jeep obsessed & fair

We can't even leave the house without Eddie needing a ride in the Jeep. He has such an obsession with the Jeep it isn't funny. Thankfully he has learned how to drive it quite well. Not sure what he will do when we have grass and he can't off road in the dirt. And then there is crazy Rowan.

After we could tear Eddie away from his Jeep we headed to State Fair for a few hours. If only money grew on trees as well as patience, then the kids could have done rides all day long. But Mom and Dad wouldn't have been able to tolerate that. So we did several rides which the kids loved. We tried one game, but that was a waste of 30 seconds and a million tickets and we walked away with nothing. Then we headed to see some animals and eat some grease and ice cream before it was time for nap.

The Ross'

...make their debut on the blog thanks to Rowan and her photography skills. Paige, Greg, Will and Hailey live 2 houses away from us (oh and their dog, Brewer). We see them and play frequently. They were supposed to be going for a walk but got hung up playing at our house and chatting. And Rowan decided to do some photo documenting, so here it is.

never too many...

...trips to the zoo!

 

The kids and I went to the zoo today, and we still haven't done all there is to do at the zoo. Every visit we have to ride the train. Today we did the Shark and Sting Ray Exhibit, and also the Seal and Sea Lion Show. But Rowan has a list of things we need to do next time...carousel ride, pony ride and camel ride...oh and don't forget the ice cream. Until next time...

camping...in the dirt

Rowan and Eddie were using their imaginations today. They packed their chairs in the wagon and drove around to go camping. The set up camp in the corner of the yard aka dirt, made a fire out of rocks and weeds, and sat and drank their milk. How fun! At least they make the best out of what they have!

neighbors

We joined a few of the neighbors for dinner tonight. And turns out they have the same Jeep that we have. So Eddie acted like he was just at home driving their jeep constantly. He even took Ally for a cruise around the yard. Such a stud.  

last game...but best!

While celebrating Rowan's birthday earlier today, we realized that we were all going to the Brewer game tonight, at the time, just alone with our spouses. So we decided it would be fun to meet up and tailgate before the game! So we didn't really bring any food to tailgate, but we did have several beers and hang out. Then we got some more drinks inside the game and some food too. We ended up all sitting near Garrett and Crystal's seats, but never in the actual seats we were supposed to. We even stayed until the 9th inning. That is a record for us this year. Needless to say, we all had fun. Crystal and I didn't really watch an ounce of the game, but that is fine.

 

Hope to do it again soon, probably don't need to waste time driving to Miller Park to do it. But catching up none the less.

Pirate Princess 5th Birthday

Rowan's desire for her party theme this year was Izzy, the girl pirate from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. So we started with that, but sort of went with a girly pirate theme in the end. I will admit I was a bit slacker for me (or so it seemed in the beginning) but in the end it turned out pretty darn good.

 

So the kids started out with their pirate pictures...

Then came the pirate themed lunch...complete with Pirate Punch, Pirate Grub, Cannon balls, Catch of the Day, Pirate Jewels, Chips Ahoy, etc etc...

Then we played pin the flag on the map. Turns out Ainsley, the only bandana-less participant, pinned her flag dead on. Smart cookie.

We attempted to 'swab the deck' or sweep ping pong balls across the room in 2 teams, but that game was a bit over their heads. So, now we have 2 play brooms instead of one and a few ping pong balls.

So then we moved on to the Pinata! Everyone tried with a bandana at first (except the 2 youngest) and then it was on to all eyes open. Candy and pirate loot for all.

Then of course there were a few birthday gifts to open...

And lastly, singing and cupcakes. Note to self...no more dark colored frosting. But it went with the theme so well!

Another fun and successful birthday party in the Smith household. Here is to many more!

Better late than never...the whole moving into our house and 4th of July up north, and working weekends got in the way of a more timely celebration. It didn't seem to phase Rowan though. Her birthday just lasted longer this way.