moo cows and tractors -- twice a day

Early in the morning and after dinner (okay, maybe a few more times in between on some days) we go out to visit Grammy's moo-cows.  In the morning we just go say hello to them, but at night we take the wagon out and feed the moos all kids of things they love...bread...squash...corn cobs.  Both kids loved feeding 2 of the calves (Rosie & Buckwheat) as well as Daisy because we would eat gently out of their hands. Any time Grandpa was with us we would make a stop at the barn to sit in the tractor and the digger. We're making progress...last time neither kiddo would get in the digger but this time they were all for it. Gage never wanted to leave, but we always said it was time for the tractors to go to bed and he would nod and wave to them or blow kisses.

keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times...

Quassy may be a bit on the small side as amusement parks go, but it is perfect for a few hours with the little kids. It sits right on Lake Quassapaug and gave us a beautiful sunset while we were there. Quassy has the same rides they did 30 years ago -- the spaceships that make the BZZZZZ sound (which Savannah was scared of), the boats with bells, helicopters, a train (which Gage road and said woo-woo over and over, and which all of us put our hands up and screamed as we went through the tunnel), the merry-go-round,  the big slide, cars, etc. Fun times for the little ones...

A day at the beach!

It has been 20 years since I have been to Hammonassett beach, but it looked exactly the same. Gage first decided he was still afraid to walk in the sand -- you can see the picture of him crying and standing on the blanket -- but got over it quickly this time. Savannah just had a blast. We played in the surf, tried desperately to catch sea gulls, made sandcastles (well, Savannah and I did, and Gage (aka the Smasher) just smashed them as quickly as we could build them), dug holes, searched for shells, and soaked up the sun. One of those amazing, relaxing days. Savannah decided that she wants to live at the beach, and that "whenever we travel..from now on...ONLY home...the beach...and Disneyworld". Not a bad motto, kid.

exploring the science center

Cousins Kristine & Elizabeth tagged along one day and went to the Hartford Science Center.  There was some big big fun. Both kids loved balancing beachballs on the air shooting out of the orange cones.  They touched sea critters, made airplanes, drove cars, helped boat sails to catch wind, danced on the lights, went to outer space, challenged robots to a puzzle race, and more and more. After that we went to Rainforest Cafe thinking they would love it, but Elizabeth was terrified of the gorillas and Gage was exhausted,  afraid of the thunderstorms, and fell asleep before his lunch arrived. Good day, thought!

playing at the hollow

We spent a hot hot morning playing at the hollow. The digger was a big hit and the subject of much sibling fighting because they both wanted to play with it at once.

Could these really be...their FIRST smores?!?!

It is hard to believe that we have never made smores with the kids before this!!  Well, we made them, but neither of them at them "smores style" -- meaning taking a bite of the whole smooshy sticky mess. Instead, they ate the graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows separately. Apparently they need more smores lessons...

splashing in the river...

We strolled down to the spot we like on the river behind Grammy's house one day for a little guppy and crayfish catching. Armed with spaghetti strainers and buckets, we were no match for those darn fast guppies. We did catch a crayfish -- neither kid had any interest in holding it -- and Gage just looked at and made pinching motions with his hands. Can't blame them, thinking back to many a crayfish pinch of my younger days! Savannah was nice enough to gather up a bucket full of perfectly good small rocks for Gage to throw into the water, but he was not at all interested in those rocks. Instead, he wanted to wade into the deep water and pick up gigantic rocks he could hardly hold to throw and then make a pumping show of success with his fist. Such a boy....

Happy birthday to Gage...again!

The day after arriving in CT for a summer vacation, we had another party for Gage and cousin Elizabeth, who turned  right after Gage. Not sure how Grammy is going to ship that big digger to us, but where there's a will, there's a way! We got a chance to see some family we don't see very often, and for some quality playtime with some of the kids' cousins. They had a blast punching balloons with cousin Ryan, and of course...no family gathering at Grammy's house is complete without a trip out to visit and feed the cows -- always a favorite of all the kids in the family.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Gage!!

It is hard to believe, but our little guy is two already! We celebrated at home a few days early because we were all heading out of town. Gage had just woken up from a nap, was a total cranky crabapple, and was not interested in cupcakes or opening presents. But, he warmed up once he opened something up. Gage got a stash of Diego books, Handy Manny trucks, the new Cars2 guys. THEN....we opened the GIANT box from Grandma & Grandpa Rapp, Uncle Eric & Aunt Tammy and phew...it was like Christmas around here! 

project expando-deck

On day 29 living here in AL, we finished adding on a big deck (14X20). We love it!

New swingset = happy kids

This was Savannah's first swing on our new swingset.  We put it in the shadiest part of the yard (we get shade until 1:30) but with temps over 100, we only play on it in the morning and evening. Mosquito spray is permanently stationed along side it.Gage is still afraid to slide down the slide without having his hand held, but he is doing the "big kid" swing like a champ. That is progress for the little boy who has always been afraid of the swing for some reason. Then again, this photo was taken moments before he licked a big handful of sand so we clearly still have some issues to work on ;-)

It's "only " going to be 94 today kids, let's go to the zoo!

At nearly 10 degrees below last week's temperatures, this morning I decided that a trip to the Birmingham zoo was in order! We may have had more fun there than any other zoo. First, we rode a camel (which yes, part of me thinks is a little cruel for the camel --being in captivity AND having to schlep people around a little dirt track all day for the economic gain of the zoo can't be a good life --  but I gave in the the pleas of my kids). Then we saw a lion who kept roaring at us -- full blown roar that the kids were LOVING! Gage is still walking around roaring every time we mention the lion at home. Then, we got to feed flamingos, which was super cool. We bought some flamingo "kibble" and they pecked it from Savannah's hand. The first time she ran out, one of the little buggers bit her, but luckily she found it amusing and fed them again. Flamingos always remind me that Savannah used to say "mangos come from flamingos butts"!  We road a train, which Gage loved, and just had a blast. After spending 3 hours there we didn't even get to 2 sections of the zoo, so we have something to look forward to on our next trip!

Lions and tigers and JACKRABBITS...OH MY!

Savannah *finally* has the hang of driving her Barbie Jeep!  We "retired" it for a bit in SC because she didn't do so well steering, but she's got it now!  We went for a drive the other day down to the next cul-de-sac and Adam kept asking her if she wanted to put it in "jackrabbit" gear (that is FAST, for all of you non-Barbie jeep owners). She finally agreed and WHOA...OFF SHE WENT!!  We had to jog to keep up with the jeep, Gage was not buckled in and was hanging on as he nearly fell out of the side a few times, but they were both giggling and smiling like crazy. Adam kept yelling "EYES ON THE ROAD" as she veered crazily toward mailboxes, trees, the curb, etc. I just tried not to pee my pants laughing at the whole scene while I ran to keep up with her.  Then we went to an empty lot to drive up and down the hill (off-roading) and she had a crazy determined look on her face that the pictures does not do justice for.

I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream!

We joined the Children's Museum  when we first moved here and went back again. The kids had a great time playing ice cream shop.  It is a vintage ice cream parlor counter complete with marble, all the scoops, dishes, order tablets, and lots of fake fruit to make pretend milkshakes with.  Gage kept trying to lick the face ice creams until I told him to "pretend to chomp it" and then he got it, and proceeded to make loud exaggerated chomping sounds while he pretended to take big bites. He is an ice cream junky!