Mom, Dad, and I went for an easy hike through Whip Hill Park — just a few blocks from our house — in Stoneham this afternoon. Well, easy for me because I got to ride on Dad’s back the whole time! It was fun to take a break for a snack when Mom lost Dad’s lens cap and he went back to find it, and see a ribbon snake on our way out of the woods.
Marty repurposed one of his raised flower bed boxes as a sandbox for Flora. All it took was some landscape fabric and 12 huge bags of sand! Flora enjoys burying and finding her Fisher Price people, and filling up and dumping cups, but Florzilla’s favorite thing is to smash any sort of castle Mom and Dad make.
We made it a farm-themed weekend (apparently peek-a-boo objects for photo taking are all the rage) and went to Drumlin Farm in Lincoln for Family Fun Day. We met friends Boulton and Porter and walked along the grounds where we spotted hawks, owls, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, mules, and more! I liked the mules the best because I got to pat their noses, and they smelled better than the pigs. Then we ate a snack on the grass before heading back home.
Verill Farm in Lincoln held their Strawberry Festival this afternoon. There was pick-your-own strawberries, strawberry shortcake, pony rides, hay rides, a big tractor, musicians, and even marionettes! Unfortunately, all the strawberries had been picked clean before we got there, so we did the next best thing … bought a bunch from the farm store and immediately sampled them!
This morning Mom and I met our friends at Endicott Park in Danvers for a fun-filled playdate. We visited the barn area first to say Hi to the goats, geese, rabbit, ducks, roosters, and hens; swung by the pasture to say Hey to the horse and pony; ate a picnic snack on the grassy field; then finished up the day at the playground. The whole floor of the big playground is sand, and I couldn’t help but spending most of my time there burying my hands and feet.
I woke Dad up this morning by calling out “Dee-Dah” several times as I walked over to him bedside to hand him the card I colored. Then Mom and I came downstairs to make Dad a breakfast of french toast and berries. Afterwards, Dad indulged me in my new favorite game … dressing up. Although my Squeak E. Mouse’s clothes aren’t quite big enough for me, it doesn’t keep me from trying. Check out the slide show below to see me trying on his “jacky” (jacket). After another afternoon of playing in the pool and a nice, long nap (sometimes I go as long as three hours!), we went to the Dairy Dome in Stoneham for a soft serve treat. Mmmm!
With warm, sunny weather both Saturday and Sunday, Flora spent most of her weekend poolside. She enjoyed filling up cups with water, dumping said water on her shoes, and splashing … but best of all she liked getting sprayed with the garden hose! (note: If you view the 7th photo called “Cold Water!” (Marty calls it “Fat Girl Photo”) in it’s large or original size, you can see Flora’s top teeth!)
The North Suburban Family Network hosted their 8th annual family picnic and concert at Steele Park and Playground in Stoneham tonight. We packed a spread of cheese, fruit, olives, pasta, bread (plus butter, Flora’s favorite), and cookies … and were entertained by the silly songs and stories of Vic and Sticks. Flora was happy to see her pal Raessler there and the two of them had fun snacking, playing, and dancing together.
Peek-a-boo, I see you. Can you see me? Now that I’m 17 months old, “I’m walkin’, I’m talkin’, I’m Macauly Caulkin.” Well … at least the first two.
Yesterday I met my friends Dobbin and Kate at their house in Somerville and we all hopped the Red Line over to Harvard Square in Cambridge for the Dragon Boat Festival. We saw a Philippine cultural dance followed by some Japanese Taiko Drumming (worthy of busting some dance moves!), then walked along the river to watch the Dragon Boats race along The Charles. Afterwards, we headed back to their house for some Szechuan take-out and ice cream for dessert! Here I am enjoying some Cherry Garcia … “MMM!”
After Friday playgroup at the North Suburban Family Network, Spidey met her friends Will, Jack, and Myles (with Moms in tow) at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham. Flora liked the flamingos the best, especially when they squawked and pecked at each other. Most of the other animals were hard to find, though she had no trouble spotting the cougar and the roadrunner. After a picnic lunch she petted a little goat and a big sheep, then played on the really big spider web. It’s no surprise Flora had fun pretending to be a spider — one of her favorite finger songs is “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” with “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and “Old MacDonald” ranking right up there.
We knew Flora was cutting her first First Molar on the top, left side … but when we looked in her mouth yesterday to see its progress, we discovered she is cutting *all* of her First Molars and three have broken through! Plus, her other top Lateral Incisor snuck on down at the same time. Flora now has all four top Incisors (though they aren’t down far enough to see in most smiles), three of her bottom Incisors, and is working on her four First Molars. And why yes, she does have the fussies that go with it.
See the tooth eruption charts from the American Dental Association.
This morning Flora discovered her “No’s!” — it will only be a matter of time now before “No!” becomes her most-used word. In theory, she’s been saying “No!” for quite some time, expressed by an adamant head shake or a cry of protest. But this morning when I asked her a question, she looked at me and said “No!” I then asked her “What?” And she repeated “No!”
Flora isn’t saying “No!” in this picture. She’s actually giving Marty a kiss through a plastic window on a play structure. Kind of eery and fetal, isn’t it?
Flora had a great first day at “school!” According to her Ladybug Room teachers, she especially liked exploring the ball pit and eating all her lunch. She’s still adjusting to the one-afternoon-nap schedule — 1PM is a long time for her to wait to nap! Flora will be attending the Melrose YMCA Child Care Center in Stoneham two days per week. We’re anticipating lots of runny noses, but we’re excited for her to participate in group play and structured activities … and gain some independence from Mom.
We could stand the stringy bouffant no more, and brought Flora to a real salon for a proper haircut. Elana at Nicolo Salon in Melrose, where Amy gets her hair coiffed, managed to make Flora even cuter. Here Flora is showing off her new locks at Cedar Perk and later at Conant playground. Everyone admired her little curls … and she hammed it up, of course.
And just in case you’re wondering, this isn’t the same jumper Flora sported last year. Since she and Seneca share a taste in fashion, Flora has been handed down several of the same outfits in bigger sizes.
Um, I sure hope this doesn’t mean Flora is going to be vane. Who knows, she might just have a bit of her Grandpa Chuck in her! This week, Flora is perfecting climbing (up ladders, onto furniture, into chairs, etc.) and working up to a handstand or a somersault — I’m not sure which “sitting” on her head will result in.
