Morning
I got to sleep in 'till 8:00 AM! I didn't even realize everyone was up 'till I heard Sara talking to Julia as they ate breakfast with Dan.
After feuling up with breakfast we decided to head down to the water front to explore the area. There is a long promenade down there, and it goes to the left and right. Yesterday we went to the left and today we went to the right.
Julia loves to walk. Soon after leaving the apartment Dan put Sara in a time out for "bothering Julia" in the stroller. While Sara sat up on a rock wall and said, "don't leave me here!" with agony tears in her eyes, Julia was excited to keep going on our walk. So Dan stayed with Sara (appropriate since he put her in timeout) and I got Julia out of the stroller (she grabbed my hand, directed it to the realese button, and said, "down") and then she was off like a rocket. I held her hand as we walked down the hill - as fast as her legs could take her, which was amplified by the downward slope. I loved crusing along with my little Jewel, and we had some fun mother-daughter time. We walked a mile before Dan and Sara caught up to us (I wear a pedometer so I know) and Julia reluctantly went back into the stroller, for one second, then I got her back out and we walked together hand in hand next to Dan and Sara in the stroller (it is isn't that Sara doesn't like to walk, but she likes to look around and enjoy the ride too.)
We got down to the water front. This is about 1/2 hour after breakfast. "Can we have something to eat? Can we have pizza at a restaurant?" both of them were hungry. And admitedly I was hungry too. Dan shook his head and we went to a grocery store right there by the water. Dan picked out bread and a sliced meat tray for sandwhiches, and I picked out a pre-made chicken pasta dish with red/green peppers, corn, and brocoli. I also picked out a fruit salad.
Now that we had our picnic stuff, where to picnic? "How about right here mom? We could just sit on the sidewalk?" Sara suggested. Thinking there had to be a better place, we told her to wait a little and we'd eat soon.
Sure enough, by a boat house (there is a lot of marine equiptment and boats here due to the lake and there is always a white masted sail boat out cruising with the white swans) we found a set of picnic tables. The girls ran to find a seat. I put Julia next to me on my right and Sara sat to my left. I speedily doled out the food with Dan's help. The girls ate as if they were starving. Julia ate piece after piece of fruit (she really liked the honeydo melon) and she also ate the pasta and vegetables. Sara ate some bread and a ton of fruit. I was glad the picnic food was a hit, since we never really know if food we buy will be a hit or a miss (they are good eaters but they do have preferences). So we were glad that our picnic by the lake went well. They ate with perfect manners, swinging their feet off the picnic table's seat as they ate with forks and used napkins. Julia is fun to watch when she uses a fork (which is all the time) she does it with extreme precision and is distraught when she drops food (which isn't often). She is such a good kid; Sara is too.
Once full we continued our walk. We walked along the lake with large stones to bear the brunt of the lapping lake water on the shore. We enjoyed the other people out walking, and everything there was to see. Mainly we just shared a nice walk together. My pedometer read over 20,000 steps (8-10 miles).
My favorite part was when we stopped at a play ground (no one else was there, so it felt like our own private place to play. They climbed up high (especially Sara, who is very good at rope ladders) and they *ran* to get to the tire swing, where they sat side by side holding on as Dan pushed them. "Dad, will you push us? We want to go high!" (they know that my pushing is more conservative than Dan's) so the girls smiled and laughed, looking at each other, us, and up at the sky. We all loved it.
Soon after that we all sat on a merry go round and spun it. It was unique to all be on the same piece of playground equiptment loving the motion, the fun, and the togetherness. Such fun.
To top all that fun there were also some daffodil sprouts in a nearby knoll. It was the kind of place you'd expect woodland fairies to live. The daffodils were a sign of spring, and I invited Julia to walk over there with me. She ran over to me and we walked through the field of daffodils sprouting up out of the Earth. We were quiet, happy, and holding hands, which fills me up with even more happiness. ;)
After that Julia saw a set of train tracks (for a mini train that is not running) and she poked around at those tracks for 20 minutes with out looking up - she was investigating something, we just don't know what! We didn't bother her, it was fun to watch her be so engrossed with nature.
Then we left, continued our walk, to some scant Roman ruins, more marinas, more docks with boats, and even a string of beaches. When we turned around while Julia was napping Sara asked to play on the beach so we did. Dan kept walking along the lake with Julia (to keep her asleep) and Sara and I dug in the sand, made stacks of rocks (I made the stacks, and she knocked them over), and found a few tiny shells. We were totally focused on just having fun, involved in our own world by the sea.
Julia slept for about 1.5 hours. A great nap. When she was awake she *ran* to the carousel down by the harbor and every single person sitting on the nearby wooden benches smiled at her. She was *going* to ride on the carousel - there was no question in her mind! I forked over 10 SF and she took 3 fun trips around the carousel, looking like a Queen out for a ride in the country. I was with her, Dan was with Sara on the pirate playground near by. There are a lot of nice things for kids here!
Late Afternoon
Around 3:30 we walked up to the apartment. It is a crazy long walk, especially after a whole day dedicated to walking. We made it, the girls watched Toy Story 2 as a calm-down treat, Dan worked, and I made dinner. (Chicken, cauliflower, and pasta.) All was well.
Then it was bathtime, time for more food (second dinner) and then off to bed. For Julia I just put her in her crib. She called me back a few minutes later "Mooom!" so I rocked her in my arms with her head on my shoulder. I could do that for hours. I love her soft breathing on my neck and the way she snuggles in. I say "I love you too" since I feel she is saying "I love you" to me.
Quotes of the day
(after breaking two lego toys apart) Julia: "I did it!"
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(bathtime) Me: "Is the water okay Sara?"
Sara: "I don't know with my feet. But I'll know with my butt. Just wait a minute and I'll tell you. Ahhhh, perfect."
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(on our speedy walk down the hill) Julia: "Tree! Leaf! Grass!" to identify things as we passed them by.
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(at the end of our walk) Sara: "Dad, why aren't you wearing your hat?"
Dan: "A bird pooped on it."
Sara: "How? Why?"
Dan: "I walked under a tree and a bird took off, and it pooped."
Sara: "Can I see it?"
Dan: "No. It is under my hat over there."
Sara: "Oh, okay."
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END
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