Mini Vacation & Birthday Girl

Rest stop on the way!  The Rainbow Dash mask from her
Happy Meal dinner that night was popular at breakfast Saturday morning!

We spent this weekend away for some rest and relaxation!  We had originally planned to visit Jay Peak again this year for the Annual Bean and Brew fest, but when our adult friends who have taken part in the fun opted out, we changed our plans at the last minute and made it a more kid centered trip.  We headed the opposite direction to Syracuse, NY.  Our trip was full of fun and adventures!  Saturday morning we ventured off to Destiny USA and played at Billy Bee's indoor play center, wandered around Wonder Works Science Center, had lunch at Margaritaville, climbed above the mall shoppers in the tree-top Canyon Adventure Climb, and visited the Carousel.  Then we headed back to the hotel to swim in the pool, and then went next door to the Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and more play.  Sunday we visited the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, shopped at Target while daddy visited Sports Clip for a hair cut, and stopped in Watertown for an early dinner.  It was a busy two days and we were all sad to see it pass so quickly.  It felt great to not have a schedule to keep or any work or chores to do!  We didn't capture many pictures of us on our travels, but I'm posting some pics of the attractions to remember the fun!


The slides at Billy Beez were great fun the whole family enjoyed!

 The ballistics arena was also great fun for all! 
Daddy might have enjoyed it best though!

The Canyon Climb was very scary!  Everyone but Momma wanted to do this, but once up there, Stella wasn't real happy.  We recruited the help of a guide named Austin, who directed us to the fastest way off the attraction.  Stella (and Mommy!) were happy to have their feet back on the ground so we went shopping at Forever 21 while Daddy and Claire climbed around a bit longer.

Stella picked out a brand new outfit which she was very proud of.  She wore it to Chuck E. Cheese and was sure to let the hotel clerk know she picked it out at the mall on our way out the door!















 Wonder Works was really neat, and they happened to be having a special for school teachers we were able to take advantage of!

 A lucky coincidence to be in walking distance of Chuck E. Cheese!

 It was a beautiful warm breezy day, perfect for a visit to the zoo!

Earlier in the week Grammie and Papa invited us to celebrate Claire's birthday at their house the night before. Since Mommy teaches on Thursdays and wouldn't be home on Claire's actual birthday, this worked out perfectly for everyone and Claire was very excited about it!  Grandma let her choose dinner, and she picked Lasagna, and made her a cake too!

Happy 6th Birthday Claire-Bear!

Columbus Day Weekend

It's hard to believe October is here.  The first month of school flew by, and fortunately both girls are loving their teachers and classmates!  Here are a few of our happenings since our last post:

AWANA started up again and the girls were happy to get back into the fun!  Here are some pics of week 2, where they played some minute-to-win-it challenges!

One of the best parts of the fall season when you are a kid is playing in the leaves and these two are no exception - it was great fun on a sunny Sunday afternoon!

With summer behind us, it's time to do some picking up, throwing out, and organizing.  Here's Claire with an art project from kindergarten she didn't want to let go of, despite it being ripped.  Mommy convinced her if we captured it with a photography we'd always remember it without needing to keep it. 

SUNY Canton Greeks
helped with tattoos

This year the Canton VFW Auxiliary hosted a fall freedom festival and our family helped with the craft/glitter tattoo tent.  The girls had fun participating in the patriotic bike decorating contest, joining in the cake walk over and over again, and visiting the other games and activities at the park.  They were having so much fun we even decided to miss Gymnastics. 










And a few other special things:

Daddy's "Chemistry" sneakers

Love notes from the girls left on our bedroom pillows
on a Thursday night when Mom
teaches at the College.

Comfy and creative in the Narthex
after Sunday morning worship.