Welcome Spring!

Thank goodness the cold is gone and we are having an unseasonably warm spell!

Yesterday we stopped by the library but it was too nice to stay for our usual classes and activities so we took a walk downtown and stayed outside until rest time!

 We spent the afternoon at the playground and playing in the yard.

Today, I promised to take the girls to the beach, so we packed up the sand toys and headed to Moreau Lake.

MiniM.E. remembered catching salamanders last year and we were lucky that they were out today.

Salamander catching was the highlight of our morning. LittleL.G. was disappointed I couldn't warm up the water for her so she could swim, but she got over it and made me lots of sand food instead.

It was a lovely first beach day of the season.

Well, Not QUITE Spring...

Even though I was hoping spring for when we got back from our trip, we aren't quite there yet. Maybe starting tomorrow though.

Today was Saratoga Springs EGG-stravaganza, and we were in need of an activity after the let down of coming home from vacation, so despite the wind and cold we ventured out for the egg hunt and activities.

We didn't last long.

BUT, both the girls were excited to see the easter bunny this year and they had a great time hunting eggs and riding the carousel. After a quick balloon animal, we'd had enough and decided to call it a morning. Brrrr....

The End of A Great Trip

Yesterday after breakfast we headed out to get Doughnuts from a cute shop in downtown Hampton. Then we stopped at the beach one last time to feed the seagulls.

After the beach, we headed to Auntie Jen's to say goodbye to Dan and Little Kitty.

Then it was back to the hotel to pack up and head out.

Even though we left on time right around noon, the 6+ hour estimated drive still took much longer than we expected after all the stops for snacks and leg stretching and bathrooms, etc. and even though we planned to get to our mid-drive hotel in time to swim before bed, we didn't end up arriving until after LittleL.G. had already fallen asleep and it was 9:40! Thankfully MiniM.E. was tired too and didn't put up a fuss about missing the pool.

Today we got up, ate breakfast and had a nice swim. We tried to hang around the hotel for a while hoping the girls would sleep a good part of the rest of the drive. MiniM.E. slept for a while, but LittleL.G. didn't fall asleep until we got off the highway at our exit and was so excited to see home that she didn't stay asleep when we got here. Oh well- early bedtime tonight?

It was a fantastic trip and I was so proud of the girls. Hope we can visit again in the fall!

PETCO, Playground, Beach

This morning we went to Petco again, this time to see all the animals. I think the girls could have stayed all day! And I'm pretty sure we need some guinea pigs.

From there, we went to Fort Fun, a really cool playground that we visited last year too.

After lunch and Rita's Italian Ice (which was amazing), we went to the beach for a while.

And then played in Auntie Jen's yard for a bit.

Time for another yummy dinner, a last swim at the hotel and another late bedtime. One more day in Virginia!

A Day With the Animals

This morning after breakfast at the hotel, Auntie Jen had to swing into work to take care of some things. The girls couldn't wait to go since Auntie Jen is the manager at Petco. She promised lots of animal holding, but since we also wanted to go to the zoo today, we settled for just holding the guinea pigs.

Next it was off to the zoo

It turned out to be a beautiful day and the girls loved seeing all the animals. We had zoo lunch and finished the walk around the zoo while LittleL.G. dozed. Then it was back to the hotel for a swim, then a nice dinner out with Auntie Jen and Dan at Smokey Bones. And then ANOTHER swim and another late bedtime.

The Trip Down to Virginia

Last year we drove down to Virginia with Gram. We left late and mostly drove at night so the girls would sleep. And it went well, but boy, were we exhausted by the time we got there. Not to mention how rough it was on the trip back when we left later than planned and didn't get to our mid-drive hotel until 2am!

This year we debated flying, but the logistics didn't seem to make it much less stressful than the long drive, so after careful deliberation, we chose to drive down again. This time though, we planned our drive for the daytime hours- almost 7 of them, hoping the girls would do alright in the car and that maybe we would be a bit less tired.

And it worked wonderfully! I don't think the girls could have been any better in the car. Of course, with me being 34 weeks pregnant and needing lots of rest stops and the girls needing lots of breaks, it took much longer than the 7 hours, but we made it to our mid-drive hotel, took a swim and ordered a pizza and were still in bed by 10!

Today's drive was short and we made it to Auntie Jen's house around lunch time.

The girls were so excited to see Auntie Jen. They were also very excited to see Auntie Jen's kitty, Little Kitty, because he is so affectionate and lovey.

The swing in the back yard was a huge hit.

After spending some time at Auntie Jen's and getting lunch, we checked into the hotel- the second best part of Virginia.

The girls were most excited about the pool, but the glass elevator was a close second.

After a swim, we hit the beach and the playground. Poor LittleL.G. was so tired she passed out on the drive there and missed a lot of playtime. MiniM.E. had a great time on the beach with Auntie Jen while LittleL.G. napped.

And they both had a great time on the playground when LittleL.G. woke up.

Late dinner, late swim and another late bedtime, but a really fun first day in Virginia.