Another Saturday, another festival

We headed out to Potter's Ranch yesterday morning on a whim after hearing about their anniversary event that was going on during the day. We had never been there and didn't know what to expect. We were blown away! The ranch sits on over 300 acres in southern Boone county in the midst of stunning beauty. They have cabins, horse stables and trails, zip lines, ropes courses, paddle boats, wave runners ... you get the idea. Talk about a cool place. I'm sort of jealous of the kids who get to go to Church camp there.

Since the property is so large, the parking area was very far from where the activities were. So we had a hayride up to the top of the hill. It was pretty great but I'm the sort of gal who likes to sing songs while going on a hayride. I wasn't comfortable asking the strangers around us to join me in song, so it was a quiet ride. But still fun.They had three giant inflatables for the kids. Honestly, if this were the only attraction my kids would have been more than satisfied. They jumped and climbed and bounced for a good 20 minutes before we moved on to see other stuff.By the time we decided to grab lunch, everyone else had the same idea. The kids drank pop while we waited in line for food. Pretty great stuff for a 2 and 4 year-old.Lunch was hot dogs and pretzels with cheese. Also great stuff for 2 and 4 year-olds.After eating we visited the animals at the petting zoo. Warner even held this snake. Yuck.Snakes are not for me but goats I can handle. They also had a llama, pony, donkeys, and the largest rabbits I've ever seen. True story. They were enormous.

Because our days are still dictated largely by the kids' moods and naptimes, we had to leave before exploring the rest of the event. They had trail rides on horses, paintball, crafts for the kids, paddle boat rides, etc. etc. And, seeing as this was all basically free (and I love free), I believe we will be marking our calendars for this again next year.

Oktoberfest

We decided to check out Covington's Oktoberfest this afternoon with the kids. Perhaps you are questioning why we would take our kids to a beer festival. Well in our defense it was quite family friendly, and I only had one beer. So there.The kids got balloon hats that they wore for about 2 minutes and then were bored with. Maren's interest was piqued again when she saw herself in the bathroom mirror with the hat on. She thought it was pretty cool so she wore it for another two minutes after that. There were so many food choices. It was a little overwhelming, really. We got the kids a pretzel with cheese that they enjoyed. Sadly, the kids faded fast so we didn't get the chance to try anything else. Bummer. The Bavarian eclairs looked especially divine.Warner has wanted his face painted for a while now. They offer it at the Zoo but I've been too cheap to let him have it done. Today we were in a festive mood and it was only $5, so Warner was transformed into Spiderman for a couple of hours. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. He saw the finished product in a mirror at the face painting booth and was very pleased with the outcome. Then he wanted to see it again so we had to hunt down another mirror at a different booth for him to take a second look. He was all about it. The fountain. Not really an Oktoberfest thing, but exciting for kids just the same.The cotton candy was perhaps the highlight of the evening. Maren was delighted with the combination of pink and sugar. They were both sticky messes when it was all said and done. And really tired. I am confident we will all sleep well tonight.

First Day of Preschool

Today was the kids' first day of preschool for the year, and they were beyond excited to go. Warner is in a Monday, Wednesday, Friday three year-old class with Mrs. Kemp.
Maren is in a Wednesday only two year-old class with Mrs. Krebs.Here is Warner with his new Cars backpack. I'm not sure what it is with kids and backpacks - perhaps it's my kids' ages - but they are so very excited about their backpacks.Maren's backpack is about as big as her. It's pink and right now Maren is thrilled with all things pink, so this only adds to her love for her backpack. She wore it around the house for an hour before we left for preschool this morning. She even tried wearing it at the table for breakfast but it was a bit much so she agreed to take it off while she ate.Both kids walked into their classrooms confidently and happily. We're excited for another great year at Lakeside Presbyterian Preschool!

Gatlinburg

We visited Gatlinburg last weekend with Kevin's family. It was a great trip that included my favorite activity (shopping), and the kids' favorite activities (swimming, rides, playing with cousins, staying up late, and eating junk food). I'm pretty sure Kevin's favorite activities were not included in the weekend, but he was a good sport nonetheless.We had an absolute blast at the amusement park Saturday morning. Warner was just tall enough to drive the go-carts but unfortunately not coordinated enough to really get the hang of it. He tried so hard and really did well for a three year old little man.Maren loved each ride she went on. I am confident she will be our daredevil. There was a small roller-coaster that both kids rode with Kevin and me. Honestly I'm not sure Maren was tall enough to ride but they let her on. She screamed with the other kids and giggled the rest of the time. Warner wanted to ride it over and over again, and after his first trip announced: "I've been wanting to ride a roller-coaster forever!". Sunday morning before we left we played putt-putt with the kids. It was the first time they had played with putters of their own. Warner sort of chased his ball across the course and wanted to play each hole about three times. Thankfully there was no one playing behind us.Maren swung the putter a few times but then learned that she could just walk to the hole and drop the ball in. Once the ball was in the hole she'd turn around and announce "I did it!". Whatever. She was happy. Thanks for a great weekend, Nanny and Grandaddy!

Haircut

I'm not sure why we waited so long to cut Maren's hair. I think I was scared that her curls would go away, and also enjoyed the ease of pulling her hair into a ponytail when she wasn't in the mood for me to mess with her hair. In any case, Maren was beginning to sport a mullet so to the Kiddie Kastle we went for her first haircut.I sell bows at the Kiddie Kastle so the kids have been there a hundred times, but never for Maren's hair to be cut. This did not phase her. She marched right up to her chair of choice - the "back orse" (read: black horse) and was ready to go.The only thing that bothered her was the hair that got stuck to her hands.The finished product. Doesn't she look old? And in case you were wondering, her curls are still there. Yay!

Boone County Fair

I love the fair. Really. My heart is happy and suddenly I'm a kid again when we're walking through the fairgrounds, smelling fried food, watching rides spin around, and listening to the tractor pull in the distance. This might make me a redneck, but I really don't care. In my opinion, the fair is good, old-fashioned family fun.Of course the best part of the fair now is watching the kids enjoy the festivities. For a two and almost four year-old, the rides are just as fun as any amusement park.And what's better than funnel cake for dessert on a hot August night?
We stayed out until well past dark, the kids were exhausted, and filthy, and full of sugar by the time we left. And I can't think of a better way to spend a summer evening.

Photo Shoot

My friend Katie started a photography business (visit her site here) so we hired her for a photo shoot at a local park. She did a wonderful job and we got some amazing shots from the day. The only downside was we chose quite possibly the hottest, most humid day of the year for this photo session. So don't look too closely or you might see our skin glistening in a picture or two.
With so many great shots, how exactly are we supposed to narrow these down for printing?

If you like to talk to tomatoes ...

We celebrated Maren's 2nd birthday with a Veggie Tales party yesterday. I must admit, I had a lot of fun planning everything. We had the party in one of the community rooms at the pool house at Woodson Bend. The building was built in the 70's and I'm pretty sure it hasn't been updated since then. So, I tried to add a few festive touches that were Veggie Tales themed to spice up the atmosphere.Being the nerd that I am, I found the Veggie Tales font (here) for the banner, which turned out super cute (if I do say so myself). Instead of a cake, we made Bob the Tomato cupcakes and frosted Twinkies for Larry the Cucumbers. The frosted Twinkies were a bit of a sugar overload, but they looked adorable.
The rest of the Veggie Tales characters graced the sandwiches on toothpicks and card stock (I printed the pictures from here). Add a few brightly colored balloons, table cloths, and tableware and we called it a party.The kids swam before heading inside for food and presents. Maren must be loved because she left the party with some serious loot. I think her favorite presents are her new baby doll pram (it can hold a few babies as well as accessories so Maren is in complete heaven, pushing so many things around) and her Hello Kitty helmet. The helmet is for her new scooter but she likes to wear it around regardless of whether or not she's on the scooter.Pink cowboy boots from my parents. Maren spent the better part of last fall and winter trying to sneak out of the house wearing Warner's cowboy boots, so I'm sure Warner and Maren are both thrilled that she now has boots to call her own.Most of our family on both sides made it to the party, which was so meaningful to us. Here's Maren with Kevin's grandma.Warner thoroughly enjoyed himself as well, helping Maren open presents and playing with the new toys when he got the opportunity. I think he was as excited about her birthday as she was. I can hardly believe our baby is two years old. Happy birthday, Maren!