Ribbit

Scott and the kids visited the arboretum with his mom today. We have had some really great weather lately~
Sam has been into posing lately~

Can you see it?
Better~

Apple Dumpling Gang

We went apple "picking" again at Honey Hill Orchard, today~
The Peseks joined us, and the boys had a blast running around~
Mary loved the animals~

Note the sky in the background (we didn't) ~
We started at the raspberry patch~
They told us there weren't enough to buy, so we just snacked for a bit~

We finally headed out to the far orchard, only to be caught in a torrential downpour. We waited under a tree for a few seconds, before giving up, and running in~
So, we didn't actually pick" any apples. We basically went apple "buying".
We also bought some apple cider donuts~
They were a hit~
Mary after borrowing some dry clothes from Aaron~
And look! The sun came out again, just as we were leaving. We drove as close to these as we could, without breaking any laws. They are really beautiful and strange~
Since we were so close to Dekalb, we decided to stop and see one of our favorite former homeschoolers at college. We checked in on Daria at NIU, and Mary used her very cool potty ;)

It was a great trip!

Adler Planetarium

I haven't been to the Adler Planetarium in many years (although Grandpa and Pam took the boys there before Mary was born). So I was pleasantly surprised by how cool it was today! It might also be the easiest (and cheapest) place to park in the city. We found a metered spot about 1/2 a block from the main entrance, and took some pictures along the lake front before we went in~
There were all sorts of hands-on exhibits, like this one where you can see your weight on the moon~
Oh to be thin enough to not care~
Or this one where you can see what it's like to bounce on the moon~
Sam said he would like to be an astronaut one day. Let's hope he's inherited someones eyesight besides his mom's or his dad's~
There is a new(ish) exhibit there called "Planet Explorers". It's perfect for families, because every child must be accompanied by an adult, so no giant school groups running over the place. Mary and Sam loved it, while Charlie took his time checking out "Our Solar System" ~
Houston, we're ready for take-off~
Sundial Plaza~
We tried to get Mary up there, too, but then got too nervous~
The weather was so perfect, we ate our lunch outside~
America's Courtyard~

See, speak, hear~

It's always Mary's idea to make the silly faces~


We even had time to stop by Buckingham Fountain~
As always, it was a lot of fun heading into the city. But it is always really exhausting, too! I was really surprised when nobody (including Mary) slept on the way home.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

We celebrated my dad's 62nd birthday today. I made my Grandma Kovacs' signature cake - white cake, with seven minute frosting, and bittersweet chocolate~
World's Best Grandpa~
Charlie played "Happy Birthday" on the bagpipe chanter~
And Sam played it on his cello~
Sam spotted this giant moth while he was outside burning off some of the chicken paprika~
It was HUGE~
We played Apples to Apples after dinner. I think Grandpa had a pretty nice day :)

And They're Off!

Today was the first day of Greenhouse. Sam was pretty excited to go for his first time ever~
Mary is going to miss her boys today~

Rollicking Good Time

Because we left Michigan a day early (and had a day to recuperate), we were able to take advantage of some free tickets to the Bristol Renaissance Faire a friend had given us. We walked in just in time to catch the Mud Show~
This year, Mary was really excited to try the pony ride again~
She stayed on (and smiled) the entire time~
Mary then spotted the giant dill pickles, and had to have one (she loved the garlic) ~
Peace, love, and happiness~
Eagle eyes spotted this turtle~
This year Sam wanted to scale the walls of the castle~
40 Feet~
Sam's shadow~
There is so much to do and see, and most of it is family friendly, like the parade~
Both boys wanted to try the bungee again~

If money and space were no object, we would definitely have one of these in our back yard~




Always a favorite, the falconry show~
The princess in her tower~
We had a late lunch, then headed home. It was the perfect official end to summer~