Meramec State Park

We spent last weekend at Meramec State Park with a group of friends and a lot of small children.  It was fun, loud and exhausting.  A nice part of the "plan" is that while there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to get together, there is also lots of time for people to split up and do what they want.  Saturday morning we did just that.

Noella and I went for a hike in the woods

Patrick and Mariel went fishing on the river

And then  the four of us hung out by the river.  The girls spent a lot of time throwing rocks in (apparently much more satisfying than fishing).

Later in the afternoon, the kids and parents tie dyed shirts, socks, handkercheifs, you name it.  This is the start- more clotheslines were added as the afternoon progressed.

 Later we went for a 90 minute tour of a cave.  It was good exercise and a bit of an adventure- a lot of tight spaces to get through, especially for me with Noella strapped to my back! 

There were three girls around the age of four on the trip, and they spent a lot of time hanging out and coloring in the play tent.  Don't let the tent fool you- we really stayed in beautiful cabins!

The Morning Commute: A Rock Opera
Every morning, whether it is Patrick or I dropping the girls off at daycare, we are treated to a song. Mariel's flair for drama can be overwhelming at times, but her creative songs often make our day.  This morning, it was in a volume and style that would have made Freddie Mercury proud.
Good morning SUN!
I love God and to share with my friends
I love my friends
I share my love with God
I share my love WITH MY FRIENDS!
Its like a playdate with my heart.
Every day.

While Mariel sings Noella accompanies with:
MAMA!
DADA!
DOG-GY!
over and over, in the manner of a percussive instrument.

Some photo updates:
This is what our backseat often looks like:

Mariel falls asleep easily in the car; Noella pretty much never does (even, say, on two day journeys to New York).  So Noella usually just laughs at Mariel while she flops and drools.
On our trip to CT, however, we seem to have rented a magic car:

We need to get one of these for ourselves. 

At my brother's house we celebrated Mariel's half birthday with-what else?- chocolate cake.  She got to do the sprinkles on top of Kate's delicious icing.

While the girls did not go to the reception for the wedding (Mariel went to the church, Noella napped) they did enjoy the rehearsal dinner, referred to as the "big party."  There were a few games, and Noella was very, very interested in playing the basketball game (which is meant for probably 10 and up).  Grampy helped her out:

The wedding was gorgeous, as were the newlyweds.  They danced the night away, including the most entertaining and well choreographed first dance that I have ever seen.  (This is not it, just a picture that I snapped later!)

Final update: Noella is moving up.  The crib disappeared today, and she is sleeping out in the open on her crib mattress, with the intention of moving up to her regular sized mattress shortly.   She fell asleep without much of a protest, even when a certain parent decided to barge into her room and take pictures with a flash.

Where've you been?
Where have I been?  Mostly trying to catch up on sleep.  It's been a roller coaster ride here for a few weeks.  To make a long (emotional) story short, my uncle was killed in a motorcycle accident on Sunday, September 5.  It was a shock to our family and network of friends, to say the least.  The memorial service (which I could not get to) was held on Thursday night. 
Friday at 6am Patrick, the girls and I took a flight into Hartford, CT, and then arrived at my brother's house just a few minutes after he and his wife finished their journey home from the memorial service.  We got to spend a day visiting with them and admiring their home.  Mariel filled them in on her friend, Alvin.  "He likes to drink..." (she paused and my brother and I started to laugh at this statement)..."milk and juice."  The girls played with Phinny.  John and Pat got to do some plumbing after a rusted bolt on the upstairs toilet caused Kate to come out of the downstairs bathroom with a worried expression, saying that it was raining from the ceiling. 
Saturday the four of us drove back to Hartford for assorted celebrations in honor of Lee, Patrick's cousin, and Patrick (yet another Patrick in our lives!).  The rehearsal dinner on Saturday was lovely, as were the wedding and reception on Sunday.  We had a great loft style hotel room with lots of room, but Mariel still resisted falling asleep so by Monday morning we had ourselves quite a tired girl.  We got some bonus time with Jay, Carl and Emilie and Grampy and Babci on Monday when our flight, scheduled to leave at 10am, was delayed and our new arrangments did not have us leave until 5pm.  It was a nice day of catching up a bit, looking at pictures, enjoying company without any plans. Noella took and nap and I trapped Mariel in a bed until she fell asleep for an hour or so (I do mean this literally- at one point I had her pinned in a wrestling move on the bed).  Eventually- around 10pm Monday night- we made it home.  So yeah, I think we are all still a bit tired and out of it.  And I am off to catch up on more sleep and be done with my computer for the day.

Mariel's Boyfriend
Mariel and I took a quick trip to go shopping today.  On our way into the store, she told me that she has a boyfriend. 
"Who is your boyfriend?"  I asked.
"Alvin."  She said.
"Isn't Alvin your brother?" I asked, considering the complexities of this situation.
"Not anymore.  This Alvin is my boyfriend."
"Oh," I said, "What do you and your boyfriend do?"  I was actually very curious as to what she thinks about this.
"Oh, you know.  He takes me shopping, and to new countries."  She raised her hands in the air, as though this is a strange question to ask since all boyfriends go shopping and jet their girlfriends around the world on a weekly basis. 
"How did he get to be your boyfriend?"  I asked.
"He likes my clothes, Mom.  He has a lot of nice clothes, too.  And more shoes than me.  And we like the same food, especially carrots.  Alvin is always eating carrots.  And he eats macaroni and cheese, even though he doesn't like it too much.  He eats it because I like it."  I tried hard not to laugh, and will admit that I think boyfriend Alvin sounds like a pretty nice guy. 
"How do you know about boyfriends?" I wondered.
"I just know, Mom.  I learned by myself."  She said.  "And you know what?  Alvin's eight."
And since Alvin is such a fan of shopping, he decided to join us.  In fact, he had to stand his imaginary self next to Mariel for the whole trip.  Luckily he was not thirsty this afternoon, so he didn't need to share her chocolate milk.