Swimmers...take your marks....

Wow! Last night was our first experience at a swim meet, EVER! Both Emma and Joe joined our pool's swim team this summer. They get to compete in four meets at area YMCA's.

Last night, they each competed in three events; 25m freestyle, 25m backstroke, and 100m freestyle relay.
They did GREAT!!! They both went off the starting block (is that what it's called?) and swam their little hearts out! Way to go!!!

Swing Batta Batta....SWING!

Check out that swing! Look at that concentration! His eye is definitely on the ball!

Yes friends, Joey's first t-ball season has finally come to an end. It was an unnaturally long season, going almost a month past the end of school (I guess baseball does this? Who knew?!) But what a fun season we had! Joey had a great group of coaches and learned a lot. By the end of the season he didn't even have to hit off the "t" anymore.


I'd better invest in a comfy bleacher seat...I predict I'll be watching a lot of baseball in my future...

Lions & Tigers &...Monkeys?

We visited the Catoctin Zoo over the weekend. We had never been to this quirky little roadside zoo, and I was a little skeptical when we pulled up to the entrance, but once we went inside I was really impressed with what we found there.

First of all, they have A LOT of snakes...big huge monster snakes, colorful snakes, venomous snakes, you name it. They even had black mambas, which reminded me of the Poisonwood Bible and totally freaked me out. Aside from the snakes, they had a lot of large cats...tigers, lions, a jaguar, a puma. Quite an impressive display given the size of the place. Cool, if you can shake the vague feeling that something might escape and eat you at any moment.

The kids' favorite part was watching the monkeys play (they were adorable), feeding the animals in the petting zoo, and the interactive show. At the show they were able to pet a hedgehog, a chinchilla, and an alligator (albeit a very small alligator!)

Two thumbs up for the Catoctin Zoo!

Camping!

For Father's Day, Tio requested a camping trip (how could I refuse?), so we pitched a tent in Cunningham Falls State Park near Thurmont, MD. This was our first time camping in this park even though it's only about 30 minutes from our house. We were very happy with what we found there. The sites were wooded, quiet, and rustic, but there were still lots of families and kids around.

The bathrooms were, well, BETTER than some I've seen at other campgrounds...but let's face it, it's not the Ritz. The best part of the park, was (you guessed it) the water fall! Leaving right from our camp site, we descended a fairly steep, rocky path to the falls. The kids were troopers...even though it was downhill, they kept the brakes on and resisted the urge to run down the root-strewn path (after Joey took a spill, of course), and we all reached the bottom safely.

The falls were pretty cool. A small stream of water flowed down a 78 foot rock face. Visitors climbed the face of the rocks to get to the source of the water, but our kids were content with playing in the wading pool at the base of the falls. After taking in the scene for a while, we hiked the lower trail to the lake about a mile away and spent the day lounging on the shore while the kids played in the water. Tio hiked back to the camp site solo & returned with the car, saving us from dragging three tired kids two miles uphill (my hero!). The night ended with a campfire and s'mores which we shared with new friends we met at a neighboring site.

Happy Father's Day, Tio...to an amazing dad!!!!
Our kids are SO lucky to have you (and so am I)!!!

The Land of Little Horses

The Land of Little Horses...with a name like that, it must be fun-and it was! We journeyed to Gettysburg to visit this kooky little place, and brought along Grandma, Isabelle, and Ella to join in the adventure.

We were greeted by Mia the goat and Trevor the donkey who wander freely around the grounds. We saw a miniature foal that was only four days old. Other spectacles included a llama, peacocks, chicks, goats, and of course miniature horses (falabellas to be exact). The mysterious unicorn from "the hills of Adams county" made an appearance. During an arena show we saw horses perform tricks, jump, race, and calculate mathmatical problems (you heard me).

The day was action packed & filled with lots of good memories that I'm sure the kids will not forget...at least not for a while!

S'mores, anyone?

Nothing is better than eating s'mores, right? Well, how about eating s'mores in your pj's accompanied by your cousins visiting from Florida? AND throw in a rave-like dance party complete with glow sticks. Yeah, that's better! We were SO excited to have Isabelle & Ella visit. The whole week was like a party!

I mean look at this face! It doesn't get any cuter! We definitely need to get these cousins together more often than just once a year. I see a trip to Florida in our future.....

We Love New York!

We spent Memorial Day weekend in NYC! It was the first time the kids had ever been there. We stayed the weekend with Tio's cousins Mike & Dawn in East Islip, Long Island. On Saturday we took the train into the city and started our day with a visit to the Museum of Natural History. The kids love the movie "Night at the Museum", so they were a little surprised that the actual museum was laid out a little differently than the movie...first of all, Rexie is NOT in the front entrance when you first walk in, instead there's a brontosaurus...crazy dinosaur impostor! Well, we located Rexie in the dinosaur exhibit and all was right in the world again. The kids loved the museum, especially the under the sea exhibit with the life sized whale suspended from the ceiling! We spent three hours there and it really wasn't enough...but there was more of the city to see...

After the museum, we took a stroll through central park. It was a gorgeous day which made for great central park atmosphere...this was probably my favorite part of the whole day!

From the park we hit the shops on 5th Avenue, starting at FAO Schwartz. Joey was enthralled by the Lego department, while the girls couldn't tear themselves away from the giant piano. Next stop was the American Girl store. Emma purchased a "just like me" doll with her own $ (I know, the kid is loaded). She completed her doll's look with cute little glasses and a trip to the beauty salon to get the doll's ears pierced. We shopped a little more, and Emma even got a complimentary manicure (who said nothing is free in NY?)

Next we headed to Rockefeller Center, then down to Little Italy. We grabbed some pizza & realized that it was time to start our journey back to Long Island. The kids had been amazing for such a long day. I was a little sad we didn't make it all the way down to the Statue of Liberty, but, that will have to be our first stop the NEXT time we visit the Big Apple!

Dancing Queen

It's dance recital time! Emma spent the last year in an "acro" class at Clarissa's School of Performing Arts. She practiced her tumbling skills, but her favorite achievement was learning to do a back bend.
The theme of the show this year was "On Broadway" and Emma's class performed to "Step In Time" from Mary Poppins. They were adorable as chimney sweeps!

New Bike!

To celebrate a successful year of kindergarten, Joe was surprised with a new bike! An Incredible Hulk bike, to be exact. Seriously. It's a mean looking bike.

His grandma & grandpa won this bike in a raffle a couple of years ago, and it's been patiently waiting in our attic until Joe was old enough to ride it. Well, the time has come! He's going to put some miles on this thing, starting now...

Schooooool's. Out. For. Summer!

Finally! The school year is officially over! I am just as excited as the kids for the summer to begin...no more homework, or signing planners, or checking backpacks, or making lunches... I'm freeeeee. Who am I kidding? My job never ends, but at least it relaxes a little in the summer!

After two hours at school on Wednesday morning, the kids were back home. And how did we celebrate? With a party, of course. 24 kids & 11 moms poured into my house. The original plan was a backyard bbq, but the forecast had other ideas, so it turned into an indoor picnic... complete with an ice cream sundae bar for dessert.

The kids had a blast. My favorite part was the dance party they had going in the basement, they can boogie I tell ya. Then, of course, the costumes came out. I don't think it's possible for us to have a playdate without some sort of fashion show/super hero exhibition.

A great start to the summer, and the bonus is that I discovered my house can hold 24 kids at once...imagine the possibilities....