Little Amerricka

There's Great America, and then there's Little Amerricka.

It has all the old fashioned kiddie rides of Bay Beach, plus carnival rides, a roller coaster, bumper boats, race cars, and mini golf.

 We met up with friends in the Madison area who have a 18 month old, so we started off on the kiddie rides. Here's Lydia's 'vroom' face.

 Here, maybe it's just the convertible, the look on their faces, or their dynamic ability to get into trouble, but they are screaming Thelma & Louise to me. ;)

 So much fun on the fire engines! Ring the bell!

 Squirt the hose!

Dad and Lydia landed softly on this ride. 

 We were lucky to have picked the covered car on the coal train because just as we started going, it started to rain and storm. It only lasted 15 minutes.

Abigail loved the carousal and making 'neigh' sounds for her pretty horse.

 No way to take a picture on the Tilt-a-whirl. Uncontrollable laughter nearly turned to uncontrollable stomach. The girls loved it! Also, the roller coaster was fast and fun, but short, so they let you ride it 3 times in a row!

 Ah, nostalgia swept over me when I saw the race cars and bumper boats. They are just like the ones we would go to in Shawano as kids. Ben got a bit of a slow car, and then I got a wimpy water squirter on the bumper boats. We're glad it was hot enough to get wet and dry quickly.

Last thing we did was mini golf. Ben and I could legitimately play while the girls followed and tossed their ball around. Abigail gave a surprise funny face for the picture ;)

Super Cool Summer

Here they are, staying super cool in the summer!

 We bought a beverage cooler for the basement. The girls were having so much fun sorting and stocking it that I thought I should take a picture. It's another moment/another notch closer to total basement completion.

 Lydia's lunch became art after I cut Lydia's sandwich into four triangles and Lydia felt the need to embellish and play. The blueberries are smiley faces and the strawberry a big jewel. We then embellished Abigail's lunch plate too. Just had to warn her about the toothpick in the strawberry used as support!

 Sarah picked a very hot day for her housewarming party, a perfect slip'n'slide day! These girls had a lot of fun together. They also did group yoga in the back yard.

Abigail and Lydia had been asking to go to McDonald's for a few weeks, so after a few morning errands, we stopped in and asked them about the happy meal toy. Lydia wasn't satisfied with the Minion figures so we just got burgers, and of course ice cream. Always a treat to see them up against the challenge of licking the ice cream before it drips. Lydia started eating the cone before she ate the ice cream and it ended up collapsing on her hand. Just another one of summer's structural engineering lessons.

 Great Scott! Two professional Improv superheros are stuck at the Franklin library without their powers and need our help!

They were silly and had everyone laughing.

Lydia really had a blast and left as an honorary super hero!

No one can take away your power to read!

Fire Station Tour

Abigail's story time group took a tour of the next door fire station. We started off with a fire fighter song at the library before walking over. Lydia has taken a tour of a fire and police station, but I didn't chaperon, so I found today's tour very interesting. We learned the difference between the fire engine and the fire truck (which I thought were interchangeable terms). Well, the engine has the water, and the truck has the big ladder and tools such as the jaws of life. They also showed us their paramedic truck. 75% of their fire fighters are also paramedics.

 Abigail was a little clingy, like she gets when I try to leave her with the other 3-5 year olds in the story time group. She participates and enjoys the songs and stories, but for the first class I sat with her. The second and third, I got away with just standing in the back. They do have extra teen-aged volunteers that would sit with her, but she didn't warm up to that. Let's hope we keep progressing so that preschool drop off in the fall is not a big fuss.

4th of July Celebration

Friday noon, we got to John's Lake and the kids made a beeline for the beach.

Once we all had our swimsuits on we swam out to the raft. We absorbed all the sun, sand, and water we could for one day, and all went to bed pretty early. 

On Saturday morning, the 4th, we drove back to the cutest little all-american town to catch some of their festivities. They had a fun old fashioned playground and events going on all day long: craft fair, food vendors, duck race, kid games, parade, pie eating contest between public figures, music and fireworks. 

 But we couldn't stay for all that when the family and boating was waiting for us back at the house.

Ryan, Alyssa, Ben and I went tubing together for ride that still has my upper body aching.

 Lydia's ride was much much tamer.

 Cousins always: Stacy, Kristie, Aaron (birthday boy), Tracie, Amy, Julie, Curt, Angela, Justin, Ryan, Sarah, Nicole, Amy, Zach, Holly.

Adorable little Abigail under Dad's hat. 

They tried holding up their approx. age in fingers:

Lydia (5) Violet (2) Aaliyah (4) Abigail (3)

The girls floated between all the activities and tents and stumbled into Amy's bags game. She was so sweet to give Abigail a little instruction and practice.

Glowing and ready for a fireworks show!

 Some are happy, some are not; but by golly, they are all in one spot!

Egan, Carter, Arya, Natalie, Carly, Ava, Nora, Audrey, Evelyn, Aaliyah, Lydia, Abigail, Violet