'Tis the Season

It's hot in Philly now.  So...we are doing what all smart city-dwellers do - go to the splash parks!

Out and About!

As usual, there's always something going on during the weekends in Philly.  We pick and choose to make sure we aren't running around too much, however the past few weekends have had us busy in the very best way.  Here's what we've been up to in March.

Mary Poppins Musical with my big girls - what fun!!

Screen printing at Crane Art Studio - free art afternoon for kids.  It was fabulous!

 Hammers, Strings and Winds Concert for Kids through the Astral Artists series.  Here we are looking at how a piano key works - pretty complex!

On the beautiful grounds of Woodmere Art Museum - just before the amazing circus show!

Maple Sugaring Festival at the Wissahickon Environmental Center.  Super chilly and very tasty!  We licked sweet maple sap, tried maple sugar candy and maple syrup made from the trees around us.

February weekend

A lovely warm weekend in February means getting outside!  We went for a neighborhood walk / bike ride.  Mama with Eliza Wren in the stroller and Cassie Lou on the front pack, and Daddy with Meredith on the bike. 

Meredith loves the new set-up with Daddy!

At the end of a restful Sunday, I took the girls over to Vernon park in Germantown for some more outside time.

Sunshine and Fresh Air!

Today was gorgeous, so I planned most of the girl's happy/wakeful time to be outside.  We frolicked all over north-western Philadelphia soaking in the sunshine, fresh air and beauty of early spring.

 girls in the nest at the arboretum

chillin' at cisco park with best pals, Leah and Matilda

(love this photo of them giving each other adoring looks!)

Quotes from Meredith today:

Driving into the Morris Arboretum, we stop at the entrance to show our garden membership to the man sitting in the office (a small, enclosed building).
Meredith: "Why does that man live in such a small house?"
Me:  "Oh, he doesn't live there, that's just where he works."
Meredith: "Why can't he live there, and have a bed, bathroom, and kitchen fit inside?"
.... Perhaps we've had a little too much dollhouse play this week  :)

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Meredith runs in breathless with Daddy skipping close behind.
"Mama, we are playing dance class!"
"Oh...are you the teacher?"
"Actually....I AM!"  :)

Zoo

We spent a fun morning at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown yesterday. 

Since we had a beautiful weekend of temps in the 50s (yay!) we jumped at the chance for some outside time (with the added bonus of getting a year-long family pass for 1/2 price on groupon!).   

Our family favorite was watching the otters - one of them was so active!  

Meredith was giggling watching this guy pop around his home :)

 his friend snoozed in the sun the whole time...

Fun family day!

Sunday Walk

This past Sunday we had a brief respite from all the snow, ice and cold temperatures here...so we jumped at the chance to get outside as a family.  

The cloudy day provided great lighting for some fun photos :)

Snow!

Our first snow of the season!  We've had two beautiful snow days this week!  It started snowing on Sunday, just after we arrived home from church before lunch.  And, it kept pouring down snow until late in the afternoon - so beautiful!  

learning the snow angel technique

 Meredith and Daddy went outside to make snow angels and then joined some friends for sledding.  

A few friends came back home with them to warm up and have hot chocolate and popcorn. :)

Then, early Tuesday morning we got a beautiful wintry storm and it snowed for nearly 8 hours!  We braved the cold temps and pouring snow to play with neighborhood friends again.  I learned that having a 1 year old who crawls and can't keep on gloves/boots is a tough combination with snow. : p

just love these kiddos and their sweet friendship!

Laying-low

Meredith has been under-the-weather this week...so, we've had lots of home and snuggle time.  Usually we are out and about with friends at various parks and play dates, but this week we were pretty low-key - hoping to keep our germs to ourselves!

Meredith set up this tea-birthday party - 

inspired by the party hats (a new use for part of Mama's sewing project)

Not much new with this kiddo - still chewing on EVERYTHING!

Blasting of LPs

Painting and exploring drips - so fun!

And, lots of play time at our community garden and their lovely sand pile :)