A pit stop

This past weekend we were out of town for my sister’s wedding.  I will post more on that later when I actually have some pictures J  The only comment for now was that it was soo much fun, the entire thing from the rehearsal dinner to the getting ready…..wedding and we had a blast at the gift opening too.  We left early in the afternoon for our 4-5ish hour ride home and decided that it was such a beautiful day we would take a detour to Wasaga beach.  This meant smaller highways there but the scenery was fantastic and since the twins slept the ENTIRE time Jason and I had some great conversation and laughs.  We were only at the beach for a few hours but I cannot believe how much fun we had in that short time.  We waded in the water and made san castles and most of all……created some great family memories! 

Ahh it's always nice to kick up yours heals and relax!

Strawberries!

Friday’s I get off at 2:30 so that is always a good time to sneak in an extra activity.  Last Friday Jason and I took the boys to Leisure Farms to go strawberry picking.  It had rained like crazy all day and the large black clouds in the sky were a little intimidating but we thought, what the heck let’s go check it out.  It started to thunder and lighting half way there but the boys were so excited we decided to press on and as a backup plan we would just stop at the chip stand.  The rain was just stopping as we pulled in and then....to our amazement....the sun came out!  Woohoo! 

I had started talking about strawberry picking with the boys on wednesday morning.  I had just got them dressed and said "hey boys do you guys want to come strawberry picking on friday?"......they seemed really indifferent but said "sure mom".  I then got their special agent oso show set up for them and went to shower (yeap I admit they watch 20 minutes of tv in the morning while I shower and get dressed for work ! ).  I came out of my room and the boys came running over shouting and all excited about strawberry picking....hmm why the change in excitement level....apparently special agent oso's show was about strawberry picking.  Perfect!  For anyone who has not seen Special Agent Oso he breaks every activity you could possibly do down into three easy steps.  They repeated a million times those three easy steps.

Step 1:  Turn

Step 2: Pull

Step 3: Put it in your basket.

Here's a movie of Mattie strawberry picking.....I know it's hard to hear but he's repeating the three easy steps to himself :)  I am sorry it's really quiet so you will have to turn up the volume.

Walking up to the building to get ready for the wagon.  We absolutely had a fantastic time and I can't say enough good things about this experience.  We have been to this farm for many different outings and the workers have always been extremely friendly and sooo nice.  They joke around with the kids and encourage everyone to taste and enjoy the berries while out in the fields. 

Aboard the wagon, getting ready to head out to the fields!  They were slightly excited :)

Busy Finding the perfect berries!

The boys sure do lot strawberries!  We have made some jams, smoothies, ice cream treats etc.

I have never seen someone eat as many berries as Zackie did that day.  We were there for twenty minutes and he only had 4 berries in his basket because he ate all the rest.  Every time we found a huge strawberry the boys would yell "Jackpot" and eat it :)

The farm also has more then just fields....it has Arnold the pig.  The boys had fun walking with him.  They couldn't believe the pig would just follow them and he snorted every time they pet him.

Teeter Totters.....I swear they were built for twins!

 These smiles say it all!  Another great local family outing!

Re-purposed toys!

I will admit the twins have lots of toys.  Knowing that we would be purchasing lot’s of baby/toddler things when they were born I usually do tonnes of research about their toys before I buy them.  I try to make sure it is something that they can grow with (i.e. The little people toys that they have played with for over three years!) or that you can learn different lessons (ie. The leap frog toys that go from colours, to letters, to numbers, to counting).  With that being said some toys we just buy because that’s what they are into at the time.  Two summers ago we purchased this water table.  It has a castle that set’s up in the middle and boats that float around in the moat area.  Two summers we used it frequently on our deck but this summer we decided to use it for something else.   The twins are soooo into cars hahahaha.  A new favourite is the cars that change colours in hot and then cold water. 

This table works perfect for that.  We fill one section with cold water, one with hot water and the boys go crazy! 

What toys do you have that you have been able to re-purpose?

Summer Adventures

This summer is here and we are embracing it!  We have many days poolside already and have a long list of summer vacations/adventures we are planning.  After having spent our entire time in Europe travelling we made a vow that we would embrace what Canada/the states had to offer when we returned home.  We have started planning for a big road trip this summer eeekk!  Over coffee one evening, Jason and I were discussing that we should also embrace what our local area has to offer….and so we have set out to explore new and exciting things our own area has to offer as well.  As the saying goes “You need to appreciate what you have in your own backyard”. 

Many of the things we have started putting on our list are things that we already often do around the area but now we will list them as local summer adventures.  Things seem to just have a different spin on them when you call them an adventure instead of an outing.  Our first and one of our favourite spots to frequent in the evenings would be the Green Store.  It’s a local store that is full of neat trinkets and decorations but our favourite part is the ice cream.  It has a little area in the back (right on the lakeside) that serves scoops of ice cream. 

The waffle cones are made while you stand there (mm delicious!) Zachary’s favourite is Tiger Tiger and Mathew’s is chocolate brownie.  Every time we go we sit on the muskoka chairs and watch the boat’s come and go. 

A little swing on the rope swing and a walk around the docks makes it a perfect outing. 

          Fun where you least expect it! 

Next time you head out in your town take a second look and make sure you are not missing any adventures !

What are your favorite mini summer adventures?

New Favorite Song

Zachary is usually more shy then Mathew.  He is usually more content watching Mathew be crazy and goofy.....until he discovered his new faovrite song.  We listen to this song ALL the time in the car now, and the little guy dances like a maniac every time! 

Knee Deep in the water as they call it :)

What songs are fovorites at your house?

Another Water Activity

The boys love of water is not confirned to games.  They love to wash cars too!  Last weekend the twins washed all the cars with Jason and Papa (grandpa).  They had a blast.  Swishing in the bucket......spraying the cars with the hose.....and "getting rid of all the dirts" as they say.  Again thank you summer for the nice weather to be able to do this.

Zach putting the soap on grandma's car!

Mathew making sure the mirrors are clean!

Having a blast!  The truck is super de-dooper clean from the twins arm-length down!

Just as important as washing the cars is making sure theis thomas bikes are super shiny!

 

Mathew washing his hotwheels cars!

Soap, Sponges and of course water!  Another great summer day!

Water

Wow it is hard to believe that two kids can have so much fun with water.  They spend hours upon hours just playing with water.  This sunday we play water balloons and they had soo much fun.  Painting with water is still a huge hit and they are still in love with their water tables.  They have had this one for a few years now but still love driving their cars and boats around it. 

Our love of summer activities continues!  As Zach says....he wants to stay at the pool forever!