Hidden Pond and a Hidden Turtle

On Tuesday, I took the girls to Hidden Pond. I went there lots as a kid, and Kent and I use to take Leroy there to run around, too. There is a really nice nature center, but it turns out, they are closed on Tuesdays. Boo. That was a disappointment. But, as we were walking around the pond, we spied these head shaped things popping up out of the water and went to investigate. We saw huge turtles! I would guess their shells were 18-24 inches long, although it's hard to tell in the video. Madeline spent an hour luring them over and uncovering them. She keeps talking about them and telling everyone about them. They really made an impression on her, and I think we'll go back tomorrow when the nature center is open.

Around the House . . .

I made a new craigslist purchase! It's kind of addicting. It's so easy to find something I like at a great price, I just can't help myself. We needed something to set a lamp on in our front room, and this table was pretty perfect. Great fit for the space, pretty and not too heavy looking. Most of our furniture is dark wood, so I like how this has a glass top and a lighter feeling. It was forty dollars and a three minute drive away. Here are a couple more pics of the new piece in our new place:

Also around the house . . . Madeline finished the third book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. She stays up pretty late reading, and I love peeking in her room to see her light aglow and her nose in her book. I think I mentioned before how having an extra bedroom has improved bedtime . . . Where I used to hear talking, playing, bouncing, and nagging between the two girls, I now hear nothing. This is what's going on at bedtime now:

Most of last weekend was rainy. We stayed indoors for the most part and caught some sunshine through the windows. Leah loves to sit on our bed and watch the goings on down below through our bedroom window.

The girls love dressing her in tutus . . .

And . . . Eddy and Rae came to spend Monday with us. The four girls had a lot of fun. Madeline is a huge help with the little ones; she adores babies and toddlers. It was a nice opportunity for me to get to know my nieces better. They are super sweet girls.

Another Friday, Already?

So, we couldn't keep up with the Friday pizza-making-tradition we re-started last Friday because we were too busy visiting DC. We were able to walk this trail in our neighborhood right to the metro station. Kent does this on foot or by bike every weekday, but it was the first time the girls and I had tried it out. It's about a ten minute walk, but with these dawdlers and a creak nearby, it took us 20.

Riding the rails. The price to go from our stop to the zoo with maybe 12 stops in between was three dollars, a bargain! Then to go from the zoo to Kent's work, which is only one stop up, was 2.40 and not such a bargain. That just doesn't add up! But anyway, we rode the metro to the zoo on our way to visit Kent at work and that was quite cool.

After our zoo stop, we went to see where Kent spends most of his time, at work. The studios were cool with great views, but the girls were mostly impressed with the snacks and candy each room was stocked with for the clients. Go figure, they are 4 and 7 after all. Then we commuted home with Daddy making his daily ride more enjoyable. Happy Friday everyone!

A Sneak Peak

Here is a peak at the girls' bedrooms. I'd still like to purchase Sophie a dresser and Madeline a bookshelf, but the lamps arrived providing enough light for me to take photographs (my cameral flash has been broken for at least a year), so here are some pictures of the bedrooms in progress. Sophie has requested new bedding in pink tones, but she's quite happy with this for the moment:

Sophie was very specific about the placement of her birdhouse and butterflies, just FYI. I may have selected somewhere different, but her choices seem to work out o.k. It's just a rental (aka: temporary) after all. ;)

Madeline's room isn't that different than her old one, except that she doesn't have to share it, and she has a new lamp. We both really like her new lamp. Yay for Target! The curtains came with the house, and I really like how they cast pink and green hues on our rental-white walls.

This is our neighbor. He is really nice and six years old. The girls have spent many hours at his home, and he has spent many hours at ours.

I found these shelves in our storage room; they use to be used in our shed. I don't love the look of the playroom, but the shelving/storage is a big functional improvement.

A Little of This and a Little of That

We've been busy getting to know our new hood. We got new library cards; Madeline and Sophie both have their own! Madeline loves the self check-out, and we have already been twice! Yesterday, Madeline attended a reptile show at the library, and since they were really strict about the 6-12 year age range, Sophie and I read for 45 minutes, 45 fairly long minutes. :) Sophie would be happy if I read the same book over and over again for 45 minutes, but I limited her to two readings per book.

Earlier in the week, we met up with Aunt Jen and kids at this spray ground. We had heard of these types of playgrounds, but we had never experienced one before. Since it is a county park, it is free! Free! I love free and fun kid activities. It was a bit short on shade for onlookers like myself, but other than that, it is a great place for the kids to cool off.

Our rental home is slowly becoming more cozy and home-like. I found this great file cabinet on craigslist. Kent and I LOOOOOVE craigslist, and we have had much success finding high quality good condition furniture pieces at great prices. I had been searching the listings for two weeks when I found this cabinet. (The filing cabinet at our old house was built in, so it was sold with the house.) We made a few furniture changes on our main level and put the new cabinet near the kitchen. If you're wondering why we would block the sliding glass door with furniture, it's because the door is basically a big window. Since the owners did not add a deck, there is just a safety rail on the outside. It's a bit hard to see the details of it in this picture, but I really love this new piece!

Just a picture of a fruit salad I made with the blackberries and peaches we picked, plus some leftover fruit from Saturday's family potluck. I have been making the kids brunch lately since they sleep until around 10 most days. I tucked them in at 9 last night, and still, twelve hours later, the upstairs is quiet. School days are going to be rough in a couple of weeks. :)