Constant Motion

I realize that this post (our 100th by the way) has been a long time coming. Part of the issue is that it is really difficult to get decent pictures of a child that is constantly in motion. I have managed to capture a few of the summer activities that we have been up to lately.

Watering the flowers is a big one. Abbie loves any excuse to use the hose. On multiple occasions this has ended up with her soaking wet and running naked through the front yard.


Days at the park is not something that we have done much of this summer, but the weather this past Sunday was perfect (74 degrees and sunny) so we were able to hit two parks in one day.

We have found a new pool this summer that is way cheaper than the pool we have used in the past and is way better for kids Abbie's age. In addition to the pool, which has a huge wading area, there is ample lawn, and an entire area with lots of sand to play in - far more entertainment than our previous pool. Abbie is continuing to take swimming lessons this summer and loves having the opportunity to practice what she is learning.

Other than that, not much to report. Abbie seems to be doing OK with preschool. I tend to hear a fair bit of "I don't want to go to school today" in the morning, but when we pick her up in the afternoon she always seems to be having fun and when we ask her if she likes school she says she does.

We are off to Minneapolis for the 4th of July and we have lots of stuff planned that all three of us enjoy - crab cakes at Oceanaire, pasta and meatballs at Cossettas, the rides and the aquarium at the Mall of America, and the zoo. If I can get our little Speedy Gonzales to slow down, I may even be able to get some pictures!

First Day of Preschool

Here she is on the first day of preschool (today). She was pretty excited. I think it went pretty well for her. Apparently about 10 minutes after we left she got a little sad looking and a couple of the other kids were crying (not about us, of course), so the teacher held her hand for awhile until she felt better.

Then, during naptime they placed her mat near the blocks so she spent the entire rest period (2 hours) playing with blocks and setting her lovey on the shelves, etc. The teachers are considering moving her mat. :) Little do they know that no matter where they put her, she will find something to keep her entertained.

When we went to pick her up this afternoon, she was playing happily on the playground and was barely interested in us. A very exciting turn of events is that her friend Sophie (see previous posts) is in her class. This is particularly fortunate because we thought that Sophie had moved to Boston and Abbie has been missing her terribly. Also, on three of the five days each week, Alexandra (see previous posts) will be in Abbie's class. This is good because there is already another group of girls in the class who are friends, so now Abbie will also have her own "crew".

As for this evening, we sensed that Abbie was pretty tired, and we thought that she would crash pretty early. Instead, she caught a 2nd wind and ran around like a mad woman, dancing and yelling and playing. Ummm, any bets on how long it will take before the school schedule catches up with her? I would guess that by Thursday she'll be spent, but I have systematically underestimated her in the past, so we'll see.