Happy Cow Dairy Farm
Ewww…… What’s that SMELL?!
We were able to join some friends for some fun at the Happy Cow Farm. It was fun to explore the farm together! It was really quiet while we were there with no official tours being offered that afternoon, but the employees told us that we could watch them as they take the cows into milk.
We watched the cows on the farm, ate some delicious Happy Cow ice cream, and watched them milk the cows. As were watching them milk the cows the workers invited us to come into the barn while they were milking the cows AND gave the kids a taste of fresh milk straight from the cow’s udder! Karlie was the first one brave enough to try it. Her first words were – “That was HOT MILK!” They had a blast learning about dairy cows. The workers were truly amazing with the kids and very patient when answering their questions.
Brina and Karlie at the Happy Cow Dairy Farm!
Wow, that’s some FRESH MILK dribbling down Karlie’s chin!
Brina hanging out with the cows as they wait to be milked!
Karlie enjoyed hearing all the cows names and stories about them from the workers.
We wore someone out! Everyone had a lot of fun!
Travel & Vacation: Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour (Waterbury, VT)
Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour
On our way back to the airport in Vermont we made a quick stop by the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury, Vermont. The girls found the tour fascinating and they especially liked the ice cream sample at the end! 🙂 The factory we visited makes all the pint size ice cream for Ben & Jerry’s. They do 160,000 containers of one flavor every day. If I remember right they were making “Coffee Caramel Buzz” the day that we went through the factory. We couldn’t take pictures while we were actually in the factory but here are some of the highlights. If you are every in that area it is a pretty fun and quick tour to go on with the kids.
We parked in front of a neat “Infarmation” sign that describes the steps for making Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
Do you see what the big containers are labeled in front of Jake and Brina? From left to right – Sugar, Milk, Milk, Cream, and Cream (definitely an ice cream factory)
We all got a good laugh from this one! It is the “original Vermont fly swatter”. It is a stuffed cow tail.
Display with pint size containers of Ben & Jerry’s euphoric flavors
Karlie and Brina loved exploring and learning all the neat things about the Ben & Jerry’s factory. They especially enjoyed their “Hot Chocolate” ice cream sample! 🙂
Cousins Night Out!
We ended our fun adventures in town that evening with a special treat! Ice cream cones!!!! This is the only picture of the 5 of them, everyone was having so much fun playing I didn’t want to make them stop to pose for a picture! 🙂
Paul and Mirm were able to get away one night to meet friends and spend some quiet time together so we kept the kids. Since Jake was working when Paul & Mirm left I took the crew to Par Tee Time which has bounce houses, batting cages, and miniature golf for the kids. After Par Tee Time we picked up some pizza, had a picnic in the park and played. We ended our night out with the cousins at Bruster’s for ice cream cones than headed home to get everyone showered and ready for bed.
Whose up for a game of miniature golf?
Sweet girl having a blast on the bouncy castle!
The three older chickies having a blast giggling and playing
Come on NOAH! We know you can dunk that ball!
Even my sweet little niece joined the big kids in a game of miniature golf!
Concentrating hard on getting the ball into the hole!
Practicing his swing in the batting cage
Next one up to bat
Karlie taking a whack at it
Got those frogs…..Brina having a blast playing with her little cousin!
Getting some extra air on that jump!
Look out here she comes!
Snapped a quick picture of Brina as she zoomed to the bottom of the slide!
Karlie Cool Cat having a blast
Did you just see me dunk that ball!
Goofy girl, she makes me laugh!
Eating pizza at the park
Playing at the park
I had a blast with the kids. They did really well bouncing around and playing together. Thankful for some extra time with my nieces and nephew. The girls always enjoy their time with their cousins. A lot of great memories of their time with us!
Travel & Vacation: Trip to the Pirate Park & Charleston Creamery
Stopping to refuel…..so thankful the girls both travel so well!
We have been on some long trips with our kids (over 40 hours of drive time) which makes us very thankful that they both love to travel. They get excited when we tell them they will get to “sleep” in the van. The girls love it when the road trip is more than 5 hours because that means Daddy will put in the DVD player for them to watch movies while we drive. They stay entertained when we we take the 2 or 4 hour trips as well with books, games, music, and more. It is always an adventure no matter where we go and the girls love exploring different areas as well as going back to our favorite parks or places we have visited in the past. The pictures in this post are from our winter trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Love seeing their smiles, watching them play, and thankful that they had a chance to relax for a few days.
Karlie relaxing on the bench and blowing some bubbles.
Brina checking out the pirate treasure chest full of sand at the “Pirate” Park on Daniel’s Island.
Karlie (she is wearing the black shirt in the middle of the ship) is checking out the big sunken pirate ship
Brina climbing the lighthouse at the pirate’s park
Look out…..here comes Karlie!
Look out BELOW!!! I can hear Brina giggling as she comes zipping down the slide.
Getting ice cream from their favorite ice cream store – Charleston Creamery! In this picture Karlie is choosing her 1st topping. After they select their ice cream flavors and toppings a robot puts it together for them. The girls LOVE it!
The robot is getting ready to make the ice cream.
Mesmerized by the robot making the ice cream!
Ta….Da……the ice cream treat is now ready to eat! Thanks Robot! 🙂 The robot only serves soft serve ice cream but you can get one of their many homemade flavors in a cup, cone, or shake!
Charleston Creamery has a place for the kids to sit and play with toys while you enjoy your treat too. It’s a great family owned ice cream store. It is one of the girls favorite places to visit while in the Charleston area. For more information about their store, location, upcoming events, specials, or their newest flavor of ice cream you can find them on Facebook!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Baskin Robbins: $0.31 Scoop Night (Wednesday, 4/27)
Baskin Robbins has their $0.31 Scoop Night on Wednesday night, 4/27/11, from 5 PM to 10 PM.
The 31 Cent scoop night is in honor America’s firefighters and you help by participating and/or donating during the event.
Baskin-Robbins is donating $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation™ (NFFF).
Check you local store to make sure they are participating in the event. In the past the stores are pretty full during this event so you may want to go early or make sure you go when you have enough time. Also, to keep the line moving they typically take cash only during this special event. Enjoy treating your family to a good treat while helping a great cause!
Baskin-Robbins Coupon: Buy 1 Cone, Get 1 Free
Baskin-Robbins Coupon for Buy 1 Cone, Get 1 FREE Cone!
How?
- Go to Baskin-Robbins Facebook
- Scroll to their wall post on April 17th
- Click the Play Button to instantly win a B1G1F Coupon to print out!
The coupon Expires on May 15, 2011!
Family Celebrations: Girls Birthday!
Happy Birthday Banner for Brina and Karlie!!! The girls had a blast celebrating their sixth birthday! We made the day special for them and had fun! It is still hard to believe that they are growing up so quickly. Here are a few shots from our adventures on their birthday!
Birthday Breakfast - Blueberry Bear Pancakes & Banana Pudding with Star Candles 
Brina and Karlie LOVE writing in their notebooks. At breakfast they got a pretty princess notepad with purple fluffy pen! Super exciting and cute! (Even better is I found them on clearance at Walmart.) 
Karlie playing with her little pony at TGI Friday's 
Brina playing with her little pony at the restaurant - TGI Friday's 
We celebrated their birthday dinner at TGI Friday's! 
Brina and Karlie enjoying their caramel & chocolate ice cream birthday sundae's at TGI Friday's!!! So delicious they got it all over themselves! 
Karlie and Brina using their gift certificates at Toys R Us! 
Brina picked out a pink & white puppy and baby doll supplies at Toys R Us! 
Karlie and Brina sharing their birthday goodies! 
Daddy helping Karlie putting together her Hot Wheels truck! 
Brina LOVES her horses, the stable, and books! We read one right away then put the horse and book back in the stable! 
Karlie so excited about her Stomp ROCKET! She even blasted a few off in the house that night! 
Brina and Karlie coming downstairs for some more birthday fun! 
Brina having a blast riding the go cart in the front yard! Peddle FASTER!!! 
Look Out MOM!!! Karlie's driving fast and you're in the way! Use the breaks!!! I have been very blessed with a sweet family. Even though I am still in shock that my baby girls are 6 years old I am thankful for them and the privilege of watching them grow up. Wishing them many more awesome years together!
Recipe: Snow Ball Ice Cream
Vanilla Snow Ball Ice Cream! The girls woke us up at 6:30 this morning and announced that it had snowed outside. We knew they would not be going to school because we received the phone call the night before letting us know that the school was closed. It is bright and beautiful outside today. I dug up another great Snow Ice Cream recipe that I enjoy. This recipe uses milk instead of sweeten condensed milk like our Snow Ice Cream recipe. We do not get a lot of snow in South Carolina so when it happens we have extra special treats. We had over 6 inches already today and we have been having a blast playing in the snow. I am not sure if the kids or the dog are more excited by the snow adventures!
Snow Ball Ice Cream
- 12 to 14 cups of Clean Snow
- 1 package instant pudding (we usually do Vanilla or Chocolate depending on what’s in the pantry)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla
- 2 cups cold Milk
- 1 cup Sugar
Mix the pudding, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the 12 to 14 cups of snow. Stir until evenly mixed. Top with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, or whatever your family enjoys.
Today we did vanilla pudding because it is what we had in the pantry. A couple added chocolate to their ice cream and of course everyone had to have sprinkles!
*The picture above is prior to us adding sprinkles to the ice cream!
Recipe: Snow Ice Cream
We have lived in South Carolina for over 14 years and have never had it snow on Christmas Day so it was an extra special gift yesterday! Today we have been busy building a snowman, making snow angels, throwing snow balls outside before the snow melts. The girls and Skipper (our dog) have been enjoying it. One of the things we always like to make when it snows is Snow Ice Cream. Some years it doesn’t snow in SC so when it happens once or twice a year we love it!Snow Ice Cream
- 8 to 10 cups of clean Snow
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- (optional) 1/2 cup Chocolate Syrup
- (optional) Sprinkles
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. When completely mixed serve immediately. It melts pretty quickly. In our family we have some that enjoy vanilla and others enjoy chocolate so we do a mix of both depending on the individuals preference. Today some people chose vanilla with chocolate syrup and hugs & kisses sprinkles while others chose chocolate. Enjoy!
