So Young Now...

July 4, 2005

It was a fun-filled weekend for the kids, and I did not get near the 4th of July sales at all. What happened to the old days?

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday, a last minute decision as we were driving by the exit off 76 on our way to Philly. We noticed the LACK of traffic getting off on Girard Avenue on a beautiful weekend day, so our car veered off the exit before we knew what we were doing. Nicole said her favorite animals were some peacocks-- although when they got a little close to her, I am fairly certain that when she turned and ran, she was not thinking that her favorite animals were the peacocks. Max was interested in the giraffes most of all, but really any exhibit where we gave him some freedom to get out of his stroller was AOK with him. They held up pretty well for the long day, and so we decided to get some dinner at a place near home, which has a nice outside area for dining. In a sad irony, Nicole was fine seeing wild animals all day, but encountered a fly during dinner, and was a SCREAMING mess of a child like I have never seen! (She spent last weekend at Grandma's who is very afraid of bugs of any kind. Apparently a bug went down Grandma's shirt when Nicole was watching and Nicole has never been the same, much to my annoyance!!) We had to take her out of there to calm her down.

Today we took the kids to Philly to walk through the old neighborhood as well go to the festival on the Parkway for the 4th of July, although we knew we would not be staying late enough for the parade and fireworks. (The kids go to bed at 7 which is quite nice most nights, but sometimes a little early if you want to have any life at all in the evening!) We had a picnic in the park, and spent the day walking around (it only took a little while for me to realize that Kurt and I were so tired because we were pushing over 100 pounds (two kids and the stroller) in the hot sun and the kids were NOT tired because they were being pushed around all day!) and were pretty happy to get into the car by the afternoon. In a moment of stupidity fueled by eagerness to see the kids continue to enjoy the weekend, I drove by a local fair that was going on, and that was all Nicole had to see. She saw the rides and asked whether we could stop. As I was driving around looking for parking she was saying "don't leave that park mama" and begging me to let her go. She loves rides and laughs and laughs when she is on them. Max was tired, but lasted for a few before he started screaming. That was it on rides for him, although he was fine as long as we let him run after that.

Max's vocabulary hit 100 words the other day... not bad for 18 months, and a little scary because it's DOUBLE what Nicole was saying at that age, and she has aways been a little advanced for her age verbally! Scary also because she is pretty precocious now and I have no idea what that will mean for Max! He also sings some of Twinkle Twinkle... if you stop at any part of the song, he will fill in the next few words... he says so many cute things. He loves his sister so much, they play so cutely together most of the time. They will chase each other and tickle each other (he says "dicka dicka" for tickle tickle) and run around the house together, or push baby strollers together through the house. He will do whatever she tells him, usually, so you always hear her screaming to him and bossing him to do things. When he is a rebel, she goes over to physically drag him back to her if she has not finished with him yet!

Nicole has pretty much mastered the art of the potty. She does it all, except she still sleeps with a diaper because that is a long night without going to the potty! She is quite proud of herself and we are proud of her too. I feel bad for the poor girl because even days when we are out and about and can't find a clean potty to take her to (no way I was going to let her go on a Port-A-Potty on the Parkway today) she still holds her pee for HOURS even when I tell her it is OK to go in her diaper... so she ends up with a deluge at some point, and then she gets so upset about it!

Any adult activities at all this weekend? No, but tons of enjoyment watching the kids enjoy themselves.