Sunday’s are our family day which have made exploring the area a lot of fun with Levi. We usually start every Sunday at our local Farmer’s Market just down the road from where we live. From there we’ll check out anything from a local attraction, a seasonal event or we’ll just hang out at home as a family. The last (almost) 5 months we’ve been showing Levi all there is to do around here, and I can’t wait to take him on more adventures this summer!
Although Levi sleeps during most of the things we take him to, I still think it’s important for us to have family day. It’s also a way for Lance and I to connect after our much busier weeks now.
The first 2 months we stayed at home, and we really didn’t go out with him. I didn’t want Levi getting sick and a lot of people were getting the flu. Plus it was the middle of winter, so there wasn’t much to do anyways besides snuggle up with him on the couch (which was fine by me – I can’t get enough!)
Once the weather started getting nicer, we were all really itching to get outside. Our first real outing as a family besides our nightly walks was on Mother’s Day. We celebrated by going to High Falls Gorge in Wilmington, NY. Although it was a cold day out, we made the most of it and walked along the 1/2 mile gorge looking at the waterfalls and fun facts along the way. It was also the first time we really tested out our carrier for Levi which worked out nicely. Afterwards we headed up to Claire and Carl’s for their Michigan’s for lunch. I was craving them since I couldn’t eat hot dogs the summer before during my pregnancy. haha!
Also in May Levi and I met up with my friend at Green Grass Getdown at the Sugar House Creamery in Upper Jay. I LOVE this event! Levi slept through the whole thing, but I’ve been coming to this event for a few years and each year seems to be getting bigger and better. The community event celebrates spring by letting their dairy cows out to the pasture. There’s food, music, a farmers market, and literally the best cheese to buy. It’s so so good! We spent a couple of hours looking at all the vendors, drinking lemonade, eating food, sitting in the sun (Levi in the shade), and topping it all off with such delicious ice cream. Kids were running around, sitting on this huge rock overlooking the cows, dancing and having an all around great time. It’s such a fun family event that I look forward to every year!
Late May Lance, Levi and I headed to the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge in Wilmington, NY. This place is amazing! It’s really come a long way since I was there probably 5 years ago. We saw so many animals including a fisher, owls, wolves, hawk, porcupine and more. It was so interesting to learn and see all the different types of animals. I had no idea what a fisher was or that it was even an animal?? lol Apparently Lance has seen Fisher’s while hunting. Anyways we ended up (not knowingly) walking on the longest hiking trail, but we finally made it back to the parking lot and since it was hot we stopped for ice cream at the Dairy Bar. We’ll definitely be back!
On our agenda this weekend is our first camping trip as a family! We booked a site in Lake George, and we’re SO excited! The weather is looking amazing – high 70’s to low 80’s. Right now since Levi is only 5 months, we can’t have him out in the sun, but we have an RV with an awning so there will be lots of shade for him. The campground has a playground, a beach, a pool and splash pad, lots of walking trails, a restaurant on site, plus so much more. I’m excited to think this may become a tradition for our family. I think about future years when Levi will be a little older and how much fun he will have. It gets me so excited to experience everything now and also for what’s to come! Also, the village of Lake George has a lot to offer and in future summers we can go to Great Escape, the Dino Roar Valley and much more.
I bought Levi a little kiddie pool for our deck. He can’t sit up unassisted yet, so we’ll have to try using it later this summer – or I’ll just get in there with him. lol There’s shade on our deck, so I thought it would be perfect for him. I can’t wait to try it out and see what he thinks!
I’ve been making a list on my phone of all the activities and events we want to do with Levi. No matter what we do, simple or not, it’s always so much fun with him, and we’re just taking it all in!
Our Summer Bucket List
Hiking (We just got a hiking backpack for Levi, and we can’t wait to use it!)
Story Time at our local Library and Book Store (He’s beginning to look at the pages and seems interested when we read to him at night – It’s so cute!)
Bubbles – (Just going to get some at the dollar store. Love the simplicity of this!)
Wild Center (I want to show him the otters and we can explore the Wild Walk which is an elevated trail in the trees. So fun!)
Beach (I LOVE the beach in the summer. We’re going to wait til later in the summer for this one though.)
Shelburne Farms (I’ve been wanting to go here. Maybe we’ll wait til the Fall so we can pick apples and then visit the farmyard.)
VIC Center (My favorite place in the Adirondacks. LOVE their walking trails, plus it’s close to the beach and Donnelly’s – my and Lance’s favorite ice cream place.)
On Our List For The Future
Burlington Bike Path (I can’t wait to bike here and we can hook Levi up behind us in a bike trailer.)
Picnics at the Park
Echo Museum
Rulf’s Orchard (Annual strawberry picking with Grandma! Plus all the fun activities they have to do there. We’ll need to go apple picking here too!)
Utica Zoo and Utica Children’s Museum
Old Forge Water Park
Teddy Bear Factory
Petting Zoo
Carousel – (I can’t wait to bring Levi here. It looks like so much fun!)
Renting a boat and getting out on the water
Park Safari
Lots more camping trips!
Gardening with Mommy and Daddy
Ashley's Paige 