African Lion Safari

On a Friday morning in late August, we packed up the cars and drove up to Canada. Getting across the border was fairly easy, and we didn't have to wait very long. Nolan was shocked when he saw that Canada looked exactly the same as Western NY.

"I thought it was a desert!" he exclaimed.

Canada: Not a Desert.

We continued our drive, past Niagara Falls and on to the African Lion Safari park. The kids were quite excited to get there. This park is amazing! First we drove through the safari area.

The day was quite warm and I had read there was a children's splash area in the park. I had no idea how huge (and fantastic) it would be! The kids could have stayed in this one area all day long. They were in heaven!

We did pry them from the water park and went to see the bird of prey show. This was very interesting and the kids enjoyed it - the birds flew over our heads and they had some interesting specimens.

Grandpa paid for everyone to take an elephant ride next. The kids were so excited!

We let the kids run through a ball pit playground a few times before heading out of the park and toward Toronto.

We ate at a Jack Astor's on the way, then drove through the city and found our hotel. I had scored a great deal on the Hilton via Hotwire. We had a view of the CN tower from our room.

We settled the boys down to bed - the Ontario Science Center was in the plans for the next day!

Grandparents Visit: August 2013

Dennis parents came to visit in late August. The first day they were here, we let Nolan pick our lunch restaurant. He chose Hometown Grill, and wanted to sit by Grandpa. He imitated Grandpa's "Grumpy Grandpa" look. When Grandpa said that smoke would come out of his ears if he thought too hard, Nolan looked to see if smoke was actually coming out. He really loves his Grandpa.

We went up to Mayville, because I thought the boys could go for a swim in the lake. Unfortunately, the dock had already been taken out and the "no swimming" signs were posted. The boys decided to play on the playground.

 Grandpa helped Nolan swing across the monkey bars and had fun on the swings.

Grandpa chased Matt in a big game of tag. Matthew almost got away.

Nolan played tag, too. It was a fun afternoon on the lake.

Dennis had to work on this day, so he missed out on the fun. When he came home from work, we had dinner and packed up the cars... the next day, we were heading to Toronto!

Waldameer!

I was very excited when a friend called and asked if we wanted to go to Waldameer in mid August. Dennis had just returned from a business trip to England, and had a golf tournament for the day. I took Matthew to his piano lesson, then we loaded up the car and headed for Erie, Pennsylvania!

We rode the little roller coasters, the Ferris wheel, the swings, and every other ride in the park. The kids had an absolute blast.

Matt loves the paratrooper ride. Nolan thought it was going to be a "baby" ride and didn't want to get on it, but then was upset when he realized it was a "fast" ride and he missed it!

The carousel is a classic. We had to ride it!

The boys loved the spider ride, and went on this several times in a row. Despite the crowds, they felt it was worth the wait!

We met up with our friends in the evening. The kids loved exploring the park with their friends!

The Frog Hopper ride was great - even the little guys could ride. Also? I'm sort of sad that my guys aren't the "little guys" anymore.

The Wipeout. As far as my boys are concerned, the faster, the better!

The kids wanted to go on the Log Ride at night. I didn't want to get soaked before our drive home. Fortunately, Matthew was tall enough to go without an adult - he went with his friends.

And one of our adult friends graciously volunteered to take Nolan for a ride. I am beyond grateful!

I spent some money on a "Wally Card" and let the boys play some of the midway games. I normally don't do this, but I wanted them to realize how much money could be spent for no prizes.. a learning lesson for them. They did get a teddy bear from one of the games where there was always a winner - they took turns "winning" so that they could each get a bear.

We didn't leave the park until it was nearly 10:00 pm! It was a very fun day. On the way home, we saw a fireworks display from the freeway. The boys were exhausted by the time we got home, but it was the perfect summer day!

Wee College 2013

Our local community college has a "wee college" program for kids 6-7 years old. It was perfect for our family this year, since Nolan made the cut-off date for a six year old and Matthew was seven. They could both attend the same session!

They did the physics camp and made water rockets, giant kites, a life-size Angry Birds slingshot, and more. It was a really fantastic program.

The week was over too quickly, as the boys really loved the activities. Next year, Matthew will be old enough for "Kid's College" - a program for 8-12 year old children. Nolan will be wee college age next year, so we may skip a year since I don't want to drive that far for two different sessions! It was a great experience for this year, though!

Warren Pool, 2013

It finally, FINALLY was warm enough to go to the Warren pool in Pennsylvania. This is the closest municipal pool to our house, and it is a lot of fun. The boys absolutely love going there, and will spend all day splashing and swimming.

Nolan started off in the kiddie pool, but didn't stay there for long.

Matt ran for the water slide and must have gone down it approximately 3,000 times.

Nolan would run between the main pool and the towel for a rest. The water was fairly cold, but the day was hot. He would come out of the pool to warm up, then back in the pool to cool off.

Nolan went down the water slide by himself this year. He turned into quite a fish this summer!

The boys had the best time swimming together. Water activities are my favorite part of summer.

August might be hot and humid, but it is perfect "jump in the pool" weather!