Aquarium and BBQ

Today we went back to one of our favorite places in Norwalk: The Maritime Aquarium.  On our third visit we decided to go ahead and get a family membership and we don't seem to be tired of visiting.

Here Emma watched the sea turtles.

Until Todd got out the camera and she was happy to smile for him. 

Hannah and Emma outside the aquarium.

After the Aquarium we went to the Ash Creek Saloon.  We've been driving by it since we got here and it boasts the best BBQ in Fairfield county, but we'd never actually been there.  Turns out it is pretty good.

Emma got to have the bone from one of Todd's ribs and it was a winner!  It kept her busy for the better part of the meal.

Watch her enjoy her rib bone in living color:

Spring in Norwalk

All the landscaping is what came with the house except for bulbs we planted around the mailbox, along the walkway, and around the two Japanese maples. 

When we first saw this house it was already the end of spring.  By the time we moved in and had time to look around it was well into summer so we missed all the exciting spring growth.  When the bulbs went on sale for fall planting someone very smart (my mom) suggested that before we go too crazy with the planting we should wait through one spring to see what was already here.  And it turns out she was right.  The big picture doesn't really do it justice because it is overcast today, but I though it would provide come context for all the close-ups.

Here we have a mix of new and existing plantings.  The tulips at the front and the back are new, as is the narcissus.  In the middle we discovered snowdrops and something right next to them that has yet to be identified.

So far just one hyacinth is coming up in the middle of some tulips.

In front of the reading/sewing/knitting nook the bushes are coming to life with lovely bright green leaves.  I was a little worried that it would not recover because I snipped off nearly three feet of wild branches.

Most of our planting efforts went here where we have crocuses, hyacinths, and narcissus peeking up through the dirt.

These came up first since they get the most direct light and got the lightest covering of leaves after we planted them.  They are supposed to be tall striking purple puffballs (I don't remember the name).

We trimmed the lilac bushes too and they are bursting with little green buds and leaves now. 

By the time we got here the forsythia had turned green so we spent lots of time trying to figure out if it really was forsythia and now we have our answer. 

The purple flowers on the shrubs under the windows were a pleasant surprise.

And this seems to be a shrub with white flowers. 

More forsythia. 

Another pleasant surprise when we moved in was this hydrangea which has lovely purple-y blue flowers.  

And some of the local birds and insects are stirring too (I took this picture just for Todd). 

Even the ground cover has flowers. 

Best of all, our sour cherry tree (a.k.a. meteor cherry tree) that we planted for Emmeline at the end of the summer is showing signs of life.  

Moving Day

The Baby in a Box was just the beginning of a long day helping Sofia and David with moving.  We had some fun times while we were doing all the relocating and conveniently we were moving some chairs.

Hannah and Emmeline were extremely color-coordinated.

We managed to get everything upstairs in just two elevator trips, but it was a tight squeeze.  

And of course it was exhausting work so a nap was in order. 

Followed by tasty food and drink - no we didn't let Emma polish off that whole stein by herself. 

Baby in a Box

Unlike Garfield with Nermal we did not mail her to Abu Dhabi and she certainly had a great time!

Emma Loves Bubbles

More fun videos. Yay for YouTube.

Update: More Xylophone

Click on the YouTube button to see it bigger.

Xylophone

Today I came home to find that Emma had a fun new toy.  She has a xylophone on loan from Uncle David!  And wow is it a winner:

Bath at Grandma Ann's House

Yesterday Emma had a wonderful time with Grandma Ann.  She even got to take a bath in the sink!  Mama!  Look I have a spoon and a measuring cup!

Bubbles in Harlem

The Adventures of Sofia and Emma: The New York Botanical Garden

Spring had sprung in New York. It was one of the first warm and sunny days in March so Emma and I decided to make the most of it by visiting the New York Botanical Garden.

We dressed appropriately—Emma donned her eggplant hat and I put on my sunglasses. We had an easy trip to the Bronx on the Metro North and arrived ready for our horticulture adventure.


The orchid show was in full bloom so Emma and I made our way over to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to see some stunning flowers.



The conservatory was full of bright colors and strange shapes, Emma wanted to touch them all.


This fern was larger than Emma (and furrier).


In addition to the exquisite flowers there was great information about the orchids and their environments. Did you know that there are over 30,000 different species of orchids?




This is the last picture of Emma before she decided she'd had enough flowers and fell asleep, just in time for the ride home.

Emma Playing Piano

We finally got our piano tuned after ten years of disuse. Surprisingly it was in really good shape. Emma is very pleased with the results.

Emma and Lady Girl

Emma was so excited she fell over backward right after we took this picture. 

This weekend we had a really fun visit from Enid, Isaiah, and Lady Girl. We some how were having too much of a good time chatting and eating to take many pictures, but we did document the fun time Emma had with Lady Girl. Emma loves animals and it is unclear whether she realized that Lady Girl was a dog like Buddy and Dakota, or if she thought she was a cat since she is the same size as Griffin and Oliver. Either way she was thrilled.

They were intensely curious about each other and Emma was unfazed as Lady Girl launched herself towards her.

At one point Emma was very vocal, no doubt trying to tell us all about her new friend.

Lady Girl let Emma gently touch her ears.  We don't have a shot of when Emma reached out and put her hand around Lady Girl's muzzle with her fingers in her mouth and the two of them were completely calm about it.

More happy baby and dog.

We may or may not have been fast enough to catch Lady Girl as she tried to give Emma kisses.

Then there was some celebratory dancing.

After Emma's adventures with Lady Girl we all piled into the car and went out to brunch. Enid and I sat in the back seat so Emma had lots of company for the ride.

Emma was looking at Enid....

.....then at mommy.

Here we are headed for brunch.