Here Comes A New Shelmet

For the Easter season, there were a number of egg hunts that took place. First, we went to the gun club to join in the festivities there. Of course there was the mad dash for eggs, but there was also some photo ops with the Easter Bunny. Cheryl even got in on the egg grabbing. Once that was done, even though it was a bit chilly out, we still played for a bit on the play set that was there. This included some climbing, a little sliding and a whole lot of swinging. The next day there was an egg hunt at Mimi and Joe Pop's house. The competition was fierce and there was more than one occasion where skulls nearly collided, but there were narrowly avoided. Whether she's wearing a fancy dress or not, Zoe is going to go all out to get that last egg. When all was said and done, the three girls were happy to sit with one another on the way, and even smiled (kind of) when asked for a picture. Here's to hoping that next year is just as good as this one.

This year for Zoe's birthday we booked a couple of hours in Giggleberry Fair up in Peddlers Village. A lot of folks showed up and there were a number of different things to do. Zoe was excited, as she always is, to see Ben and Julia. There was a play area with gym mats that had a pole, a slide, a bell and a firetruck. Next to that there was an area to play in the water, complete with fishing poles. Further back there were some motion rides, like a motorcycle. At the center there was a large carousel. After everyone had played for a while it was time to sing and eat cake. Zoe was very enthusiastic about blowing out her candles and everyone loved their cake, or, at least the icing on the cake. The best part, by far, was the large, multi-story area that had different ways to collect, shoot and blast nerf balls all over the place. I'm not entirely sure that were supposed to be in there, but all of the kids, and most of the adults, really enjoyed it. Sadly, it wasn

As an early birthday treat, we decided to take Zoe up to the Crayola Experience. She loves to color and we had heard great things, plus we had a coupon. There were TONS of activities in the place, starting with creating your own wrapper for a crayon. Zoe did this four times, creating two for herself and one each for Cheryl and me. We then moved on to an area where you could color a picture on a small touch screen and then look at it projected on the wall. We all colored several pictures and wrote different messages that we had projected. It was also a place that we came back to later in the day. Next was a wall where colors would rain down from the top of a screen and, by stepping in front of a camera, you could wipe away the color. I may have enjoyed this a little more than Zoe did. There was also an appearance by Green Crayon and we were able to get some pictures with... him? her? it? They also had a penny machine, one of the things that Zoe also enjoys and collects.

On Saturday we met up with the Carusos at Tyler park for some playtime and picnicking. Annabelle and Zoe were really happy swinging next to one another. It was cute to see how each of them wanted to go higher than the other, until Zoe was pushed too high, then she didn't want to swing very high any more. After some vigorous swinging, it was time for a little break. The snacks were consumed both on the bench and on the blanket. I think everyone enjoyed the blanket. They all did a wonderful job of sharing. Once the snacks were consumed, the playing started all over again. They ran all over the playground and had a great time together. It is always great to see the kids. When Zoe got home, she was really tired, but she didn't want to nap along. She gathered a few friends and chilled out for a bit on the couch. I'm not certain that she bathed that night, but the next day she did. Man did she get clean! I tried to convince her that the hair is a good look

Today Cheryl had the day off and took Zoe down to the Philadelphia Flower Show at the Convention Center. They had a good time walking around, looking at all of the different plants. Zoe even got to pick out a couple of things for herself. She was super happy to pose in front of all of the beautiful blooms. She was so good that she was able to get a treat. It's not every day that she gets a sprinkle topped cupcake, contrary to what you may hear. When they got home, there were a number of yellow flowers in the back year. Armed with her new metal pale, Zoe strolled around plucking flowers for a lovely bouquet. She enjoyed the show, probably more than the comic book convention, but we'll see if that still holds up later this year.

Cheryl booked a photo shoot for Zoe with a local photographer that has sessions with baby animals for Easter. There are chicks, ducks and sheep, along with other holiday related props. It took a little bit for her to warm up, but Zoe was really good with the animals, even if there were moments where she was unsure of what they would do. That one with the duckling is hilarious, and that last one is insanely cute. Be sure to check out all of the baby animal goodness, along with other Easter activities, in the Easter 2016 set on Flickr.