Day at the Zoo

On the way to visit Chris's brother and family in Georgia, we stopped in southern Virginia and planned a trip to a great zoo in North Carolina. We had a great time kicking off our mini vacation.

The kids excited to finally get out of the car...





We started zoo day with the alligators...


Saw a sleepy mountain (Nittany!) lion...


We spent a ton of time enjoying what had to be the most entertaining polar bear in the world. Willie was quite the performer. He loved playing with his garbage can lid toy and sinking ball. He kept coming right up to everyone at the glass look-through, kicking off backwards, and making big splashes. It was so cool...





Tanner, Carsyn, and Mommy taking a little rest...


The zoo had a carousal, so of course we had to go for a ride on the exotic animals...



A cure gorilla in deep thought...


The other truly awesome thing at the zoo was the giraffe overlook deck, where we were within a couple feet of the giraffe and were even able to feed them!



Tanner went right on into the feeding...


Carsyn, on the other hand, took a bit more coaxing, but before long, she was feeding one too...



Two recently hatched Ligettis...


Tanner and Carsyn partaking in one of the zoo's games...


All that walking made the kids HUNGRY. Here's Carsyn munching on Mommy's salad...



A bird (that's the best I can remember!)...


Tanner was so excited when he heard the black bears growl at each other...


Needless to say that by the end of the night, the kids were D-O-N-E!!!

Fourth Fest State College

We went onto campus for the Central PA Fourth Fest. It's a pretty big deal around here and the fireworks here are simply stated - AMAZING. Some say they are ranked in the top 3 or 5 in the country. Whether or not it's true, I welcome anyone to visit to see for themselves and try and dispute. What was really cool this year is that we watched the fireworks from the first baseline of the Penn State and State College Spikes baseball park. It was a really neat experience.

Carsyn giving Mommy and Tanner the best hug...


Tanner and Carsyn prepping for the boomers at the ball park...


Carsyn has been making a pretty big deal about sunglasses lately. She's looking pretty stylish here in Mommy's...


... and quite cool in Daddy's...



Hang in there, baby, they're just about to start...


Carsyn and Grandma (Nancy)...


Being silly with her glow-stick...


And the show. You should also check out our friends' blog to see a 3 minute clip of the show including the grand finale. Amazing





THAT WAS AWESOME!!!

Hershey Park Day!

We spent the day after the Fourth with Amber's parents at Hershey Park. While it was very hot that day, we had a great time and definitely added to our "awesome memories". Here's some highlights.

Nancy, Tanner, and Carsyn getting whipped around on the Scrambler...


Tanner getting ready for the start of the Comet roller coaster. This was his first "big" roller coaster ever, and we got to enjoy it from the front row!


Amber and Duane on the Comet...


Nancy, Tanner, Carsyn, and Amber enjoying some slow down time on the lady bug ride...


Tanner and Carsyn on the carousal. It was surprisingly fast and more of a thrill than we expected...


Duane, Carsyn, and Nancy enjoying a float on Tiny Timbers...


Tanner prepping for some butterflies in his stomach on the Frog Hop...


Daddy and Carsyn taking a break...


The whole gang with the Hershey's Kiss...


Tanner and Carsyn getting ready for another ride together...


The park even had a sea lion show that was a lot of fun called Showdown at Cocoa Canyon...


The sea lion jumping up for the ball...


Shortly before we left, we passed a percussion group that invited all kids around to join them for some dancing. They were called the Cocoa Rhythm Factory...



Tanner enjoyed showing off some of his dance moves he's learned at school...



Carysn and Grandma enjoyed the action as well...


Tanner and Mommy enjoying the last ride - a return to the carousal...


... as did Carserina