Penguin Park Playdate

On Saturday, I took Mairead for a 'real' haircut and she was so good. The woman cutting her hair was so patient and so quick- she did a great job. Mairead was so proud to be in the big chair. Also, we made sure to watch an episode of Sesame Street that focused on hair and haircuts so that Mairead would be well prepared. She behaved so well and had a really great time. I wanted to keep it long so it wasn't anything too drastic, but it is much neater now!

On Friday of last week, we went to Penguin Park in Andover to meet up with a few other twin moms for a playdate. There were four moms, which meant four sets of twins, plus three siblings, so it was a big group! The park was packed since it was a beautiful day, so we all had our hands full chasing kids. I always think we must be quite the spectacle, especially now that the boys are so mobile. Every time I turn around, Ben is at the top of the slide. Jack has a tendency to walk directly in front of the swings, and Mairead kept trying to escape. She wanted to 'find animals.' I think she remembered going to Davis Farmland the day before and seeing the animals after we went to the playground. I felt bad for her- but I also felt bad that I kept losing kids. Ahh, well, I do the best I can. It is really getting tough for me to take them anywhere by myself since each one seems to find his or her own brand of trouble!

Thanks to Jamie, Bethany, and Kerry for a fun morning!

You know that both of my boys love cars- Ben pretty much claimed this one and stayed in it for a very long time! Too long, I guess, for Jack to wait his turn, so Jack just joined him in there.

The kids are all doing really well. The boys are talking SO much! I tried to count all of their words and I thought of about 50 that Jack says, and about 40-45 for Ben. They are also into ALL kinds of trouble- climbing furniture, running at top speeds, etc. The other day, Ben pulled the answering machine on top of his head while Jack was busy painting Kitty with a paintbrush he found in the kitchen. I know it's cliche, but man, they really are double trouble.

Mairead is doing well but I think she is getting a little 'antsy' as she has not had this much unstructured time in a while. We have been finished with EI for a month now, and still have a week before preschool begins. I think she will love her new school-- I hope so, anyway! We are still waiting to hear from the public schools about where she will go and what her situation will be. Tomorrow, she has a re-evaluation at the place where she had hippotherapy, so we are hoping that we can work everything into a good schedule and routine for her.

Dave is going back to work on Thursday... God help me...

Davis Farmland

We have been wanting to go to Davis Farmland all summer, but our hectic schedule and some incredibly hot weather caused us to hold off until the other day. We took Mairead last year, but this was a first for the boys, and our first really big adventure with all three. They LOVED it. There were animals, a playground, a splash pad, dirt, sand, and things to climb on. The kids behaved so well and we all had a lot of fun.

It is a little pricey for families, but it is a fantastic set-up and kids of all ages were having a great time. Definitely a place you could spend a whole day and have a great time. We highly recommend it.

When we first arrived, the kids saw the toddler play area, and they were thrilled with just that. I kept trying to get Mairead to change directions and go see the animals, but she just wanted to play.

At one point, she spotted some goats and then kept yelling, "Animals! Animals!" Like, Hey, Mom, why didn't you tell me there were animals here?

The place is so kid-friendly and they encourage you to go into the pens and touch or pick up the animals, especially the baby goats who are incredibly cute. This is Mairead with the mom goat.

Ben was trying to snuggle up to this little guy. The kids were not afraid of the animals at all!

The turtle was one of Mairead's favorites. She even got to pet a snake and a lizard.

We did head over to the playground part for a while so the kids could climb and run around with some other kids. The boys are getting so brave and adventurous on playground equipment. TOO brave and adventurous!

Both boys are getting really good at walking up stairs, and Jack even taught himself to climb down a few steps all by himself. Our PT, Ashley, would be so proud!


Finally, we ended up at the splash pad. You really could spend the entire day there with kids. We chose to stay on the toddler part, though, even though the big kid section had some pretty cool structures. We are not ready for that craziness just yet!

Ben is in light blue, Jack in dark.

The kids had a blast playing in the water- I was actually impressed with how much the boys let the water spray them right in the face! Mairead has always been a waterbug, so I was not at all surprised with her.

Unfortunately, summer is coming to a close and so are many of our family adventures. We are getting ready for all new adventures, though, with Mairead going to pre-school and speech, and starting hippotherapy again. I hope to get the boys out to more events and take our first trip to the library, or attend some play groups. We are really going to miss Daddy when he goes back to work next week. I think I will miss him most of all since I will have three daring and active kids to chase after!