The Zoe and Silas Show

5/31/12: Making a birthday card for our friend, Sam, who turns 3 tomorrow!

5/30/12: Derek does "piggy piles" with the kids all the time. I found Zoe this morning surveying her literal interpretation of a piggy pile (her stuffed pig is on top!).

5/29/12: Zoe  watches Silas eat a piece of chocolate for completing another potty chart. She  has essentially stopped going pee pee in the potty and is apparently living vicariously through him. She gets excited for him and watches as he put the stickers he has earned on his chart. Here she was completely unfazed that she didn't get a special treat (and trust me, the girl loves chocolate!).

The weather forecast looked gorgeous for Memorial Day so I wanted to spend the last day of our awesome 4-day weekend outside having a picnic. I googled "picnic spots in Boston" and came across this great list of ideas. Toward the end of the list I read about  Hale Reservation and I decided we should check it out. "Hale Reservation is a private, non-profit educational organization that manages over 1,100 acres of woodlands, including four ponds and over twenty miles of trails in Westwood and Dover, Massachusetts".  Westwood is only 20 minutes from our house. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out to enjoy a beautiful morning outside (preferably communing with nature, not people). We parked the car in an empty lot and walked a few hundred feet to Noanet Pond. This is what we saw. I got more than I could have wished for... It was absolutely beautiful. And secluded. And there was virtually no one there. There was a dad with 3 boys fishing.  ...

5/28/12: Noanet Pond - our new favorite spot.

S&Z typically watch between 20 and 45 minutes of television per day. After basically never having the TV on between 3 and 18 months, we now use it strategically (i.e., while we make meals, clean up, or as a special treat before bed) and in moderation. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that kids over 2 years don't watch more than 1 hour per day, so that is the max limit we try to stick with. During the week they tend to watch PBS with Derek, including shows like "Super Why", "Cat in the Hat", and of course "Sesame Street". We have NetFlix streaming, so we also have a few favorite shows that they tend to watch with me on the weekends. The typical weekend playlist includes "Curious George", "Blue's Clues", and "Yo Gabba Gabba". They have recently started dancing and singing the Blue's Clues song. It is so darn cute that I needed to get it on video!

5/27/12: We had a fun playdate and BBQ lunch with Josie & Theo today.

I had high hopes that we would be able to play in our backyard  last summer . I realized pretty quickly that the kids were still too little for un-fenced space; once they got bored they just tried to escape. We live on a very busy street, so the typical 2-on-1 kid-to-caregiver ratio rendered the backyard pretty unusable for 2011. This year, however, is a different story. They are 2-1/2 years old, and a lot has changed. I decided to buy a sandbox one hot day when my mom was here in April. They LOVE it!!! In addition to the sandbox, we also have a police coupe that they spend a lot of time taking turns and pushing each other around in. And of course there are always bubbles to be blown, and bugs to be learned about. We planted some flowers in hanging baskets for the deck a few weeks ago. And our compost is rockin' and rollin' We heart the backyard!

5/26/12: Yay for getting the water toys out in the backyard (and haircuts)!!!

5/25/12: There's a train!

Today was our first day back at EI playgroup after missing a few weeks. Today the kids "helped" put the groceries away. Today Silas flexed big imagination muscles in playing with a toy house that I brought home from work because it was going to be retired from the LCN playroom.  Today S&Z were enticed into the stroller with granola bars so that I could go on a 2 mile walk. Today we waited for trains in the Village. Today we SAW trains in the Village. Today S&Z walked home from the Village. Today we looked at lots of ants. Today we walked up a "huge" hill, and Zoe said with glee, "I DID IT!" when she got to the top of the hill. Today was a great day.

My dad & Mary visited us from Minneapolis recently and we were so happy to see them! The weather was gorgeous, so we took advantage of our new zoo pass and went to see the animals.  Zoe was in fine form on our way through the gate. First stop, zebras!! We stopped for a picnic lunch, and then explored some well-climbed trees. We headed to see the gorillas after lunch. It was a great morning of fresh air and lots of exercise running around the exhibits! For Mother's Day we met up with Derek's family for brunch. The kids were all dressed up, so of course I got a few pictures! It's hard living so far away from my family, so I am very thankful that they are healthy enough (and willing!) to visit us in Boston!!