Pirates! (Jim's first and last post)

So...Monday, we went on a Pirate cruise... This is my first blogging as the Papa blogger...

We set sail on a quest for treasure from Annapolis in search of Captain Pete's treasure..



Can't head out on a Pirate adventure without Tattoos! @@#$#@  A fathers' dream!!
Of course my girls want "MERMAID" Tattoos...not skulls or crossbones...That's what you get for shooting "X" chromosomes...

The girls were already dressed for the trip thanks to Mommy... but you can always add to perfection...tattoos...whew whew, a fathers greatest dream!! $#@@#$##

They turned out GREAT! and the Pirate Princesses were happy!

 We hoisted our colors and set sail for Pirate booty!

The girls received their marching orders...kill Pirate Pete with water canons and get the keys to the pirate chest...

Abby and the crew hit him broadside....good job!

 The girls and the crew brought the treasure broadside and everyone was excited to see the booty!

 Abby grabbed a fist full of treasure and revelled in her triumph!

 

 



 Kera provided an "oscar" performance of ARRRGGHH from Pirates of Penzance...

 

Then,  Kera got side tracked by something "She and Abby NEVER had before...Soda Pop! HORRIBLE!!!!!"  They were shocked by it at first because it burned....with the carbonated soda, but later sucked it down like drunken sailors drinking rum!  SAYING YUMMMM!  The "orange" mustaches will last several days!" (CURSE YOU AQUA SCUM!!)

Abby...too busy to bother with treasure finding...discovered Orange soda!

Worse than Heroin...addicted to carbonated orange soda!

AAARRRGGHHHH!!!!

After the Pirate Adventure, we had a great dinner together with pizza, french fries and lots of smiles...
What a great day for our family...AAARRRGHHHH!

Hershey Chocolate World

Today we made the nearly 2 hour drive to Hershey Chocolate World in Hershey, PA...

...it was worth the drive!

Our chocolate adventure began with a 4D movie...yes, 4D. Not only were we wearing 3D glasses but we were also treated to different smells, vibrating seats, flashing lights, water sprinklers, and bubbles during the movie.

After the movie we headed to the Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour Ride. On the ride we followed cocoa beans from the rain forest to  Hershey chocolate. The girls, especially Kera, had a great time on the ride. Here are a few pictures from the ride...

After the ride we took a very serious chocolate milk break!

Next, it was time for the best part of the day...Create Your Own Candy Bar! Forgive me in advance, I took A LOT of pictures...SO MUCH FUN!

First, we put on our aprons...

...next, time for the hair nets.

We had a short wait until we were able to enter the factory...

...look at our cute chocolate makers!

To start the process we went to a computer and selected our chocolate bar options. We got to choose a base (milk, dark, or white chocolate), up to 3 additives (toffee, jimmy's, butterscotch, semi sweet chocolate, pretzel pieces, and/or almonds), and finally we could select if we wanted sprinkles on top. We all had a had a great time selecting our options. Here is what we all ended up with:

Abby...
milk chocolate with semi sweet chocolate and jimmy's with sprinkles on top

Jim...
dark chocolate with toffee, butterscotch, and semi sweet chocolate

Kera...
white chocolate with semi sweet chocolate and jimmy's with sprinkles on top

Amy...
dark chocolate with toffee, pretzel pieces, and semi sweet chocolate

Now it was time for the creation room!

First, we scanned our ticket. When we scanned the ticket the robot knew which chocolate base to put on the conveyor belt.

Here are Kera and my chocolate bases ready to be filled.

Next, the chocolate bars got filled.

After all the additives were accounted for it was time to cover them up.

The girls got their sprinkles on top.

While we waited for our chocolatr bars to set we created our own packaging! In the end we all had our own personalized candy bars!

SO FUN!

After Chocolate World we drove down Chocolate Ave in town town Hershey...yes, Chocolate Ave complete with Hershey Kiss lights.

One of the highlights of Chocolate Ave is being able to see the chocolate factory's original smoke stacks!

The girls had a nice nap during the drive home and then, after dinner, we ended the day in perfect fashion...eating some of our candy bars and watching Charley and the Chocolate Factory!

15 and/or 77

On Sunday, July 21st our dear Billy turned 15, that is 77 in human years! He has had some health issues in the last year but, he is still with us. I hope he is with us for many years to come!

He still grooms Chewy,

tolerates the girls,

and is as handsome as ever!

Dance Camp

During the week of July 15th-19th Abby experienced her very first day camp, DANCE CAMP! She attended...Fairy Tale Adventures at her dance studio, Arabesque Dance Studio. At camp she explored...

"dance through Fairy Tales. Dancers will have a fun-filled week acting out fairy tales through dance and participating in themed related activities and arts and crafts. Dancers will be rewarded with a Fairy Tale Dance Party on our last day. Each student will receive their own tiara or crown."

I was curious to see how Abby would do with having an activity everyday of the week. I was a bit worried at the beginning of the week...on Monday after camp she said, "I have to go back tomorrow". By the middle of the week she was fully in the grove and having a great time. On Friday, as promised, they had a fairy tale dance party where all the dancers got to dress up as their favorite princess. Abby, of course, dressed up as Rapunzel in her recital outfit.

While Abby was enjoying her last day of dance camp I took Kera on a special outing to the mall. I know, that sounds funny but, the Columbia mall has some GREAT things for kids like the carousel...

...and a very fun kid play area.

After the mall Kera and I headed back to Abby's dance studio for a very special  performance.

Here is a picture of Abby waiting for her performance to begin...

...and here is the adorable performance!

After the performance Abby was thrilled...

...because she earned her second trophy!

She had a great week at dance camp with her friends!

Kera, Giada, and Abby
We know Giada from Abby's school!

Abby and Giselle

After dance camp we headed to one of our favorite places for lunch, The Bagel Bin!

On Fridays, during the summer, up at our local shopping area they play live music at lunch so, we have been trying to take advantage of this as much as possible! And, of course, we take every opportunity to dance!