Babysitting Day One and Two

Part of the deal is that while Suzanne was working I would watch the kids. Before we came I had a list of things that I wanted to do with the kiddies.  Priority number one - a book!  We haven't made a book in such a long time - not since Anna was a baby.  Monday we started work on part one of the book, and we mostly just played in and around the house.  I think the book is going to be called the Pajama Gang, because it was just that kind of day!


This is a pic of Fiona wearing the most beloved blue dress that was first Anna's.

Monday - book time!

Then fort building time!

On Tuesday I decided I really wanted an outing and a little more structure.  I dragged all the kids to Nevers Park again and we had fun - mostly!  Joey and Thomas were both very helpful taking care of all the little girls.

Tonight we took advantage of Connecticut's tax free week and bought some shoes!

Nevers Park, Shopping, Bowling, Boy Movie!

There you go, just read the title and you know what we did and you needn't bother reading the rest of the post!!

Kids.  Kids get older and life gets infinitely more complicated.  This is a fact.  This is now a fact of Suzanne's life. This morning Isaac had football and Thomas had a birthday party midday.  We were going to go to Gillette's Castle, but with two of Suzanne's four kids with stuff and the Castle being about an hour away, it just wasn't going to happen.  Instead we went to Nevers Park and the farmer's market there.  The kids played, then we had lunch, the kids were a little crazy, the comings and goings - carloads being ferried here and there was also slightly crazy, but it all worked out.

This afternoon while Fiona slept, Suzanne and I went grocery shopping at Target.  I bought these cute/funny stars and stripes flip-flops for Kate and Alice.  Kate has been begging for flip-flops for ages.  And this is why I should never buy shoes unless they are with me, Anna now has a really cute pair of flip-flops because they didn't fit Kate! 

After dinner we all went bowling. I wasn't sure how it was all going to work out - how does a three year old bowl?  But there are these things called bumpers so the ball doesn't go in the gutter, and there were these red plastic dinosaur things that the girls but their ball onto, and then presto, they're bowling.  Everyone had fun - including Isaac who wasn't convinced bowling was worth his time, but it was great!  I bowled my absolute worst game ever and came out the biggest loser!  Yay me! 

After we got home the big guys (Ken, Matthew and Isaac, yes Isaac is now - not always - one of the big guys?!) went to see a movie in Hartford.  Suzanne and I watched some tv and our first full day in Connecticut is over and was awesome!

Rochester - Museum of Play

We left yesterday afternoon and drove to Rochester.  We stopped for dinner in Batavia.  We swam last night at the hotel - the pool was a little crowded but it wasn't too bad.  One guest had a beer, at the pool, that was odd, but otherwise it was okay!

This morning we got up, had breakfast and left to go to the Children's Museum.  Kate has been so looking forward to it.  At one point in the last few weeks she told me that she was more excited to go to the museum than she was to see her cousins, but then said that was wrong, because people are more important than things!

Kate, Alice, Fiona, they all had SUCH a fun time!  I love the children's museum.  It is a magical place.  I hope that Kate will love it for a few more years so that Fiona can have some memories of it.

After we had lunch and it was time to go, Alice was desperate to go to a park.  Ken took the girls to the outdoor play area on the grounds of the museum.  I took Fiona to the van to nurse her.  While we were waiting for Ken and the girls to return the Thunderbirds flew overhead a few times.  I thought it was really cool to see them today on our way to see the Bates family, because of Matthew's association with them when he was in the air force, and it's just cool to have jets fly by!

And then we were off - on the rest of the way to CONNECTICUT!  The drive down was fairly uneventful.  Aside from Alice having to poop - hello Massachusetts turnpike, that was fun and not scary at all - YIKES!  I am so happy to be in my sister's home!  YAY!