Goodbye, Daddy and Hello, Toby and Lincoln

In early July, we said goodbye to Jesse for a long trip. This one was six weeks. We fit in extra snuggles before he goes.

Elliott finally wore his superman costume that Grandpa Nick sent for Halloween last year. Big muscles!!

Jesse's original flight was cancelled so we got an extra day with him. Yippee! We had a full family trip to the airport to see him off.

How cute are these two?!

Last minute snuggles with Lucy. She has changed so much since this picture.

We ended up doing an airport swap. We dropped off Jesse and picked up Toby and Lincoln for their visit. It was so fun to have them here! Look how natural Toby looks with two babies on her hips!

More Superman muscles.

Elliott was great with Baby Lincoln. He gave him ducks to play with.

And read him stories.

Then he wore the boppy as a hat. Silly Elliott.

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure

It seems I missed a post from June. We took the kids to Hidden Valley Animal Adventure in Varysburg, about 30 minutes east of East Aurora. We rode on a trolley behind a tractor and were able to feed all sorts of interesting animals.

Like this guy.

Another breed of Asian cattle.

Female elk.

They were eager. Elliott had a blast.

All smiles.

A herd of bison with many young.

They come right up and you pour the food into their mouths.

Randy the dromedary. Elliott impressed quite a few people with his knowledge of dromedary.

Have you feed a zebra recently?

Highland cattle.

Longhorn cattle. Those horns were HUGE!

Another eager eater.

These reindeer are trained to bow their heads so you can feel their antlers. Unfortunately they did not visit our area of the trolley.

Thank you, google, for this vintage pic.

After the trolley ride, we went to the petting zoo area. The donkeys were quite persistent.

Jesse helped Elliott feed one. Elliott had a close encounter with the teeth of an aggressive miniature horse. We went back to this place today. On the way there, Elliott said, "the horse is in time out. It bited me."

We were lucky be able to help feed the baby goats.

Lucy reached out for the bottle. Sharing is caring!

Looking in on the baby chickens.

And the bunnies.

We ate lunch in the grill but checked out the formal dining room while we waited for our food. There were two of these enormous antler chandeliers. They make them from the fallen antlers from their animals. They must be 14-16 feet in diameter. 

Back at home, Jesse and I installed new toilets in two of our bathrooms. Elliott then sat on a potty with a view!

This one is a keeper!

Fourth of July

Messy Lucy eating before we went to the beach.

As we usually do, we spent the 4th of July in Canada. The Ortmans were also there for the weekend. The kids love to visit Coco and Poppy in bed in the wee hours of the morn.

Six people in bed is normal, right?

Lucy was having a blast.

We had some great beach days. Look at Penny's amazing hair!

The kids had a great time playing in the sand.

Lucy addressing her people.

Ned and his many toys.

Life jackets, noodles, and kickboards. Ample floatation.

Penny, Holly, and their hats.

The beach scene.

Woah, Spencer. You have a lot of noodles!

Dutch looks regal.

We had a big dinner on the 4th with more family and friends. There was a lineup of kids during dinner.

Penny helped herself to the buffet.

Lucy and Daddy. This dress was worn my me when I was little.

Elliott got to stay up late to see his first fireworks display. He was a hit in his hearing protection.

The boys enjoyed the bonfire before the show.

Watching with Daddy in their matching sweatshirts. Elliott was a bit nervous at first but loved the show.

Bonfire and fireworks.

Buffalo Canoe Club Fireworks.