Cows, Finally!

The big news this week is that we took a family trip to Ward's Berry Farm to visit the 4H petting farm and then went to Crescent Ridge for...ta da...cows!!! After finally seeing our precious cows (black and white, white, black and brown and white), we got ice cream. It was a wonderful start to the weekend and a great way to kick off the unofficial start of summer!

Adventures in Albany!

The girls had a transition week, with Elyse starting for the summer and Kristen coming one more afternoon to pinch-hit before her graduation weekend. We've been so lucky to find such amazing babysitters for the girls and are so grateful for all they've taught all of us.

On Friday after school, to cap off a busy week, the girls and I packed up the car and headed to Albany for the weekend, giving Daddy some time to himself to putter around the house and yard...We stopped in Lee, MA and did a little outlet shopping with Grandma and Grandpa Sina, Aunt Carol, Carie, John, Elsa, Marie, Erin and Jordan. The girls held up pretty well, despite it being a long afternoon and them not remembering all of their relatives since they were so little the last time. We then continued on to Albany. After checking into the hotel down the street from Carie's (Gram and Grandpa got us adjoining rooms), we headed over to have a little dinner and hang out.

Belle missed Daddy but the girls seemed to enjoy reading new books, seeing new faces and sleeping in a hotel - they sure had fun at breakfast on Saturday, trying juices, muffins and yogurt. Saturday also saw us spending time at Justin and Erin's house before enjoying some downtime and much-needed naps before a big family dinner at Carie's - lots of delicious food and wonderful company! It was so wonderful to see all the cousins hang out and play with each other. I loved watching the girls interact with each other and with the other kids, learning how to swing, play in the sandbox and explore the playhouse.

After two nights away, it was time to go home on Sunday, something we did with mixed emotions. Belle immediately asked to "come back again," so we promised to take Daddy next time and are going to try to spend more time with family. It was a wonderful experience for all of us and a great first trip away, one filled with memories that will last a lifetime.

To Curious George We Go!

Bubbe came to visit us this week and boy did we have fun! On Friday, the girls went to Wrentham in search of "raincoat and hat" for Belle. While we didn't really find a suitable raincoat, both girls were satisfied with the trip because they got chocolate chip cookies and Wendy's Kids Meals on the way home!

Saturday brought a trip into Boston and a tour of the Boston Children's Museum, a first for the girls. Of course we enjoyed all of the floors - we got to pet ferrets and walk through the Arthur play area as highlights - but had the most fun at the Curious George Exhibit. It was fun to explore all of the math and science-related themes, and to play in all of the stations, from the farm to the rocket ship to Chef Piscetti's (sp?) restaurant. Claire's favorite part was trying to back into the bunny huts - she fit perfectly! Belle was in awe to see all of the favorite parts of her books and movies come alive.

Mother's Day 2010

We had lots of fun this week!

On Wednesday, we went to Mother's Day Tea at Annabelle's school, where the kids sang a song and provided beautifully colored and fingerprinted poems. Of course there was lots of tea and cookies to be had too. Claire had a blast playing at her big sister's school, taking off on her own to play on the slide or in the cars. Belle enjoyed having us there as well.

While Belle was at school on Friday, Claire and I met the Moms and Tots group at the Capron Park Zoo and had a blast. While we were waiting for everyone to arrive, Claire threw my fleece on the ground and started "swimming" like she does at home, and in imitation of Reilly. Pretty funny! She loved imitating all the animals and especially enjoyed the herons and the bears. She also liked watching Mommy feed the goats and llama, trying to pet them herself. But, her favorite part was running up and down the wooden bridge to look at the ducks, fish and other animals swimming in the water.

Mother's Day itself was a quiet, cold day! We started off trying to walk into a 40mph wind in 40 degree weather and quickly realized a family trip to the grocery store was probably smarter. Daddy and Belle then went to Home Depot to get charcoal and propane so they could grill steak and scallops for a special dinner - yum! We spent the afternoon playing and relaxing, which ended up being the perfect activities to celebrate being a mom!

The Three C's: Chocolate, Circus and Ceremony!

Now this week, I remember! We started out by formalizing a new tradition in the Griffith Household whereby Daddy goes to Dunkin Donuts on Saturday and Sunday, returning with a large iced coffee for him and a chocolate glazed donut for each of the girls (with one bite for Mommy)!

Also this week, Claire decided to attempt feeding herself applesauce - quite a site indeed.

We also took our first trip to the circus and the girls were amazing, lasting two hours before getting fussy after intermission. Truth be told, Patrick and I were ready to go by then too! We got to see elephants, clowns, tigers and all sorts of acts. Oh and Claire threw a shoe down the tunnel so a nice security guard had to go get it for us - oops!

We also started exploring and playing around with the water table that our neighbor, Kathy, gave to us. Next up, adding more toys and putting on bathings suits so we can enjoy the full effect!

And then today we were lucky to have been included in a very special naming ceremony for the son of two of our very best friends. It was beautiful, filled with family, friends and love - truly an event as gorgeous as the weather outside. Of course only Daddy got to participate since the girls were having too much fun playing with Tyler and Zach's toys, but Mommy's trying to realize they are only 1 and 2 years old - and thinking she needs to get them out to more playgroups for socialization!