Kay is Back!

It has been (almost) a yearly tradition for my friend Kay from Austin to visit during the summer.  We missed the summer MiniM.E. was one, but she visited MiniM.E.'s first summer and she visited last summer.

MiniM.E. remembered her visiting last summer and was really excited to see her again.  Kay is pretty much her Texas Grandmother, so she gets lots of attention and is pretty spoiled when Kay is around.

As expected, we had a great time with Kay.  We picked her up Wednesday at the train station.

 

Then we went for waffles at the Iron Roost.  LittleL.G. conked out on the way home as expected, seeing as how we pushed nap time, but unexpectedly MiniM.E. fell asleep too!  It was nice to have a chance to catch up sans kids.  Once the girls were up Kay was bombarded by crazy three-year-old playtime requests until it was time to leave for a concert on the lawn at the Malta Community Center.  We saw Seth and the Moody Melix.  It was a great concert and we all had a great time... MiniM.E. was the least excited- most likely because her ears were too sweaty.

Yesterday we started out downtown for the traditional carousel ride:

2012

2014

2015

We had to hit the bookstore since Kay is a librarian and obviously loves books.  While we were browsing, the rain started pouring down and we had to run through the downpour to lunch and to the car.  We spent the afternoon doing some shopping and came back for a dip in the kiddie pool and some burgers on the grill.

This morning we had to get up, have breakfast, help Kay pack and get to the train station.  MiniM.E. was so sad to see Kay go and is already planning her trip to Austin for the winter time-- so she can wear shorts.

look at those adorable Austin shirts :)

Horsing Around & A School Playground

The rest of the weekend we spent swimming in the pool and playing in the yard.  My aunt and uncle came to visit from CT and we swam with them and had a cook out.  Sunday the weather wasn't as nice, but we spent some time playing inside and went to the playground at my old elementary school.

Story Land

Daddy drove to NH after work on Thursday to meet us at Gram and Grumpy's.  Yesterday we took off for Story Land in Glen, NH; a long hour and fifteen minute drive away (since LittleL.G. is such a lovely car companion).  We went last year and had a great time with Gram and Auntie Jen doing the "riding" with MiniM.E. since I was so pregnant with LittleL.G.  Daddy was sad he didn't get to go and was excited to take Auntie Jen's spot this year.  Again, he and Gram did most of the "riding" because I was hanging out with LittleL.G. who is going through an intense bout of Mommy-itis.

This year was a huge success, mostly because of the weather.  It started out as a rainy day, but cleared up pretty quickly with only a few passing showers so there were NO LINES for almost everything.  Anything MiniM.E. loved riding on, she could hop off and run around to the queue again, and hop right back on.

Last year we missed my mom's favorite part of Story Land, the Mother Goose Play Area, with little houses and playscapes designed after Mother Goose nursery rhymes.  This past year in school MiniM.E. did a lot with nursery rhymes and knows quite a few now, so she was really excited about seeing the scenes from her favorites.

not having fun yet... still a little rainy...

ringing the bell in Mary Had A Little Lamb's Schoolhouse

timid about Miss Muffett's Spider

cutest Queen of Hearts

let's try it again... 

the tea cup ride

one of the favorites, the Dutch Shoes

riding an elephant

...with LittleL.G.

the turtle twister: the only ride that wasn't a hit

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Baked in a Pie... 

If you remember this post from last year, we waited for almost an hour with an extremely patient 2 year old to ride the swan boats.  This year we hopped right on.  MiniM.E. loved it just as much, though I can't say the same for LittleL.G.  Might have been the life jacket that was almost as big as she was...

at Cinderella's Castle (but she was at lunch)

so Daddy filled in

family "hot air balloon" ride

LittleL.G. trying to escape

finally meeting Cinderella

It was a fantastically successful trip.  It was the first time we took MiniM.E. someplace and she actually seemed to be enjoying herself while we were there.  Usually she is "contemplative" when we are in the midst of an activity but gets really excited about it long after we've gone home.  It was nice to really see her enjoying something.  See you next year, Story Land.

A Week In NH

This week we are in NH enjoying the warm weather, the heated pool and having everything we need for fun summer days right out the back door.

swinging with H

"I don't think I like this Mom!!"

double sink bath!