August Staycation

The week before school started, Brandon took the week off so we could have some fun together!

We went to HersheyPark to do rides and swimming.

Everyone was pooped afterward and napped while the eclipse made cool shadows on the sidewalk.

The next day we went to Turkey Hill! Carter had never been before, so we used that as our excuse.

In addition to the yummy ice cream samples, they also had blackberry lemonade and my favorite, the Haymakers' Peach Cider.

Brielle's almost too big to play in the ball pit. Carter didn't like it too much

Wednesday we had our last swimming lessons, ice cream at the hospital celebrating the founding of the Medical School, and then a haircut for me and Brielle! That evening we went to see Brielle's classroom and meet her teacher. She's excited for first grade!

Thursday we drove to DC and went to the Natural History museum. The girls were mesmerized by all they saw, especially the gems.

This underwater scene is created from recycled materials!

They liked seeing all the fish from Finding Nemo

Carter had fun doing all the animal sounds

The sign said "Please touch"

After this Carter escaped while we were looking at something and made it all the way out of the exhibit and to the elevators before I caught up with him! He's our little runaway!

That evening we stayed in Alexandria with my cousin Amy and her family and loved catching up with them! All the kids were great playmates! The next day they came with us to see a few more Smithsonians: The National Gallery, Air and Space, and Botanical gardens.

The museum had a scavenger hunt for the kids which kept us moving (careening, really) through the museum and they didn't stay long at each spot before finding the next piece of art. But it was all lovely!

Carter, Adalyn, Lily, Brielle, Ellie, Isaak, Orrin

Lily, Adalyn, Isaak, Ellie, Orrin, Brielle in front of the Capitol.

Carter was on the other side of the sidewalk with the Washington Monument in the background.

"flying" a plane!

Orrin and Brielle are just a few months apart and were good pals. They kept calling each other "buddy" as we went everywhere.

Lily loved finding the water lilies since it's like her name

Mighty kids!

The kids garden was lots of fun, with misting towers, garden boxes with trowels for digging, watering cans to water, and little secret places to sit or explore

I liked this wall of the play structure with lots of different beans/grains. Other walls were built with bamboo or skinny cross sections of trees. It also had a wheel that Carter loved to turn and the beans inside would sound like a rainfall.

What a cutie!

Cacao tree, just like the ones we see on the Chocolate World tour!

So glad we got to spend time together!

We drove back that afternoon while all the kids napped :)

Saturday we finished our week of fun at the Library's Summer Reading program party. There was dancing, balloon artists, face painting, snacks, games, and building areas. The girls were having a lot of fun with the bristle blocks. Carter liked the Magna Tiles

They worked hard to complete their reading logs and had a great time at the party. What a great end to our summer!!