Big weekend

One of the problems of working every other weekend, is that I end up trying to cram so much stuff into my weekends off. This weekend was JAM PACKED. As I mentioned before, we had a full house for dinner on Friday. My parents, Julia, Nick and Molly, plus my mom's friends Lainey, Dave and Claudia. We made it simple with hamburgers and hotdogs, pasta salad and more shredded beet salad. Good food and good company.

Saturday was something I've been looking forward to so much. We took Gabriella to the Philadelphia Zoo for the first time. There was a puppet workshop going on in the Treehouse, so we headed there first.

Bella got to make a paper snake puppet, which was really the only part of the puppet talk she was interested in. Not a big deal, we just played in the treehouse while Peter's parents and sister listened to the discussion. I did get to see Elmo naked though.

While those who are capable of sitting still were listening we:

Sat in a flower

Went down a slide

Sat on a caterpillar

Found daddy hiding in a frog

After the discussion, we got our puppet book signed by the author (I love getting books signed!) then it was off to see the animals!

We saw real hippos

And sat on a fake one

We got excited to see goats, and then petrified when they got close

Wandered the bird house

And saw a momma and baby giraffe

She wasn't overly interested in the zebra

But for some reason knew what a rhinoceros was

There was a polar bear playing with a stick

And a golden lion tamarind

More sitting on fake animals

Peacock just chilling out

It was a very long day, but little miss was a trouper until the ride back to Collingswood.

Then she gave in to her exhaustion

Sunday was of course Father's day, which since it's summer means party at Aunt Claire's house!

Gabriella liked the pool well enough last year, and absolutely LOVES her baby pool, so this was a big treat. She's going to be trouble because she did not want to get out, even once her poor little lips and arms were turning blue. Hopefully the water will be a little warmer when we head in for the Fourth. I got in, and it did feel good, but it would be even better if it were warmer, that's all.

Monday we mostly laid low, although we did get the new mailbox installed and the mountain of cardboard removed from the basement and bound for the recycling men. We went to dinner at my parent's house, since we had to return a yard tools that Julia and Nick had borrowed.

Bella goes to see the neighbor horses with her Pop pop