The Renaissance Fair

This month, my husband and I decided to take Lewie to his very first Renaissance Fair.  My husband and I had fond memories of going when we were dating, and we thought it'd be fun to relive those memories and share them with Lewie.

Now, as you may or may not know, lots of people like to dress up for the Renaissance Fairs; they dress like knights, fairies, princesses, maidens, royalty, peasants, etc. (Some people are so authentic that they even go without wearing deodorant too.)   Heck, even my own cousins had a Renaissance wedding out in the woods.  (We weren't invited because it was just for immediate family, but we saw the fun pictures afterwords.)  One day we might like to try dressing up ourselves, but at this time, we decided comfort was best, and that meant wearing our shorts and T-shirts--no tight girdle or undergarments for me...

The Sea Monster ride (kind of like the Pirate Swing)  Lewie, that little blond head on the left, loved it!

Little Lewie, me, and a Pirate--Arrrrg!

A village in medieval times...

We had a chance to see real, live medieval acrobats!

The Maypole Dance--I was impressed with the way they weaved the ribbons.

They had basketball in medieval times too (lol).

Little Lewie and Daddy testing their strength

Another interesting, human-propelled ride...These guys twisted the ropes up to the top and let the ride spin and unravel by itself;  I'll admit this ride was a little bumpy towards the end.

Lewie and Daddy with the Pirate too.  

One last picture of the three of us as we exited the main gates...  There were jogging strollers in medieval times too.

I'll have to admit that the food was one of the best parts of our visit.  We ate "Steak on a Stake," Crepes, fresh cut potato chips, and ice-cream.  Seeing everyone dressed up in costumes was so much fun too!  Little Lewie didn't have the patience for many of the shows, but he did enjoy the human-propelled rides and the ice-cream.  Oh, and he loved the skull necklace (he's wearing) that he won from shooting a "cannonball."  I could see myself living in medieval times for...um...a few hours again ;)

Starting Traditions

Last summer we started a few traditions.  Of course, in order to make them traditions, we needed to do them again this year too!  Just for fun, I decided to share a few before and now shots...I'm looking forward to continuing these memories next year too.

Our first "tradition" is going to our favorite lake with our best buddy, Ryan.  Just like last year, we played in the sand, tried swimming and kicking in the water (neither boys know how to swim yet), had a picnic lunch, and ended the day with our favorite ice cream treat.  During the hour long car ride home...yup, both of them fell fast asleep again.

Ryan (Age 3)

Lewie (Age 2 going on 3)

The Munchkins at the Snack Bar

Fast Asleep on the Ride Home

Lewie (Age 3 going on 4)

Ryan (Age 4)

The two cool dudes enjoying their ice cream.

Fast asleep on the ride home.

Our second tradition is going to our local amusement park.  Just like last year, we went on the last full Friday that they stay open.  (On this Friday, all the kids are usually back in school, so we get to have the park almost entirely to ourselves!)  Lewie still enjoyed the same rides--the choo choo train, the car ride, and the merry-go-round.  However, this year he had a chance to do something new!  We went on a "real" boat ride, and the captain let Lewie drive the boat!  This was a very serious mission, and so Lewie concentrated real hard the entire time--no poopy jokes on this ride.  Here are some before and after shots again...

Lewie's first choo choo train ride at an amusement park (age 3).

Pretending to drive a boat.

All by himself on the "Frog Hopper."

His favorite--driving a car.

This year--Lewie made a friend and went on the train (age 4).

Still having fun driving his car.

Having fun on the merry-go-round.

Driving a boat...but...

Now he gets to see what's it's like on a real boat!

Getting to be the captain's sailing mate.

Steering the ship.  (He had a chance to drive the boat for the entire 30 minutes!)

Traditions are so much fun.  I'm hoping we do these same things next year...and the year after that...and the year after that...maybe until college :)

My Beach Bums

The warm days are not giving up in Connecticut.  We had a few cold evenings...and then...80 to 90 degree temperatures all week!  We decided to make the most of these last days by squeezing in some final day trips.  Here's some pictures of us lounging around at Hammonasset Beach Park.

My bathing beauty.  (He found  my old pair of ridiculously large sunglasses and loves them!)

Posing for the camera in a "Lewie" sort of way...

My husband...an avid kite enthusiast.

Little Lewie didn't want the kite to go so far up into the air.  He was very upset that it turned into a little speck.

Making a sand castle with other beach children...Little Lewie is in the water playing.

Water fun!

Okay, I'll help a little. 

Stopping at the beach hut for a bite to eat.

My two favorite boys in the whole wide world.