Out and About

This week reminded me a lot of when Zach and Tyler were little.  I was home with two kids and we had lots of adventures in and out of the house.  Life was so different then, but occasionally it feels the same when the boys are at school and I'm home with the girls.

Lexi had a field trip, her first of two in two weeks.  First, she went to a dentist's office and learned about teeth for National Brush Your Teeth for Heaven's Sake month (or something like that).

Then I accompanied her preschool class to Whole Foods for a tour of the store and a discussion about healthy eating.  Kate came along and we had a great time talking about fish guts, what cows make, eating a rainbow, and the best bread ever.  The kids got to sample nectarines, string cheese, bread, and cupcakes.  The guy at the seafood counter was fantastic and showed the kids a North Atlantic salmon, crabs, lobster tails, and even an octopus.  Nobody wanted to sample that.

One day I took the girls on another 3.5 mile walk/jog.  Pushing 60 pounds of kid in a stroller is a good workout.

Another day Kate joined me at the grocery store, which isn't so much an adventure as a trial, but we survived.  Kate's reward for not scaring the other shoppers was to ride on the horsey as we left the store. She doesn't know yet that it's supposed to move.  She had a great time, and I was glad she had chosen to wear her pink sparkly boots, even though she hated her outfit.

Then on Thursday the girls and I went with friends to the zoo. It was the calmest, easiest zoo trip I've ever made.  With Kate on a leash, no one ran away or had a fit when we didn't ride or buy anything extra.  As usual, the giraffes were my favorite part, and they made a real impression on Kate, who is still talking about them.  Lots of the animals were active.  The orangutan was swinging, the lion was roaring, the gorillas were eating lunch, and the giraffes and elephants and zebra were walking around and being interesting.  The weather could not have been more beautiful, too, and Angela and her kids made for great company.  I only have pictures of Kate because Lexi kept skipping around with Lucy and wouldn't pose for me.

We had our share of busy and hard stuff with the other kids (especially with one child, the tales of which should not publicized...how's that for dramatic? haha) this week, but these happy times with my little girls were nice perks along the way.