Staycation Starter?

Shrike is off work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, so we're thinking of trying to do a bit of a "staycation," but Peeper has swimming lessons each morning, and we've got other things going on Tuesday, so we'll have to see how it pans out.

However, we did get out and about today, even though Shrike had to work.

First we all went to the Elephant Museum for a look-see and, of course, some fudge.

We were out in the gardens when the owner came out of his house, heading over to the store. I pointed him out to Peeper and she headed right over to him. He was nice enough to take a photo with her.

As were these two brave soldiers Civil War reenactors. They were pretty impressed that Peeper was able to identify which side each of them belonged to, and their respective views on slavery.

I was a little startled to see this guy in the outhouse.

Not Peeper, though. She just jumped right on in there to say hi. And then, "Excuse me, Mr. Man. I'm sorry I stepped on your foot."

She told us, "Hop aboard!"

Shrike had to head to work, but Peeper and I went out to a nearby nursery / orchard to pick blueberries and cherries. (MOMS Club is going next week, but we'll miss it because of swimming lessons.)

Blueberries

"Whew! That was quite a sweat!"

Cherries

And, of course, cooling off with cherry ice cream.

Picnic in the Park

On the way home from the Farmer's Market this morning, Peeper said she wanted to go to the park. Shrike agreed to take her, but then she went out in the backyard to play, and I took a nap and so on and so forth, and it didn't happen.

Just as we'd decided to pick something up for dinner, Peeper walked in and said, "I'm ready to go to the park!" so we decided to make a picnic of it.

A little dinner, a little scootering and a little climbing around on the playground until the rain started. Works for me.

Home Again, Home Again

Fueling up for the drive to the airport.

Ready for takeoff.

Just landed.

Pizza with Mommy!

Ice cream (while waiting for AAA to come unlock my car, which was still sitting over at Pizza Hut.)

In the car, and headed home!

Visiting Auntie Kay

After lunch with a friend, some fun at the mall play area, and picking up our rental car for the trip back to the airport tomorrow, Peeper and I spent the rest of the afternoon at Auntie Kay's house, hanging out and having dinner.

I didn't think to take any pictures, but luckily she got a few good ones.

I'm including this one mostly for the comparison with the one-year-old photo behind her, in which she's in almost the same pose.

Stay Classy, Southeast Texas

Spotted in the restroom of the restaurant at the mall where we had lunch today.

Children's Museum

Peeper and I ventured across state lines again to the same children's museum that we visited last time we were in Texas. This time, we met up with my oldest friend, M (Seriously, my first memory of her is from her 6th birthday when we were in kindergarten, almost forty years ago), her partner L, their six-year-old son M and L's nephew other-L. We had lunch next door to the museum, then took the kids over to play for the afternoon.

I was too busy chatting to take many photos, but I did get a few.

After the museum, I suggested that we go for ice cream, at a coffee shop down the road, but it had just closed for the day, so we drove a bit to a frozen-yogurt-plus-toppings place and ate an obscene amount of that.

After hugs and goodbyes all around, I decided I'd better get a coffee before we hit the road, so we went to the shop that I'd see as we pulled into the shopping center, which turned out to be inside a Books-A-Million which, itself turned out to be some sort of a black hole, because I thought we were never going to get out of there.

First we went to the coffee shop and got in line, then Peeper announced that she had to go to the bathroom. Coffee Dude told us that the restrooms were on the complete opposite side of the store, but when we got there, we found the door locked and a sign saying to find an employee to get a key. We ran up to the front of the store and asked for the key, so the clerk called someone else to meet us there and let us in.

Then, back to the coffee shop, after scooting Peeper along through the kids section with promises that we could come back and play after we got our drinks. I ordered a coffee for myself and a strawberry-banana daquiri for Peeper, which she promptly dropped on the floor, spilling about half of it.

After dealing with that, we went back over to the kids' section, where this happened.

I also saw this, and texted a photo to a MOMS Club friend who is very into the whole "mustache thing" and also expecting a baby boy in August, asking, "Surely you own one of these, right?"

After another trip to the potty (including the trek to the front of the store to ask to be let in), we played with some more things, including some awesome "puppet hats" of a unicorn and something else super-cool that I don't remember.

We finished our drinks, and I finally got Peeper headed out the door. We walked back down to the car, got buckled up, I checked my phone and found a reply to my text about the 'stache binky, saying, "No! Where is that?"

To which I replied. "Louisiana. Want it?" Of course, she did.

So, we drove closer to the book store, went in and bought the binky, then back to the car, buckled up, key in ignition and . . . "I need to go to the bathroom."

Baaaack into the store, to the potty, and back out to the car, where we were finally able to get on the road.

Little Magician

While at Grandma's Target, she just had to try on this sparkly hat. And then she asked for "that blue wand" and began to cast spells.

Just Silliness

Yes, that is my shirt she's wearing.

Muddin' at Grandma's

"Hey Grandma! We bought you a new pool for your yard!"

Peeper: Do you want a knee like this?
Me: No!
Peeper: But it doesn't have a mama!

(I actually felt guilty about it for a second there.)

Family Celebration

This evening was the annual Spring and Summer Gift Extravaganza with my family, Now With Extra Special Suprise(ish) Announcements!

There was wine.

There were cards and gifts exchanged for seven birthdays, the Anonyparents' 56th anniversary, Mother's Day and Father's day.

There was cuteness.

And there was the announcement of my niece Frappa and her fella S's engagement!

(That's not the greatest picture of either of them, but somehow no one thought to commemorate the occasion with an official photograph.)

They are thinking about October, but nothing is carved in stone yet. They have asked Peeper, DaNiece and S's great-niece to be flower girls, and DaNephew and his great-nephew to be ring bearers. That should be interesting!

To Texas!

Spotted this in the airport. Hmmm. . . .

And the obligatory, "Here's Peeper on the airplane" photos.