Puyallup Fair Replay

We went to the fair once already but decided we needed to go again. We got free tickets with our Rodeo tickets so Marshal, his Nanny, and I went up to see daddy who was working the fair for the day.

Talk about spoiled. Marshal was the only kid who got to go INSIDE the cop car (it was his daddy's after all) and on a cop motorcycle.

I'm Winning!

Oh my gosh! My first Roller Coaster!

Pure Joy

Bubble Fight!

On this trip I got Marshal a "Dizzy" pass...which meant unlimited rides. Oh dear Lord! This kid did not slow down all day! And I took way too many pictures...but the look on his face on most of them was just priceless.

I admit...I threw up after the Tilt-A-Whirl. He wanted to go on it so badly and for some reason he met the height requirement. So I sucked it up and took him on it...bad decision. He loved it. He was laughing and giggling and having a blast. As I was getting more and more green. Not ok.

All in all it was a fabulous day. Marshal had a total blast and it was divine seeing the joy on his face at experiencing new things. It's going to be very hard to not spoil him this much as he gets older!!!

And even though I've been to the fair twice already, I'm going again! :) This time I'll hitch a ride with the hubs who is working so I can get in free and not pay for parking (or gas to drive up). I'll get to walk around and do the stuff I want to do.

Puyallup Fair Rodeo - Good Times

We headed out to the Puyallup Fair (also known as the Western Washington Fair) ... the largest single attraction held in Washington State, and the top ten fairs in the United States. It's big. We never do get to see everything when we go.

This year I decided that Marshal would love to see a Rodeo. I was right. :) It was a BLAST!

YEE-HAW!!!

The bull riding is the main attraction and of course comes at the very end. Marshal was getting antsy and wanting to go "play" (i.e. ride the rides). But when the bulls came out he was pretty impressed. Even hubby (who was grouchy from only five hours of sleep) enjoyed himself.

The video above is boring for the first 54 seconds...and then it's heart stopping.

Finally we hit the rides and my son impressed me with his bravery...so much so that we are going back for a redo day and more rides! :)

A Happy Face

Chief for a Day 2012

My friend Raeann sent me an e-mail a few days ago with a link to the event "Chief for a Day" ... noting that it was free and open to the public. What better event to take Marshal to...free pony rides, a helicopter, fire trucks, and all sorts of law enforcement people and vehicles. Pure heaven!

Staying Cool

Pony Rides

Practicing to be a Fireman!

Scary small talking police car

Ice cream kind of day with goofy mommy

Daddy's favorite picture

This event wasn't just for kids to have fun...it was to honor those special kids who have either a terminal illness or a chronic disease. Those kids are TOUGH and so sweet. 

Here's the State Patrol Chief for a Day:

If you want to donate to this great cause, check out their Facebook page.

Benefits of My Job - Not Just an Income

Saturday was the State Picnic for Aflac in my state...and even though it was almost a two hour drive one way it was so worth it! We drove up to Lord Hill Farm in Snohomish, WA and my favorite part of the day was the Pedal Boat Ride. Marshal had an absolute blast!

Don't push me in daddy!

Peaceful Views

Discovering Tether Ball

Making Friends in the Bouncy House

I couldn't help noticing it was the boys playing with the kitchen toys.

Even though I struggle with whether I'm supposed to be home with Marshal or at work...I do enjoy most aspects of my job. Especially the aspects that let me play with my family!

JBLM Air Show 2012

A couple of weekends ago hubby, Marshal, and I braved the crowds to check out the Joint Base Lewis McChord Airshow. We went two years ago and had a blast, but Marshal wasn't even quite one year old at that point and while he did enjoy himself there were only so many things he could participate in.

Then

Now

I am amazed to see what a difference two years can make.

Now, at almost three, he was definitely more interested. We had an absolute blast watching the planes and helicopters flying over our heads. There were historic planes there, including a B2 bomber flying overhead on their through doing practice maneuvers. It was awesome!

Thunderbirds - They were AMAZING!!!

Look out bad guys!

My son the future pilot?

It was a lot of fun, even with a semi-grouchy little boy.

They really do need to work on their logistics for getting people in and out. They only had six or seven check in stations where they were searching all bags and wanding every person who came through. We met a couple who waited over an hour in line just to get in. We got there a little later than when it opened so it only took us 20 minutes or so.

On the way out we waited over an hour to catch the bus back to our car. It was hot and I was sun burned. Marshal was a total champ though and we managed to keep him entertained. We got on the bus (a yellow school bus) with standing room only and he thought that was the coolest part of the whole day and had the other passengers cracking up at his excitement.

Ah, youth.

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

There are so many things I love about living in this area and just one includes the gorgeous natural landscapes we have access to within a few minute drive.

I dragged hubby and son to the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge last week...we spend way too much time indoors so when it's sunny we almost have to force ourselves out into the fresh air.

This is about a 15 minute drive from our house and features many different options for walking and exploring.

The last time hubby and I were there we didn't have a little boy. They've made a LOT of improvements since that time. The boardwalk is fantastic and it just seems more put together. We didn't do a long walk...probably less than a mile. They have longer walk options too but we aren't ready for that.

Marshal had a blast playing with rocks, picking at grass, and of course scaring the grey squirrels. There was a sign at the start of the walk that said "BEWARE of SQUIRRELS" which had me laughing. But they are really tame and aggressive. Marshal running at them and growling barely made them twitch.

My favorite part of the walk was daddy and son looking through the big telescope. Marshal was enthralled with it.

I'm Tempted to Homeschool - Fun Summer Day

I recently went on a field trip with a homeschooling group. One of my friends, Joann, home schools her four kids - and has my utmost respect. This particular trip involved going on base to meet other home school parents and kids and play in a water park.

First of all, I don't get to go on base on a regular basis because I am not military. I've only gone on base twice in the last ten years prior to this visit. So that alone is a bit of a thrill for me...you know...it's restricted. :)

But the group itself was just a blast. I met some great gals and Marshal had an absolute blast.

Now, I realize that every day of home schooling is not going to a water park and playing. But when we got home we also went on a hike and discovered ant hills (nature).

Then that night we watched lightning and heard thunder (science). So all in all, for a not quite three year old, it was a day with a lot of learning experiences.

A Boy's First Boat Ride

Marshal loves all things motorized...motorcycles, cars, trucks, trains, planes, and boats. He'd never been on a boat so on our Seattle trip we took the King County Water Taxi. It's a walk on ferry...no cars. And it wasn't cheap, but since they were holding the Gay Pride parade downtown, driving was NOT an option. It cost $4 one way per person...$8 round trip. But it was a lot faster than driving, fighting traffic, and finding parking.

And the memories are priceless.

Looking down at the jelly fish on the dock.

Getting on the boat!

Exciting first trip!

Start your engines!

Goodbye Alki.

Here we come Seattle waterfront. The new Ferris Wheel is really neat.

The main reason we made the trip to Seattle - hubby had a shift providing police protection for these two oil rigs (drills) being repaired. Pretty neat to see them up close.

Next, Marshal wants to fly in a plane. :)

Seattle Aquarium

In addition to going to the zoo last weekend, Marshal, hubby, Aunt Jennifer, and I went to the Seattle Aquarium. Another expensive outing.  Adults cost $19.95. Kids from 3 to 12 cost $13.95. Ouch. We had three adults, one kid, and the free boy.

Next time we visit Seattle we may have to buy a City Pass to save money on all these activities. If you are visiting and planning visits to these attractions, definitely consider the City Pass.

Once in the Aquarium Marshal had a blast looking at all the different fish. There was a wave tank that mimicked the waves. And we all found the Octopus to be fascinating. This beauty was definitely showing off.

They had tons of attractions for kids to touch real sea life...but Marshal wasn't having any of it...at least at first. He would NOT put his hand into the water at first. After a good thirty minutes, after we went outside of the main room, he did experiment with the water.

I was enamored with the sea otters...they are SO cool and cute.

Thankfully my sister in law and I both had cameras. For every photo she took, I had one that didn't turn out...and vice versa. Her sea horse photos turned out amazing!

All in all, the Aquarium was great. I wish they had a whale or big shark. Marshal wasn't that excited about the big fish dome where you could see the fish all around you, but he did LOVE seeing the divers inside the tank...one of the guys even played peek a boo with him. All the staff were friendly and well informed - answering our questions and explaining the attractions.

We'll go back...if we can get a discount somewhere.

Fun at the Zoo - Woodland Park Zoo - Part 2

Read Part 1 Here.

While it was pouring cats and dogs, we waited in line to feed the elephants, which costs an extra $5 per person. And that includes people NOT feeding the elephants but want to come in and watch or take pictures. I didn't love that as my sister in law wanted to come in and take pictures but didn't need to feed the big gal. Thankfully Marshal was still free with a paying adult so we only had to pay for two people.

The elephant we fed is a 44 year old female African elephant. We fed her bamboo with a really long stick. She was gorgeous! I just love elephants. The staff took time to talk about her and described her personality and routine. It was amazing.

When we finished feeding the elephant, it was still pouring down rain but we kept going and made our way to the Zoomazium. This is a fabulous place for kids under 8 to play and explore kid related zoo science...but mostly to play. I love that they limit the age to under 8. There are things to climb that even little kids like Marshal can tackle ... and a bigger tree house for the bigger kids to climb.

We killed 45 minutes or so and it finally stopped raining outside. We had to pull Marshal away from the slide, but once we got going he was happy again. We went to the Willawong Station where you can go inside and feed tropical birds. It was SO cool! The birds are super tame and are obviously used to being fed because they swooped us even before we had our feed sticks.

Marshal was N O T a fan. He completely lost it when a bird flew toward the stick he was holding. Poor kid. I loved it and ended up holding Marshal (calming him down) while feeding the birds. Totally worth $1 per stick. We bought 3.

Marshal got to ride the Carousel. Did you know it is solar powered? It's fabulous and he just loved the "up and down horsies" as he called it.

After elephants, the gorillas were probably my second favorite exhibit. These guys are stunning and were so serene.

I wonder what she's contemplating.

I couldn't get a good picture, but the Orangutan there was incredible. He was putting his hand up against the glass and "touching" hands with people through the glass. SO sweet. The lighting was horrible though, which is a bummer because it was really neat.

We had so much fun but after about four hour we were spent. We never made it to the African Savannah so we definitely will have to go back.

There are so many things to do at the zoo...you can even make paper from elephant poo! I want to try feeding the giraffes too.

We will definitely be planning another trip to the Woodland Park Zoo this year...hopefully on a day when it isn't pouring down rain. I plan to bring some sandwiches to cut down on the cost for food.

If you're in Seattle and have time, especially if you have kids, I highly recommend visiting the zoo!