Memorial Day 2010

It's been a sunny and beautiful Memorial Day here in New York. After some yard work in the morning, Mom and Gwen headed to a church picnic to visit with friends and have some hamburgers. Gwen loved the playground and could have kept busy there all day!

Enjoy some watermelon and have a nice Memorial Day!

Gwen's NEW Little (People) Obsession

Recently, Gwen had taken a break from her previous Fisher Price Little People obsession. The Little People family that had come in the Little People house were only getting a little attention every few days. However, with the addition of the Little People car, the Little People are back on Gwen's radar...all day! After opening the car yesterday, she played with it all afternoon, wanted to take it to bed (it spent the night in view on the changing table), and it was the first thing she reached for when she got up this morning. The car came with a "mommy" in the driver's seat and a "baby" in the back seat. Gwen calls these new Little People "new mommy" and "new baby" to distinguish them from what are now referred to as the "old mommy" and "old baby." However, they're all one big family, and she loves shoving all five Little People in the car (that seats two) to go for a ride down the hallway.

Gwen's Summer Surprise Package

Grammie and Poppa Crosby sent Gwen a Summer Surprise Package! The Dora stickers got her really excited, but there was more...

A foam letters puzzle,

A Little People Car that makes music,

A Dora water color book,

And those really hip silly bandz.
Gwen certainly feels the summer lovin' from Florida!
Thanks Grammie & Poppa!

Gwen the Square Foot Gardener

Hi! With the kind guidance of some friends, Mom decided our family would try a square foot garden this year. I'm excited to get this garden going! Let me tell you how it' s done.

Dad used his tools and put the frame together. Our garden is 4 feet by 4 feet...that makes 16 squares to plant in.

Now grab a shovel because it's time to mix the special garden dirt.

The recipe is 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost (we're using cow manure and some organic compost stuff).

Mix it up really well.

If it gets too dusty while it's being mixed, spray it down.

Wow, the dirt feels nice. This is looking really good!

And I guess Mom stopped taking pictures, so I'll have to explain the rest. There is a ground covering, then the frame on top, then the dirt inside, and then the plants inside the dirt. We planted quite a few of the vegetables we started from seed. They look a little spindly, but with some sun and rain, we're hoping for the best. By the end of the summer we want to eat beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, onions, bell peppers and cucumbers from the garden. Yum! I'll keep you posted on the progress of the garden.

Day at the Museum

Today we went on a family outing to the New York State Museum. Because it was going to be an adventure, Dora had to accompany Gwen!
Gwen enjoyed running around many of the exhibits. Once in awhile she would stop and take a look at something. Some of the "stuffed" animals caught her attention. She wanted to hold the animals and would reach for them while saying, "Ah hold!"

Gwen appreciated the benches located throughout the museum and took a seat on many of them. Sometimes a more extensive rest was required, and she would lay down.

Gwen learned about many interesting things including: fossils, bugs, animals that live or have lived in New York, and the Erie Canal. One of Gwen's favorite parts of the museum was a small table with chairs that had paper and crayons for coloring. Mom and Dad's favorite part of the adventure was when Gwen said she needed to use the potty and was successful in the public restroom!

The adventure ended with a carousel ride. Gwen was all smiles!

As we headed back to the car, we asked Gwen if she liked the museum. She replied with an affirmative, "AGAIN!"

Busy Gwen

Good Morning

Bye Maine!

Grandpa and Grandma made it home safely, so now it's time to go back to New York. As Gwen says so sweetly, "Bye Maine!"

Gwen's Maine Activities

Gwen kept pretty busy while in Maine. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just all of her favorite Maine activities. She liked to get up early each morning so she could immediately start playing with the old school Fisher Price little people. She made sure to have a few on her person (usually in a pocket) where ever she went.

She cheered Uncle Sam on at a few lacrosse games.

A day wasn't complete without a walk to the beach to "throw rocks."

If her hands got dirty, Dad would help her rinse them off.

Gwen always found treasures to take with her. (In this picture she's saying, "Home!" because she wants to bring the rocks in her hands with her.)Gwen was really into her Dora Scavenger Hunt book and would even read it to her doll if no one was willing to read it to her...again!

So much to do and so little time!