Air Expo

This past weekend we got the chance to hit up the free local air expo. It was about a 15 minute drive from our house and we thought it sounded like something fun and different for our family to do. So we headed out about an hour early so we could get good seats.

So here we were travelling along in the car all happy and ready for the fun. Little did we know that our 15 minute car ride would turn into a two and a half hour trip. No joke people this took forever with the worst traffic. After taking like 30 minutes to merge onto the freeway we thought we were in good shape but it was a snails pace. It was one of those things that we kept thinking okay here we go and then we'd sit some more. We were so invested after a bit that there was no way we wanted to back out or could as once we got on the freeway the very next exit was the one we needed. It was seriously the longest car ride. Luckily I had some snacks and we had fun trying to spot helicopters from the car.

Once we arrived the kids were so excited. We of course were late and the show was in full swing. We weren't the only ones late as there were crowds of people walking into the gate as well. After a brief security check and potty break we were all good to go to have some fun.

This place was huge and super packed. There was so many booths and so much to see. We started with a tour of the huge carrier plane and then just started at one end and worked our way around.

Megan's goal was to collect as many handouts as possible. There is something that makes a kid feel so grow up when they get given free stuff. Megan had her own plastic bag and as we went around to the booths she'd check things and ask for things. She got some travel hand sanitizer, lip balm, pencils, stickers, candy, and lots of handouts. She was grinning from ear to ear.

Andrew was content to just take it all in. He didn't much care about collecting anything but when we'd come across a booth with a game or something interactive he was all over it. Both kids were super good and just plain had fun seeing all.

After spending several hours out walking around we were slowly starting to wind down. We had to take a little sitting break for the kids to rest and it helped us watch the show in the sky. This was probably the toughest part for the kids. They needed the break but got bored just sitting and watching the planes.

We soon decided to call it quits and head home. The kids were starting to unravel a bit and were a bit hungry. We only got half way through the grounds and probably missed most of it but what we did see was really a ton of fun. It was a great family outing. If we decide to hit it up again next year we'll have to think about doing our travel plans differently.

Once we got home we had a call on the answering machine. Jeff entered one raffle in the booths that we went around to and low and behold he won. We are now the proud owners of a portable digital TV and Radio. I guess we had a little bit of luck on our side. We went to a free event and ended up with a prize, not bad for a days events.

Family Fun Carnival

Last year sometime I came across this free travelling family carnival. It only last for a month during the summer for about 5 days. We never found the time to go last year and we were a little sad we didn't get to check it out. This year I found it was back for the month of July and I was determined we were going to go. So far this month we are half way through the days and we haven't made it out. So on Friday I made a command decision that I was just going to go with the kids flying solo.

The carnival was about 15 different tents of various crafts and things to do. I'd say there were around a hundred plus people there so the lines were rather long. It is open from 5pm - 8pm so there really wasn't enough time for us to hit up everything. In addition to that Andrew of course wanted to do different things than Megan. Since there was only one of me I had to have them compromise and go to things they'd both enjoy.

It was a little nerve racking as we had never been to this park before and it wasn't in the best neighborhood. Note to self maybe it is better to wait for Jeff to be able to go with you when you are venturing out to something you've never been to.

The kids missed having Jeff there but had fun all the same. Everything we did was 100% free so I didn't mind letting them choose whatever they wanted. There was a magic show, bounce houses, pony rides, face painting, caricatures, food, and various crafts. We missed out on a few things but got to hit up some of the fun ones.

One thing for sure is there is always something to do in this state. I've really enjoyed finding new stuff to check out and I think the kids have loved it as well. Who knows what I'll come across next for us to venture out to.

Bubble Mania

I found this local free bubble event and thought it looked like the perfect thing to take the kids to. It was out at the down town library and featured a Bubbleman showing us all his bubble tricks. Who doesn't love bubbles, right?

So we arrived like 10 minutes early and found out where all the action was happening. We had no idea how popular this event was as the place was swarmed with kids and moms. We quickly got our seats right up front and then watched as the bubbleman set up his stuff.

The bubbleman was a very cute "bear" of a guy and was very warm and friendly. He was all about creative and imaginative play and very anti electronics and brain killer play. He often had jokes referring to those things and saving the earth. He had a few rules about touching him and his stuff but really wanted the kids to have fun popping bubbles.

As I greatly appreciated his laid back approach you can see from the pictures kids went nuts. There were a great many times when I'd lose site of one of my children as bubbles went flying and every child went crazy trying to pop them. Andrew was good for being right up front and near the bubbleman. I could see his little buzz cut head jumping up and down. Megan was on the edges of the group not wanting to get to soapy.

The bubbleman had several small boys down at ankle level. One of course was Andrew not wanting to miss any action. You could often hear the man asking the kids to back up and to wait please. He was so patient and I really appreciated how good he was with kids. He said right in the beginning that he would control the group and to please not parent over his parenting. His goal was that all kids have a great time. I was happy to sit and watch my kids have a great time.

Toward the end of the show he came out with a bigger bubble and was producing these giant bubbles. He asked all the kids to sit and watch for this part. The kids sat with strained tension as they watched in awe. He made something like 10 or so giant bubbles and they were really cool looking. It was during this time that I had one of those embarrassing parent moments.

So as you look at the picture above please notice the cute little boy in the grey and orange shirt. Please tell me he didn't just spring up to head straight for that bubble to pop it? Oh yes, that was my little guy who popped a giant bubble. Standing the the crowd of parents and listening to others murmur was real "neat" I have to say. I have to just laugh at the situation cuz really what could I do from the back of the pack. After popping so many bubbles and having so much fun who could blame him, it was just to tempting to resist.

Shortly after that he starting winding down the show. The kids still were in all the action and loved every minutes of the show. We packed up and headed home after this and both kids talked about it the whole way home. Megan has already asked to hire him for her next birthday and Andrew just talked about all the fun bubble popping. After I recover from the "my kid popping the giant bubble" moment I might have some different thoughts on the event. It was really fun and I'm glad we decided to go and I loved seeing my kids have so much fun with a little air and soap.

Putt Putt

Jeff has gotten the chance to go out golfing as the weather has been good. He usually goes early Saturday morning with his Dad. They get it all out of the way and done by no later than 9am and we've got the rest of the day to play. As Jeff has just started up going again my kids have been asking to go. Andrew and Megan both tell Jeff that they love golfing. So in light of this we decided to take them out miniature golfing.

Both kids were super excited to go golfing and couldn't wait to tee up. Megan decided she wanted to keep her score along with Jeff and I. Right after the first hole we concluded that after Andrew took like 20 swings to make it in the hole that we would not be keeping score for him.

Andrew was a trooper and would take as much time as he needed. He'd whack away at the ball and before it got a chance to stop he'd run up and hit it again. It was really hot that day so neither Jeff or I stopped him. It made our game play move much faster.

Megan expected to be really good and quickly got frustrated when she found a difficult hole. Jeff and I did our best to explain that we were out to just have fun and it really didn't matter what our scores were. I think about 10 or so holes in she decided she would rather not keep score.

There was 2 courses of 18 holes. We of course played both courses. The first course was pretty and had water features. The second course was more shaded and a little less cute but the holes were a bit more tricky. Megan came across a hole that had a loopy hill thing. She was trying so hard to get it over. She didn't want to give up and wanted to stay for as long as it took. Unfortunately we had a group behind and after about 15 tries we had to have her move on. She was very upset about this and had a hard time recovering on the next couple of holes.

We were all sweating and were moving through the holes a bit faster paced than usually play would be. This made it hard to appreciate when someone made a good shot and we did have a few of those.

In the end you get to try and shoot your ball into a bunny nose. If you make it in a buzzer rings and you win a ticket for a free round of golf. Megan was our big winner and got a ticket. We were all very proud of her. It was something different for our family to do and okay of an outing. I think I would have done things a little differently and if we go back we'll have to switch things up a bit so we all have a good time.