Category Archives: attractions

Huzzah and other things you say at a Ren Fest…

Fall for me isn’t really fall unless we go to the Renaissance Festival. It doesn’t really change ever, but I do so love it and even though we didn’t dress up this year, next year it’s happening because it doesn’t feel right not to! This year we ended up going on the last weekend, but ended up working out quite well… the only thing we had going against us was the weather ended up being much nicer than we had planned. Yep. We overdressed thanks to our weather app being completely wrong. Overcast and 60 degrees ended up being sunny and in the lower 70’s so we ended up roasting, which is better than freezing… you win some you lose some.

20161001_111519

20161001_110737

The kids were excited… sort of. We started things off by walking to the joust and a nice lady gave the kids some little things she had won. Alas, the actual joust wasn’t actually taking place at this time and the kids started whining for food. The second we leave the house all they can talk about is food and plow through any snacks I bring. Enzo saw someone with pizza, so off we went to find pizza, hoping that afterward they’d be more thrilled about aimlessly wandering and exploring.

20161001_104824

Josh got the kids settled with pizza while I made my way to find mead because where else are you encouraged to start drinking before noon? What’s not to love about having a beer at 10am and being cheered on to do so?

20161001_112421

The pizza was really good (I had their leftovers) and Josh found me a massive chocolate cupcake that I didn’t take a picture of, but must have weighed 2 pounds and was glorious. GLORIOUS!

20161001_113821

Oh, I lied, the first thing we did was walk by the elephants and the kids immediately wanted a ride. I felt kind of bad for the elephants, but let the kids go anyway. I made Josh go with them because I didn’t really want to smell like elephant and also I don’t like heights. The kids were so excited, which made it totally worth it… I think. Okay, I really want to free the elephants.

1475503476858

1475503533369

1475503676412

1475503588967

We wandered and the kids got souvenirs and we snacked. Enzo was getting a tad cranky, however, and Phoebe was getting ornery. She also kept dropping her wand out of the wagon so it’s really amazing it made it home in one piece. Enzo decided against a wand when I told him that unfortunately it didn’t actually do real magic like Harry Potter. Instead I had to watch his poor little face fall as he was introduced to the disappointment we all have to face as we grow older and realize that life isn’t nearly as cool as it is in books and movies. Trust me, Kid, I KNOW.

1475503755510

So, we went to find some fairies… more disappointment there since it was just girls dressed up as fairies. We wandered a bit more, listened to some Stary Olsa and bought their CDs and then decided to head out before we had full on mutiny on our hands from our wagon pirates who Josh was towing around all day. Huzzah! Until next year when we will probably leave the party poopers at home! 😉

Impromptu Apple Orchard Visit

After seeing the raptor release we weren’t sure what our plans were and figured we’d give the kids a few choices and let them decide. While there was an apple orchard right next door, we decided to head home and go to the Luce Line Orchard since it’s so close and I knew it had a play area and lots of room for the kiddos, and you’ve gotta love small town fun. While we weren’t able to actually pick the apples off the trees it was still enjoyable. First, though, we had a little picnic lunch before hitting the road.

20160924_120558

Phoebe was also obsessed with big smooches that day because she’s obsessed with makeup and was hoping that some of my lipstick would transfer to her lips if she kept kissing me. Haha!

20160924_112101

Once we arrived I was worried we’d never move from the stack of hay bales. Really, kids? All you want to do is climb hay? There are apples and caramel and caramel covered apples even! Come on!

20160924_142359

Eventually they moved on, once they saw the tractor ride, of course. They were both very excited to get their own tickets and give them to the gal doing the driving. I was a little worried that Phoebe would freak out when she realized Mommy and Daddy weren’t coming and wouldn’t be nearby for a few minutes, but she had a blast! They both did!

20160924_143406

20160924_143721

I also forgot they have food there and it’s a great place to just hang out and spend an afternoon. Definitely have to go back and will probably get some pumpkins there too. I think that’s where Phoebe and I got our pumpkins last year. We’ll also have to be back every year, however, maybe next time Josh shouldn’t be trusted to take them all. :p

20160924_150838

Phoebe was struggling with the concept of standing like Enzo so we could get an accurate measurement of height. Sometimes I feel like I’m speaking a foreign language when talking to toddlers… “Put your feet together” becomes “spread them out as far as humanly possible” and then she kept standing on her tippy toes. Haha.

20160924_150932
20160924_150929

Goofballs. Phoebe and I rocked our matching leggings. I admit it, I get as excited as she does to match. Haha. I know there’s a limited time frame for how long we’ll be able to do so. I asked Enzo if he wanted to get matching leggings and he told me leggings were for girls. Stinker. :p

20160924_151046-1

We took a little stroll and then grabbed a bag of Sweet Tango apples and caramel for dipping and headed home. I was counting on the kids crashing hard after all the running around they did and it was nice to just take it easy until bedtime.

20160924_151255

One last Enzo tidbit… as we were walking along, he held up his hand as though he were looking at a phone and kept saying, “According to my phone, we’re going the wrong way.” I’m not sure if that’s a sign we’re on our phones too often or if it’s just a normal sign of the times and instead of pretending to read a paper map like when we were kids, he’s just doing the updated version. Either way, we got a good chuckle out of that.

U of M Fall Raptor Release

Who doesn’t love eagles, hawks, kestrals and owls? Birds (especially raptors) are fascinating and while we’ve been to different raptor centers, we’ve never watched a release of raptors back into the wild. I figured we might as well go check it out and the kids seemed interested, so bonus points for that! Granted, the day started off a tad on the wrong foot when we didn’t leave the house as early as I wanted to. We actually almost missed the first releases. It was chilly and overcast, but the smell of fall was in the air and I was kind of glad it wasn’t warmer out because long walk carrying camera and a child would have made for a very sweaty and gross situation. As it was, the field would not have been conducive for a stroller or a wagon so the kiddos had to walk through kind of tall grass. Due to our late arrival, we couldn’t get very close to the stage, but we were all still able to see the birds. Now… pictures. The majority were a tad blurry. I had my biggest lens zoomed in almost all the way, it was cold out and I had a child sitting on my feet for part of the time. Ha ha.

raptor1

It was very cool to see two hawks, a kestral and a young bald eagle being released, though. To watch them take flight was just so awesome and when the first hawk was released, a bunch of turkey vultures showed up overhead and it was a big celebration.

raptor2

I’m not super bummed about the blurry photos… these kinds of things are best experienced in person anyway.

raptor3

After the release, we went to see some of the other raptors that they had outside… ones that would not be released for various reasons and now help educate people.

owl1

I love owls. I’m hoping to go out on an adventure by myself this winter in search of owls. Since it’s a few hours drive north, I figure it’ll be a good time for the kids to stay home with Josh since they get a tad fussy when it’s cold out. We see owls now and then where we are, but I’m heading north to find Great Grey Owls.

owl2

Those eyes!!

Okay, and this little guy was just too adorable. Had he not been attached to that guy, I would have wanted to stick him in my bag and take him home.

owl3

And of course, the magnificent and ever so regal Bald Eagle. Amazing birds.

baldeagle1

baldeagle2

I’ll save our Apple Orchard visit for another day. 😉

State Fair

This year we realized we hadn’t been to the State Fair since before Phoebe was born, so I figured it was time we gave it another try. There’s nothing wrong with the State Fair, it’s just usually very hot and very crowded and neither of those things are our favorite. The kids were excited at the prospect and I was looking forward to some tasty food, so we figured it was a win/win.

20160902_085028

The kids were thrilled when we decided to take a bus. It’s absolutely the little things. Our day started off slightly rough, however, when we arrived at the Fair only to realize that neither of us had grabbed the tickets, our coupon book or ride tickets (all pre-paid and therefore much cheaper). SIGH. Oh well. We got in line, got our tickets and since the kids were already starving, got cookies because there’s no other way to start the day. The kids were really only interested in ice cream and rides, so we made our way there.

20160902_095845

For some reason, Phoebe was only a fan of the rides if they weren’t moving. As you can see from the picture above… let’s zoom in a tad… she didn’t fully enjoy the rides, which is odd because she had a blast the last time we went to a carnival.

1473785259730

20160902_101413

20160902_120315

20160902_115317

We did at least manage to talk her out of the mini Ferris Wheel, which we knew would freak her out. Instead, Enzo had a fun time riding it by himself. He’d try to look as stoic as possible and not acknowledge us and then you’d see him fighting back a smile when we’d wave and make faces at him.

1473785662235

We did get the kids to go to a few other things here and there and we continued to snack on things like cheese curds and deep-fried Tacos. We each had a beer and were glad we went on a Friday rather than a weekend. It was still busy, but definitely not has bad as on a Saturday or Sunday.

20160902_110722

20160902_110800

20160902_111245

We decided to just bring one stroller and the carrier this time, and it worked out really well. Enzo rode in the stroller for a bit and Phoebe at one point very happily napped in the carrier on my back for at least an hour. The weather could not have been more perfect and no one got too hot, which was a surprise for this time of year.

img_20160905_150023-1

Overall it was a fun and exhausting day. We had some hits and misses with food – the maple glazed bacon donut sliders were a sad let-down, and now I want to make the version I had pictured in my head – but the bunnies and babies never let us down. The kids did great with all of the walking and being out and about all day. I think they could have kept going, but by late afternoon, Josh and I were DONE. We probably won’t go every year, but it’s fun to go to every 2-3 years – maybe more frequently once the kids are older and don’t have to be carried around. 😉

The rest of the weekend…

Both kids were very excited to go to the “beach” on Sunday morning. It’s really just a man-made swimming pond, but it’s really nice and has a huge shallow wading area for little kids. We also go there early enough to grab one of the big umbrellas; however, within an hour we had people plopping their stuff right down next to ours despite their being a ton of open space everywhere. Apparently everyone was doing that (crowding for shade) and we were not the only ones perturbed by this. I assumed first come first serve? I would never invade someone’s space like these people were doing, which is also we bought our own sun shade – for when the umbrellas are already taken. Okay, rant over. I just really hate having my personal space invaded. Okay, rant actually over now.

The weather could not have been more perfect with a nice cool breeze now and then. Phoebe was completely in her element and refused to leave the water even when she turned blue and was shivering with chattering teeth and all. Enzo is still fairly cautious and would only go out so far, but he enjoyed himself nonetheless, especially since we brought the squirters.

Eventually, once it started getting busier and the lifeguards arrived we decided to eat a snack/lunch, get changed and head over to the playground, which also happens to be one of the biggest playgrounds I’ve ever seen. Perhaps next year we’ll get a seasonal membership and go swimming more often. It really is the perfect way to spend a morning.

Happy weekend all! We get to leave early and I’m taking Tuesday off, so it’s an especially long weekend for me!

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures