THE FIREWORKS. { Willow Springs Garden 2011 }

Every year at dusk, the Willow Springs Garden puts on a fabulous fireworks display. They normally have the fireworks shoot off to live music, sometimes it's in sync. This year, they shot them off randomly yet the display was just as beautiful!



I half expected that within two minutes of the fireworks we were going to need to exit the large field & call it an evening. The year prior, Daycen had a complete melt down the second the bangs & pows began. This year, he grinned cheekily at my brother, stated, "cool!" & continued to watch. As for Ripsi, she seemed to enjoy them as well. She just sat on the blanket, staring wide-eyed at the display before her.



Fireworks. Welcome back to our lives. We've missed you!

WILLOW SPRINGS GARDEN'S SPRING FESTIVAL 2011

The Spring Festival has come! My goodness was it chilly & windy the entire time we were there! I had a feeling that the weather was going to try & put a damper on our festivities like it does every year. However, it held off until later in the evening when we were all snuggled up inside.

Once we got there, we headed inside the townhouse & the coloring fest began! Both Daycen & his cousin Naomi scribbled their spring themed pictures like crazy!



After awhile of sitting inside the kids refused to color. All they wanted to do was go outside & be with the animals! I'm not such a fan of standing in the cold, but I would do anything to make my kids happy. So, there I was, bundled in my peacoat, snapping pictures of them interacting. Most of the smaller petting zoo animals were locked up in their cages under warming lights, so they were just a "watch & look" sort of experience.



Which is exactly where Daycen stood most of the time, in front of the little ducklings.



Even though the wind was brisk, laughter filled us & kept us warm. The cloudy atmosphere gave a nice cast to our photographs. I would have loved to stay out there all day and snap away like crazy if I wasn't afraid of the little ones catching a cold. (Who wants one of those in Spring anyways? I sure wouldn't!)



Since Ripsi was so little, I decided I would try to let her in on the action. I moved her closer to the animal pen & the little goat stepped forward. They stared at each other. Suddenly his head poked out from between the rails & he attempted to snatch the butterfly rattle as was playing with. However, she was just far enough away he couldn't reach it. Oh, but did he try! I was afraid he was going to get his head stuck!



Despite the cold, we had a FANTASTIC time at the festival. We cannot wait for the Fourth of July festivities that will be going on at Willow Springs Garden. Hope that everyone else can make it out for that one! There wasn't very many people that showed for the Spring one because of the weather.

THE WINTER FESTIVAL {formerly known as sled dog days}

Earlier in the month we attended WILLOW SPRINGS GARDEN'S winter festivities. For the past two years we have been attending nearly every one of their functions, which in turn the profit from these events go to restoring the round barn that is on site. So, not only are we having a blast but we are helping restore a beautiful part of the area's history. I'll admit, because I was married on the grounds of Willow Springs there is a soft spot in my heart, as well as for the lovely couple that runs it.




Lucky for us, the weather was beautiful this weekend. (Yet, not as beautiful as it is outside right now! Yikes! Do you see all that melting snow?!) The dogs were energetic, which in turn made Daycen wild. I'm almost positive that his laughter could be heard miles away! We were limited for time though, and wanted to enjoy the other activities inside the townhouse so we only watched one dog sled run. (They were literally racing all afternoon into dusk! If you love this type of activity you really should consider attending next year!)




They both forgot their boots at home! At least Andy carried Daycen so we only had one pair of wet socks!



Once inside the townhouse I enjoyed a nice warm cup of coffee, while the boys indulged in a freshly made hot dog. After our snacks, we partook in some of the contests they were running - we tried to win a bird feeder, as well as the coloring contest for the stuffed dogs. (I have a feeling we didn't win, I've been checking my phone for days and we haven't received a congratulatory voicemail.)





We left the festival with smiles on our face, warm treats in our stomaches & a bag full of puppy dog chow. (Which I wasn't going to share, but broke down to large blue eyes and a poorly spoken "please". It sounded more like cheese, but it melted my heart either way.)

The Spring festival is at the end of April. Mark your calenders & join us!