Hanging out with Jack

During one of our days back in Pennsylvania, Jack brought down a few of his favorite games from his house to play with Kylee. It turned out to be a successful game time with both kiddos. Other than Star Wars Trouble (Kylee lost interested after about 30 minutes!) both kids played each game in its entirety ... with little to no arguing. : ) The list of games we played while we were there included: Tepee Memory (this one was a blast from the past that I found stored in my parents' house), Kids' Sequence, Trouble (I ended up finishing this game with Jack), and Don't Break the Ice.

Here are a few pics of the kids playing Don't Break the Ice.

This next picture doesn't really go with the whole "games with Jack" theme of this post but I just had to include it. As we were heading back to Virginia, we set up a movie for the kids. When Ryland fell asleep we hooked Kylee up with the headphones. I turned around to find her with both sets of headphones so that "friend Doggie" could listen to the movie too! HA! Love it! : )

More Fun in MA

Canobie Lake was another one of our little trips while we were in Massachusetts. Kylee and Ryland had fun on the kiddie rides. Without her riding partner, Jack, though Kylee was a little apprehensive to go on some of the rides alone this time. Ryland was able to ride on most but the ones that he couldn't, and adults couldn't, she decided to pass on. Aunt Laurie took a few for the team though and gave Kylee a partner when needed. : )

The bouncing cars were popular again this year. Last year Kylee (and the adults that rode with her) enjoyed them. This year, Ryland got to have a try at them too. Verdict -- a great ride! : )

And of course we had to ride the Merry-Go-Round.
We also went to the Franklin Zoo in Boston. The kids had fun looking at all the animals.

There were also a couple playground and things for the kids to ride. The truck that the kids are in is actually sticking into the lion's cage. When you sat in the driver's seat you were on the other side of the glass. It was a pretty neat idea, I thought.

And of course another big hit for Kylee and Ryland was a board where you could put your faces into the holes. I don't really know why they love this thing so much since they can't see what they look like but whatever works.

Beach Trip

We recently took our trips up north to visit with family. We went to Pennsylvania for a few days, headed up to Massachusetts for a bit, and then back to Pennsylvania. While we were in Massachusetts we went for our annual beach trip. In the past we have walked to the beach (carrying Kylee) looked at the ocean (still holding Kylee) and left (again, while carrying Kylee.) Kylee is NOT a fan of the sand on her feet (Honestly, I'm not a big fan either so I guess it is my fault.) So, this year we took water shoes with us and a new set of beach toys that was used for "cooking" on the beach. We got to the beach and Kylee actually wanted to keep her flip flops on. I was a little unsure of how this would go but she walked through the sand by herself! We set up the toys and it seemed like things would work out for us this year. We were actually at the beach for 2 hours!!!! This broke our previous record of 10 minutes. : )

We also go to meet the newest member of the Cookson family while we were in Massachusetts. Samuel Diego Rodriguez came by to hang out with us a lot while we were there. It was so great to meet him! Kylee calls him "Go Diego" instead of Sam!

Sam enjoyed some beach time with him mommy too. : )

Ryland, unlike his sister, had NO problems with the sand. He got right down into it and was dumping it everywhere. We decided that Kylee is like me and Ryland is just like Pete ... neither one of them could care if they have sand stuck all over them for hours after leaving the beach. Kylee and I prefer the scenery and towels while we were there. : ) There was also a huge pile of rocks near the section of beach we were sitting on. This was also a huge hit for Ryland and he loved trying to climb on the rocks.

Kylee played with her cooking set the entire time we were there. If you notice though, she was perfectly sitting on her towel so she could play with the toys and keep her body as sand free as possible. She had a great time mixing all of the ingredients together while we were there.

Kylee didn't get the water herself though. She would always ask someone else to get it for her. Well, no fear Ryland decided that he would help her out the one time. He would walk down to the water and hold the bucket in the air hoping it would fill up. : ) He finally realized that he need to put the bucket down and when he did a bit of a wave came and took him down too. Once he was up and on his feet again he went right back to it -- not phased by it at all.

Here's hoping next year's beach trip is another "record breaker." : )

Randoms from July

As I was organizing pictures I realized that I had a few that didn't really "fit" anywhere. But I still thought they were worth sharing. : )

Kylee and Ryland were enjoying their snack and an episode of Go Diego Go on their new couch. : )

Ryland LOVES his pasta! And these pictures show why we only have pasta for supper on bath nights. Ha!

Lately, Kylee has really enjoyed helping me in the kitchen. She has been helping get supper ready a lot ... and she is pretty good at it too. Here she is helping me make mini-sheperd's pies. (Don't worry, we don't usually cook without pants ... not sure why she was here.)

One of Ryland's new obsessions is playing on the iPad. It is actually pretty crazy to watch him and see how he is able to navigate his way with very little help.

DC Playseum

A new Playseum recently opened in DC so we decided to check it out. The set up is the same as in Bethesda but with different rooms to visit.

Our first stop was prison! Yep, Kylee handcuffed Daddy and stuck him behind bars. : )

The restaurant area was a big hit for Kylee and Ryland. Kylee was very attentive to her customers (Daddy and Ryland) and was sure to keep bringing them plenty of food. There was even and area where you could make your own pasta. We didn't do that this time but maybe during a future visit.

The shopping at this playseum was more like a market instead of a grocery store. Kylee and Ryland each took a basket and started filling it up with all kinds of goodies. Ryland was excited to see so many fruits and vegetables that he recognized.

There was a farm room with tractors and "horses" to ride.

The beach was another popular place (especially since it didn't require Kylee actually getting her feet dirty. Ha!)

Downstairs there were a couple of different things in one room. A train table (which Ryland spent A LOT of time at), a kayak (which Kylee seemed to enjoy), and a stage with musical instruments (we all enjoyed that one!).

Other than the market, the room that seemed to be the most popular with Kylee and Ryland was the Dominos Pizza store. They could use the computers to take our orders. Kylee took this job very seriously as you can see from the expressions on her face. Then after preparing our order, there were toaster ovens there to cook the food. At first I was disappointed that it wasn't a huge pizza oven like the one in Bethesda but this actually turned out better for our two. They could both reach the ovens perfectly and were able to turn the knobs and everything. So, they really enjoyed the "cooking" part.

We took lunches with us to eat while we were there. One of the kids' new favorite lunches is a fluffernutter. They both ate their whole lunch ... and I couldn't resist a few marshmallow face pics. : )

Natural Bridge

Pete and I decided to take the kids for an overnight trip to the Natural Bridge. As you can see, Kylee brought along all of her gear -- binoculars, magnifying glass, and camera. She was a little girl on a mission carrying everything around too (for most of the walk anyway.) The kids had a good time walking around and we were lucky enough to spot some snakes and fish down in the water for them to see.

At the bottom of the stone wall that went along the path there were a bunch of holes. Kylee thought it was helpful to point out each of these holes to Ryland; Ryland however, thought it would be interesting to try and use the holes to get closer to the water. We had to stay close by for sure since he would have definitely fit down the hole (well his body would have ... not sure about his head! ha!) : ) On the walk back we picked up some rocks and let the kids stand on the wall to toss them in. Ryland kept saying "more, more."

We walked to the section where the Indian Village was set up. There were animal skins, houses, workshops, fire pits, and some demonstrations going on. Kylee and Ryland were most interested in the random bench in the middle of the village though. Kylee kept trying to get Ryland to sit next to her so they could get their picture taken ... it turned into quite a photo shoot. This was the best we got.

The main reason we decided to go to the Natural Bridge was to go to the Safari Park. We had been there a few times in years past but this was the first time this year. We decided to take the Jeep instead of the van. I just wasn't comfortable having the van doors open and the kids strapped into their seats while feeding the animals. I know people do it and it would have been find but maybe that will be when the kids get older. There were a few animals that Kylee wanted the window up for anyway so I don't think she would have been a fan of the open doors. When we got there, we took out the kids carseats and I sat in the back with them. This worked out great because they were both able to reach the window to help feed the animals.

Kylee did a great job feeding the animals. Our favorites were the emu and the ostrich. The first time around we stayed away from the camels. Kylee didn't want them coming in her window but the second time we drove through she was ready to try. He did try to steal our bucket which made a bit of a mess but other than that it wasn't too bad. We'll see if we try and feed him again next time or not. : )

Ryland was definitely a fan of the no car seat concept. He loved looking and pointing out the window as we passed by some of the animals.

After the drive through part we went to the farm area and used up the rest of our food first. Kylee fed as many goats as she could. Ryland tried to catch the chicken that was running around. The chicken quickly hopped back into the fenced area to get away. : )

The little pictures to put your face in was another big hit ... who knew?!? I think the two of them could have stayed and played at the llama picture all day!

It turned out to be a great little trip and one that we are hoping to make again soon!

Knoebels

While we were up in Pennsylvania this month we were able to find time to head to Knoebels. It turned out to be a great trip for everyone. We went with Jack, Aunt MayMe, and Aunt Laura. All the kids (even Laura!) seemed to have a really great time. We knew Jack and Kylee would love the rides and they had been on most of them the year before together. Ryland, however, we weren't sure about but he loved them (which of course made me very proud!) I think my theory on rides is correct ... if he can see what is going on he enjoys them. (This is why he isn't really a huge fan of some of the rides at Sesame.) We are planning another trip to Knoebels in early August when we visit again. Kylee is already listing the rides she wants to go on ... and the order she wants to ride them in!?

Our first stop was the mini ferris wheel.

Next up were the cars. These were great because each car had two steering wheels so there was no arguing over who was going to drive. Jack and Kylee rode in the orange car and Aunt Laura and Ryland drove behind them in the purple one.

The helicopters were another big hit. Jack was such a great big cousin and told Kylee they should ride in the black helicopter because "black is your favorite color." Aunt Laura and Ryland were riding partners again. One of my favorite pictures is the one in the upper left because you can't see Ryland so it looks like Laura is just having a blast on the kiddie ride by herself. : )

Pretty much anything with a steering wheel made Ryland and Kylee happy. This tanker even had buttons to push.

Aunt MayMe and Jack rode next to Pete and Kylee on the umbrella drop. Although it is an "adult sized" free fall it is a nice slow drop to the bottom (which made Pete happy). : )

Kylee, Jack, and Aunt MayMe also got to ride the rocket ship. This was another ride when you controlled if you were going up or down. Kylee needed a little bit of help to pull the lever and go up but they were able to get it going.

In all the years my family has been going to Knoebels we have never seen this little play area that was there. It was just a spot with some climbing structures but they kids had a good time running around in there for a bit.

Who wouldn't love to drive a fire truck ... complete with a bell to ring.

Kylee and Jack gave the hand carts a try too. This might be Jack's last year to ride these since he is getting so tall. We think the lady let him go so he could ride with Kylee.

One of the newer rides is a set of airplanes that follows a course similar to the whip. I don't think Kylee realized what the ride was until it started ... she was a big fan!

Probably my favorite ride to watch the kids on is the Junior Whip. This has been one of Jack's favorites for a few years now. Kylee rode it last year for the first time and loved it. We put Ryland on and gave Jack his "big cousin duties" of making sure he kept Ryland in the seat. I always forget how fast the cars whip around the corner until that first time. The four adults were holding our breaths hoping that Ryland would enjoy it otherwise Jack was going to have a tough time trying to keep him in the car (which doesn't have a seatbelt!?) I think the pictures speak for themselves! I can't wait to put the kids on this one again! : )

Aunt Laura was successful in getting a picture with each of the kids ... thanks for coming along and being Ryland's riding partner Laura! : )

There were a few rides we didn't get to and a few that it was too dark for pictures but I'm sure we will hit everything the next time we go!