Starting summer off with a bang!

Go, go, go, go, and more go mixed with loads of fun this weekend.  Our weekend via photos:

Friday started off with a trip downtown to the library, baby doll in the baby stroller and all.  The kiddie area has been revamped since our last visit.  Loads of new toys, a play kitchen, lots of fish tanks, and etc makes for a good time.  $8 of fines and three books later and I had a happy Parker on my hands.  Soon to be even happier after our walk to the self-serve yogurt shop. 



  FRO-YO!  So many delicious choices.  I went with blueberry topped with chocolate chip cookie dough, Parker picked out her own mixture of chocolate with animal crackers and chocolate chips, and Kris went with some delicious mixture of chocolate times 12.  Teagan even had a couple bites of mine. Entertainment was provided by a magician and while Parker preferred her yogurt to tricks of cards and coins it was still neat to see.

We burnt off some of that sugar by taking a walk downtown next to the river.  Parker insisted on swimming so the majority of the time was spent making sure that Parker did not in fact try to swim downstream.  This girl and her fearless ways!

Saturday greeted us with that perfect summer weather.  Upper 80s and slightly cloudy which is perfect for beaching it up.  Sydney was dropped off at the groomer, Kris’ car was dropped off to get his brakes checked out, and then we were on our way to the lake.  It’s in a perfect location for us, a mere three-ish miles from our house, and is the ideal beach.  Clear water, clean sand, roped off wading area, playground, canoes, a trail, awesome lifeguards…it’s got it all.   We’ll be spending plenty summer weekends and evenings on these sandy shores. 

Nap time is tricky.  Teagan is on a 930am to 11am and 230pm to 330pm schedule for the most part.  Parker is on a 1pm to 230pm nap schedule.  So basically we have children napping all day.  But with T being able to snooze in the stroller and P being able to have her nap pushed back, we’re able to plan our out-of-the-house activities between 11am and 2pm. 

Sometimes Parker skips a nap.  This is what that looks like, makeshift kitty cat as a pillow and all.   I don’t recommend nap skipping.  Actually, I highly warn against it.  But sometimes it happens and we have to keep her very occupied until bedtime or you know what hits the fan.  And it’s not pretty.  Thankfully Parker did really well on sans nap Saturday.  After the beach we played a little Sesame Street for her, grilled out on the patio, played with her neighbor friend (who is starting preschool with her today!), went to Lowes to FINALLY set a date to order our granite counters (which is also today!), had basement time as Parker calls it, and went to bed with zero meltdowns.  Glorious!

Patio-ing it with grilled chicken, oven baked potatoes and oven roasted asparagus (recipes to come soon).  Even Teagan enjoyed the exact the same meal.  Well, she enjoyed the chicken and potatoes.  The asparagus…not so much.  We’ve officially found the first food she will not touch.   Parker doesn’t eat potatoes and was too skeptical of the greens.  The other night, in our ongoing battle to get greens in her system, I explained to Parker that veggies make our muscles grow big and strong.  Three fistfuls of peas later and making a huge deal about her big muscles was all it took.  I felt like a genius.

 



Sunday we went to another lake.  Parker begged to go down the above water slide.  Not happening, girlfriend. Not until you’re as big as “Matalie,” her cousin, I explained.  We haven’t seen “Matalie” for weeks but Parker still talks about her constantly.  “I brush my teeth all by myself like Matalie.” Or, “Matalie doesn’t cry when she brushes her hair. I don’t cry either.”

We finished off our beach time by taking the girls in the lake, Puddle Jumper, floatie tubes, and all. Most of the lakes prohibit any sort of flotation devices so it’s nice that this beach doesn’t.  After three hours Teagan had enough and passed out in my arms.  We loaded up the car and two minutes later Parker was out too.  Scenic route home to kill time it was. 

A little more grilling, play time, baths, girls to bed, wine, Scrabble, and TV capped off the weekend.  Back to the grind today but looking forward to kicking our vacation off on Friday.  Up North, here we come! Words cannot describe my excitement to spend my days exploring northern Michigan, checking out the lakes/beaches, eating good eats and drinking good drinks!