Discovery Green

Wednesday we headed down to Discovery Green for playgroup and we just love that place! It is funny to think how far Kate has come from our first visit there. She loves it and just runs straight through all the fountains. Sawyer, however, is exactly how Kate was at 2....a little bit of a scaredy cat. He did enjoy himself on the very edge, putting his hands in every now and then and he loved to hang on the sculptures in the dry playground. (He looks like a little monkey!) It was a fun place to play and have a picnic and we are excited to go back and escape the heat more times this summer!

playgroup at the zoo

Today playgroup was at the zoo and it was the perfect day for it. We walked around and saw the animals and talked with our friends. It has been a while since we've been and it was fun to hear Sawyer making the animal sounds. My favorite is the elephant!

Sawyer couldn't get enough of the big boys and was trying to do everything they were doing...including laughing hysterically at the funny things they were saying.

My kids loved it and I need to take them more often...even though I come home a little worn out!

firestation tour

Today for playgroup we went on a firestation tour. It was hot, even in the shade of the firetruck garage, but I think the kids had a lot of fun. One of the first things they did was have one of the firefighters put all the gear on to show the kids. It scared quite a few of them (including Kate) but she eventually warmed up enough to shake his hand. Sawyer, on the other hand, wasn't having anything to do with it.
Despite this, he was soon quite at home and checking everything out. He especially loved the blinking lights.

Melissa was the lucky volunteer to try on all the fire gear. Again, let me emphasize how HOT and HUMID it was! They even had her put the oxygen tank on her back!
After it was all over they got out the hose and showed the kids. Some of the boys were really brave, but Kate eventually was brave enough to get pretty close!

Discovery Green

Today playgroup was at Discovery Green's fun splash pad and Kate was just in heaven. It was fun to think back to last year when we went as one of the first playgroups here in Houston. We've grown a little last year. Kate has grown a little braver, Sawyer has grown a little bigger and I've grown to like Houston a little more.
Kate didn't hesitate to get in and have a ball. The fountains cycle between big and little and off and on and such and you should have seen the look on Kate's face when she found herself in the middle of the place when the fountains got really tall. She was in full panic mode and you could see it in her face! She ran blindly (literally, she was being blinded as she ran straight through these big fountains) back to me. I wish I had a picture of that face....she soon discovered how fun it was to go under the big sprays of water and she couldn't be stopped.

Sawyer woke up from his nap and had a little fun...although the water was a little cold for him (and probably looks like niagra falls when you're that little) so he wasn't too into it. He had fun playing on the side. And check out how ginormous his swimming suit is.

Kate lasted longer than all the other kids and, at one point, had the place all to herself. She seriously spent 2 1/2 hours running around. The whole way home she kept saying how we were going to take Daddy there because it was so much fun. (Daddy is in finals and a little MIA right now.)
I came home and found I got a wickedly awesome sunburn on my back. Skin cancer aside, I really like getting sunburns. So now that we've partied with the water in 90 degree weather its probably safe to say summer is arriving. Just when I was starting to think I liked Houston.

face painting

today for playgroup we went to the children's museum. Kate did a little better than last time as far as her shyness goes. We went in the little kids area and she marched around there for a bit, then she LOVED the grocery store and then her favorite over all was the face painting.

I painted a cat face on her and then let her paint my face. she LOVED it! I loved looking into her face as she was concentrating so hard on mine. she would put her hand under my chin and turn my head like I did to her and then very carefully made me look like a cat (so she says!) she LOVED the T she put on my forehead (its small and brown, I don't know if you can see it!)

after I let her paint my face I sat next to her and fed Sawyer while she added to her own face and arms. she made a very good T and somewhat of an E on her arm and was telling me she had written her name. She was very proud of that!

Noah's Ark

Today's playgroup was at this fun little pool at a Methodist church. I had heard about it and was excited to finally go. We went straight from the gym and the whole way to there Kate kept talking about going to the pool and was so excited. I had my fingers crossed my whole workout that it wasn't going to start post-edouard raining or something to spoil the fun. We got there and finally saw the Noah's Ark pool in all its splendor!

(she looks like she's having fun, right?) It was a little pricey ($10 for both of us to get in) and when I first got there, I started thinking I had paid all that money to have kate sit in a chair and eat goldfish crackers. She WOULD NOT go in without me, and I was watching Sawyer. Eventually I left Sawyer within my sight and held her hand and she started crying because the water was splashing her. (do you see these pictures?!?! that is what this little pool is all about!!!) I was very sad. But I sat her in a chair and gave her lunch to eat and just sat and talked with the other moms. That is what playgroup is all about, right? Kate and I did go down the slides together, but she wouldn't go by herself so I could take a picture.

They were actually fun. I LOVED waterparks and waterslides in my younger years. Eventually I took Sawyer on my lap and sat on the side of the pool and Kate played in the water just in front of me.

Once we got home, both kiddos went straight to the bath. I have a good bath system that works well. Kate plays while I bathe Sawyer in his tub, then I take out the tub and Sawyer and get him dressed while Kate plays (and doesn't drown). Then I come back and wash her. Daddy started this bath tradition and Kate loves it. She calls it crazy hair

I'll say!

worst mom of the year award...

as a new mother of 2 I feel like I have to pick just one adventure each day. today (being wednesday) was playgroup. so all morning I was focused on going. they had chosen to go to a park that, of course, I had never been to before so I had to print of mapquest directions (to go with the stack I already have printed off in my car for various places.) I packed my 2 bags (one general diaper bag and one swimming bag) my camera bag and then loaded all my junk, my 2 kids, and my double stroller in the car. I only got semi lost (the park was downtown) and was very proud of myself for finding a place to park on the street and figuring out the parking meter thingy. I then dodged traffic and got my 2 kids and all my bags loaded into my stroller and we were on our way. we get there and the first thing I do is drop my baby on his head. okay...before you call social services on me, let me explain. I had loaded the back of my stroller so full that when I took kate out, it tipped over backwards!! sawyer had his head padding so I think he's okay (we'll see in a few years) but he was a little traumatized. so I picked the stroller back up, unloaded it, sawyer went right back to sleep (or in a coma....) and kate and I went to play. could I sit under the shady tree with all the other moms and just watch her play? I think we all know the answer to that. (we're lucky she even let go of my hand enough to take these pictures.) but she did progress.

from timid and testing out the water:

to getting a little brave and walking in....and then the water started spraying higher...yeah, she didn't like that:
mommy shows her how much fun it can be (and ends up more wet than she was planning on getting)
she likes it!sawyer later woke up from his coma....I mean nap!...and I got him dressed in his sunny day finest. but I couldn't handle both of them (a clingy kate and a 2 month old) so the bishop's wife, sister hanis, gave me a hand.
so it was going okay. we were having fun. and then everyone started packing up, so I did too. I loaded everything up onto my stroller, gave kate a baggie of cut apples to keep her occupied and walked them and myself (very hot and dripping wet because I wore a swimming suit but didn't bring extra shorts and the shorts I was wearing were WET) back to the car. there I started to unload everything. we were all tired and I had little patience. I opened kate's door first to put her in and guess what!! there went the stroller! I DROPPED SAWYER ON HIS HEAD AGAIN!!!! oh my goodness. I put kate in the car, tried to console my screaming baby, buckled him in the car with his binkie and he was happy, loaded all of my stuff into the car, tried a million times to fold up my "easy to fold" double stroller, and was just plain ready to cry. sigh. so we drove home (I didn't get lost) and we parked in the garage....and I had to do it all over again. I got kate out and then started loading myself down with bags, wet towels and sawyer in his carseat. and then we open the door to head upstairs and guess what. the landscapers are mowing the lawn. so kate starts SCREAMING. I had to get us all upstairs and I had no hands and no patience left for kate. so I screamed. I pleaded and prodded and, through all the tears, I got us all up the stairs and into the house. the first thing kate said was "I want a blankie" and then I gave her one and asked if she wanted to take a nap and she said yes. so I put her in bed, apologized over and over for being such a cranky mom, kissed her on the head and I haven't heard a peep since. I am now showered and I feel much better....except for the guilt I feel for being such an impatient person.


....and dropping sawyer on his head twice...