Zoo, Big Rigs, and Trips to Market...But Not All in One Day (Whew!)

It's really happening. THAT moment. Right now. That precious, precious moment when both kids are napping, neither one on my lap thereby rendering me glued to the easy chair for the duration of the afternoon (although that is a handy excuse to get caught up on all my recorded TV shows...). After the initial minute of walking frantically in circles around the house (ahh! free moment! what to do? throw in a load of laundry? go pee? nap? organize the items crammed in their baby books?), followed by the minute of disbelief (they're really asleep?? is the sound of my scoop of coffee ice cream landing in my bowl too loud?? are they still asleep??), I've now done the prep work for tonight's dinner (chicken and portobello mushroom quesadillas, hopefully on the grill if these scattered showers scatter elsewhere), so next up I'll catch up on some blogging:

Lately we've had some of those rare, perfect, late spring days where it is sunny and starting to heat up, but has not yet turned into the feels-like-you-are-a-sweat-loaded-sponge-the-second-you-leave-air-conditioning-due-to-crazy-Wisconsin-humidity days. Hmm...spell checker hates what I did with all those hyphens just now. We'll press on.

Smooshing a lot of outdoor fun into one post, here's the summary of some recent adventures on these beautiful days.

Zoo Visit with Mimi

We called up Mimi on a random morning and asked her if she wanted to drive over to go to the zoo with us...and she said yes! Lucky us!

Eli showed Mimi all his favorite animals

Evelyn decided the best way to explore the zoo was in Mommy's arms

Evelyn relaxed on the picnic blanket with Mommy...

...while Mimi and Eli sought out adventure on the playground

Big Rig Gig

Oh my. Could there be anything more exciting to a toddler than having the opportunity to climb into all the city's cool trucks (fire truck, snow plow, dump truck, etc) and honk the horn, play with the power seats, and push buttons!? Running into Eli's friend Ben at the event sweetened the deal even more.

Ready to roll

Those are some big wheels

Helping the firemen make sure that all their equipment is loaded properly

Finding sticks in the park was almost as exciting as climbing in the big trucks

Farmers' Market

One of this mama's favorite weekend activities is the trip to the farmers' market to reload on delicious seasonal fresh foods, and of course enjoy scones and coffee during the walk around the square. It warms my heart to share this activity (and hopefully this enthusiasm for good food) with my kiddos.

Eli and Daddy take a break

Eli: "I have something to show ya"

Hmm. Kids are still sleeping. Is it weird that I spend a good portion of the day hoping and praying that they'll take good naps, in their own room, and then I miss them when they're doing so? A tiny part of me wants them to wake up and come play with me (but a larger, heavier part of me sits on that tiny part and tells her to cease with the crazy talk, go get some more coffee ice cream and enjoy the break!).