busy weekend

Well we had a busy weekend. Mommy and Daddy cleaned out the basement so that this weekend we can move all the stuff from the computer/craft/junk room to the basement so that we can paint that room for Kaylee so we can move Kaylee into that room so that when baby #2 gets here she has a nursery and by that time hopefully Kaylee will have forgotten that it was ever hers...phew! Did ya get all that?
Anyway, Sunday was beautiful despite an iffy forecast. So Kaylee went outside to play with our neighbor, but soon she began to see something else was going on...
"Hey what's that...?" Kaylee thought. And she ventured to take a closer look.

"Hey, that looks pretty cool..."
"Is that? Is that? Is that?" Her excitement seemed to mount.
"Is that for me?!?!?!?!?! Really, really, really, my very own!?!?!?!!"
Why its Kaylee's new swing set! Courtesy of G-Pa Ron's design and construction work, the neighbor's tower that they don't use any more, and a whole bunch of people that came over to help move the tower and assemble the thing!
Wow, Kaylee sure is thankful so many people seem to like her!

The slide isn't technically attached yet, we're going to get some new bolts for it, but she had fun with it anyway. "Um, is this how this thing is supposed to work?"
On Monday, the MOMS Club got a tour of the fire station. The kids got to climb in and around and through one of the ladder trucks. They even got to 'drive.'
At first, Kaylee didn't seem to be all that impressed with the sheer size of the vehicle she was driving.
But apparently, the splendor of the situation eventually dawned on her.
Soon, enough, it was sheer bliss.

And when we got home from our fire station tour it was time to test out our very own, very new, very cool swing set. As you can see, the princess approves.
"Higher Mommy," she ordered.
"Thanks G-Pa," Kaylee managed to remember her manners eventually. "And thanks to everyone else who gave up a few hours on Sunday to put up my swingset!"
Oh yeah, 1 last pic...here's Kaylee's 'new' playhouse that we bought at a yard sale for a fraction of what it would have cost new. We used G-Pa's power sprayer to clean it all out and it really is as good as new (at least until the first thunder storm, ha!)
That's all folks.

Mother Goose on the Loose, etc

Alright, as some of you know, every Thursday morning, we go to the library for toddler story time, known as "Mother Goose on the Loose." Today was the last class before summer break (whatever shall we do on Thursdays until September?) so I figured I better take some pictures.
Parking at the library is limited so I tend to arrive early, and Kaylee and I spend our time in the toddler room looking at books and puzzles and playing with toys.
Today, Kaylee was particularly intrigued by Mr. Potato Heads.
Then when its finally time, we head into the room where Kaylee is usually the first to spot Matilda Bear...
...and give her the customary *tackle-greeting.*
Then, depending on the week, Kaylee will either be the Belle of the Ball like today, where she certainly didn't mind being the center of attention. Although, there have also been weeks where she spends most of the time in my lap.

Then we sing songs and dance in circles, Kaylee participates (or not) as she pleases.
Then its time to make our own music with rhythm sticks or scarves or drums...or in this case, bells!
Kaylee played along.
Then it was time to put the bells away and Kaylee obliged, although we can't seem to get her to participate in the 'clean up' process at home...
Yesterday, our friend Sophie came over to play after nap.

They had a nice time running around the yard, playing on the lounger swing, drawing with sidewalk chalk, chasing puppies, and in Kaylee's new crazy coupe cars.
Oh...yeah, Kaylee's new crazy coup cars. We picked up 2 at a yard sale last weekend...we figured we could use a few outdoor toys. Kaylee loves her cars. We picked up 2 because they were cheap and to avoid as many "mine" fiascoes as possible.
Besides as long as she's small enough to fit in one of these...we don't have to daydream about the day when she's driving a real car!
Daddy took a few pictures of Kaylee dissecting a PB&J the other day...we say dissecting, because she doesn't really eat it so much as play with it...
poke it, you know.

On Mother's Day, a local restaurant offered moms a free buffet breakfast...so we went with our friends and only had to pay for the Daddies to eat.
"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me," Kaylee told Emily.
"mmmmmm, strawberries," Kaylee grinned.
And the last pic to round out our post is of Kaylee and Bailey, who we visited later that day. We went for a wagon ride around Bailey's yard and the girls had lots of fun on the swing set and picking dandelions.
Phew, you know at the time it seemed like a slow week...but in hindsight, I guess it wasn't.

to NYC and back again

Alright last Wednesday we buckled Kaylee into car seat, stuffed the car to its capacity (I don't know what we're going to do when baby #2 gets here) and headed off to NYC. While there, we stayed at Daddy's Uncles' apartment, a beautiful 2 bedroom near Washington Square.
On Thursday morning...Auntie Diana met us at the apartment and we packed up again and head to New Jersey to visit Great-Grandma Mitzi. Kaylee had a nice visit, and enjoyed exploring the hallways and rooms on Great-Grandma's floor. Unfortunately for Mommy, she didn't think of taking pictures until after Kaylee began to hit critical mass...so these are my only 2 shots, but at least I have photographic evidence of the visit in some way.
Then it was back to the city where the uncles played babysitter while Mommy and Daddy got to see their first Broadway show in at least 2 years (but I think more like 3.) Monkey see-Monkey do, you'd hope that Kaylee was imitating Uncle Chuck here...but no, it was the other way around. Kaylee wanted to introduce the uncles to the joys of Sesame Street...and once the electronic babysitter is on...there's no getting her attention away from it.
So Chuck had to settle for some Loofy loving while Kaylee vegged out. Uncle Buddy tried to wrestle Kaylee's attention away from Elmo too, but to no avail...After Sesame Street, it was time to torture the uncles' dog Lola by chasing her into their room. Uncle Buddy got in on the action, and Kaylee let him.
On Friday we told Kaylee that Uncles Chuck and Buddy and Lola were heading off to the country so she'd have to say goodbye. What do you think she thought of that?
Still she agreed to a quick photo shoot before they left...but wouldn't let Mommy touch her hair.
Oh well, at least she was happy.
Saturday we went to the Central Park Zoo...and saw some penguins.
That's Kaylee staring at the penguins, I realize its dark, but its the best I got.
Friends Jess and John went to the zoo with us...as you can see, Kaylee still has a soft spot for John.
Mommy-to-be, Jess, didn't get quite as much attention as her hubby, but still a good time seems to have been had by all.
'What is Kaylee looking at,' you might be pondering...

Why its a sea lion. Kaylee was enthralled as they did all their tricks.

At the polar bear exhibit...Kaylee went right up to the glass...

"Bear." she proclaimed.

"Yes, Kaylee, that is a bear," we told her.

"Color?" she asked. (Although it sounded more like cullur...but you get to know your kid's speech. However, we think our child is brilliant, every bear she'd seen so far in books and such had been brown, so she was confused why this one wasn't--at least that's what Daddy and I think she meant by the question.)

"That's a white bear, Kaylee, a polar bear," Daddy explained.

And Kaylee seemed to accept that explanation just fine. Here's a pic of the other polar bear, practicing his bear rug pose.
Later that day...after nap. We told Kaylee that someone was coming to visit her. She seemed excited. "Who is it?" she asked.

We told her she had to guess. After a few minutes, which probably felt like hours, Kaylee cried, "Alright, alright, I give up...who is coming to visit?"

Then Auntie Diana and Charlie showed up and entertained her for a little while.

Then on Sunday, it was time to head home. So we headed back to NH, via CT to visit Great-Grandpa, Ba. "Oh my goodness, so many people want to see me," Kaylee exclaimed, exasperated at all her visits.
But Ba won her over, by letting her play the keyboard.
She had lots of fun (and pizza) at Ba's house.
"Alright, munchkin," we told her, "last leg of the trip, its time to really go home."
For some reason, I am not sure she believed us.
But home we went...it was an exhausting trip, but we had a really nice time seeing everyone. We want to thank Uncles Chuck and Buddy one more time for their generosity and hospitality (and just plain putting up with the amount of stuff we bring these days.) We know they'll read this eventually:) And now, I am caught up with all my pictures. Phew!