The End of August

It seems like every year the end of summer becomes a little more hectic.  Maybe it's the feeling that summer is fleeting and we have to squeeze every last ounce of sunshine and swimming into a few short weeks.  Usually that is when we have company.  For the past two years there is the knowledge that school (even though it is just preschool) is just around the corner.

As we try to see our friends, enjoy the "carefree" days and lack of schedule, fit in just a few more trips to the pool and the beach, and host our guests, as much as I love summer and crave it as May rolls around each year, by the end of August I am ready for schedule and routine. 

After Meamaw and Grandpa left we spent the day modeling MiniM.E.'s and BittyBaby's new outfits:

And had a playdate with friends:

Gram came that evening because we were borrowing their van and they needed it back because Auntie Jen is moving to Virginia next week.  Gram brought us some nice maple trees that we planted Tuesday evening:

And Wednesday, because we wanted to do something fun, we went BACK to Animal Land. Definitely our favorite destination this summer.

MiniM.E. ALMOST fed the monkey

the capybaras were a LITTLE hungry this time

more kangaroo cuddles

and petting

 

Of course the highlight of the visit were the deer.  What a great 4th birthday present that would be!?!? Her very own deer!!

The biggest change this time around was the giraffe-love.  MiniM.E. fed the giraffe the last couple times but this time she really got into it.  We probably bought out the snack bar's daily supply of giraffe crackers.  Lucky for us, it appears that giraffes have endless capacity for crackers.

Even LittleL.G. enjoyed the giraffe and every time he bent down to munch on close to sixty crackers she reached out to pet his nose.  It was ADORABLE!

Animal Land closes next weekend so this was probably our last visit for the summer, but we can't wait to go back again next year!


Wednesday evening we watched a friend:

 And the rest of the week we played.

The Rest of the Long Weekend

Sunday we took Meamaw and Grandpa to a playground... because every grandparent loves a playground! I think any grandparent probably did a victory dance when their children reached the age that they no longer needed parental supervision on a playground. Not that pushing a child on a swing or holding them up so they can do the monkey bars or "watch this! watch this! watch this!" isn't terribly amusing for a grown up.  But Meamaw and Grandpa were good sports about it. 

 After a naptime for everyone we headed downtown for a carousel ride and the usual duck viewing

Monday morning we all woke up early to get to the track to see the horses warm up.

We did the walking tour of the back stretch which we hadn't done since MiniM.E. was LittleL.G.'s age.  It was cute- especially getting to pet Mojito- but it was a little long winded for a tired three-year-old.

In the afternoon we did some pool and some playing...

And said goodbye to Meamaw and Grandpa when they left for the airport Tuesday morning.  Thanks for coming!

Adirondack Animal Land

Yesterday we went to Adirondack Animal Land for the second time this summer.  MiniM.E. loves to see all the animals and is infatuated with the deer and LittleL.G. is happy to observe everything over my shoulder.

We were lucky to get there at the perfect time and the kangaroos were hungry and friendly! The kangaroos are my favorite animal and I was so excited to be able to get close.  I was so jealous of MiniM.E.'s tiny arms that could fit through the fence for kangaroo cuddles!

MiniM.E. likes the statues almost as well as the real animals

and the playground is a big hit too

"can we take these home?"

Meamaw feeding the giraffe

We had a great day with all the animals... except the capybaras.  If you remember this visit to Animal Land, MiniM.E. was most excited to feed the giant rodents with humongous teeth.  This time the capybaras were lazy and full and wanted nothing to do with MiniM.E.  In typical 3-year-old fashion, she was disappointed to the point of almost letting it ruin our whole trip.  She was still teary about it on the way home, but finally got over it and was happy that she at least got some kangaroo cuddles!