8-5, National Night Out

We really enjoyed our first National Night out at Fort Meade. The festivities began with a parade of emergency vehicles throughout the neighborhoods. A short walk to the parade field revealed an array of exhibits and family-friendly fun.

8-2, Howard County Fair

We always love going to county fairs. This one surprised us. Being such an urban area, we thought it would be more like a congested state fair. But it wasn't. It was just the right size. It even reminded me of the Ravalli County Fair.

Grinding Corn.

I think we need one of these contraptions! It seemed to entertain Nikolas (and Sven!) even more than all of the techie gadgets and games kids have these days.

This was pretty humorous. The firefighter in the dunk tank was giving the boys a hard time about their status as Steelers fans when......DUNK. Good job, Nikolas!

Nikolas' first ferris wheel ride.

More fun.

No fair is complete without seeing the animals. And as always, my favorite....the cows!

7-30, Summertime Friends

It's pretty humorous (and chaotic!) watching the kids create ideas to keep themselves busy. There's always something 'really important' going on that needs supervising!

Picnic lunch on the front steps.

Washing things--anything....bikes, tables, rocks, -- seems to be a big hit.

No summer fun would be complete without a tent....so what it's mid-day and 90 degrees and 90% humidity. These guys are serious fun-seekers. But, even the best of them need a snack to keep their energy levels high!