Homestead Gardens

We LOVE to visit homestead gardens before Halloween.  They always have a fun fall festival with lots of fun activities for the kids.  This is our fourth year in a row we've gone!  Here are the links to past visits (2011, 2010, and 2009)

This year was fun because both kids could really participate!  I was thinking it would be fun to get cute portrait photos of the kids in the pumpkin patch...but apparently they weren't on the same page!

 



Decorating pumpkins




Pumpkin train ride


Bouncing pillow


Emily and I took a hayride out to a cornmaze


Playing in the corn maze






Helping Ethan through the small hay maze




He LOVED sitting on pumpkins


...and eating them...silly boy!

Renaissance Festival

Last month we checked out the local Renaissance festival!  It's been recommended to us for many years.  Since we will probably be moving next Summer, we knew this would be our last chance to check it out!

We had so much fun!



We were prepared for merriment!


Kids loved the bubbles


Steak on a Stake (hehe)


Emily (pink coat) and Ethan (laying on his belly) got to participate in a sing-along!  Ethan had other ideas about what he should be doing on a stage.


Pony rides!




Fun playground!

Last weekend we had a birthday party for Ethan with a bunch of our friends!  We went to a place called Ultimate Play Zone, where there are lots of huge bouncy castles for the kids to play and jump on.  We had so much fun!

Kids playing in the lobby before we got to go to the bouncy castles.  They didn't need any toys to have fun!




Monkey boy climbing to the top of the slide




Having fun!


Wearing dad out!




Friends at the party!


Excited about his elephant cupcake


Yummy


My neighbor makes cupcakes - isn't her work incredible?  We LOVED the cupcakes!


We had a great turnout...about 20 kids there (not including ours).  Thanks to all our friends who showed up to party with us!

Family Party

On Ethan's birthday, we had a small family party for him. 





Balloons + Air Conditioning = so much fun!


"Look Ethan, this is how you open a present"


He loves his glockenspiel


We're working on the proper way to play a tambourine! haha


Puzzles that make sound from Grandma Susan!  He loved playing with these in Seattle.


Keyboard!


Rocking out together and having a good time


That sweet face - those sweet eyes.  I love that kid!  That's Elmo on his cake, in case you can't tell.  He kept asking for "more Elmo" for the next couple days ;).


Despite practicing blowing out candles all day long, he got a little nervous when they were lit!  He needed some assistance from his "sissy" (as he calls her).


Happy Birthday sweet boy!  We love you tons!

Happy Birthday Big E!

My Big E is 2 years old!  I can't believe it!  He's a big puzzle-doing, song-singing, blue-eyed-twinkling ball-throwing, bed-jumping boy!  Big E, Little E, Sweet E, Mr. E, Mr. Man, Buddy - you are so loved by everyone who meets you.  We are so lucky to call you ours!

Here are a couple videos of our buddy!

Playing with Grandpa T's walker while we were in Seattle.


He loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star


And here he is running with his funny arm-swing.


I'll make another post about the actual day :)

Touch a Truck

My friend organized a Touch-A-Truck as a fundraiser for a local playground.  We went an had SO much fun!  The kids got to sit in so many awesome trucks/vehicles!

Checking out the Sheriff car!


She actually got to hold the hose from a fire truck as it sprayed water on a house!


Ethan loves tractors


He thought this was pretty much the coolest thing ever and kept wanting to come back!


Riding a trolly


School bus


The kis love sitting in the basket!


Ridding the lift gate on the back of a recycle truck

Sesame Place

Here are a few photos from the rest of our Memorial Day weekend trip - Sesame Place and the Aquarium in Philadelphia (technically in Camden).

Emily loved the lazy river!  Ethan wasn't as big of a fan, but he still enjoyed it.  I think the life jacket we made him wear ruined some of the fun.   (He's napping while I take this photo)


Just chilling on Sesame Street :)


Emily and Daddy go on the big swings.




 Emily loved the shows, but spent most of her time plugging her ears. She's sensitive to loud noises.  Ethan loved seeing Elmo.


She was very excited about the big bucket at the top of this structure - it poured water all over anyone standing below.


Philadelphia!  We're headed to the aquarium.  It was so much fun!








Petting a blue lobster!  The aquarium had at least 5 different "touch tanks".

2 videos

Here are a couple recent videos of the kids.  I'm working on getting some photos ready to post too!

Here are the kids dancing!


Emily loves to swim.  We got her a pair of goggles, and she loves to "dive" for toys at the bottom of the pool.  When we're in the big (deep) pool, she needs help getting to the bottom because she keeps floating.  But here's a video of her playing the kiddy pool.