Jamin didn't have to start work yet today, as he has most Sundays this summer, so we had some nice family time. Zaria enjoyed some extra "papa time."
We also had Dan and Gwendolyn over to help fill a few boxes. Gwendolyn wanted me to take a picture of her-- I told her to pose and this was the result. The thinking 3-year-old.
After a traumatic spill out of the wagon a few days ago, Zaria was still willing and happy to get back in, especially with her cousin Gwendolyn. Zaria skinned her cheek and had a pretty good bruise from the tumble, which was partly due to the plastic seatbelt bolt coming out on one side while going around a fast corner. We'll be taking it much easier now, and probably replacing the bolts with something metal and sturdier. I walked just a short ways with Jamin, Dan, Naomi and the girls, then met them at the park after driving. I just can't walk very far or very fast at this point without being completely winded.
So, not only did Jamin have to work on his birthday, we ended up taking him to the ER for Fathers' Day. He got a piece of broccoli lodged towards the bottom of his esophagus and for a while he couldn't even swallow his own spit without it getting stuck. After some attempts at medicinal treatments, he still had trouble, but could at least swallow liquids. We were a little late, then, for Gwendolyn's third birthday party, and he had to watch me eat pizza and cake while he was only able to get a glass of Yo-J down. Still, we had fun spending time with family, and we even got Zaria in a swing for about 2 minutes to take a picture of the three cousins, Elena Zaria and Gwendolyn. Gwen was trying out her new tricycle and Zaria would not let go of this little doll.
We joined Dan, Naomi and Gwendolyn at my in-law's place today. So we actually spent Memorial Day with veterans-- both Marla and David served in the military. The girls had a lot of fun playing with some little chairs that they found up in the attic, and below Dan discovered an old kite of his that had been hiding in their garage. It was overcast during lunch, but a really nice day to hang out outside.
Jamin was quick to make sure Zaria was out of the way at the bottom of the slide while Gwendolyn came down in this shot. We enjoyed dinner and visiting with Dan, Naomi and Gwendolyn this evening. It's actually been quite a while since our families have been busy. Zaria and Gwen enjoyed pushing a stroller together on the way to this park, and both enjoyed the slides, though Zaria only did partial slides
Next week, Gwendolyn will be starting preschool, but today I had the chance to watch her at our house. When we took a short expedition to the library, she insisted on bringing all three of these bears-- one was Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear and the dark pink one was a Gwendolyn Bear. Fortunately, I convinced her to bring only one of the bears into the library, which we subsequently had to run back in for when it was forgotten in the playroom after an "accident" that cut our library play time a little short. Even still, it was a fun day with the girls, and easier to manage Zaria at home today.
I tried it out today-- I was watching Gwendolyn today, and decided we would try to go to the library this morning. It was definitely a challenge bringing a 33-month old and a 15-month old to and from the car, through the revolving doors, up the elevator and then keeping track of them in the kids' section. But it was really worth it and probably good practice. They had story time going on for the 4-6 year-olds, which we sort of joined for a while, but it was definitely beyond them both even though they enjoyed the songs and Zaria enjoyed dancing along. They eventually wandered off nearby and found a common bond in looking through the board books.
We went to the Bakken Museum today with a library pass, along with Gwendolyn, Dan and Naomi. We had fun playing with static and magnets, creating electrical music and learning a few things. The museum is in a beautiful old mansion on Lake Calhoun. Below is part of the roof with the lake park in the background. One thing I wouldn't recommend is bringing children under 4 to see the Frankenstein show-- we took Zaria out fairly early, and Gwendolyn got very scared waking up to the monster's voice after falling asleep in the darkened room.
I'll be watching Gwendolyn for a few days coming up, so we needed a set-up for Zaria to eat. Her attachable chair wouldn't attach to the big table, but fit nicely on this bench. It's a little wobbly, but with the support of the couch nearby it worked quite well. Zaria was pretty hungry-- after finishing her half sandwich, she grabbed for some of Gwendolyn's leftover bread, a very hearty wheat bread I wasn't sure she'd like.
Dan, Naomi and Gwendolyn came over to visit again this afternoon. The girls enjoyed trying on hats and showing each other their stuffed toys while Dan and Naomi went grocery shopping for some salad supplies. They are all very excited to move into their new house next week and have a little more room to live and work. Both will be working from home and may want me to come over a few days a week to watch Gwennie to help them get some work done. We're so glad they'll be close again!
Dan, Naomi and Gwendolyn came over to visit us today and eat pizza and play Catan. A fun time was had by all-- they were happy to visit and get a break from staying with Naomi's mom in her 2-bedroom apartment, I think. They'll be moving into their new house in a few weeks but needed a temporary residence until then. The girls were waking up from naps in the shot above, and had fun looking at books in Zaria's room. Zaria enjoyed watching her cousin Gwennie read and warmed up to her uncle Dan in the process. Then she was off to wake up her dad from his nap in the picture below. He did wake up, but didn't respond right away.
This evening Zaria met her cousin Gwendolyn for the first time, and the two enjoyed sipping from straws together. Zaria's a little more likely to dump her drink over or throw it on the floor still, but she enjoyed watching and mimicking her older cousin. But the day didn't start out with her so happy. . .
