Memorial Day

For Memorial Day weekend, we took a trip to Pennsylvania. One of the highlights of the weekend was the Memorial Day parade. We had been to the parade last year too and Kylee remembered it as the parade where they throw candy! Needless to say, she was pretty excited to go again this year. (I, of course, grew up with this parade and didn't realize that it isn't a "normal" occurrence for candy to be thrown at parades. Pete was pretty surprised last year when the Tootsie Rolls started flying threw the air!)

The kids enjoyed an empty parking lot and some running around before the parade started.

A look at everyone watching the parade including the peanut gallery that was behind us (consisting of my parents, aunts, and uncle.) : )

And the best part ...... filling the bags with candy! We ended up coming home with a gallon size Ziploc bag filled to the top! I guess I know what we will be doing next Memorial Day. : )

Kylee's Own Blog

Kylee has been very into taking her own pictures lately so we set her up with her own blog! Be sure to check it out at kyleesview.blogspot.com (or click on the link at the right of our page.) Enjoy!

Playseum

We did decided to go on a little adventure with our Brayden (and his mom Julie) up to the Playseum in Bethesda, MD. It turned out to be a great little adventure and one that I'm sure we will end up doing again. There weren't too many people there (aside from a school group that we kept our distance from!?) so the kids were really able to spread out and enjoy each of the rooms. We spent a good 2 hours there and I think Kylee and Brayden could have stayed there for another 2 hours but Ryland was starting to get hungry and tired so we headed out. All three of the kids really seemed to have a great time!

We went shopping at Safeway! Be sure to check out the mini freezers that are there to hold the frozen and cold items!

The "outdoor" area was a big hit too. Kylee and Brayden spent a while "fishing" for letters while Ryland just liked standing and jumping around on the bridge.

Then we went to the Eye Doctor's office. There was some eye stuff there but also a lot of things you would find in the waiting room.

There was even a Domino's Pizza where the kids could make their own pizza (with felt pieces) and put it in the oven (which had a heating lamp in it to make it feel warm!). Kylee and Ryland enjoyed taking the orders with the phone and computers so luckily Brayden and Julie didn't mind working in the kitchen. : )

The music stage was a big hit too. Ryland was just enjoying all the noise he could make without anybody stopping him. When he found out he could stand and hit the drums with the drumstick he was in heaven!

One of Kylee's favorite things was in the Construction Room. There was a bucket that was connected to a pulley. You could fill it with "bricks" and than raise and lower the bucket.

The fire truck was a popular place for everyone. Ryland kept wandering over to the room only to find that it was alway filled with kids we didn't know. When he finally saw it empty, he was all excited to get behind the wheel.

We also went into the Pet Store (which had real animals!) and into the Bakery. Kylee and Brayden got to make their own mud pies. There is also a picture here of Ryland going through a tunnel connecting the Construction Room to the Fire Station. This was where he kept going to see if the fire truck was available or not. : )

We had a great time and can't wait to go back. We didn't even make it to the Art Studio this time and some of the rooms (like the Dentist Office) were crowded so we weren't there too long so there is still more for us to explore there! : )

Lots of Updates!?!?

So, I finally emptied my camera, created some collages, and updated the blog. There are quite a few new posts here (just a warning!) I'm going to try and update a little more often so there aren't so many things to write about next time. Enjoy ... and thanks for reading! : )

Sesame Place

For Mother's Day weekend we decided to head up to Sesame Place for our first visit of the season. We were even able to meet Grandad, Nana, and Aunt Laura there! Kylee was excited and kept telling everyone that Ryland was going to be able to ride on all the rides with her this year. She loved the rides again (that's my girl!). The jury is still out on Ryland though ... he didn't cry or try to get off but he didn't exactly smile either. He just kind of sat there and took it all in. Here are a few pictures from some of the rides. (Although it looks like Nana and Pete went on the balloon ride by themselves, both kids were with them -- it is just hard to see them.)

Then we took a walk down "Sesame Street" and were able to get some good pictures.

So, these are just pictures of Ryland finishing his watermelon for lunch but they were just too cute to not include. : )

One of the biggest accomplishments of the day -- getting close to Abby and Elmo! Last year Kylee enjoyed looking at the characters as long as they were far away. It was a big step when she gave Abby a high five but that was all she would do last year. This year she got close to Abby and Elmo AND even let Elmo give her a hug (with me there too but at least it was a step in the right direction.)

It was a great trip and I'm sure we will be going back again soon! : )

Reston Zoo

A few weeks ago we headed to the Reston Zoo to meet up with some friends. We were able to walk around and play with Brayden, Charlotte, Jack, and Gia. The kids liked seeing all the animals. (The picture below is of them all looking at the alligators). We were able to go on the wagon "safari" ride too which was great. The animals came right up to the wagon to get some food. Although Kylee wasn't up to feeding the big animals (camels, ostriches, etc.) she did like the ride and was not too shy with the animals coming very close to us. (Ryland ended up falling asleep on the ride!?)
Here are a few pictures of Kylee from the day. I don't have any of Ryland because I either had to carry him or chase him as he was trying to run after the geese. Ha!

Truck Day

The city of Herndon puts on a Truck Show for the kids where they can climb in and out of different construction vehicles. We headed over there to meet up with our friends Brayden, Jack, and Gia (and their moms of course.) It turned out to be a great little trip. Both kids loved the trucks and steering all the big wheels. Ryland still loves wearing his "hard" hat.

They also had a traffic light set up where you could control the lights with switch box. Kylee thought it was pretty neat to change the colors and Ryland thought it was worth dancing and jumping when the colors changed. Then of course it turned into a usual activity for the kids. Ryland running around and Kylee chasing him saying, "It otay Mommy, I got him." : )