oversized nostrils, and big teeth? He traveled 3000 miles, spent 5 days at someone else’s house, and flew 3000 miles home. An 8 month old probably just thinks he’s going to a new part of his own house, where different people live. Weird.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Heather and I made short but very fun trip back to PA to visit my family. We were pleasantly surprised at how easy our trip was at the airport. We didn’t encounter any long lines at security and the airports didn’t seem busy at all. We were also very fortunate to have a perfect weekend of weather in PA, sunny and in the high 50′s…very unusual for Thanksgiving weekend.

After flying Wednesday night on a red-eye into Philadelphia, we rented a car and drove to my parents house. Heather and I were excited to see the new kitchen renovation at my parents house. Lucky for my mom, Heather was more than ready to help organize the new kitchen

Since Heather and I didn’t arrive until the afternoon on Thanksgiving day, the family decided to have Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. My sister and her family hosted the event at their house.

We took a trip home to central Pennsylvania to see family and attend Dave’s 25th high school reunion. 25th!?!? Dave was between jobs, so he spent a week home with his family. Heather flew in on the red eye on Saturday morning. We went for a jog at the nearby school (trying to keep Heather awake). Gordy, one of Dave’s high school classmates, had a pool party with a few families. Gordy’s wife, Sherry had prepared a nice BBQ and all the kids (big and small) enjoyed the pool. Heather got to take a nap after the pool party and then we headed to the high school reunion.

Many of Dave’s troublemaker buddies were there: Andy, Eric, Tony, and Gordy. They were trouble in high school, but they’ve all grown up (to some extent) and are doing well. Some people didn’t change much at all, and some look much better than in high school. Even Dave’s high school biology teacher, Mr. Swingholm, made an appearance. Dave remembers him being about 80 years old as his instructor – he didn’t look any younger! The DJ played the best of the 80’s and we enjoyed talking to everyone. Dave’s co-captain of the cross country team was there – they hadn’t seen each other in 25 years. He joined the navy Air Force and is now a physical therapist…and is still running! Most of the graduates had children; and we got a lot of “when will you two have children?” looks.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Lebanon Country Club. Maddie, Judy, Dave, and Heather all played 9 holes of golf. Maddie and Judy play quite regularly, and it showed. Dave and Heather hadn’t played in years (and that showed too!). Maddie got to drive the golf cart (though she wasn’t old enough) and she was very helpful in telling Heather what club to hit on each turn. (Heather needed all the help she could get.) It was a fun afternoon – very entertaining for us and for those watching. Uncle Jim and Aunt Elma Jean parked on the nearby road to watch us all flounder at the 6th hole. That night, Margot had the whole family over for dinner at their house. Dave and Clint played a few close rounds of pool in Margot’s newly refinished basement. Heather and Roxy’s pool game lasted forever (since we were both so bad!). Even Bill made his way down the stairs to watch the action.

Before Heather had arrived, Dave set out to clean up the room neighboring the garage. (Be sure to check out the Before and After pictures.) Over the years, it had accumulated with stuff, or shall we say “junk,” to the point where you could not walk in the room. There were no lights, no shelves, and no organization. Dave and his Mom spent a half a day sorting through the stuff, deciding what to keep and what to donate to the dump. He hung up two florescent lights and installed a new light switch and a few power outlets. The next day, Dave and his niece Maddie, put together four sets of shelves. Then Heather got to join the project at the fun part – organizing all the stuff! Finding a place for everything is her specialty. Now the room has a workbench, hanging tools, a gardening section, a horse-care section, and plenty of room to walk around.