fairies in the garden.

After our pancake breakfast, we drove a few minutes down the road to the Annmarie Sculpture Garden which is basically an extension of the National Gallery of Art. I was really impressed with their collection and the beautiful walk through the woods to see all the sculptures. The definite highlight of our visit was seeing the "Fairies in the Garden" exhibit. About 40 different fairy houses submitted by different people were located throughout the garden. We really enjoyed walking through the woods and spotting these different houses. It was like being on a magical treasure hunt. Ever since our search for the fairy doors of Ann Arbor, Amelia has been obsessed with fairy houses. To say she enjoyed this would be a huge understatement. She was in love with every house. They even had some clues at certain houses to figure out a mystery word. There was also a "fairy obstacle course" (ribbons were hanging from all of the trees). The kids (and adults) could play on a stage, lay in hammocks, and jump across tree stumps covered in glitter. Covered in glitter! Did I mention Amelia was in heaven? We can't wait for a new installation of fairy houses next summer.

A perfectly magical end to summer.

A perfume bottle fairy house.

Checking out one of the clues.

Famous artwork was reproduced on tree trunks throughout the woods.

Elsa was in love with the "pegasus house."

Anyone could contribute to this installation of "I wish" flags.

labor day pancakes.

Keeping with a tradition in Ben's family to have a Labor Day breakfast cookout, we went to Calvert Cliffs State Park in Maryland Monday morning. Ben cooked us a delicious pancake/sausage/egg breakfast. The kids were in heaven on the fantastic recycled tire playground. They have a nice trail that goes out to the beach and the cliffs but it's 2 miles one way. We decided to save that for another day and move on to our next adventure.

 

summer's end.

We packed in lots of fun during our last week of summer vacation. The farm, a few trips to the pool, a waterpark, and a Nationals game. Saturday involved lots of yard work and a yummy bbq dinner. And the kids treated us to a weekend of sleeping in (9:45 on Saturday and 9:00 on Sunday...truly unheard of). Hopefully the rain doesn't interfere too much with our Labor Day plans (which involve fairy houses and pancakes) and then it's back to school. 

Amelia enjoyed the first 6 innings and then busted out her book. She read an entire 65-page chapter book by the end of the game.

The remnants of our beaver house, built with post-Irene yard debris.

Ben's awesome bacon avocado burger.

Great Country Farms

Last week we spent an afternoon with some friends at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Virginia. Aside from being absolutely beautiful, there were so many fun things to do. And we pretty much had the place to ourselves! The kids definitely wore themselves out.

The jumping pillow.