SUMMER'S (almost) OVER....

...AND I STILL HAVE SO MANY POST TO CATCH UP ON!!!

Yes...tomorrow is Andrew's first day of Kindergarten and I promised myself I'd be caught up on posts before writing about his first day...so, that means I've got a lot to share with you tonight!

In order to get it all in, and not take up too much time (mine or yours!), I will just do a recap of the rest of our summer...since our return from Texas. We completed MORE things on our summer to do list...

National Building Museum...we actually did this 2 weekends in a row. The first time we went, the LEGO exhibit we were hoping to catch was sold out...so we bought tickets to return the following Saturday. I don't have any pics of the exhibit, but can tell you that it was quite amazing! It was really neat to see it through both Derek's architectural eyes, as well as Andrew's, well...5 year old eyes! The exhibit included the St Louis Arch, Sears Tower, Empire State Building, and WTC Tower, to name a few. After the exhibit, there was an area to build your own creation, which was then added to the cityscape they are creating at the museum. Of course, the boys LOVED this! The LEGO exhibit is at the museum until Sept 2011...I definitely recommend it...especially if you have LEGO enthusiasts in your home!

Reston Zoo...Until this recent visit, I had not been to the Reston Zoo since I was a child...probably sometime when I attended RHOA day camp! What a GREAT place to take the kids! We will definitely make this an annual activity...if not more often than that! Highlights included feeding the animals, feeding a bottle of milk to a baby goat, riding a wagon around and seeing amazing animals (including a zebra!) up close and personal. The best part though, was being there with my sister and her girls too. The kids LOVE spending time together and it is so great to watch them all enjoy things together!

The Farm...The boys and I took a trip (quite a long one!) up to my aunt and uncle's farm house in NY. We were joined by my aunt and uncle, cousin Lisa and cousins Staci, Aleks and baby Asher and their dog Mason. Despite the lack of sleep I had there, due to both boys having difficulty sleeping, we still had a great time. Incredibly enough, the weather was not too hot, which is abnormal up there this time of year. We actually had to wait for it to warm up in the morning before we could head to the pond/stream. While there we also went to an apple orchard/petting zoo/playground...yes, all 3 in 1! We had a great trip, but I think next year we need Derek with us...one-on-one defense always works better than zone with these kids!

mixing up the compost

yes, that goat did climb up on the stumps...right next to us!

And now...we're going back, back, back to school.....

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what a day....fun "at play"

today marked the final day of andrew's 15 day winter break from school. yes, you heard me...15 days! the 2 weeks actually seemed to go by much faster than i had anticipated, with half of it being spent in st louis. while i complained a lot over the past 2 weeks that andrew would not be returning to school on monday along with the rest of the world, i must admit, it was kind of nice to have the 2 extra days of lazying around in the morning. tomorrow will be a rude awakening for all of us!

anyway...the point of my post tonight, is not to gripe about andrew's school calendar, but rather to tell you about the super fun day we had today at At Play Cafe in reston. since this was our first visit to at play cafe, i wasn't quite sure what to expect. a mom of one of andrew's classmates emailed me to see if we wanted to meet there and after looking at the website, i said sure. after all, just a snippet from their home page is quite appealing to any stay at home mom...especially on the 15th day of winter break...

Have you ever imagined a place where ...
~ you and a friend can have a conversation over lunch while our staff plays with your children nearby?

boy am i glad we went! andrew and his friend had an absolute blast!!! the staff was extremely friendly to both children and adults. the facility was very clean and provided a great layout for the kids to have fun with their moms close by, but not right in the action. the play area included a variety of different activities, including dress-up (and not just princesses!), a kitchen, climbing equipment, a slide and much more! a second room had play mats lining the floor, balls aplenty, a basketball hoop and ride-on toys. there was also a story time, which was included with our admission. speaking of admission, it is only $8 per child...what a bargain!!! the food was also a great deal...and quite tasty too! adults (and kids, i suppose) can enjoy a wonderful lunch for under $6. kid's meals include a 1/2 sandwich, side of applesauce and a drink all for only $3! as a money conscious mama, i was thrilled by these prices! oh, and they also offer a variety of classes. check it out on their website!

before leaving, i spoke briefly with one of the owners and she mentioned that they may be opening additional locations. hopefully one will be a bit closer to alexandria, but if not, i would most definitely travel to reston to visit at play cafe again! anyone up for lunch???

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