Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Summer is Here!

We spent last week with highs in the 50's, asking, "Where is summer?!?!"
Well, it came today. With bright fanfare. It was 93, brilliantly sunny, with a faint sea breeze. Gorgeous. You Houstonians out there read this and think, "Wow, that sounds cool and pleasant!" Of course Bostonians are talking about the heat, and local officials are posting "Heat Advisories".

Summer came to our family today, too. We took our new single stroller and braved public transit to have a playdate in the city. Ok, so we technically live in the city. But not the part with the tall buildings and fancy bridges. No, we went to the "real" city to meet up with friends for a playdate at a splash park on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. We packed a lunch, got in the stroller, caught the bus to the train, and took the train into the city. The girls were THRILLED! We parked ourselves under a tree, picnicked, and set the girls loose to the water fountains. We were there for 3 hours. The girls ran. They splashed. They chased pigeons. Ok, only MeToo chased pigeons. ("HI PIGEONS HI PIGEONS HI PIGEONS!!!!") They kicked a ball. They spun in circles. They ran some more. They splashed some more. We played until MeToo looked like she would fall over. She was asleep in the stroller before we got to the train station. HeyMama was overtired but still giddy from excitement the whole train ride home. We got home to the blissful air conditioning, crashed on the couch, and spent the rest of the day recovering from the first part of the day.

To me, it felt like summer. It was warm. We were with friends. There was no real schedule. We were free. We could walk wherever we pleased. We were happy.

Here are a few random tidbits from our day:

  • MeToo was totally the life of the party today. She was the embodiment of summer joy. I hope I never forget that grin.
  • My friend Kathy brought me a Diet Coke. It was wonderful.
  • Maneuvering a single stroller in Boston is way easier than maneuvering a double. 
  • MBTA train stations are not built for strollers. Or for kids who need to use the bathroom frequently. (Ok, so it was ME that needed the bathroom. But still.)
  • I slathered the girls with sunscreen, made them wear hats and short-sleeved rash guard swimwear. They handled the sun well.
  • I did not apply my own sunscreen so well. I now have a patchy sunburn on my arms and shoulders. But I did wear a hat, so my face is ok. 
  • Unfortunately, the brim of the hat was not large enough to shade the deep v-shaped neckline of my sundress. I have a funny sunburn there. Funny in a painful way.
  • HeyMama fell asleep on top of me on the couch as soon as we got home.
  • MeToo decided she was done with napping.
  • While we were asleep, she climbed up on the counter, started the coffee maker, and ate the contents of the sugar bowl. 
  • She shared some with the floor.
  • I eventually finished my Diet Coke with a healthy splash of rum.

We're all ready to do it again! Yay for summer!


MeToo running at the splash park

2 comments:

  1. See, I didn't even finish reading the post yet and I already have to comment, as a non-heat-loving person. I do not miss North Carolina AT ALL. It was the phrase "...to the blissful air-conditioning" that gets me. I do not believe in calling 93 degree weather "gorgeous" and I don't seen how one can claim to love the heat but still use air-conditioning to survive it. Not that I'm against AC--it's a LOVELY invention--but it's a coping mechanism for something that is unpleasant.

    We're gonna try to wait out putting our window units in a bit longer (because it's only June and we don't GENERALLY need them in June) but I doubt I'll last long since our bedroom's on the 3rd floor. If I go missing, you'll probably find me in a puddle in our basement later!

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  2. Hot town, summer in the city. Love & miss the Greenway, the train not so much, although it sure made getting out to Worcester from the airport easier sometimes.

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