Summer Solstice: A Day At The Carnival!

On the first day of summer we decided to check out our local carnival that is put on by St. Gregory Parish. Family carnivals like this remind me of the ones I went to when I was a kid. Admission was always free, and I could go ride all the rides twice, and get pumped up on sugar all for under 20 bucks. I'd go with my friends,and walk around deciding on which ride to get on next. It was our first time going here, and it did not disappoint. 

Gloucester Township Day '16.

Towards the end of the school year, and for the past eight years of living in Gloucester Township we have always attended Gloucester Township Day. It truly is a huge event within the community, and having had two of my oldest daughters participate in singing on stage along with their fellow classmates who are part of the choir or musical, and various groups is something that I always look forward too! Even in this heat! 

It was a hot day, and couldn't believe how long we toughed it out for a few hours with a toddler! Good thing we had a ton of water to keep us hydrated. It seems that every year this carnival gets bigger and bigger. There have been more rides in the past couple of years, and so when the kids saw a few of their favorites there was no hesitation in letting them fun some fun. Normally we come here just to walk around,, and hear our daughter sing, and then leave. But being that this will be our last time coming to Gloucester township day we splurged a bit! 

We had some time to spare before Lexie's performance, and walked around checking out which rides they had. Noah was in awe when he saw this ride. He said, "I can't wait till I'm tall enough to get on this ride." 

 Noah, and Chelsea were pointing out which ones they wanted to ride, and after a while Noah rode the balloon ride with Lexie. 

They also had a chance to go on the fun slide, which in their opinion was not as great as the wooden slide at Smith park, but the three ticket ride was worth it. 

Since it was so hot with hardly any breeze the kids wanted to ride a ride where they could get some air. The Sizzler was the answer! Since I always get on rides with Noah I figured I'd let Jon get on with him. Their so cute together. 

And these two girls. 

I was starving, and as much as I wanted to eat before getting on rides we didn't. We ate after we rode, and the food they have here is pretty good. Chicken fingers, and fries are always a favorite! 

Noah cannot stop wearing these shades. They are his favorite especially since they were given to him by a Kings Hawaiian Rolls representative! 

Everyone did an amazing job performing, and singing. It was so nice to have heard Lexie, and Cassie sing "for good" from Wicked. You can view their duo here. They did an amazing job, and it reminded me of when Sierra sang on that same stage singing the same song too! Major deja vu! You can see Sierra sing the same song here

Here I am with my arms around Noah dancing to a song that was being sung, and Chelsea in the background being a goof. After she saw this photo she told me that I look "buff." I call it chunky. I may have a bit of muscle tone left, but this photo proves that i probably need to tone up my arms a bit! Ha! Ha!

I am in love with this photo. I love how I captured a moment between father and son, and how you can see the adoration in Noah's eyes for his pa. Love them both so much! 

It sure was bittersweet when we left. Knowing that this will be our last time coming to this event. Even though it'll an hour away from where we'll be living I know that we probably won't make time to come because of what's going on in our new community, and what not. I'm grateful for the times that we've come to support Gloucester Township , and for all the hard work that everyone does to participate in this event for free! I love how this community goes out of their way for families, and for the mayor to create a safe, and fun environment for the kids, and families. This is what I look forward to in our new community, and know that we'll be fine as long as we bring all that is good to our new community! 

Fete Paradiso

This past weekend we experienced the cutest little vintage french carnival on Governors Island. It was so fun seeing everyone dressed as if we were in Paris, and I think I could have fit right in had I been wearing a scarf, and beret! 

There were so many vintage games, carousels, and attractions that were old! There was even a carousel in which Abraham Lincoln rode in 1865! This was indeed a legit carnival in which all the rides were in fact from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

 I think the kids favorite rides were the vintage cars they rode.

A carnival is not complete without the cotton candy, and we all ended up buying more than one! For a moment Noah was playing with it as if it was a balloon, and after awhile took like one bite. He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth which is probably a good thing, but still...it was delicious! 

There was even a band playing french music. I could have sat here all day eating good food, and listening to them all afternoon!

Jon and I had a blast with Noah & Chelsea, and we got on a few rides with them. Jon vined Chelsea and I on the roller coaster here, and the kids loved the swing ride! It was the happiest moment for all of us being that Ceyda and Celeste were with us. These kids all had the time of their life, and being there for most of the day felt like an hour. Time just flew!

Riding the ferry to and from Governors Island was Noah's favorite & boy was he enjoying the sucker that was given to him by a "french" worker at the carnival. 

This is the first time Fete Paradiso has ever come to the United States. They are a traveling carnival, and because it's seasonal the weekend of the 29th will be their last time here. I highly recommend going if you live anywhere near New York. 

They travel around various cities, and hopefully they will come to your neck of the woods. So glad we had the opportunity to venture out to experience this quaint, vintage, french style carnival. We loved every minute of our time here, and definitely will be returning next time they're in the city! 

Bye for now!