A Week Ago... (A Recap)

MiniM.E.'s grandparents visited for the day.  In my last post I mentioned that Bob may have lost the camera, but as a typical guy might, he just did a bad job looking for it.  Turns out, it was in his backpack.  Here are the photos...

Thanks for the mini chair!

Snacking at the track breakfast

Practicing standing

Pointing at the horses

Guess the tour of the backstretch wasn't very interesting for MiniM.E.

Swinging with MeeMaw

A Weekend Away

I'm back from our weekend away, and due to the lack of photos in my last two posts, be prepared for a photo-bomb in this post.  If you don't have at least 20 minutes to scroll through a lot of photos of the cutest baby ever, you should probably come back and read this post later.  Once you start, you won't be able to stop.  I promise.  *spoiler alert* There's pictures of MiniM.E. in a tutu with her daddy in a tux. It doesn't get cuter than that!

We went away for the weekend to Geneva.

Sadly, not the Geneva pictured above... Geneva, NY.

Which, from this picture, doesn't look nearly as awesome as Switzerland.  BUT, even though the downtown wasn't anything to write home (or on a blogpost) about*, it was right on Seneca Lake, which was beautiful.

*I will post that the two restaurants we ate at were pretty phenomenal.  If you're ever in Geneva, check out the Water Street Cafe for a cheap but tasty diner and Opus for amazing breakfast burritos and in-house-roasted coffee.

We drove to Geneva Friday for the wedding of one of Bob's high school friends.  MiniM.E. and I were just along for the ride since babies don't really belong at weddings.  Especially loud babies like MiniM.E.

Upon arriving at the hotel I snapped these few photos of MiniM.E. hanging out on the bed (read: attempted to shoot photos with one hand in while simultaneously lunging for baby attempting to throw herself off bed and trying to keep myself out of the frame).

Friday evening we were invited to attend the rehearsal dinner.  We hadn't really planned on going but fortunately I brought us a couple "just in case" nice outfits in the event Bob wanted to show off the baby at one or more of the wedding festivities.

Most of the rehearsal dinner was spent playing on the grass.  Luckily the dinner was on the patio, so it was easy to go back and forth from the table to the lawn.  I even managed to have a few bites to eat thanks to Bob's mom who took MiniM.E. on a few walks.

I mean real walks! This kid will be walking any day!

Saturday morning we went out to breakfast at the aforementioned Opus.  On our way back we took a detour with MeeMaw out to the pier.  MiniM.E. did some crawling around.

Later in the day while most of the wedding guests were off at the Finger Lakes Wineries, we took MiniM.E. on a long walk to the SprayGround.  Best. Idea. Ever. (well, not the walking part, it was almost 3 miles each way, but the SprayGround part...)

MiniM.E. LOVED it.  We could have stayed there all day.  Except it was windy which made it a little too cold to be wet for too long.

MiniM.E. totally had a fan base.  These girls followed her around the WHOLE time.

Later that evening we stopped by the cocktail hour to say hi to the wedding guests.  We were a bit early, so we played in the grass.

Finally, Daddy was done taking photos as part of the wedding party.  As if he probably wasn't done smiling for a month, we made him take a couple more.

While Bob danced the night away MiniM.E. and I ate ice cream for dinner and went to bed early.

Sunday we had a quiet ride home... since everyone was sleeping off the wedding excitement.  Except me of course... can't sleep and drive... maybe someone should invent that... a car that drives itself...

**Apologies to Grandma and Grandpa who visited on Wednesday on their way to the wedding from North Carolina.  We had a great time eating breakfast at the track and playing with MiniM.E. and hanging out in the yard... Bob might have lost our camera with all photo documentation of that day.  We had a great time seeing you, thanks for visiting!

A Walk in the Park

Yesterday we went for a hike in the state park since there seemed to be a break in the million degree weather.  Okay, its only been in the 80s... but its been humid and I hate hot.

MiniM.E. rode in the frame pack.

We stopped at a playground and MiniM.E. went down the slide all by herself (almost).

The Victoria Pool and the Philadelphia Orchestra

We had a pretty eventful Saturday this weekend.  Usually my posts are filled with 17 too many photos because I take 50 and after the painstaking process of choosing the best ones, I can't not post 17.

This post you get one.

Half-naked baby!  So cute!

And its not even a photo from this weekend... though it is from the pool.  So its half legit.

Why you ask?

Well...

We got up early as usual, packed a lunch, some toys, some diapers, some more toys, some baby food, some towels, an extra bathing suit, some toys, some drinks and of course, sunblock.  We were ready to go to the Victoria Pool at the Saratoga State Park... when somebody needed to take a nap.

So... instead of arriving early to get a great spot, we didn't arrive until 2.  Fortunately, our friends were already there and had been staking out spots for about an hour.

As we arrived we saw a line.  Yes, a line.  Of hot, sweaty, irritated people that just wanted to go swimming.  But instead, had to wait as the pool was filled to its capacity of 344.  HOLY. CRAP.  That's a lot of people.

30 minutes later we were inside.  Dying to get in the pool.

We parked our 35 bags near the one lounge chair and one other chair our friends had procured (good thing we brought our own) and tried to nestle our cooler into the tiny spot of shade provided by our half of the shared umbrella.

We had a blast.  MiniM.E. loved the water and we swam most of the time.  I planned on being Photographer Extraordinaire, but between swimming with the baby, keeping her off the hot pool deck, pulling her out from under the lounge chair, making sure she didn't eat the coffee stirrers, park maps, and rocks that kept finding our way into our space, and the "reusable swim diaper poop-splosion", I really found very little time for snapping pictures.  (I won't get into the gory details, but suffice it to say I'm soooo glad I'm not using cloth diapers for anything but swimming!)

When we'd had it with the heat (and MiniM.E. passed out cold and slept in the grass), we headed home for a rushed two hours of unpackingrepackingtakingashowerbathingthebabygroceryshoppingmakingdinner.  That's how it felt.  And headed back to SPAC for the Philadelphia Orchestra.  They were fantastic.  MiniM.E. was super cute and I had a much needed glass of wine.  Then MiniM.E. stopped being cute and started being fussy (not to blame her... after a short afternoon nap in the grass and it being two hours past her bedtime) and we left after the first half.

It was SO nice to fall into bed when we got home.  I figured MiniM.E. would sleep like a log after all the sun and heat and water and orchestra... let's just say I'm still tired...

Bath Time!

MiniM.E.'s favorite time of day is bath time.  I really enjoy bath time as well because usually by 7:30 in the evening she's pretty cranky and has just about had it with books, toys and playtime.  She would probably stay in the bath all night if I let her.

Between the bubbles, the washcloths, the squirting toys, and best of all, the toothbrush, bath time is pretty exciting.  And splashing water all over the kitchen so she can watch Mommy clean it up is probably the best part of all.

When I turn on the water at the end of the bath, you'd think I'd presented MiniM.E. with a pink sparkly pony that feeds babies puffs on command.  That's how excited she is about playing with the running water.... Maybe I exaggerate... but she really likes it.

Especially now that she figured this out.

Happy Natal Equinox!

Yesterday was MiniM.E.'s natal equinox.  It was a pretty exciting day for her.  So I bought her a cake.  Let's be honest.  I bought me a cake.  Any excuse to eat cake...

I wanted to have the store write "Happy Natal Equinox" on the cake, but as it was, the decorations were far from fabulous and I wasn't going to risk them ruining my $13 cake.  (Really? $13 for a CAKE? I could make 13 cakes for $13.  The price you pay for convenience... and tasty frosting)  So I bought some pink gel icing.  NOT the easiest thing to write on a cake with, but it did the job.

I was pretty upset because as it turns out, she wasn't even feeling well and seemed to have a tummy ache.  I didn't want to mess with whatever stomach bug she might have by feeding it sugar, so she didn't even get to eat any Natal Equinox cake.

To make up for it, I let her drive the car.  Seems like a fair trade off.

A Morning at the Track

This morning we woke up early to do something I've wanted to do since we moved here last summer.

Let me first clarify that I did not want to wake up early, though with a nine month old, I rarely sleep past 7.  Today we had to be up to leave by 7.  Usually, that wouldn't be a problem.  But, of course, in typically baby form, come 6:15, MiniM.E. was still fast asleep.  6:30, still out cold.  By 6:40 I had to wake her up.  In the morning anything: a sniffle, a cough, running the water, a bird outside... will wake her up- from a dead sleep to wide-awake-sitting.  This morning it seemed like NOTHING would rouse her.  I felt so bad dragging her out of bed, but it was definitely worth it.

We got in the car (begrudgingly with a look that said "but Mommy, this is my playtime!") and drove to the race track.

Last summer during racing season, which is only 7 weeks long, we made it to the track twice to watch the races.  Unfortunately, the races aren't very exciting unless you're betting hundreds of dollars.  Which we don't have.  So we bet change.  Literal change.  Like $.50.  In all fairness, I was pretty pregnant at the time, but when I think back, I'm still not sure that baking in the August sun while sitting on hard wooden benches atop a sea of scorching blacktop waiting for 30 minutes to see horses run past for all of 5 seconds of a one or two minute race sounds like a good time.

Which is why this morning was so awesome.

We parked NEXT TO THE TRACK.  A big step up from parking across the street down a few blocks (though again, my memory of the distance from the car to the track might be a bit jaded by the fact that I was waddling on ankles the size of grapefruits).  Met up with our friends, walked to the Clubhouse past a bunch of horses and had a BUFFET BREAKFAST (my favorite meal of the day served "all-you-can-eat" style? yes please!) while watching the horses warm up on the track.  It was awesome.  There were horses walking and trotting and all-out-sprinting.  Continuously.

MiniM.E. LOVED it.  Our breakfast was full of pointing and squeals of excitement (apologies to the table next to us).

I also thought it was pretty awesome to eat and watch the horses.  Though between rescuing the silverware and placemats, cutting up fruit, collecting fallen bits of food and making sure MiniM.E. didn't fall through a leg-hole in the high chair as she twisted every which way- all the while trying to shovel food into my mouth, I didn't get to see much of the horses.

Good thing there was a free tour after breakfast featuring lots of up-close-and-personal time with more horses.  (But not TOO close, because apparently those things can kick!)  MiniM.E. and BabyA. took a siesta while we walked through the Backstretch.

I was a little disappointed MiniM.E. didn't get to see more horses close up, but it probably made the tour more enjoyable for everyone else.

Both babies woke up just as we got on the tram back to the front of the track.

We even got our $10 parking fee back for leaving by 10(:25)!  We'll definitely be going to the track for breakfast again!