At the end of August we caught the end of the season at Springs Brook Park in Bedford for a birthday party with our friend Neal from our playgroup. Josie was having a lot of fun getting into the sprinklers. It was hard to pull her away even for cake and dinner!

Swimming! Our house in Cape Cod had a pool and we went in it most every day. The water was warm and felt good compared to the heat wave. It’s sooo convenient to be able to get wet without also getting sandy and having to drive somewhere.

Josie somewhat liked the water, but also liked to torture us by walking around the outside of the pool while we were in it and refusing to get it. This pool also had a really steep dropoff past the 8 ft wide shallow end. She got more familiar with it as time went by but her favorite activities remained throwing the beach ball animals into the pool and washing the lizard inflatable with a sponge. She also liked the outdoor shower where we’d hose her down afterwords with some warm water.

One day our friends and neighbors Christina and her two boys came down to visit us from home and spent the morning in the pool with us. Ethan (age 4.5) had a blast, Zach was a bit more cautious but got into it by the end.

Jordi somehow didn’t hear the ‘no pictures while I’m wearing a swimsuit rule’ and did take a few. I think they are determined to make only two kinds of maternity swim suits, ugly, and uglier. I went with ugly, although some people seem to like it, it just gets the job done so I can enjoy some time in the pool. I can still wear my regular tankini but it’s getting less comfortable now at 30 weeks along.

Last week we went to Drumlin farm with our little menagerie of toddlers. I haven’t been to Drumlin, at least in my memory so it was a new experience. We had an ok time but it’s not a place we’ll be racing to go back to. Everything was quite spread out and it was quite hot even in the morning. Josie’s highlights were the goats, the tractors, the wooden horses to sit on, and the chicken house. They all had a great time playing with the pretend egg sorter although they didn’t quite get the point of it yet. They each took their turn on a small tractor too.

We saw a goat get milked and Josie enjoyed petting the then trapped goat.

The next day I happened to go to playtime, the local arts and crafts store, and they had some wooden eggs so I got one for Josie’s cooking set. She knew just what it was and proceeded to boil it.

With all the good weather we’ve been having lately we’ve been spending some quality time with our buddies Ella and Nolan (not related) and their nanny Kate. Last week we went to the stone zoo with them and looked around for the morning. They all have a good time together and it’s great to have some adult company.

For the first time we got a tremendous look at the snow leopard. It was like it was waiting for us in the morning, sitting directly at the bottom in front of the fence. We’ve been lucky to catch a glimpse of the cat’s tail before if anything. If you’re headed there, make sure to go there first. Here’s a little video, the cat was pacing and playing.

Nolan was very interested in the nature, the rocks and dirt. For the first time we also got to pet the goats and sheep in the petting area, they’d never been open before. They all loved the old rusted train cart, at least compared to the lazy sleeping cats. Guess we can see that at home.

Two of our mom’s group families (one of which is our neighbor) are moving away this summer sadly. We had a goodbye party with almost everyone in attendance and I played photographer. We’ll miss them dearly but new job opportunities have called them away. Here’s some of my favorite photos from the day.

Monday of memorial day weekend we hopped into the car and drove out to Kimball Farm. We met up with a few other families to play in the sand (volleyball court), eat, ride the pony and eat again. It was a nice way to spend the morning with a nap included on the ride home.

Last year at the Feast Of The East here in Arlington (which is this upcoming weekend this year) we tried to get Josie to ride on a pony but she insisted otherwise. This time she was itching to get on and have a ride. Jordi walked around with her and she did well.

We spent sometime just playing in the sand, looking at the people playing golf and the big hot air balloon.

Finally, we got ice cream the size of our head. They have a crazy ‘special’ ice cream with three flavors, all the sauces and toppings in one giant mess of a heap for only about $6. Much cheaper than buying even two small ice creams! Strawberry for Josie, vanilla for Jordi and mint cookie for me. We dug in and made it almost halfway through with three of us. Had to make sure Josie wasn’t looking when I tossed that in the trash! Not the healthiest day ever given lunch was mostly french fries, but we made up for it at dinner.

A few weekends ago we had Josie’s ‘big’ birthday party with all her (and our) friends. We crashed my parents house and turned the backyard into a kids playground with various slides, climbing structures, food and of course the bounce house. It was very popular with most all the kids from age 4.5 to 1.

Josie had a good time. She was a little intimidated by all the people to start with though. She spent a bit of time in the house watching before she was ready to come out and join the party. She bounced, she rolled, she climbed, she swung and she said hi to her friends as she ran by. Here’s some photos and videos of the chaos.

We also got these big huge beach balls (42″) which were a big hit with kids and adults alike. They were a blast to throw around and catch because they moved so slowly.

The beach balls combined with the bounce house were another big hit.

Some of the kids had to be dragged away from the bouncing practically kicking and screaming, but thankfully it’s our bounce house so we’ll be able to bounce again another day. Also with much thanks, everyone kept their food down while bouncing!

We had a few peaceful moments but otherwise just food and fun for an afternoon. Josie liked her (second) caterpillar cake, this one courtesy of costco. She was able to blow out her candles this year, one at a time!

In early May we had one hot weekend and hit the beach with our neighbors Christina, Chanh, Ethan and Zach. We went to Crane’s beach. Josie was excited to go, but decidedly unsure about the experience and was asking to leave after about half an hour. The water was still obviously very cold and the big kids were running around splashing. But we got her back into it with some snacks and playtime in the sand and tide pools. The boys were more excited to dig holes (although Ethan, taking a cue from Josie, delegated the task to his mom while he ate). Here’s Zach and Josie digging.

It was great having some more adults and kids around to be able to switch up who was watching who and who was around to talk to. It was a beautiful day and a real nice break from the norm, at least for those under 4 ft tall.

Later in the day, the tide came in and the beach was very narrow. There was a small amount of beach left between the open ocean and a tide pool, by the time we left, crossing it was a little dicey.

My mom’s group from the Calvary chuch friday morning support group is still going strong after about two years now, we hang out at least once a week with some people, more like once a month with those who went back to work. We gathered at Justine’s house a few weeks ago on a gorgeous afternoon to socialize and let the kids play. Josie is getting more into digging in dirt and rocks and such. She has a great companion with this endeavor with her buddy Nolan. He is a big fan of getting dirty. Lucy likes to get in on it too, but she’s a few months younger and still doesn’t quite remember yet that dirt and rocks do not go in the mouth.

Exploring the dirt, and then the rocks.

Josie and Lucy also love to share snacks. Josie is good at sharing but equally good at begging and Lucy often has some good things to share! Lucy is almost six months younger than Josie and likes to follow her and watch a lot, which makes Josie’s day to have a companion.

Finally, as with most group outings, we end by stacking the kids in a pile for a big picture!

One of my latest photography class assignments was to take photos from different perspectives to get more interesting photos. I should really share the other photos I took, we’ll get there one day! This is again at the Children’s museum in Boston, one showing most everyone under the exhibit and then one shot from underneath. These were the first things we looked at in the museum and were a big hit.