The Baby Ducks are Out!

I think I'm much more excited than MiniM.E. about the appearance of ducklings at Congress Park, but she likes to go and play in the fountain and ride the sidewalk curb like a pony and seems generally happy while walking through the park, so I don't feel too bad indulging in my duckling-addiction.

Yay! Baby Ducks!! Aren't they cute??!?!?

In actuality, MiniM.E. isn't really into the baby ducks at all.  They don't eat cheerios and they're really skittish.  So this is what she's been up to at Congress Park instead.

jumping on the curb....

sitting on the curb... 

and sticking her head in the fountain.  (Who thought this fountain in a park was a good idea?  Obviously not a parent with a young child!)

In other news, it was a rainy couple days at the end of last week and then a rainy weekend.  Here's what we did inside:

indoor train at the Aviation Mall 

painting.  everything.  

Fortunately the weather cleared up for a Memorial Day BBQ on Monday.

MiniM.E. as the welcoming committee

examining the lawn

don't even ask

minutes later the bowl was tipped over and she was on the floor

all the babies loved the beer bottles.  who needs toys??

We've been to the Spa State Park a lot recently because I'm trying to run again in an effort to walk without jiggling everywhere.  MiniM.E. isn't really a fan of the jogging stroller, but I've been adding in activities at the park she really likes.

walking to the playground

playing in the spring

more spring 

watching the geyser

In the photos above with MiniM.E. playing in the spring (which, if you didn't know, produces fantastic water which you can bottle for FREE!) she seems content to wash her hands and a few rocks, wonderfully listening to her mother's request to be careful and not step IN the running water.

Then today this happened.

And we had to walk back to the car in just a diaper.  Note to self: bring a change of clothes.

Too Nice to Be Inside!

It's really hard to sit inside at a computer when the weather is so beautiful.  Must enjoy it before it gets too hot!!  Though I'm pretty sure with MiniM.E.'s love of playgrounds, I'll be getting my fair share of vitamin D this summer!

I'll make my posts short and sweet- lots of photos, little text... and we can all get back outside sooner!

What we've been up to this week:

We went out to dinner with our neighbors and their daughter, Baby E. and had a great time.  Here's MiniM.E. waiting for our table at the bar.

I made a 1st Birthday cake for a friend.  MiniM.E. helped decorate (her own cake).

more went in the mouth than on the cake...

the party cake 

the smash cake

 The playground we walk to finally got a (70-year old, rusty) baby swing!  Yay!

The Horse Show is here this week and next.  We went to check it out.  We even got to pet a horse.

more interested in the tree bark than the horses 

playing in the dirt (instead of watching horses)

sorting grapes (instead of watching horses...)

The Farmer's Market is outside again!  Elmo came too!

We visited MiniM.E.'s favorite playground, the Yellow Triangle one...

love this photo.  must make wood photo transfer...

And we hung out in the grass at the Spa Park (for 15 minutes before MiniM.E. wanted to go home).

beautiful!

Enjoying Fall

I've mentioned a few times (okay, maybe many times) that I love fall and have been looking forward to it since... oh, about the end of June.  Not that summer isn't great (and what's cuter than a baby in a bathing suit?) but fall has always been my favorite season.

Maybe it's the changing leaves.  The pumpkin flavored everything? The pumpkins themselves? Leaves on the ground?  The crisp morning (and sometimes afternoon) air?  APPLES! Apple picking? Hay rides? Cooler weather means you can wear sweatshirts and sweaters and no one notices the 5 pounds you put on from eating pumpkin flavored everything?  

Probably all of the above.  And more things I haven't thought of in my minute-long ponder over the wonders of my favorite season.

So far we've been enjoying the season.

We played at the Spa Park on an unusually warm day (which was awesome, because there were summer clothes we got as hand-me-downs that MiniM.E. never even wore!).

We went to Congress Park to feed the ducks,

and play with the flowers.

We visited Bowman Orchards.  We played in their awesome wooden playground,

pet their animals,

tested out their fence and Adirondack chairs

sat in some pumpkins

and bought some cider and donuts.

We didn't actually go apple picking... but we bought some apples, so that counts, right?

We took a walk in downtown Ballston Spa.  It wasn't exceptionally "fall-y" but MiniM.E. was wearing a halloween outfit, and it was pretty darn cute.  And we were enjoying the cooler weather.  So I'm going to count it as a fall activity.

 

on the run

Do people send Halloween cards like Christmas cards? Because if they do, that last picture is definitely my Halloween card...