The C. and the B. at HersheyPark

"HersheyPark Happy.."

And, "the sweetest place on Earth."

These two Hershey theme songs have been sung now about one thousand times by a certain Crandall Q. Constein in anticipation of our Hershey trip. They certainly do hold true to their lyrics.

The one picture of Maddie and Faith riding the 'Granny bugs' is my most favorite picture of the day. The C. and the B. conversing while riding one of their many rides. The entire day was so funny because Faith absolutely LOVED the rides just like big sis. But, she was hesitant each and every time she would ride a new ride and it would begin, just like when the 'Granny bugs' ride started. But, we would see Maddie start talking to Faith about how much fun they were going to have and how she didn't need to worry about the noises of the certain rides, and within a minute or so, Faith was laughing and having a blast. This in turn also seemed to make Maddie feel proud that she had helped her Beebster, that she would relax and start laughing right along with Faith. They were so much fun together the whole day.

Hershey is different from Sesame in that it was kind of like FunLand at the beach; Maddie and Faith mainly rode the rides together and by themselves since most of the kiddie rides didn't allow us. That was the highlight of the whole day for them. They had so much fun sitting together and just enjoying it all together. Faith was hilarious the whole day because she would get off of a ride (reluctantly), wave "bah" to it, blow it a bunch of kisses, and then do her trademark dance. She had a big fan base going at the end of the dinosaur ride. Haha. And, Maddie is a natural-born amusement park goer and rider. There were only a couple rides that Faith wasn't tall enough to ride with Maddie, and she would wave sadly to Maddie while she had to stand and just watch with us. But, for the most part, it was a tag-team effect. There were so many kiddie rides that they were able to ride, and we rode a few all together. They loved the 'Tiny Timbers ride which was a mini-flume. And, of course, they were in absolute heaven at the Boardwalk. Dan and I hadn't been to HersheyPark in about 5 years, and the Boardwalk is just plain awesome. We couldn't get them out of the water, and they looked adorable with their mandatory life jackets. 

Not to mention, the other hit of the day was Chocolate World. These little women LOVE Chocolate World. We hadn't been there since January when we went with Guy, and Faith truly loved it this time. She has an obsession with cows these days (that started with her favorite episode of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" where there are cows that make a cameo appearance) and LOVED the cows in the chocolate tour ride. Of course, my dear Madison could ride this tour ride 50 million times in a row if she would be allowed. She loves hearing about the chocolate making process and how it starts with cocoa beans. She loves going through the roasting tube and hearing the Hershey song (which she has memorized) at the very end. And, of course, they love their free samples. We went to Chocolate World in the morning before we entered the park, and we also went at the end of the day. Maddie sacrificed riding the balloon ride for the chance to go ride the chocolate tour ride one more time. I took the little ladies by myself this time while Dan went to get ice cream for them. It was so much fun sitting the three of us together.

It was an awesome day for sure. 

St. Peter's Village

The month of August is not even finished yet, and still it may as well be December. Dan and I seem to really be dreading the winter that will be here within the next few months. The joys of bundling up our little women in their larger-than-life winter coats and trying to fit the buckles of their carseats over these huge coats. The joys of getting them in their snow boots, snow pants, coats, gloves, and hats for the approximate 15 minutes of "fun" outdoors before we turn back inside because of it being too cold. I know there's still a while to go before lovely winter creeps back in to our lives again, but we feel the inevitable gloom nonetheless!

Because of this, Dan and I both seem to have the mindset to really appreciate the summer and do as much fun stuff outdoors while we can. We already seem to be making a mental note of fun Halloween and fall activities for the little women. We're looking forward to PumpkinLand at Funk's again this year, Fall Fest at Weaver's Orchard and the pumpkin patch, and Halloween. I think because Maddie had such a disappointing Trick-or-Treat last year, she's very bent on having a GREAT Trick-or-Treat with her Beebster this time. She tells us all the time that she's anxiously awaiting lots and lots of candy, and "not the $1 bill that I didn't want from that woman, Momma." She tells us that this year will be so much fun since Faith will be old enough to really enjoy it: "Me and Beebster are going to walk to the houses, ok Momma? You don't have to worry." Haha.

But still, there's plenty of summer left and we're making the most of it. We've been at the pool every single day lately. It's closed this week, and only opened for Labor Day weekend, so I figure why not? After getting to paint their masterpiece at the pool earlier in the week, the little women also got to paint clam shells with their buddy, Cole. Maddie was so thrilled to get to use sparkly paints, and Faith was content to get messy and paint herself! The shells turned out really cute. 

And, today was a fun day because we tried something new. We went with Angela, Matt, and Cole to St. Peter's Village. We had never heard of it, but it's close to our lake where we go fishing. It's a really cute little street of a few shops and a small bakery and ice cream store. And, there's also hiking trails, places to fish, and spots for rock climbing. We tried walking on the rocks at first, and it was a hit with Maddie and Faith. They absolutely loved it. They're both quite adventurous. But, we decided to stick to the trail. Faith was leading the way for quite some time before she got completely pooped. Then Maddie took over the lead. They had a really great time and we got them ice cream cones afterwards, which is always a huge hit. They were covered from head to toe in ice cream, but it was worth the mess!

Today was also a cool day because Maddie actually took a nap (after promising me that since it was Sunday, "I'll take a nap, Momma. Serious") and Faith did not. So, Faith and I had some great time together in the afternoon to just play alone. It's very rare to get very much individual time with either one of the little ladies. But, it's so neat to watch Faith play these days. She's so imaginative and creative. She actually does voices to all of her Playmobil family figures. She loves to set them up in the dollhouse. And, she was also busy playing with her zoo animals. Then she found a little ball and would toss it and hide in the kitchen. I'd wait there for her to come running out, and she'd laugh hysterically. My little Beebster.

The little women are now looking forward to Hershey! It's a split week for Dan, but he will still be working tomorrow and Wednesday on what are supposed to be his days off. So, he decided to take off on Tuesday and we'll be headed to HersheyPark and Chocolate World. Cran NEVER, EVER forgets a place that she has visited that she loves, and is constantly asking to go back to Hershey. She even knows the theme song to the park and to the Chocolate World ride. I've been showing them both the websites, and they just love seeing it. They're so excited to go. Faith will be beside herself when she sees the cows in the chocolate tour ride. She is obsessed with cows.

So, even though the summer seems to be almost at its end, we are on a mission to enjoy what is left of it!

Interview with the B. and the Cran

Potential Picasso's

The weather has been beautiful the past 2 days.

Cool enough that we were some of the only people up at the pool again yesterday. I do realize that 'the pool' is the resounding theme for us in the summertime, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I will be so upset when it closes fairly soon. Not only has Maddie really come along incredibly well this summer in her confidence in the water and modest swimming abilities, but Faith also seems to be developing the same knack for water and love of it just as big sister has always had. Aside from that, they've also met some great friends there and it's a nice way to just spend time outside together.

Maddie actually took a nap yesterday, and so I figured we'd have a more 'relaxed' pace for the day. I took a huge TinkerBell art pad with their paints up to the pool. It's nice to be able to use the little picnic table up there and let them be as messy as they'd like (which I tend to be admittedly more OCD about here at home). They had a blast! Faith was in heaven using the paints that I usually have off-limits, and Maddie was quite proud of her brush strokes and her ability to mix colors to a color that can only be described as puse. They spent forever painting, and then swam for a good hour or so. Dinner and bedtime were delayed again, but it's always well worth it. Beebster even played Hungry, Hungry Hippos last night and Maddie won for the first time fair and square. 

I always feel as though the little things in our life now and the little moments spent with my lovely ladies are the memories that I'll always treasure the most. 

Fishing with two little women

My little women love to go fishing.

On Dan's last day off, we went out to French Creek lake to go fishing for little sunfish. Dan has been unsuccessful with trout this year, and it's trickled down to Maddie in the form of frustrations that she hasn't caught anything with the help of Dan yet this season. She had been all pumped  when trout season had opened back in March; we had gotten her some wading boots and everything so that she'd be able to go out in to the creek with Dan. But, nothing thus far. She's really mastered her reeling and casting skills too, so I think she assumed she would catch something at the very least. We figured we'd get live worms and try to catch sunfish, which would be a better bet. At the very least, they'd be able to actually SEE a fish.

Our plan worked. Dan caught some little sunfish, and it made Maddie and Faith's day! Not to mention, they had a blast touching the live bait (which disgusts me, but I think it's great that they love worms). I think Faith assumed the worms were cute little pets. She kept saying "awww" when they'd wriggle around her finger. And, Maddie made me laugh trying to loop worms around her bobber. 

We went early in the morning, and it really turned out to be a nice way to start the day. Just the four of us eating our breakfast by the lake in the company of some wriggling earthworms and a few small sunfish for the girls to kiss. Fun, fun!

Cut or grow?

I don't know what to do about..

BANGS.

Honestly, I haven't been able to bring myself to ever have my little women grow out their bangs because I think bangs keep them looking younger and ever-so innocent. And, I am all for anything that will, in my mind, prolong their childhood. Of course, I also love how they look with their bangs.

But, I have grown tired of giving them botched bangs trims every time they need a quick cut. I have given them countless 'Lloyd Christmas' hair-do's in my time, and I'm worried that this will more than slightly embarrass them if it continues on through elementary school. Easy fix would probably be to take them somewhere to get their bangs trimmed, but that's $5 a pop. Of course, that'd probably be well worth the $10 rather than kick myself for attempting to be a hairstylist in the first place. Poor Maddie was the main recipient of some horrid haircuts, considering she was my first 'customer.' Not to say that Beebster has been spared though, because she has definitely had some quite lopsided hair problems in her day too thanks to her one-and-only Momma dear.

My forte

Walking is my forte.

Today was a great day, despite another lovely 'bring-in' that was required of Daddy-o.

I decided that we would walk up to the yellow park and have a picnic lunch. It only took an hour to get there, so I call it a success. My little women had a blast. They played on the playground forever, and were having so much fun since it was all to themselves. They had taken a backpack full of Cars and took turns sending them down the slide, and then giggling. They raced around in the baseball diamond and then Faith invented a game where she'd shut the door to the dugout and Maddie would laugh and knock for Faith to let her back in there. By the time we walked back, it was time for naps. And, they took great naps.

We walked up to the pool in the afternoon, as usual. Another great day where we were some of the only ones there. They had a blast and we stayed til 6pm. Dinner wasn't ready til 7pm, baths didn't happen til 7:30pm, and bedtime was delayed until about 8:15pm due to the popular 'movie night' that is a result of good nap-taking. They went to bed as happy as could be. I'll be quite sad when the summer is over; this laid-back schedule is a nice change for our otherwise strict time schedule.