Weekend Adventures

It feels like January came and went in a blink of an eye!  I can't really tell you what we did in January.  Not much.  I think we bundled up indoors and probably watched way more TV than the American Pediatric Association would approve of.  But it's a new month, and I am bound and determined to get these kids, and myself, out of the house as much as we can.  

Last weekend, I was away on my annual girls' scrapbooking weekend. (Yeah for me!) Josh was Mr. Mom for a few days (with the help of Papa Dan).  Our nearby farm, Fox Hollow, had just announced the birth of some baby goats, so Josh bundled the kids up for a morning trek to the farm.  Here are some shots of the kids playing with the kids...ha...ha...

We go to the farm often, and Kate loves the sheep and lambs.  Nathan has a fascination with the chickens.  Some days they let us in the hen house to find our own eggs.  But today Nathan got a real treat:  he bonded with a chicken so to speak, and he got to sit on a tractor too -- can't beat that!

 

We just love Fox Hollow Farm.  Thank you to Stephanie, Vince and Olivia for always making the kids feel so welcome and special!

Keeping with community support, our good friend, Chris, works for Laytonsville Fire Department.  He invited Nathan to come by to see some engines.  Nathan is obsessed with firetrucks right now.    Every other word is firetruck or ambulance or police car.  But he honestly is fanatical about firetrucks!  What a special treat this was for our Firefighter Nathan!

Thanks, Chris, for your time today!  And thank you to all the firefighters who serve our communities so well.  We are grateful!

Who needs a Sleigh when you have a choo-choo train?

Another year.  Another Christmas.  Another ride on the Walkersville Santa Train.   The anticipation builds each year as the kids look forward to seeing Santa.  Nathan was so excited - he didn't know which was better - seeing Santa or riding on a train!!!

 

 

The man of the hour has arrived!  He sits down with each of the kids and talks at length with them.  I love how much attention they get from him.  And honestly, he is the real Santa!

 Nathan wants a firetruck- of course.  It is the year of the firetruck after all.   Kate wants an American Girl Doll, or a SnugglePuppet Blanket, or a camera, or a.... you get the idea.

 As we are leaving the train, Santa is waiting at the bottom of the platform waving good-bye to all the good boys and girls.  When Kate gives him a high-five, and yells over her shoulder,
"Bye Santa, I'll see you at the mall!"

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

Kate has been counting down the days to our Florida/Disney Vacation.  Meeting the princesses is top on her list of things to do.  In fact, when we landed at the Orlando airport, she asked if we were immediately going to Cinderella's Castle.  Sorry Kate; we have a few stops to make before the castle.  But, tomorrow is the big day - and Kate will FINALLY meet the royal princesses.

 Before we embark on Magic Kingdom tomorrow, we had a little surprise for Kate.  Today SHE became a PRINCESS thanks to the Fairy Godmother's helpers at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  And to say the least, Kate was beside herself with excitement!!

 She was asked to pick a hairstyle and tiara.

 She was asked which princess she wanted to be.  And when Kate responded Tiana, the Frog Princess, she found this dress, crown and wand magically waiting for her in the dressing room.

 She was pampered with glittery hair, shiny nails, and even makeup.  Kate was very excited to wear lipgloss!

 It was a magical experience for Kate.  One I hope she will never forget.  At four years of age, the magic of make believe is still alive.  And even though we had to listen to her Bibbidi Bobbidi Booing all evening and using her magic wand to make dinner appear and doors open and cousins stop talking....it was very special for me to watch her take in all the glitz and glamor and wonder that Disney provides.  In her heart, Kate was a princess today.  To believe that magic still exists is a priceless gift that I wish I still possessed.  Maybe I do after today.

October Fun

Well, since snow is looming in tomorrow's forecast, I thought it best to post a few of our October outings while it still seemed like autumn.  Grandma Ann and Papa Dan came back to Maryland with us after our visit to the Outer Banks.  And even though apple season was well underway, Kate wanted to wait until Grandma was here to go apple picking.  I think we got the remnant of this season's pickin's, but it was a fun experience for Kate. Grandma and I peeled all the apples, dipped them in honey and lemon and froze them for winter pies and crisps.  (Thanks Grandma for the help peeling the apples!!)

Right next to the orchard was a pumpkin patch.  Of course Kate wouldn't accept any of the pumpkins Grandma or I suggested; she had to search out the biggest one for herself!  Now she's begging me to make pumpkin pie.  Maybe we'll tackle that next week!

Each autumn our local fire station hosts an open house.  Kate went last year and couldn't wait to go again this year.  Specifically, she wanted to ride on the firetruck - something she wasn't able to do last year.  We eventually got chosen in the firetruck ride raffle (thanks to a generous volunteer that noticed we had been waiting for more than 1.5 hours for our tickets to be called).  In the meantime, Kate managed to explore and have a lot of fun!

 Daddy was the patient on the ambulance as Kate checked him over.  He was a little sad, so the stuffed bunny made him feel better.  Kate said he was A okay and didn't need to go the hospital after all!

Daddy agreed; the firetruck ride was worth the wait.
It was a memorable day!

A BIG Adventure for some Little Folk

Today was a lot of fun!  After a stop at Currituck Lighthouse (which Kate climbed up each step all by herself), we transferred the kids' car seats into our friend's Jeep and hit the open beach in search for wild horses.   Unfortunately, we only saw one horse off in the distance, but the ride itself was a lot of fun.  Of course Kate loved every minute - she never turns down an adventure.  But Nathan, who can be a little cautious at times, let loose and squealed and laughed for most of the ride.  He loved the bumps and the wind.

Next year we'll do it again and hope for better luck with the horses.