First day of summer!

We kicked off the first official day of summer by going downtown to the carousel.  Today is its official opening day. We got there too early.  I have lost my phone. So I asked a man, who was painting the sign outside the carousel (the age & height requirements), for the time.  He told me that it was 10:30.  We had half an hour to wait. I suggested that we walk up to Starbucks for a coffee/treat.  But Gianna would not budge.

I promised her that we would come back when it opened. But she just clung tightly to the bricks.  I started walking off without her, strolling Nico with Bode at my heels. But Gianna ignored us. So we turned back. We stood and waited. And waited. And waited.  

Finally, the little carousel worker bees (and more kids) showed up.  I got in the queue to buy tokens. Then came the fun part: getting the two toddlers on the carousel horses while wearing a baby.  The thing is, these carousel worker bees are not pleasant (despite being two grandmotherly-looking types). They are often rude.  (My brother will vouch for this rudeness, as he experienced it first-hand, twice.) So when I asked the lady if I could roll my stroller (carrying my baby!) into the carousel, she said No.  N-O.  So I put Nico into the Ergo, and raced after Bode and Gianna, who had already got onto the carousel and were standing impatiently by their chosen horses, ready to ride.  I hoisted them up there, not very gracefully. I apologized to Nico for squishing him while picking up his siblings. 

I did not get any pictures of the babies on the carousel. I had to stand in between Bode and Gianna for safety reasons (of course) and so my hands were busy. Plus, I was wearing Nico.  Bode and Gianna were wearing great smiles during the carousel ride! They were very happy.

Afterwards, we walked a little bit and then had ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.  You have to have a cold treat on the first  official day of summer, right?! It must be in the rules.

I love Nico's smiling face here!

Since she was a baby, she's loved ice cream. 

Bode is a very cautious ice cream eater.

"Ben & Jerry"

I want one of these swings. They are so relaxing (except when you have two toddlers jumping around  like monkeys).  Actually, I wouldn't want this monstrosity in my yard.  So I'll just have to pop down here for a relaxing swing and some ice cream.  (wink)

What is on your summer to-do list?  We've crossed off two items today!
Happy Summer!
xo

Saratoga Springs Horse Show

On Sunday, after Bode's soccer practice, we went to the Saratoga Springs Horse Show.   I love horses, and getting to see them up close and personal was pretty exciting to me.   I could have stayed there all day, just looking at the horses and watching the show.  But alas, I have small children.  They enjoyed the show for about an hour. And then it was time to get home, eat lunch and take a nap.

After naps, we went outside to enjoy the sunshine. And Gianna filled up on daddy love.  She missed her daddy while he was gone (though she'd never let him know it).

Tonight, while I was bathing Nico, I found this:

Yeah, a sticker stuck into the palm of his hand.  At least it wasn't in his mouth.  This time around, baby-proofing is going to be so much harder! I've got two toddlers that have all kinds of tiny crap.  And they love to spread it all around the house, too.   I'm going to be so stressed once Nico starts moving around on his own. Ai yi yi.

And in other news, Bode insisted on going to sleep with two boxes of macaroni & cheese.  Today, I went to the grocery store, and I decided to surprise Gianna (who loooooves mac & cheese) with two boxes of the toxic orangey yellow noodles. Well. For whatever reason, Bode Wm would not let these boxes out of his hot little hands this afternoon, and even insisted on taking them to bed with him tonight! He is such a funny little guy.

Note to self: If you hear some strange rattling noise in the middle of the night, don't freak out, it's just mac & cheese!

Happy eve.

xo  

Hanging around

Gianna loves accessories. And her babies.

This weekend, we had fun.  We went on numerous walks and park visits.  I have a lot of photos, because I keep thinking, in my emotionally demented way, "This is the last time that there will only be two of them!" I snapped a million (boring, normal) pictures of Bode and Gianna. But I kept switching from real camera to iPhone camera.  This post has some of the iPhone photos (sorry).

We have had some lovely crisp mornings.  "Crisp" being 48 degrees!  I put the babies in long-sleeved and pants pajamas (instead of short-sleeved, shorts pjs) and a fleece.  Then we head out the door to breathe the crisp air before it disappears.  Gianna loves heading out first thing in the morning, before breakfast. As RWF remarked, it's good because it gives them a chance to work up an appetite for breakfast.

Of course, by 9 AM, we are climbing into the 70s and 80s pretty quickly.  Here is Gianna modeling her Lilly Pulitzer dress. I was so happy to buy my daughter her very first Lilly Pulitzer! But.  Doesn't she look thrilled?  No, she's not. Because this dress is BLUE, and not PINK, she doesn't want to wear it.  And forget about the gold sandals, Mommy.  It's PINK Crocs all the way.  (ugh)

This morning, I felt so heavy and lethargic.  I stood in the hot, hot shower and thought of all the lame things we would do if I kept the babies at home (so that I could lie on the couch and feel very pregnant and not so sure I'd last until September 17).  And then I worried that I was causing brain damage to the baby with this hot,  hot shower so I quickly jumped out.  And that's when I decided that we just needed to keep moving forward until I am just "stopped" by labor altogether, or September 17, whichever comes first.

So we went to Congress Park and we rode the carousel (summer list - check).  We rode it twice, because I was feeling generous (and guilty from my lazy thoughts this morning).

And then we topped off the fun with a trip to the ice cream store (summer list - check).  This time, I noticed, I was not able to order plain ol' vanilla ice cream for Gianna (like I did last time we were at the ice cream store). Oh, no.  This time, she is old enough to know better. She marched into the store and scanned the ice cream case for herself.  And when Bode announced that he wanted "blue,"  Gianna announced that she would have "blue," too.  I was suprised that she didn't order "pink."  I'd like to think that my fashion conscious daughter was only choosing blue to color-coordinate with her summer dress. But the pink Crocs make me think otherwise.

Blue smile

I cooked some more "freezer meals" this weekend.  I have no more room in the freezer so my make-ahead meals are done (whether I like it or not).  I think the only thing I can do now in regards to food preparation is to book-mark a bunch of recipes to cook in a Croc-Pot.  If you have any yummy, make-ahead or slow-cook recipes, please share!

This weekend, I had a smallish list for RWF, pertaining to the hanging of pictures and other decorating/organizing/removal of items for the nursery and the shared bedroom. RWF and I discussed this weekend, and decided that a shared bedroom is on hold, for right now.  We'll leave things as is, unless something changes to make it seem like a good time to transition.

I still have a lot of other stuff that I want to get done before this baby arrives. But every little stop-me-in-my-tracks  twinge sends me reclining on the nearest sofa or bed.  I may not get everything done and I have to be okay with that. I am so not used to feeling this way. My other two pregnancies were so easy and I never  had any pain.  This pregnancy is different.  I hope that the little guy's just giving me a hard time, and not really planning on an early arrival.

Photo taken today  at Congress Park by Bode

Bode is more than anxious for his little brother to arrive.  This weekend, he told RWF and I, "When Nichoras gets here, we are going to play Tag and Hide-and-Seek!"  Sometimes I think Bode thinks more about "Nichoras" than I do. (Nah! not possible)

Happy Monday.

xo

Morning traffic jam

On our way to camp in the morning, we are always stopped for horse crossings.  I love seeing the beautiful horses walking from stables to tracks.  This weekend is opening weekend for the race track.  I hope to expose the babies to the horses a little more during this race season (without, you know, the crazy race atmosphere).

After we dropped Bode at camp, Gianna and I took Priscilla for a walk. Priscilla is getting more stubborn about going outside.  I feel bad that she is so miserable, but also insist on "kicking her out" first thing in the morning.  She usually clings to the side of the back door until I let her back in again.  I can't always get her to the dog park, and she refuses a walk around our neighborhood with me (the flies!). Sometimes she wakes me at 2 or 3 AM because she needs to go the bathroom. This is not an ideal situation for any of us. 

See ya

I'm ready for camp to be over.  Bode is suddenly speaking differently. It is a combination of a baby voice (think, "wittle" for "little") and a New Yawk accent ("buttah" for "butter") (combined example, "I wan a wittle peanut buttah on mah sanwich!").  I can only imagine that this new style of speaking is coming from a camp friend. It unnerves me.  I am constantly correcting him, as I will not have him speaking like that.  

Happy Thursday.

xo