Memorial Day

(More Ari pics in previous entry. And lots of pics in this entry.)

On Memorial Day (yesterday), we spent the day with my parents and Pete at a nearby state park. It's become kind of a tradition to go there every year (weather permitting, of course). It's a beautiful and peaceful place--just the right setting to have a picnic lunch, lounge around on a beach towel, and walk the beautiful grounds.

Ari was in her glory--she had a great time last year, too, but now that she's older and more active, she really let loose and had a lot of fun. My mom brought along a birthday gift for Ari from my sister, and Tony insisted on opening it right away. Mom was trying to show Ari how to use the ball and bat correctly.



But Ari decided that she preferred to play this way. (Tony says that means she's going to be a golfer.)



Then Ari read her animal book to Gramma, showing off her animal-naming skills.



Pete spent most of the day in this chair, re-reading Eragon. But the fact that I got a picture of him looking at the camera without covering his face or glaring at me is quite an accomplishment.



After lunch, we went for a walk. Ari decided to take her Mr. Potato Head literally and try to eat him.



Later, she got a ride from Grampa. (As we were walking, she said to me, "Mommy! Ride! Grampa!" I love how she tells us "stories" like that now.)



She was not all that impressed with seeing the ocean close-up.



Another one for the "Faces I'll See A Lot When She's A Teenager" file.



One of my favorite pictures of the whole day...



I call this one "Where's Ari?" (You know... it's like "Where's Waldo?"... except with Ari.) This is proof that she has no qualms about wandering away from us in public places.



We tried to convince Ari that straddling this tree branch was like riding a horsie, but she didn't seem to buy it (especially when she tried to "rock" the tree branch and it didn't budge).



Gramma was trying to get Ari to look at the pretty flowers, but Ari wanted to find the airplane she heard. (I swear, this kid has her ears finely-tuned to the sounds of airplanes--I don't think she missed a single one all day long.)



Our walk took us past a field with horses in it, so Tony took Ari for a closer look.



On the grounds of this park is a huge mansion with beautiful gardens. My parents opted out of the walk a little early, so just Tony, Ari and I explored the gardens. What is the significance of this photo, you ask? Well, if you look closely, you'll notice that Ari is walking up those stairs all by herself--not holding on to anyone or anything.



She did it again, with another smaller set of stairs, and got a high-five from Daddy.



And then, feeling super-confident, she also went down the stairs unassisted. (Look how she has her arms all spread out to balance herself.)



I call this one "Where's Ari? Part 2." We told her it was time to go, and when she ignored us, we did the classic parent trick of walking away and saying good-bye. Unfazed, she squatted right where she was and prepared for the showdown.



We finally convinced her to come to us by telling her we were going back to see Gramma and Grampa. And once again, she handled the stairs all by herself.



We left the park around 4:45. We had wanted to stay for dinner, but the wind picked up and it was downright cold. Of course, I was in shorts and hadn't thought to bring pants or a jacket. It was a gorgeous day if you were in the sun, but as the wind kicked into high-gear at the end of the day, it was cold even in the sunlight. Leaving early worked out well, though--Ari fell asleep almost instantly in the car and was in a great mood when we got home. She didn't eat much for dinner, but she enjoyed our after-dinner walk and playground visit. And by the time bedtime rolled around, she was more than ready for bed.

And now it's Tuesday (though it feels like a Monday), and it's back to work.