Photo-less

I've been forgetting lately to pull the camera out, and I'm kicking myself for it.  We had so many firsts and good times this weekend, and I took not-a-one photo.  There's something to be said for living in the here and now and not playing mom-a-razzi- I can truly say I was 100% present for every aspect of our weekend, not just seeing it from behind a camera.  But, I'm sad that I only have the memories in my head to remember the first ice cream tastings, first time in the wagon, first time playing in the sand table, our river park trip, and waving to the ducks and boats while there.  I know those memories will fade, and so I am going to try to work harder to remember to bring the camera and that juggling it along with two toddlers will be worth it.  Maybe including that here will hold me more accountable! 

We are very lucky to live within walking distance of two ice cream shops.  Long walks to get ice cream has been one of our summertime traditions for years.  This weekend we decided that it was time to include Sam and Anna in our ice cream tradition.  We loaded them in our new Cadillac of wagons (I really wanted one with a canopy.  It also has padded seat covers and a storage bag in the back.) and headed off.  Anna did not like facing backwards, but it was still an improvement over the stroller discontentment we've had from her lately.  Recently, it seems like every time we try to take a walk, she will scream and will only be happy if I load her up in a carrier, like our Ergo, instead.  Sam thought riding in the wagon was great, including how easily he was able to shimmy out of the leg straps.

I informed my husband that chocolate ice cream wouldn't be the best choice, and stayed outside with our dog and our twins while he went inside the crowded shop to buy it.  He came back out with ice cream for him and me in cones, and chocolate ice cream for Sam and Anna in a cup, with one spoon, and only two measly napkins around the outside of the cones.  Needless to say, he's not the planner in the family.  We wouldn't have been able to take pictures anyway, with juggling our ice cream, their ice cream, the two of them, AND our dog who wanted what she thought was her fair share of ice cream, too.  I sent him back in for more napkins, we only spilled minimal ice cream considering the situation, and I was able to get all the chocolate ice cream stains out of the brand new outfits Sam and Anna were wearing for the first time that day- including the chocolate ice cream puddle she sat in, when my husband set her down on the picnic table bench.  It was certainly memorable- and I bet very entertaining for passersby to watch us!

Both Sam and Anna liked the ice cream, but Sam really loved it.  He'd start bouncing up and down saying "Ooo Ooo Ooo!" if I was too slow with the spoon.  I'd give him licks of my cone to tide him over if my husband was using the spoon (remember, we only had one spoon) and he figured out pretty quickly how to slurp in the drippy mess.  He tried to grab the ice cream with his hands, unless I held them down.  I think we'll consider that our trial run ice cream event, and next time, I'll know to say more explicitly NO CHOCOLATE, wait to get ice cream for us until Sam and Anna are done, and get as many napkins as you can carry.  Maybe next time, we'll take some pictures, too.

I filled our new sand/water table up with water this weekend too, and Sam and Anna enjoyed playing in that as well.  We got it last weekend off of craigslist for a mere $10- I was so thrilled at my find, especially because I had been looking for one for a while.  Our water table has a cover and a sun umbrella, so I think I got a great deal!  Both of them tried to drink the water more than they played, but hopefully as they get older, they will grow out of that a little.  We have the same issue during bath time now, too. They were soaked from all the hearty splashing by the time we went inside.

Then today, we headed out to the river park for a change of scenery.  Sam and Anna really enjoyed walking around the bike path.  I tried to imprint their unsteady early walker gait in my head, because I know it won't be long until they are running instead of toddling around.  We found a family of ducks that really interested Sam and Anna.  They kept following the ducks around until the ducks got fed up and flew into the water.  I think Sam and Anna would have followed them into the river, if we would have let them!  Sam loved waving to all the boats and people going past on the trail.  I also took them down the slide with me on the playground, since they were all big-kid slides.  They had fun going  around the twisty parts and in the tunnel sections, though!

We may not have any photos to document our weekend, but this post can help me remember how cute Sam looked bouncing in excitement over ice cream, or how adorable Anna looked gripping onto her Daddy's finger to get protection from the ducks she was so curious about.  But next time, I'll remember to bring our camera!