You don’t have to be a kid, just a kid at heart, to enjoy a ride on a carousel, especially one with it’s original horses that was built in 1920! This beauty of a carousel was relocated to it’s new home beside the Virginia Air and Space Center in downtown Hampton when it was rescued from the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park.

It is one of only 200 antique carousels left in the United States! See the video below recorded when it was ready to open after relocation.

Take a ride on an antique carousel horse!

December 14th, 2008 | Category: Creative Escapes, Kid at Heart | |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Santa Arrives!

Santa has arrived and look at that belly!

We’ve been out and about attending the Christmas Parades in and around our area and have captured some fabulous photos of the balloons we saw this year!

The kids loved them; talk about kids eyes lighting up! They were as big as saucers when some of them came flying by.

Scroll down to see more balloons ringing in the holiday season.

December 14th, 2008 | Tags: balloons, Christmas, santa | Category: Holiday Happenings | |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Old Fasioned Doll

Kids of all ages helped bring the magic of Christmas alive to thousands of viewers in our local area who turned out for the holiday parades!

Putting on a show as they marched through the streets, the perfprmers were dressed as many different characters including an Old Fashioned Doll, Clara, The Snow Queen, The Mouse King, Spanish Dancers, an Arabian Dancer, Ice Skaters and a favorite with the crowds…. the Mice.

There were local celebrities too!

And free rides on the 1920 antique carousel with it’s original horses that was rescued when the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park was closed. See the video on it’s relocation and re-opening!

December 14th, 2008 | Tags: Carousel, Christmas Mice, Holiday Happenings, Magic of Christmas, Old Fashioned Doll | Category: Holiday Happenings, Old World Style | |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

Connor - Daddy's Lil Vampire

Halloween Photos:

Left: Connor: Daddy’s Lil Vampire

Below:

• Rotten Realty Graveyard
• McKayla: Evil Bride
• Organically Grown Pumpkins
• Neighborhood Ghost

Rotten Realty Graveyard

McKayla: Evil Bride

Organically Grown Pumpkins

Neighborhood Ghost

All photos © 2008 I Love This Kid or their individual owners. Photos may not be copied or used without permission. Contact I Love This Kid via our main website for permission to utilize photos in any way.

November 5th, 2008 | Tags: photos | Category: Holiday Happenings | |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

We keep the flag flying!

We received a link by email to some children and high schoolers singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. We thought it was absolutely beautiful! It features four high school choirs and a little kids choir! A father of one of the performers recorded it during the event. This is a pro-military site with photos and videos that many might enjoy viewing. Be sure to listen to this talented group of kids singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

I Love This Kid also loves…

America’s Pampered Prince & Princess TM, home of America’s Great Babies!

America’s PP&P has kept the flag flying online since 1997 and supports higher education. America’s PP&P has awarded over $14,000 to some of America’s Great Babies as well as many beautiful trophies, banners, certificates and other gifts.

If you have a cute baby or toddler, age 0 - 26 months, be sure to visit America’s Pampered Prince & Princess National Baby Search and Contest.

November 3rd, 2008 | Tags: America's PP&P, American Flag, baby contest, kids choirs, Singing | Category: Angels Among Us | |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Girl Scouts are Angels!

There are Angels among us; sometimes they just come disguised as little stinkers. I would like to tell you about some children that are trying hard to be angels.

One of them is my daughter Chloe. Chloe is an only child and I wanted to introduce her to the world around her so she would realize how fortunate she is! We all have heard stories about how spoiled and selfish only children can be so I asked myself how I could accomplish my goals for Chloe. I decided Chloe and I would join a Daisy Girl Scout troop.

We are in our second year of Girl Scouts, as Brownies and I have become the troop leader. I couldn’t be prouder of this young bunch of girl’s ages 6-8 years old. They are working hard to be an example to the other children at their school. They are very compassionate and care about their classmates.

One day a classmate had been taunting Chloe and another child. Well, he got in trouble and had to sit down on the playground in “time out”. Chloe and her fellow Brownies were very upset and begged the teacher to let their classmate come out of “time out” because it made them sad for him to be in trouble. They kept telling the teacher “he was just playing, he didn’t mean it!”

This group of little angels complete four community service projects every year including collecting eye glasses for the Lions Club, participating in a fund-raiser creating Christmas Ornaments that are sold to benefit the local Children’s Hospital, visiting and delivering lap blankets to the elderly living in nursing homes and collecting books that are donated to children that don’t have access to books. I am very proud of these little angels for their hard work and unselfishness.

We all know children can be a little devilish growing up with all their antics but the next time you see what could be a little devil, take a second look. You might see a halo hovering tilted ever so slightly above those horns.

Article and photo submitted by: Denise Wilkerson, Troupe Leader & Chloe’s mother

Note from ILTK: Chloe, who also models and is available for print assignments and children’s runway, has been named I Love This Kid’s first ever Cover Kid - Click here to read more about Chloe, I Love This Kid COVER KID 2008! ILTK Cover Kid photo contest for children is produced and sponsored by ILoveThisKid.com and QuestModels.com

October 29th, 2008 | Tags: Angels Among Us, Brownies, Girl Scouts, photo contest | Category: Angels Among Us | |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

Strawberries and Orange Juice

After donning their jeans for the Denim and Dungarees Fashion Show supporting Lee National Denim Day and raising funds for the Women’s Cancer Programs of the EIF, our local teens and kids were up bright and early the next morning participating in the 41st annual Phoebus Days Parade. Promoting the theme “Eating Healthy”, they carried colorful over-sized fruits and vegetables along with other hand made signs.

Photos: © ILoveThisKid.com

October 28th, 2008 | Tags: eating healthy, Phoebus Days Parade | Category: Holiday Happenings, I Love This Kid News | |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

Photo: 2008 ILoveThisKid.com

Halloween: Thumbs up for Rockin’ Eve’s Wrath

I managed to make it to Busch Gardens Williamsburg last night to see Rockin’ Eve’s Wrath, the new rock ‘n’ roll show at the Royal Palace Theatre.I love outdoor theaters which allow everyone, performers and audience alike, to enjoy an evening under the stars but I have to admit I was a bit worried it might be too chilly for me since the weather changed here overnight. I am glad to say I didn’t even notice I might be cold as the entertainers kept the energy level up and excitement level moving throughout the entire show.

Hostess, Hallow Eve, and her ex-boyfriend, Wrath, are the stars of Rockin’ Eve’s Wrath surrounded by a small cast of fire manipulators and gothic monsters. The set was perfect for this production’s theme and the cast well trained, dramatic and entertaining. If you live near by and like entertaining stage shows, be sure to fit Rockin’ Eve’s Wrath into your Halloween plans!There were plenty of ghosts, goblins, skeletons and other ghoulish characters thoughout the park too to keep you alert and in the spirit of ghoulish and ghastly all evening.

Hats off to the entire cast!

It’s been nice to have Busch Gardens and King’s Dominion so close by for reasons other than just fun. For many years, both theme parks have provided my dancers and other local talent the opportunity to audition, work and build their resumes, many while still in high school or attending college and working in shows during the summer. It really helps them decide if they want to continue to pursue a performing career after graduating or do something else entirely.

I have more photos. If any of the cast is interested in them for their portfolios, contact via the main website.

Awesome show!

October 19th, 2008 | Tags: Entertainment, Halloween, performing careers, Rockin' Eve's Wrath, theme parks | Category: Holiday Happenings, I Love This Kid News | |  Email This Post | Comments (3)

Deja in vintage style

Hi there, my name is Fabienne and my daughter’s name is Déja. For her three-year-old pictures this year, I took her to a professional photographer and had “Vintage” pictures done. At the same age, I did the same for my niece, who is now 11; and for each one, I am so thankful. It seems as if within just two months afterwards, their faces elongated and went from “round and sweet” to “so grown up and sweet”!

I have pictures of both my grandmother and my mother at that age and of course, those photos are originally vintage! I love the look of innocence that style seems to capture and it brings me so many wonderful memories of stories that both my grandmother and mother used to tell. As I watch Déja grow and play, I imagine that she is so much like they were and even though the times are different, you can see so many things are the same.

At this innocent and ‘non-knowing’ age, it is a perfect time to teach good manners, respect and appreciation. In our busy world, it is so easy to “rush-rush” through the day and one can easily forget to begin the process, but it is so worth making the time for. I have received so many compliments on her behalf from people commenting on how well behaved she is. I am so very proud of her. She is so used to my small reminders, that it seems so natural and that’s just how I want it to be. Natural and fun … I try to make it a game, so that it’s easier for her to remember and hopefully, my job of instilling these values will stay with her always.

And hopefully, I will live long enough to one day take Déja’s own little three-year-old for vintage photographs, and once again, remember the Age of Innocence.

October 11th, 2008 | Tags: manners, photographs, pictures, style, vintage | Category: Children's Etiquette, Old World Style | |  Email This Post | Leave a comment