Not sure why we waited so late in the season to get a wading pool for the backyard. Thought about it in the Spring, but never did anything about it. Until Katie tried to climb up into the water table last night. Target’s website has a cool feature that lets you look at a product and then look up which local stores have it in stock. Figured out which of our 4 (yes, 4!) local Targets had the widest choice in 
kiddie pools, and then went there and let Katie pick. Our dinosaur pool has a slide, a waterfall, and came with two inflatable dinosaurs. It took awhile to inflate, but then Katie played while Nick took his afternoon nap, and then they both played in it after dinner. Hope they sleep as well as they do when we go to the real pool.
Not sure what he thought he needed the fork for. (The hot dog was sliced lengthwise—not a choking hazard that way)
Today, while out running errands, we spotted a carnival! It was 95 degrees out, so we decided to wait and return after dinner. Katie couldn’t wait to go on the big slide. It was the first ride she wanted. Daddy took Nick on his lap, and then went again next to Katie. Nick seemed to enjoy the ride. Katie, not so much. Although she says she wasn’t scared. It was fun to take Nick on the rides with us this summer. He did have to pass on the ferris wheel for now. This one didn’t have seat belts, and while he did sit good on the other rides, Mommy and Daddy just weren’t comfortable taking him up so high without a seatbelt holding him in. He did, however, get his first taste of lemonade. Whether it was the lemonade itself, or drinking from a straw like a big boy, he loved it.
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Nick reached for a crown today, so we grabbed one. He had a ball putting it on, taking it off, looking through it, getting a bite of food through it. Provided almost as much entertainment as going down the slide with Daddy.
Ever since she started school and joined the school-age kids at daycare, Katie has been playing “class” with her stuffed animals at home. They had been getting ready for a “graduation”, coloring a banner (each animal has a name and had their own square to color) and practicing songs. The banner was finally ready and hung in the kitchen for a couple of days before it fell down. Then the stuffed animals (Katie) sang a song and ate pretend snacks. (The song, by the way, is Katie’s own variation of a song Grammum taught her about some ducks)
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I honestly thought of dubbing the Spiderman theme over this video.
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We purchased a slightly used outside toy from a neighbor who had outgrown it. It’s been in the yard for a week, but today it finally stopped raining long enough to try it out. Once we showed Nick where to climb up, he enjoyed playing on his own yard toy.
Nick was so excited to use a fork, we even snuck in a few bites of food he normally wouldn’t eat before he caught us.
Katie had a choice today. We could go see the bug sculptures at Powell Gardens, or go to the Children’s Farmstead. Katie chose the bugs! When we got to Powell Gardens, she was so excited to see the bugs. We picked up a map, checked to see where the sculptures were (scattered throughout the grounds), and headed out on the path. Nick chose to ride in the stroller at first, even though he’d spent an hour and a half in the car and another hour in a highchair for lunch (the food at their cafe is good, but not necessarily speedy). A short way down the path, we spotted the first bug—an assassin bug. After stopping for photos, Katie was willing to pass the children’s play area by in favor of looking for more bugs (who is this child, anyway?). We saw dragonflies, damselflies, ants, spiders, a praying mantis, a bee on a beehive, and a ladybug. Sometimes real, sometimes the sculptures on special exhibit this summer, sometimes permanent exhibits. We saw some pretty flowers along the way, too, but Katie was always watching for the next bug. And when Nick decided to walk for awhile, he just followed wherever big sister went. We even explored the new Heartland Harvest Garden, which is all gardens that grow things to eat. Right up Katie’s alley with her own garden at home. She did climb (well, ride the elevator) up the silo with Daddy, pump water from a real working pump, and sit on a statue of a Missouri Mule, but then it was back to the bugs. After all that, we did go back to the play area, where kids can climb through tunnels on a giant “ant hill”. Once Katie and Nick were both thoroughly dirty, they passed out together in the car.
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