Summer Adventures

We've been thoroughly enjoying summer -- warm weather, sunshine, watermelon, barbecuing, water play, popsicles, peaches and strawberries, sunscreen and floppy hats. At least once a week, we've been rounding up the circus and heading out for adventures big and small. Here's a review of just a few of those.

An Adventurous Morning

A few days after exams had ended, we decided we were ready for a bit of an adventure. We knew we weren't up for something big, but we definitely needed to get out of the house. The Palo Alto Junior Museum offered us the perfect opportunity. The little museum is nearby (oh, so close!) and just the right size... with some exhibits to test out and some animals to admire.

The girls raced off to see the animals. They loved the peacock, and talked about their friend Anna! (It's amazing what little minds remember...) They peered at the bats and the lizards and the rabbits and especially the turtles, swimming underneath a cute little bridge.

By the time the girls had seen all the animals and tested out the exhibits, the museum was considerably more crowded than it had been when we arrived. We decided to escape the crowds and round out our morning with a special lunch. Chinese was the perfect choice for all concerned. Indy dozed in the sling, the girls ate their weight in steamed rice (and discovered a new love for sweet and sour pork), and Mama and Daddy delighted in the freedom from both cooking and cleaning.

A highlight: Kathleen's fortune cookie reported that she'd soon receive a promotion for her hard work. We found it amusing, considering that someone else in our family had, in fact, been selected for promotion that week... just not one of our girls!

An Evening Walk

The city recently completed construction on a pedestrian overpass less than a mile from our home. The "bridge" was a topic of discussion each and every time we drove past the construction site, the girls fascinated by the progress. When we finally saw cyclists and runners whizzing over the bridge, we promised the girls they could walk on it themselves. We made good on our promise with a late-afternoon/early-evening walk/wagon ride.

Daddy did the bulk of the work.

But Mama toted someone, too -- Baby Indy! His cheek looks a little smushed, but he seemed to enjoy the walk, anyway.

On the way back, we let the girls walk on the bridge, rather than just ride in the wagon. By that time, though, we were squarely in "commute time," so the trail was getting some heavy use. We were a bit concerned that one of the speeding bicyclists might collide with our girls, so we asked the girls to keep one hand on the fence as they walked. It kept them safe and they discovered the fun of chain link fence noises, too!

Circus, meet the Zoo

Because the girls had been so excited about the tiny zoo at the Palo Alto Junior Museum, we decided that a trip to a "real" zoo was in order.

The circus descended upon the Oakland Zoo one fine, sunny weekday morning. The girls were just as excited as we thought they'd be. Kathleen liked running from exhibit to exhibit, finding the animals "by herself." Madeline took to greeting all the animals as we arrived at each habitat, "Hi, zebras! Hi, giraffes!" and then bidding them farewell as we moved on, "Bye-bye, zebras! Bye-bye, giraffes!" John David just hung out in his Beco carrier like the sweetheart he is, alternately snoozing and gnawing on his little hand.

Kathleen races off towards the next animals, losing her hat in the process...

Daddy and Madeline enjoyed the zebras.

It's a pity we couldn't have enlisted the help of one of those camels to lug our lunch and diaper bag and children. The rarely-used double stroller wasn't the best choice for the zoo -- it was hard to maneuver. (I guess that's why we generally go with the jogger!)

The girls loved exploring the lily pads and rabbit holes in the children's zoo.

And we make our own fun, wherever we go!

More summer adventures (and misadventures) to come...