A Picnic in the Park

We've started making the rounds of San Diego's playgrounds to get us out of the house in the mornings. Most of the time I can stick Simon in the sling and chase Mils around the slides and stairs. Last week we packed our sandwiches and found a great (though a bit miniature) spot for a picnic. The playground was even dog friendly so Casey joined us.

Millie seemed to be in heaven with both snacks and slides in the same place!

Simon was not so enthused.

Kissin' in the "Tent"

Mils was thrilled when we unpacked her play mat/gym thing (she calls it the 'tent') for Simon. I caught her hanging out in it with him a few days ago, narrating the action ("sleeping"; "awake"; a short interlude of the "Itsy Bitsy Spider") and adjusting the toys. They are really so cute together.

A Day at the Beach

Posted for the grandparents with lots of love: a cute little video of Millie absolutely loving the beach. I'm not sure who is having more fun here...Casey or Millie! We're at dog beach on Coronado, which is one of our favorite spots in San Diego. Here's a little secret about beach trips with two kids and a dog -- it is not one bit relaxing. TONS of fun and extremely rewarding, but also sweaty and exhausting. And it absolutely must happen with at least two adults. So much for reading People magazine with a coke and pretzels. See you in 10 years, beach chair. But I know for sure that I wouldn't want to be doing this any other way.

$547

Yep...I'm not even kidding. That's how much we made in four hours at our yard sale. Equally as satisfying: we can now step foot in our two car garage since we cleaned out so much stuff. I got so caught up in the frenzy that in a moment of weakness I agreed to sell my beloved papasan chair. You know what I'm talking about...everyone had one that was purchased at some point in college and was then moved from one crazy living situation to another in your 20's. Mine was purchased my senior year. Lately it's most often been used as a closet/repository for clothing and most recently lived in our storage unit in DC. Christopher hates that thing nearly as much as my sister does, so I was really feeling the heat to let it go. Sigh.

So on to more interesting topics...here's one cute kid:

He's a smiley one, especially with his sister. Today she gave him kisses just any ol' time, without even being asked. She also pinched his nose closed for long periods of time, so I think she's still figuring out how best to show her love!

And here's a shot of another daily ritual, walk to the slides (Simon is lying in the stroller, underneath Millie. Note Casey watching us from the window.). There is a great little playground in the Village near our house. It's a quick walk and a mandatory daily outing. There are TWO coffee shops on the way, so I can usually manage this walk at almost any hour of the day.

The Big Man

We've got a big one on our hands. Simon had his two month doctor visit yesterday and confirmed what we have known...he's a growing boy. He weighs 12 pounds, 15 ounces (80th %ile) and is 24 inches long (90th %ile). My reaction to this news was relief. At least he was on the charts. Gauging from the reaction of the moms I meet at the park, I was raising some kind of amazon child ("WOW!! He's only eight weeks old? He's really big, huh?"). I think he's just very alert and smiley. It's so fun to see new changes each day (he's recognizing us and Millie now).

This morning we joined some moms for a walk and I ended up carrying Simon in the baby pouch for about 2 miles (ouch) and then went straight to the grocery store for the second leg of my baby juggling olympics. All I'm sayin' is that this nap time had better last at least two hours. My tired feet need a break!

OK. Yard sale is tomorrow. I'm slightly embarrassed to be putting all my junk on the front lawn for my new neighbors to peruse, but whatever. I just need it out of my life and if selling all of it enables me to buy some backyard play gear, then I'll deal with the humiliation. Or maybe I'll watch the kids and make Julie and Christopher deal with the humiliation!

Big Girl Bed!

She just LOVES it. By some sort of miracle, she stays in it (both at night while trying to get to sleep and in the morning when she calls for us to get her), and she doesn't jump in it (yet). Appropriately, she calls it her "good girl bed". So cute.

She doesn't even freak out that much when Simon is in it with her.

Most all of the time she is joined in the bed by her 11 'pieces of flair': baby dolls, monkeys, blankets, stuffed dogs, and the Philly Phanatic (still). We had just made the bed, so the accessories were hanging out on the glider chair during the photo shoot.

August Fun