Kennywood 2006

On Thursday we ventured out to Kenneywood once again. We attended the Carpenter's Picnic in June, but it was rainy and gross. It was a beautiful evening to go out and enjoy the park. Mom, Dad, Ering, Jeff, Jake and Hailey were also there with us. Evan happily followed Jake to any ride that he suggested. They made great riding partners. We were a bit more cautious with Aubrey going on things. The girl can almost escape a 5-point harness in her car seat, so I do not put a whole lot of faith in that one piece of rope used to hold them onto the rides! The few rides she went on she was not overly thrilled with but she was quite happy to clap for Evan after each ride he came off.

In Kiddieland, Evan went on the turtles, the airplanes, the merry-go-round, the little whip, the space ships, the ferris wheel, and the pounce bounce. He loved it all!

First we went on the train as a family...

Evan on Pounce Bounce...























Aubrey and Evan on the space ship thingies... (before she started crying)














And lastly, all of us on the Merry-Go-Round...















Outside of kiddieland, Evan went on the merry-go-round, the Whip (where he giggled the whole time!) and on the Kangaroo. Mommy and Daddy were so proud of him being so brave and waiting patiently in lines with no fussing.

I must say that I could not have asked for the kids to be any better that evening. There were no tantrums, meltdowns, or diaper leaks. It was one of those days that I loved being a parent getting to see my kids really enjoying their experiences, even if it was just watching the fountain, or seeing the Steel Phantom go racing by, or looking at the really cool trash can that looked like a lion. I got a litte teary seeing Evan take off with Jacob, not needing mommy or daddy holding his hand anymore. Most of the day he looked like such a little boy, not a baby or toddler anymore. He turned 3 the very next day. Mommy is having a hard time coming to grips with gowing up business. Who knew it would be this hard?

Water, water everywhere!

It is official...the Manion children are obsessed with water. At times, this is a good thing, like during bath time or being in the pool. They love playing in the water table in the yard, though more water ends up on them than in the table. Other times, not so much. The holy water at church has to be closely guarded as to not turn into a place of play. Nothing is sacred with these children.

Aubrey is the house toilet fisherman. She will stick her hands in at any given time. Splashing is fun! Yesterday as I was throwing in a load of laundry, I neglected to shut the powder room door and found her dunking her graham cracker! Eeeewww! I snatched it away before she could eat it, thank heavens. I also found a bottle of Mylicon drops in the toilet upstairs a few days ago. Oh what fun!

Evan is the holy man of the house. I have found him dipping his fingers in his cereal bowl, the dog's water, and yes, the toilet, followed by hearing him say, "Father, son, hole, spit, amen" and crossing himself. Ah, a mother should be so proud!

All this amazement with the toilet, yet we are totally unsuccessful in the potty training department. I do not understand. Perhaps he does not want to dirty such a fun place to play? This story may appear next on Unsolved Mysteries. Stay tuned...