colonial

While J was out of town we went for the summer edition of the colonial faire where we are becoming regulars.  They switch it up each time with new fun, and this time they had a new puppet show and the flame throwing slack rope walking Bella was back.  The boys made corn husk superheroes (with striped plaid capes!) and they even had a pirate eye patch station this time. The scientist touch station had some really cool stuff, like a blowfish and even a croc that tried to gobble up the corn husk superhero (don't worry he was saved!)  I couldn't post this until daddy's birthday, because it features the gem pyramid that Aiden won in the live auction as a special present.  He was pumped to win after learning how the auction works.  He jumped for joy as the auctioneer called out, "Going once, going twice, SOLD to one very excited little boy!"  I can't think of a much better way to buy your dad a birthday present when you're six ;)  We ate our big batch of open put chicken and topped it off with some rock candy. Keaton wandered around with his "pencil" stick writing in every sandy path.  We could hardly believe that the same turkeys that were gobbling and aggressive in the spring were now wandering around all docile, even letting kids pet them!  After almost three hours on a beautiful day, we were ready to gobble home.

good list

A bunch of good:

The hot ticket of the week is the Indian in the Cupboard series.  I was pretty convinced that Aiden would love it, but he wasn't interested up until now. 

This Last Mouse Lost game is awesome.  It's advanced enough for Aiden to play with strategy and Keaton can happily pop them back and forth.  

Aiden is doing the summer skating series preparing a fun little recital to either the Ghostbusters or the Star Wars theme songs.  I'm guessing that Star Wars will win because there are three more little boys that want to skate to the Ghostbusters.  I guess there is a Ghostbuster's surge in popularity as the movie celebrates the 30th anniversary?!

The Magic Treehouse computer games are a big time Aiden favorite.  The other day he had all his books lined up - He's read almost all of them, and we own about half.  They are coming out with Super Editions next January and this guy was pumped to hear that they will restart the series (after over 50 books in the original).

The boys now only want to eat their yogurt in a gogurt stick now.  As long as I can get some calcium in Keaton I'm happy.  The yogurt drink days were a bit messier, so these are good (even though certain schools ban them because they are impossible to open sometimes).

The superhero tshirts needed capes - and oh boy, those capes are getting some good use as they help everyone escape danger daily.

The bushes desperately needed a haircut.  After their trim, the boys were big helpers filling up bags full of the trimmings.

I'm going to have to write more about this soon… but we got in on the Wild Kratts presale of their new toys including real creature power suits that hold little creature power discs.  The world is now officially complete for the Brennan brothers. Now if I could just get them to stop bickering about whose turn it is to have the peregrine falcon power.

carousel

These giddy guys were excited to ride the carousel!  Zweety the Zebra and Ponyboy with the big mane were their super picks side by side.

playgroundz

Again same superhero shirts, different days… Lotsa quick laundry around here!  The Clem enjontri playground never disappoints, especially on a mild slightly overcast afternoon!

more showz

We are essentially library rats this summer (since Aiden can tear through a book so fast you would not believe - It's been the week of Indian in the Cupboard!).  

So we love to hit all the summer reading programs.  We got to see Circus in a Suitcase again where the animal tamer, clown, juggler, and magician all "don't show up" so the ringmaster has to take over.  It's the ultimate one man show!

Then the Sock Rockerz delivered a show made for the Brennan bros grooves.  They even got to go up with Ella the Elephant to pretend to be the monkeys on the bed.  They were giddy dancing and didn't want the show to end.

super heroez

Since the Super Hero party at Great Play, these guys have tried to wear these shirts nearly non stop.  We also have two new capes here at home to continue the party.  The superheroez are in the houz!

art class

I found an art class I could sign A and K up for through Abracadoodle which is really fun so far. They pick a painter to talk about, then we copy his style or technique, and then they have a little show and tell where they share their creation.  Both boys love show and tell and mention as they are making a painting what they want to tell their friends about... Very important information like the names of all the stick figure guys....

brothers

These guys.

gamez

So, so many new games lately… along with some old favorites.  These guys love playing games together and there are more and more games that Keaton can play along with lately… "play alllll the games!"

workhouse

The Art Workhouse was hosting their annual Ice Cream Social to benefit the ceramics program.  I was able to pick up my bowls from the class I took with my friends a few weeks ago.  The boys enjoyed another Great Z show - he invites his buddies up on stage ;)  Then they enjoyed some pony rides around the old prison yard.  They even have a new mock up of the prison yard to show you all the pigs that used to live there...

picnic

These super cute buddies loved playing and having a picnic at Mosaic.  We found a perfect shady spot where we could watch the kids and the World Cup game.  They met a tiny doggie friend and even made friends with bigger kids that gave them poppers to throw.  The highlight was running hugs back and forth under the bamboo arch.  Pretty much this is nearly a routine night at the Mosaic.

This stack of cute kiddos is some sort of mathematical equation - nearly 20 months, 40 months, and 80 months!

brothers

These guys.

tidbits

Tidbits from some summer days… 

We put up our paw print for completed summer reading (Aiden wonders why only 15 books?!)  

Friends over for legos!  Mess contained on that sheet, sorta...

The four day a week walk to tennis practice, which Aiden is loving even on the hottest days.  He pours water into his hat and flips it on his head to stay cool.

Interrupting dad for hugs while he works from home after his class.  Teaching this summer has bonuses.  

Aiden found these peg guy ideas on Frugal Fun for Boys and he immediately wanted to make some ninjas.  Those guys with the knight sword stickers aren't nearly as charming as the King and Queen with flower pot hats and the three doggie friends.  They worked on painting them in stages over at least four shirtless hours (acrylic paint!).  The ninjas have their own kingdom to protect too.

Another hit from the frugal fun site, was the box foosball table that works surprisingly well!

I'm Keaton's class room parent next year, so we hosted almost all the three year olds (yay!) at the library for a Big Build event (very specific rules not to post photos of any other kids from his class are part of our coop contract).  Aiden created a movie theater with a parking lot, seating, giant popcorn, ticket booth, and a screen featuring Spiderman and a preview ad all about pies (cut from cereal box and a pie cutter box).  Keaton was passing out his custom telescopes (aka. toilet paper rolls with a little bit of tape added) to everyone.

A new cactus wreath - summery! - I shouldn't admit that I still had my evergreen wreath up at Keaton's birthday because I couldn't find a wreath I liked.  So this feels like an accomplishment ;)

bubbles

I read somewhere that you can't help but smile when you hear the word bubbles.  Here are the reactions I get from these guys just talking about bubbles. I first told Aiden I had an experiment and the semi grumpy tired tennis player gave me the top bar reaction at first, then look at those reactions once we started talking about bubbles ;)

play

Our first visit to the semi new G reat Play was a huge hit!  The boys were signed up for their pajama party and were so excited to wear jammies to go and play.  I was so excited that the program was open to kids 3-6 so they both could participate together - Keaton's dream come true!  This place is full of fun.  They run obstacle courses and even have games on the giant projector screens throughout the room.  The boys are already asking when they can go back!

science

We got a deal for a MD science center membership (which you can use in Cleve and FL, etc!) and it is awesome!  We have more to go back and see another time too.  The planetarium hosts a show just for kids with Big Bird as the host, Elmo, and a Chinese muppet named Hu Hu Zhu which was really fun.  There were so many exhibits to look at, and the kid's room was especially fun. Both the boys loved this tube you could send messages through across the room and these balance boards where you could 'float' around the marine life.  The table full of nails that you could lie on and be lifted up was interesting and "a little bit pokey" according to Keaton.  We ate on the inner harbor at Bubba Gump Shrimp where the waitress had us compete against the table next to us in a trivia contest.  Explaining the Forrest Gump movie to a kid or even someone that's never seen the movie is really a funny experience.

rocklands

We were also excited to check out a new farm out past Potomac, Rocklands Farm.  The grounds were picturesque and full of fun little kid vehicles.  They had BBQ lunch available which we ate on the picnic tables inside the barn.  We lucked out with a woman picking up her CSA who was really sick of greens, so she gave us a huge batch of kale and swiss chard.  It was amazing because I love fresh kale salad and even Aiden ate a whole plate of sautéed chard (which somehow became crisp like a chip).  The brothers were on a huggie attack spree as we piled back into the car to head home with our big batch of fresh food (we also bought some fresh garlic, onion, peppers, and grass fed beef).

homestead

We hit the fruit jackpot on another trip to the same farm we visited for strawberries earlier this season.  We knew we wanted blueberries, and it was such a beautiful day we ended up with blackberries and tart cherries too.  Blackberry bushes have prickers, so they weren't the favorite.  The blueberry bushes required a fun hay ride to get to them, so that was a win.  However, I think the big winner were the cherry trees since they had a fun ladder to climb.  The boys made sure to say hi to all the goats, piggies, chickens, and alpacas.

I had the idea that I wanted to make jam for all the neighbors at this neighborhood event coming up in August.  So now I have four varieties (including the strawberry I made a few weeks ago).

I found all these recipes that use lemon juice instead of pectin which I found to work really well.  You just have to keep stirring for longer than you'd expect sometimes.  I also think it helps to make small batches.

Honey Sweetened Blueberry Jam

1 quart blueberries (approximately 1½ pounds)
⅔ cup honey (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the berries into a low, wide, non-reactive pan and mash.
Add the honey and lemon juice and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit until the honey begins to dissolve.
Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring regularly, about 10 to 12 minutes, until the jam thickens.

Spiced Blackberry Apple Jam

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup applesauce
3 cups blackberries
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the apple sauce, lemon juice, and smashed blackberries in your preserving pot. Bring to a low boil over high heat. Add sugar. Reduce to medium heat and stir constantly until the jam thickens approx 10 minutes after boil. Test for set if desired. Remove from the heat. Press through sifter to remove seeds if desired. Pour the jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims clean. Seal according to manufacturer's directions. Process the jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes if desired or freeze/refrigerate.

Strawberry Jam

2 pounds hulled strawberries
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

Spiced Cherry Jam

3 cups cherries (any variety of cherry will work)
2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet your cherries are and your preference)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash, remove stems, and pit cherries. Roughly chop up cherries. Place chopped cherries in a large stock pot. Add 1/4 cup water to cherries. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll see the cherries begin to break down and thicken. Stir in sugar, lemon juice and spices, mixing well. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Sugar will scorch quickly if not kept moving. Boil, uncovered, till thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars.

Note: It’s set when it sticks to the back of a metal spoon. This is called sheeting. Look at the jam dripping off the edge of the spoon. It should look like a “sheet” of jam, not a bunch of individual drops. Cherry jam is not meant to be extremely thick. It’s a thinner jam, excellent on pancakes, waffles, toast, etc.

To prep processed jam: Wipe rims with a damp towel, put on lids and bands. Submerge in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes. Take off of heat and let sit for 5 minutes before moving to a folded towel. Let sit for at least 12 hours before checking seals on jars. Then store in a cool dark place for up to a year. If any jars didn’t set, store in fridge.

Recipes adapted from Food in Jars and Frontier Coop

flight

This trampoline park has been a popular destination amongst our friends and we knew we had to check it out.  We had a chance for daddy to come with us (before he started teaching again this week), so he could show off his high jumps - he made it up to that hanging punch bag!  I think the boys liked climbing and sliding the most.

exploration

This Exploration Island was a hit with the boys.  The spot to uncover fossils looked like it was "just a big sandbox" to Aiden. These dinos were pretty realistic and made cool movements and noises.  Every dino lovers' dream!

wonderland

DW was the perfect park for our guys.  Keaton was big enough to ride on all but about three rides and they both loved them all.  It was a toasty day, but we were comfy in the shade.  

We rode the Joust roller coaster over and over again.  We took the log ride splash Flume twice and everyone loves that.  J and Aiden went on the bigger Kingdom coaster and Aiden loved it!  It was his first big coaster.  

The boys were probably most excited playing the carnival games - a fishing game and muffin pan ball throwing game. Aiden won Pency (a stuffed pencil person?!) and Keaton (along with help from the whole family) won a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael.   They nicely shared them back and forth throughout the day.

wonder vids

Little video snippets from our fun at D utch Wonderland:
D u t c h W o n d e r l a n d from LB on Vimeo.

This video of the boys as the roller coaster was running cracks me up (we went over and over again because we were there early and no one was waiting in line):
Roller Coaster! from LB on Vimeo.

lagoon

Duke's Lagoon was a hit after dinner when the sun was low.  It was still a nice toasty day so the boys loved taking run after run on the Pipeline Plunge.  These brave guys even loved the completely pitch black run, where you never know when you're going to dip, turn, or get splashed!  It was a great setup for big and little kids.  Daddy wins a big super dad award for letting the boys splash him like crazy.

Sliding from LB on Vimeo.