Picture Perfect ... Almost!

I can't believe we just finished our last week of summer break.  It's amazing, and a little sad, how fast it flew by!  We've had a great time though. This week we finished our last 2 letters - C and Z. Z - Zoo ... Okay, we didn't actually go to the zoo.  Instead we went to the Leesburg Animal Park which has some zoo animals.  We saw tortoises, lemurs, farm animals, ducks, camels, and zebras.  There was a wagon ride and the chance to feed some animals.  The kids got to run around and play on several play sets.  They loved it but D said she wished we'd go to the "real" zoo.  So we've promised her a trip to the nearby zoo this fall. Z - Zoom Around ... We took an opportunity to ride our bikes during the beautiful weather of the week. C - Cupcakes ... We made and ate vanilla cupcakes!  They were for our Labor Day picnic and enjoyed by everyone there. C - Cousins ... The kids got a chance to play with their cousins at our Labor

Project 52, Week 10 - Favorite Color Project 365, Days 297 - 303 Day 297 - Where I Stand Day 298 - Custom Day 299 - No Prompt Day 300 - 2 of a Kind Day 301 - A Backpack Day 302 - No Prompt Day 303 - No Prompt

Earlier in the summer D asked to have a tea party complete with fancy dresses, real cups, and cookies.  She wanted to do it with just me and some of her "friends" (i.e. dolls).  I promised her we'd do it before school started in the Fall. Today while she was having quiet time I set up the dining room with our nice coffee cups, a pitcher of "tea" (apple juice), and a plate of cookies.  I sat her favorite dolls around the table and gave them cups from our play tea set.  Then I called D up and had her put on the dress I'd laid on her bed.  I changed into a dress she has been asking me to wear.   When she came into the dining room she was all smiles to see the tea party set up.  We had the best time together drinking apple juice, eating cookies, and clinking our cups!

Dumsers has the best ice cream on the boardwalk.  They can be found every block, both on and off  the boardwalk.  They have soft serve, milkshakes, and hard packed flavors.  The hardest part is deciding what kind of ice cream treat to get! S chose orange and vanilla swirl.  It was a hit for sure!     D chose just orange.  She wasn't crazy about it so she traded with Grandpa for his orange swirl.   The ice cream, along with Thrashers fries, may or may not have been our dinner that night!!!

What's a trip to the beach and boardwalk without time to ride the overpriced kiddie rides?!?!  On Wednesday B and I took the kids to Trimpers Amusements at the end of the boardwalk.  We bought them each a wristband so they could ride until their hearts were content, or until 7:00 whichever came first.  They had a blast!! Of course there was a carousel ride.  By the way, it's impossible to take indoor photos of moving children! Next was whip around ride where both kids were unsure at first.  But they quickly realized it was fun! Then there was a variety of rides that went in circles ... Boats Bouncy Cars Doggies We attempted to ride the bumper cars. S had no idea what he was supposed to do.  D did okay after driving around in a circle for 10 seconds. Their favorite ride of the day was the frog hop!  S was pretty unsure to start with but quickly discovered this was a great ride.  When you ask either kid what their favorite ride was you get

"Mary Poppins" is one of the kids favorite movies right now!  They sing and dance around the house to all of the different songs.  Before going to the beach they belted out "Let's Go Fly a Kite" then D looked at me and asked when they could "do what the song says."  Of course the answer was while we were at the beach. We took the kids to the beach one evening and pulled out the kite.  Both of them were enamored by how the kite soared above them with little effort.  D enjoyed running back and forth as she made the kite dance in the air.  S had a bit more trouble and kept letting the string spin longer and longer.  He insisted "Spencer do IT!!!" until I said I was just resting my hand (under the spool) because it was tired. It amazes me how such a simple thing is wondrous for kids!

To say our family loves the beach would be an understatement!  The kids adore everything about it from the sand to the waves.  This year they both could enjoy the time we spent on the beach.  They played in the sand, S's favorite part.  They jumped in the waves, D's favorite part.  They dug holes and dumped water in them.  They stood at the edge of the water and waited for the waves to cover their feet.  For them (and B and I) it was magical!  We went to the beach each morning for about 2 hours.  We were there early, around 9:30, so the sun wasn't too bright and the crowd wasn't too big.  This gave the kids plenty of time and space to run, jump, and do whatever their little hearts wanted.