NAVICP Field Day

Sean's work had a company picnic of sorts and it was a hoot.  I have a feeling that kids were not invited because William was the only one there, but no one seemed to mind and he was very well behaved.  There was a barbeque and awards ceremony and a stick horse decorating contest.  The event was cowboy themed so the silly relay races had western names like:

Here Comes the Cavalry! (5 person team galloping while straddling the same board)

Hog Tied Relay (3-legged race)

Saddle Sore Race (popping water balloons with your buns)

The Drought is Over (race to fill a bucket with water by using a soaked sponge)

We had a great time even though Sean's section team didn't win any of the races.  That's okay because it was still fun to watch.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey came to Hershey on Friday.  We got tickets and had a great time.  I love the circus:  the spectacle, and the acts, and of course, the clowns.  Sean and William had never been to a circus before so it was really fun to see them discover it for the first time.  We arrived early so we could go down to the floor and see some pre-show acts and meet the clowns.  Like a moron, I brought a camera with dead batteries so we used Sean's phone to take pictures (not the best quality).  William loved the elephants.  Sean loved the trapeze acts, and I loved the see-saw acrobats and the seven motorcycles in a metal ball.  It was a tradition in entertainment that has been going on for over 100 years.  It really was the "Greatest Show on Earth!"

Sibling Reunion

My brother, my sister, and I all live within driving distance of each other. I get to see my sister and my sister-in-law pretty frequently, but my brother has been really busy with optometry school so is usually a no show. When he let us know that he had only one week off for the next year, Robyn and I jumped on an opportunity to have a small reunion/cousin fest. We rode the train to Washington D.C. to see the Museum of Natural History. We brought a picnic lunch and ate on the Mall lawn. The kids did pretty well considering the heat and the amount of walking involved. They napped pretty hard on the Metro going back. There was game night, a barbeque, and of course, endless cousin fun. It was good times and thanks to Robyn for being a gracious hostess. I hope we can all meet up again before Darrin and his family move back West.

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Play Ball!

We went to a minor league baseball game on Saturday. They had a ceremony honoring the military for Armed Forces Day. Sean got to stand on the baseline for the National Anthem. William loved his first baseball game. There was a kids zone full of inflatable slides, bounce houses, and a tot lot. I'm not a baseball fan, in fact, I think it's boring to watch, but they did a good job keeping the crowd entertained in between innings. As long as we kept the popcorn, giant pretzel, hot dog, nachos and soda plentiful, William was in heaven. He couldn't wait to call his cousin, Ryan to tell him all about his first baseball game.

Our view from the cheap seats

Armed Forces Day

Rascal the mascot

He liked William

Kids Zone

Armed Forces Day

I think the best part about living in the East (at least in the areas we've lived) is the overwhelming support for the military. If we are out and Sean is wearing one of his Navy shirts or his uniform, often we will have strangers come up and thank him for his service. It makes him shy, but I love it. I am so proud to have a husband who serves his country (and the way he looks in uniform doesn't hurt either!).

Yesterday was Armed Forces Day, a day I never knew existed while living in California. There was a big festival at City Island in Harrisburg. All the military branches were there with their coolest equipment. The public was free to go inside giant helicopters, climb inside armored tanks, check out the robot drones in action, and sit in the driver's seat of an Army Hum-V. It was little boy heaven. We all had a great time.

City Park Train

On top of a tank

Driving a Hum-V

Drone Robot (Johnny 5)

Piloting a helicopter

Happy Armed Forces Day!

My sunglasses boys