saturday outing part 2: fairies in the garden

After our picnic at Calvert Cliffs State Park, we headed down the road to visit the Annmarie Sculpture Garden. This was our third year checking out their annual fairy house exhibit. Anyone can make and submit a fairy house to be displayed in the sculpture garden. The kids have so much fun running through the woods, looking for the next fairy house. They are all very different with fun details to discover.

In addition to the fairy houses, they have an amazing woodland fairy play area with a stage, play houses, and teepees. Pretty much a dream backyard for Amelia and Elsa. We spent a long time here, relaxing under the teepees and watching the kids perform on the stage. I think we'll have to make a return visit this summer.

 

 

Cicadas had taken over the gardens! We spotted one and were excited to finally see one of the famed creatures, and then quickly realized they were EVERYWHERE. Oliver kept picking them up and carrying them around.

(I think this time-lapse video about the life cycle of cicadas is amazing.)

They have an area dedicated to constructing your own fairy house with bins full of sticks, pine cones, shells, and other materials. Amelia filled a shell with water to use as the bathtub in her fairy house.

saturday outing part 1: calvert cliffs state park

We enjoyed lots of adventures outside during Memorial Day weekend. The weather was cool and humid-free which was perfect for our outdoor activities. On Saturday we headed to Solomons, Maryland. Our first stop was Calvert Cliffs State Park where we had a picnic lunch and played on the fantastic recycled tire playground. 

sunday evening stroll: huntley meadows

After our little family birthday celebration of cake and presents, Elsa wanted to go on a walk at Huntley Meadows. It was a beautiful evening, but also the first mosquito sightings of the season. Ugh.

Ben attempted to grab a frog and ended up with a handful of mud.

Elsa turns 5!

A few weeks before Elsa's birthday, she indicated that she was anticipating a party like last year. Ummmm. No. As much as I would have loved to plan another big party, there was no way I could do it with the demands of a new baby. (As a side note, I had no idea the camping theme was so popular. The blog post from her camping party last year has had thousands of hits. Everyday I get visitors to my blog that find it from Google searches for "camping birthday party" or from photos people have pinned on Pinterest. Same with Amelia's fairy party. Crazy.)

I think we made up for it with lots of small celebrations. She and Amelia got to have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's place and they celebrated her birthday there. Ben was going to be out of town on her actual birthday, so we celebrated as a family a few days early:

She requested this delicious creme fraiche chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache that I've made before. (Recipe found here.) She also wanted whipped cream and raspberries on top. Done. I may not have time to plan a big party, but I always have time for baking!

 

On her actual birthday, Elsa woke up and the first thing she said was "I'm a little bit taller."

She got to bring cupcakes to preschool on her birthday and I was able to come and watch her present the "share bag" (show-and-tell). She opened more gifts from family that night and loved getting cards and phone calls from friends and family.

Instead of a big party, I told her she could have a "birthday play date" with a few friends. So a few days after her birthday, her best friends Ada and Bria came over to play and enjoy some cupcakes. They had so much fun giggling and playing together. I loved eavesdropping on their silly conversations.

Elsa is happy and spunky and loud and sweet and helpful and fun. And FIVE!

Happy faces.

We stopped by the Temple Visitor Center after exploring Brookside Gardens.

My mom made these adorable hats. It's hard to imagine chilly weather just a few weeks ago.

Poor Oliver did a face plant on some cement stairs.