Ah TA we love you so!

The day we spent with this cheeky engine

Cute Dad

Cute Kids

Looking out the window

It was a bit windy!

Tiny wouldn't be in the picture without me

She couldn't quit staring at Sir Topham Hat either

A stop at the "Imagination Station" is a requirement

Note the small box of chalk by the tent peg

She noticed it as we were walking by into the tent and made a bee line for it and grabbed a piece

"Chalk!"

Ah to draw and draw and draw!

Meanwhile Mowg checked out the trains

(Or in his Dad's words spent a long time in the tent of chaos)

After a while Tiny went in and discovered the coloring table.

Pictures were taken

Mowg did a great job with this one

He even took a short break so I could take his picture

"It's 'P' Mom!"

Percy is a favorite

Played a little golf

Learned about waiting until the other person is done with the hole.

Tasted Cotton Candy for the first time

(Now Mom has to share, darn it!)

Did a little reading whilst waiting in line

to get our picture taken with Thomas

Look there's TA!

I'm going to double post today as there are so many pictures from our fun day
(I know you thought that was about enough didn't you?!)

At all of these events they have entertainers that perform under a tent.

One of the "groups" was an interactive percussion show.

Fish tambourine player!

Star tambourine player (in deep concentration)

Fish tambourine playing with some good help

Then they moved on to bongo drums

The musician played the song "Wipeout" and the kids were to scream and play their bongo's as hard and fast as they could when they heard the word, "Wipeout."

They also had to stop from time to time and just listen

They took turns concentrating these two.

Now to switch tracks:

(sorry couldn't resist the pun and I just like the lines in this picture)

Before their show begins they announce it about a hundred times

" This show will begin in ten mintues." etc

To help with attracting an audience they also had the coolest rotating bubble machine that blew bubbles everywhere (the wind helped with that some)

We are bubble fans and had some fun playing in them on our way out

Chasing the bubbles with style and grace

Airplane Boy

running through the bubbles

"Bye TA, Bye!"

(that's stamping ink on her fingers.  We did that after we colored in the chaos tent)

We took a drive after we left the event so we could wait at a crossing while "TA" rode past

This gave us the chance to wave at all the kids that were riding the train too.

On the way home I got this shot of one of my favorite places in this region

The combination of water and the layering of the mountains behind makes me feel as though I'm in my childhood home.  In a valley that appears to be surrounded by moutains without any way out except over those mountains.  If you just keep going, however, a way opens up that is not over the moutains, but through them.  Adding to the illusion was the peek-a-boo game the sun was playing in the clouds making
Diamonds on the Water.

I love that!

She's been picking up sticks

Hi YA!  (Don't get too close, just trust me on that ok?!)

Good Job!

She's also recently (tonight in fact--which is good since we don't want any in fiction's going on here) acquired the skill of getting on and off the big outdoor trampoline by herself.  I don't have any pictures, but she's quite pleased with herself.  She wasn't the least bit pleased about having to stop practicing her newly discoverd skill.

We do a lot of jumping at our house

even indoors

There's a song our Granny taught us that we use a lot.

It helps us take turns, it's fun to jump to and sometimes there's just energy that needs to be burned (or rather sillies that need jumped out and wiggles that need waggled away).

"Jump, Jump, Jump your sillies out. 

Jump, Jump, Jump your sillies out.

Jump, Jump, Jump your sillies out. 

Wiggle your waggles away.

Hey!"

When we get the the "HEY!"  Hands are thrown up like this:

And the next person gets a turn.

Sometimes the song get's changed:

"Jump, Jump, Jump on your one leg."

How do you get your sillies out?

Here's my little monkey climbing a tree

A recently aquired skill

"MOOOOM!  I lost my boot!"

Good thing the tree caught it!

Tommorrow:  What that cute little face has been up to.

Spring Birds

or what a few birds did in the snow

One of our Robin babies took up a position on the snow buried christmas tree (we really are going to burn it one day)

Momma came along to feed

He bulked up as best he could

Shook the snow off from time to time

Had a visitor that kept it's eyes on me

And didn't stay long (it's taking off can you tell?)

Here is Springwinter

The picture Mowg took

Momma Robin has had enough of these shenanigans. 

"Get off this perch!  Can't you see there are people in there?!"

We didn't see baby bird out in the open again.

Poppa Robin

That's all the snow (for now)!

And since I've been a bit misleading (unintentional!) all of these pictures are from the same day.

Here's a few pictures from that evening:

It was still a bit chilly

(we weren't out for long.  In fact I'd just pointed out what the snowman looked like and they were out the door before I could stop them.  I'm glad we go shoes and a hat one one at least!)

Cold!

Brrrr!

(yes that's a flurry of snow across her face)

Others of us had some snow hauling to do.

And building

Turned out pretty good.

Then there was the occasional drips from the roof

And here is the poor snowman

with a princess

The end of an interesting day

It's been lovely since that morning.

Comfortable temperatures for playing outside

Sunny and Cloudy days.

A few more pictures of that tommorrow.