Weekend Getaway ~ Day TWO

To start the day off, we stopped at Kirby Muxloe Castle, just 10 minutes from our wonderful Marriott Hotel! {We had the BEST English breakfast each morning there} It was the last day for the castle to be open. There were more people here than there were at the Ashby Castle but as long as it's not a HUGE crowd we're happy! :)

This fortified mansion was built for Lord Hastings, who was seized and executed by Richard III in 1483. It was never finished for this reason. It really would have been a huge, beautiful castle!

 

 

Then, we drove about an hour to Stoke-on-Trent where we visited the Monkey Forest. The monkeys were roaming free, however, none came up close to us like they have pictured all over their website. It was a little disappointing and EXTREMELY crowded.

 

Our last stop for the day was Trentham Estate & Gardens.

 The first thing we did when we got there was to sit down and have a little picnic.

 

Look Mom, a fairy!!

 

The kids wanted to do another Barefoot Walk

 

We teamed up and raced through this maze.........Allie & I won!

 

We found the Secret Garden!

Ended the day with some family pictures

 

Labor Day Weekend Getaway ~ Day ONE

Derek had a family day on Friday and the girls were out of school too...........so that made for a four day weekend!!! You know us Hubers, we couldn't NOT do something so we planned out a fun little getaway to celebrate Blake and I's birthdays. We had so much fun visiting castles, exploring England, and making memories! I have TONS of pics from the 4 days so I'll try not to overload on pics too much. ;)  Enjoy!

Day ONE

This was Blake's birthday so we wanted to do something we thought he would enjoy. Our first stop was Conker's , an indoor/outdoor adventure place for the young and young at heart. The really cool stuff was geared for older kids so we couldn't really enjoy that but the kids did have a lot of fun.

Adventure Playground

 

Blake zip lining ......... he LOVES doing this!

 

Start of our family Barefoot Walk

 

 

The end of our walk!

 

Excited to go into the Fairy Labyrinth

 

Enchanted Forest

 

 

Next stop, ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH CASTLE, just 10 minutes down the road from Conkers. We got there about 2 hours before it was to close and we stayed the entire 2 hours!!! It's not that big of a castle, most of it is actually ruins, but it was so nice because there was only one other family there. It was so quiet and peaceful. It was a beautiful castle and we enjoyed learning about it's history. We were able to climb to the top of the tower and go down into the underground passageway. The kids really enjoyed running around and rolling down the hills. Derek and I loved it because we were able to sit back and relax and soak in the scenery!!

 

 

It's hard to see, but the kids are standing in the doorway

 

And they are at the top of the tower in this one!

 

 

 

 

Blake "The Tank" is TWO!!!

My baby boy turned two on Friday!! He has changed so much in the past six months.......it's crazy! He's changed a ton just since we left Lafayette!! He talks all the time now....using real words. He'll even put some words together. Pretty cute! He is such a ham, LOVES his sisters and does everything to try to keep up with them........and, for the most part, he does. He is rough and tough, but can be so gentle too. He sill loves shoes and gets multiple comments just about every day on his awesome bright blue Adidas shoes. He is a joy to be around and can make anyone smile! :)