Dreaming of Sun

I have the most incredible husband.  There are many reasons I can say this, but today I'm saying it because in a couple of weeks he is going to take me away from all this snow and ice to a tropical beach for a few days to celebrate my {recent milestone} birthday.  Just the two of us.  Just the two of us.

Newly engaged and without a care in the world! 

This time away will be so good for us!  We can sleep late, eat what others cook, swim with the fish (or to the wet bar!), and relax on a beach.  We can reconnect with each other without a million interruptions, reflect on our last 10+ years together and dream about what our next 50 might hold.  My hope is that we come back refreshed and ready to take on the controlled chaos of our daily life.

We are so lucky that we are able to get away.  It's not easy to find sitters for my girls;  our household isn't easy to drop into days.  For a few hours it's pretty easy, but when it stretches into a couple of days it gets trickier.  There are things to learn for Emma - how to work the CIs and talker, how to prepare her drinks and food, how to use the various chairs and potty seat, tips for going out and about.  And then there is the matter of how to work our TV remotes :-)  None of these are hard but they aren't always intuitive - especially the TV!

I'm planning on pulling together a how-to binder for the house complete with pictures.  If I forget anything I'm sure Julia will be able to fill in the blanks.  Sometimes I think Julia could run this household - maybe that's typical of first born children?  Regardless, I'll feel better once it's done and will be able to relax easier on the beach with a fruity frozen concoction.

Julia is excited to have guests come and stay at our house and is happily anticipating her own adventures while we're away.  Past experience makes me think Emma isn't as excited about our getaway but she should roll with it fairly well.  The amount of time we will be gone should be just enough to recharge but not too long that I'll spend my time missing my babies.

Here's to warm weather, sandy beaches, and some alone time with my favorite man!

Local summer adventures

This summer we had a list of things we wanted to do.  There is still about 3 weeks left to our summer and we are working on completing most of them.  I posted closer to the beginning of summer that showed we started it off with a bang and have done some dribs and drabs posts since then.

Now that our summer camps are over, we reclaimed the month of August for family fun!  Horray - that's my favorite kind of fun!  I seriously can't get enough of hanging out with my little ones and I feel like they are growing so quickly.

Last week we went to the science museum.  I am a scientist by training and I really miss playing with things in the lab.  Hanging out there made me realize just how much I miss it and I wonder if there is a chance I might be able to find some part-time work that is only during the school year (lots of us stay at home Mom's dream about this perfect schedule) that includes getting my hands dirty in a science lab.  Doubtful, but I'll look into it.  I might just have to rely on our yearly membership to the museum to fulfill my science side :-)

GLOW was the special exhibit geared to hands on exploration.  There was a section with costumes and you could dress up as fireflies and jellyfish.  We decided to forgo the costumes and stand in the firefly capture jar to check out the view - this made the girls all giggly!

Butterfly room is always a favorite stop for me.  Julia finds it a bit warm but was up for it and Emma is happy to check it out as long as there are other people in the room she can watch.

Digging for dinosaur bones

Fossil Prep lab had a learning session.  They told us about a dinosaur they are currently working on that was found in MT.  How did we never see the fossil prep lab before on all our visits?

Panning for shark teeth.  Cut out for a wheelchair is quite nice, but it falls short in being truly accessible unless you have super long arms.  

Starring in their own dinosaur movie.  

This week we took advantage of the *slightly* cooler weather to visit a park we'd never been to before.  I had won tickets to the carousel and mini-golf at the silent auction fundraiser at Julia's school so Chris met us there the other day after work for some Monday evening fun.  It was a fun place to visit.

The park had the oldest remaining original fountain in the city was up and running, a small-ish playground with an accessible swing and monkey bars, a snack shack, a carousel and mini-golf.  The park is in the historic district so everything was USA themed.  The carousel even had a bald eagle instead of a horse in one slot and that is what Emma rode.  Julia rode a dolphin, although I'm not exactly sure how that made it's way onto the national themed carousel?  The mini-golf had obstacles made out of local historic landmarks and I just loved it!  I have a feeling we'll be back.

When did you get SOOOO BIG???!!!!  Emma is staring right though me to the campers running all over the place!

Sisters swinging next to each other.  Melts my heart they can swing next to each other and it's not something we take for granted!  Emma is also much stronger this summer because she was never able to sit in these swings before without added attachments.  Both girls are nosy as ever and watching the campers again!

Such a cutie pie!  This girl melts my heart.   

Is that a hole in one?????

Emma was interested in mini-golf for about 3 holes.  She reached out for the club and even helped swing and hit the ball.  Surprisingly, she did quite well!  Then she decided she had enough and wanted to people watch everyone on the course that did NOT include anyone in her family.  Her stroller was thus positioned for optimal non-family people watching and she was smiles the rest of the night.  Silly girl!

Girls Rule!

Boys....need we say more??!!!

Wildlife in the city.

We have about 3 weeks before the start of school.  The fun will continue.  How blessed and lucky our family is!!!!

SUMMER Fun!!

This summer we've been doing so many fun things that it leaves little time for me to document it.  This fact really just makes me smile!  After all, isn't life all about participating in it ;-)  Here are some photos from our adventures.  Enjoy!

• Mommy/Julia date day to pick strawberries.  

 I just adore her!

• Daddy/Daughter fishing fun

Julia LOVED fishing!

Emma was more interested in the people watching than the fishing or the fish

Chris had a bit of fun by chasing Julia with the fish he caught!  I LOVE this photo!

• The girls had some fun on a recent rainy day

Playing some computer games

Emma figured out how to move the screen door open and closed.  It took my breath away!  Love how she is using her arms a bit more even if it is to try and bust out of the house into the rain :-)

• Swimming.  I'd say lots of swimming while the girls would say there is never enough swimming!  My girls take to the water like fish.

Julia's underwater handstand is getting really good!

• Sleep-overs followed by sidewalk chalk art

Note:  Emma was in the wagon while I took photos.  When not taking pictures I held her in a sitting position on the blanket so she could join in the fun.

• Boardwalk and beach adventures, where Julia proudly helped Emma on some rides even though her arm was sometimes crushed and hurt proving yet again that she is the BEST BIG SISTER EVER!!!!!