Havre de Grace

On Saturday we were going to visit Harpers Ferry, WV, but after my Mom shared that she would love to go but had plans for the day we decided to hold off. On a whim we threw a picnic lunch together and headed up to Havre de Grace, MD. It wound up being one of our best little road trips and was practically free!

We started out our trip at Tydings Memorial Park. Located right on the beautiful Susquehanna River, it's a great spot for a picnic. There were great picnic tables, tons of shade, and a gentle breeze flowed in from the water. It was one of those moments that I had to stop and thank God for life in general! It couldn't have been a better moment.

The playground at the park was perfect for our boys. There was a larger "big kids" section for Caleb and and a toddler section for Blake. I wish I had taken more pictures, this playground was extremely unique. There were several pieces of equipment that I had never seen in my life!

After visiting the park we went to the Havre de Grace promenade. I had heard of this before, but had no idea what to expect. It's a long wooden boardwalk along the Susquehanna River. There were ducks to keep the boys happy and historical signs along the way that Caleb actually wanted us to read to him. What was most exciting for me was just being able to walk the entire thing without feeling exhausted or out of breath. All of the weight I have lost (50 pounds to date) has dramatically changed my life. I am doing things I never thought I would again. Not only do I love it, but so do my kids! I actually skipped down the street with Caleb, something my knees would have never tolerated 6 months ago!

In addition the Promenade we visited Bomboy's Chocolate and Ice Cream. I realize this totally contradicts my last paragraph! I behaved well and only got sugar free gummy worms from the Chocolate store and a child's size sugar free ice cream from the Ice Cream store. Surprisingly it wasn't torture to be around all of my favorite things (sweets!) either, I think I am finally over it! These two shops are adjacent to each other and little gems. Their website is: http://www.bomboyscandy.com/

To find more information about Havre de Grace visit: http://www.hdgtourism.com/ The promenade and the park are both FREE! :)

Crayola Factory in Easton, PA

Ever since seeing the Gosselins visit the Crayola Factory a few years ago on "Jon & Kate Plus 8" it has been on my bucket list. Apparently I am not the only one as they survey you to see how you found about the Factory and one of the options is "I saw you on Jon & Kate." Love or hate the show, they go to some pretty awesome places! After not doing anything for several weekends (which is unlike us, we're usually constantly on the move), I decided this would be the weekend to "just do it!" The 3 hour drive made me worry that it wouldn't be worth the effort, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

We started our visit in an area where they encourage you to draw on the clear walls. My only fear is that Blake (who doesn't know better) will try to do this on our living room walls in the near future. Thank goodness for magic erasers if/when it happens!

Next we played in a toddler area where the boys dropped a balls in a machine, they rolled through tracks in the ceiling, and then ended by coming through this maze.

When you arrive they give children personalized bags to hold all of the things they will make and throughout the factory are different crafts children can make. Caleb refused to make a wand because it was too "girly," but dove right into making a wizard hat.

My favorite part of the factory (as an adult) was a show where they lead you through each step of the crayon and marker making process. There were large television screens that gave you a close view of what the presentor was doing. He also talked/interacted with the crowd as he went through the process.

Next we headed to the model magic studio. When you check in at the factory they give you 4 tokens for each person. These tokens can be redeemed for packs of model magic, crayons, and individual markers. You can buy additional tokens, but we didn't find that to be necessary. We actually walked out with 4 extra tokens (if you're going let me know and you can have them!).

The boys enjoyed drawing on the floor with chalk. There was also a neat glow in the dark section where the pens lit up whatever you drew on the wall.

One must do is the dangerous (especially if you're a teacher) Crayola gift shop. Not only do they have the World's Largest Crayon but they had more awesome Crayola products in one place than I've ever seen in my life. It was difficult to only pick a few things, but we bought the boys tee shirts, filled a can with special crayons that we hand selected, and bought a neat art smock to use at home when we paint.

For more information about the Crayola factory visit their website at www.crayola.com/factory Admission is extremely reasonable at $10 a person, with children 2 and under being free. One suggestion (that we wish we would have known in advance) is to bring quarters as all parking is metered.

In addition to the Crayola factory your entrance free includes admission into the Canal museum which is also apparently kid friendly. We honestly spent 2 hours on the Crayola floor and didn't make it upstairs as the kids were whiny and ready for lunch. The factory is located in the city of Easton, PA. It's a funky little town that is stuck in the 1950's, but in a good way. It was fun to explore the local farmer's market which is held each Saturday. There are also other family friendly attractions close by, like the Lost River Caverns (which I will try to blog about soon too). All in all it was a great day! I am so glad I didn't chicken out because of the drive!

COLD Wheels!

This afternoon we celebrated 3 days of Blake not biting by pulling out a new toy I had held out from Christmas. The boys are blessed (or spoiled depending on your prerogative) beyond belief on Christmas. It's overwhelming, so I usually hold back several toys to pull out throughout the year. It was Christmas in May today when I pulled out a new Hot Wheels set! It involves water so I figured it would be best as an outside toy to use when warm weather arrived. It took me nearly 45 minutes to put it together! I am not technically inclined! It's a pretty fun toy though as you put ice water in certain areas and warm water in others and as the cars pass through they change colors!

This is the car in it's yellow state before being shot through a tunnel of icy water.

The car is now a dark red and Caleb sprays and spins it with warm water.

Blake threw in a hug for his big brother. So cute!

My beautiful baby Blake! I am so happy that he hasn't bitten at daycare this week and I hope it continues. Here's to many fun spring and summer afternoons!