The Vet, The Sprayground and A Concert in the Park

Wednesday morning we got ready to do one of MiniM.E.'s favorite things ever: take the cats to the vet.  Maybe she will be a veterinarian when she grows up, maybe she just thinks its funny to see the cats so afraid, or maybe she just likes the play area there... but she has been asking when we get to bring the cats back to the vet since we took them last summer.

I thought it was a feat to drag both cats, my toddler and my giant pregnant belly to the vet last year... well, compared to this year, last year was a walk in the park.

We managed to get the cats in the carriers with little trouble.  Good thing I am NOT pregnant this time since I had to get under our bed to get one of them.  We woke up LittleL.G. to get her in the car.  Of course, as we are driving and there is traffic and I am worrying that we will be late, I see a red face in the rear view mirror so as soon as we get there we have an emergency diaper change to do.  But we get that over with and I wrap her up and we walked into the vet at exactly 11am- our appointment time!

Of course, as with any trip to any kind of medical professional, there was a lot of waiting involved... but the kitties and both girls did a really good job of being patient and we did it!

Since our morning wasn't very "fun" I let MiniM.E. choose our activity for the afternoon.  She picked sprayground, which seemed an appropriate choice until it started pouring rain on our way there.  Fortunately, we live far enough from the sprayground that when we got there we found it hadn't even rained and MiniM.E. and LittleL.G. had a blast on the merry go round and the swings.  MiniM.E. tried the fountains and ran through more than I've ever seen but since it wasn't terribly warm and there was a breeze, it was short lived and we went back to playing.

LittleL.G. is such a dare devil and just wants to do whatever MiniM.E. is doing.  She was climbing stairs of playscapes and trying to slide down on her own and LOVED the merry go round so much I had to pry her off of it!

Peerless Pool, A Baby Picnic in the Park & More Swimming

Monday we had the day to ourselves.  We are fortunate to have LOTS of friends and usually our weeks are packed with morning or afternoon (or sometimes one of each!) play dates and it seems like a struggle to see everyone as much as we would like.  Sometimes I think having so many people to see can put a strain on MiniM.E. because she gets overwhelmed fairly easily and sometimes just needs some down time.  This week we are having a more low-key week than usual, which is good because I think MiniM.E. is TIRED.  Summer tends to do that... it always seems glorious as the end of spring approaches: I can't wait for those lazy, laid back summer days!... And then our days get filled quickly and we travel and have visitors and it's hot and sometimes we stay up late and I think we all start feeling tired right around August.

So Monday we had a just Mommy-MiniM.E.-LittleL.G. playdate at the Peerless Pool.  No rushing to get out of the house because no one cared if we were going to be late.  No waiting to eat lunch even though the kids are hungry because not everyone is ready to eat yet.  No tears when it was time to go because other kids got to stay.  It was nice to spend time someplace with just the girls...

Tuesday we were very excited to meet our friends for a picnic at the Spa Park and see our friend T.'s new baby for the second time.  She was five weeks old and had gotten so much bigger-- but compared to LittleL.G. was still a peanut!

The girls had a great time playing and ended the picnic with some "doctoring" on the lawn and some ring-around-the-rosie.  I love these girls.

We spent the afternoon at home because the girls seemed to need a break from outings and did some more swimming in the yard.

Pools, Big Trucks and a Birthday Party

Friday after Kay left we had a bit of a let down.  Just like when Gram visits, MiniM.E. got used to having one-on-one attention all the time and suddenly we were back to both girls sharing one me.  We tried to keep busy and the highlight of the afternoon was swimming in the yard.

Saturday was Big Trucks Day.  Now, given the concert we attended last week where MiniM.E. insisted upon wearing her earmuffs the whole time, this didn't seem like something she was going to be excited about.  But she remembered going last year and insisted she LOVED Big Trucks Day and wanted to go again.  So we went.  It was hot, but not unbearable.  The lines seemed a little less long than last year and MiniM.E. had a good time sitting in some of the trucks.  LittleL.G. was not a fan of the loud honking and beeping and we only stayed for an hour or so and let Daddy and MiniM.E. hang out for a while longer while we went home for nap.

Sunday we had a birthday party to go to for "Baby E." who is now THREE YEARS OLD! Time flies!  It was at the playground and pavilion by the Peerless Pool so after we did the playing and party and eating and cake, we went over to the pool and swam for a couple hours. 

Happy Three, Baby E.!

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.