Welcome to the Weiers: Sunny day, Sweepin' the Clouds Away...

We decided to devote this "weekend" to family time, since the previous two were dedicated to house projects and preparing for family to come out. On Thursday, which was our "Sunday," we packed a picnic lunch and our new-to-us hiking backpack that we got off of Craigslist and headed up to Purgatory Chasm in Massachusetts, which is about a thirty minute drive from our house. Even though the name may suggest otherwise, it's a beautiful State Park that is absolutely ideal for young families to explore. The hiking trails are a perfect distance and of easy to moderate difficulty to complete. It also has a wonderful playground, the best I've come across out here that is well maintained and shaded by beautiful forest-like trees. When we got to the park, we decided it would be best to let Jack delve into the playground first and of coarse he loved every minute of it, Buster did too. He was particularly fond of a certain slide. It was the only one he chose to go down the entire time we were there. After about thirty minutes, we settled Jack into the pack and hit the trails. Judging by the fact that Jack fell asleep a little over halfway though, I'm assuming he approved of his new "ride." When he woke up, we came across a couple of picnic tables, off to the side of the trails, and took full advantage. A peanut butter sandwich never tasted so good in my entire life. After lunch, we finished out the trail, took jack to the park once more and then decided to cap off the day at a nearby creamery. Jack had chocolate- vanilla swirl soft-serve and Matt and I indulged in Salted Carmel Pretzel Ice Cream. Y-U-M! I couldn't imagine a better way to spend a beautiful, sunny, 60 degree day. My family rocks!

Today, we went to "Elmo Makes Music," at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Compliment of Matt's parents, who generously got us tickets for Christmas. It was okay. After the first 20 minutes, Jack lost total interest and started to get extremely fidgety. Probably due to the fact that every third song, a woman who was not a Sesame Street Character, came on and sang very slow, boring songs that weren't at all captivating to the average toddler audience. I also thought it was a complete jip, when during intermission, a guy walked out to the front and center of the auditorium with a huge bundle of flashy balloons and was selling them for $8 a pop. Of course all the kids had to have them, including Jack, who is infatuated with the sight of a balloon. At first I wasn't going to buy into the gimmicky, overpriced souvenir, but when I noticed all the other parents were, wanting to avoid a meltdown, I gave in. My purchase was immediately regretted after an announcement came out overhead, stating that all balloons must remain under the seats until after the show. What a joke. Despite that I think it was a really good opportunity for Jack to practice sitting still for a long period of time, as well as, getting to do something special and new with mom and dad. Thanks Patty and Roger!