Kyle getting stuck to the wall of velcro
Well, that's one way to get down a slide...
NO FEAR.
This device shot air out of the cones, and the balls hover in the air above the cones. Pretty neat.
Also fun to shot the air stream in your face
Not really meant to be a crawl-through, but... oh well.
Time for a snack!
mmmmmm.... giant chocolate chip cookie
This weekend we made our annual pilgrimage to the Illinois State Fair. It’s amazing what they’re dipping in batter and frying these days.
On the way there we saw this incredible rainbow. It was several times as wide as your typical rainbow, but didn’t form a full arc.
In the dairy barn we learned two things:
(1) someone has enough time and extra butter on their hands to create a full size 3D sculpture of a young Lincoln with a cow
(2) It is impossible to get Ian and Kyle looking through the face holes at the same time:
Next, being summer, it was time for a little road construction work:
In the evening we took the boys on some amusement park rides.
The kiddie roller coaster, always a big hit
Ian couldn't wait to drive the cars. Naturally he picked the purple and blue beach buggy that looked like some kind of Scooby Doo nightmare
The boys and I went on the tilt-a-whirl
Katra took Ian on the merry-go-round
Kyle and I went on the big ferris wheel
The highlight of the evening for both boys was the bungee jump. The whole time Kyle and I were in the ferris wheel we were looking down over the bungee jump, and he kept asking to go on it, so we decided to give it a try. They had two versions of this: a full size version for older kids and adults and a small version for young kids. Each one had four separate platforms, so both boys were able to ride at the same time.
First they were strapped in to the harness:
Ian started jumping as soon as we put him up on the cushion. The poor guy could barely get him strapped in.
The people running the ride were very friendly and helpful. They only took the boys as high as they wanted to go (which, after a couple of jumps, was as high as they could go) and even asked us before gently taking Kyle through a flip.
Both Kyle and Ian loved the ride immediately. Ian was laughing and waving as he was flying through the air, to the point where a small crowd gathered around to watch. Kyle was a little more reserved, but it was clear as soon as he got off that he had loved it.
I can fly!
wheeeeeeeee!!!!!
After the bungee jump, we all went on the giant slide. Katra took Kyle down and I took Ian.
Tonight was our kind-of-annual block party. This year it was a combination block party for our street and the next street over, so there were probably 50 adults and all of their kids present. There were games, a bounce house, a giant inflatable movie screen, and of course, tons of food. Katra made about a gallon of hummus and a gallon of tapenade, and I made 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies.
The fire department came by, and the kids were able to crawl all over and through the fire truck and ambulance
Around this time Ian was really ready for a nap, but we managed to get him to sit on the fire truck long enough to take a picture
Water baloons for one of the games the kids played.
Kyle by the bounce house
The giant inflatable movie screen. Once it was dark outside, they played the movie Bolt for the kids.
Ian decided to drive his car down to the end of the block. That little red speck is him.
Ran out of gas, had to push the car back
The kids getting ready for the bicycle tour
Kyle is ready to ride!
And they're off!
Yesterday we took Kyle to see the Dirty Sock Funtime Band at Ravinia. We first discovered this band on Jack’s Big Music Show, which Kyle used to watch religiously. We told him about the concert on Friday, and he was so incredibly excited about seeing them, it was just about all he talked about until we arrived at Ravinia the next day.
We had seats in the very first row of the pavillion, so we had a great view. As the show went on, the band members came down off the stage more and more often, which gave Kyle several opportunities to interact with them. He danced, clapped, jumped, and even sang into the microphone a couple of times. The show was a lot of fun and we all had a great time.
Mr. Clown and Michael Messer sing
After the show, the whole band was available to sign autographs. Kyle came home with a t-shirt and CD autographed by every one of the band members.
Kyle with Annie at the autograph signing