Family Fun

Steve came home from Kentucky at the end of last week.  After being gone for more than three weeks in the month of July, the girls were anxious to just spend some quality time with him. 

He suggested going down to the park so that Sam could do a little fishing with him (and Sophia and I would just hang out on the sidelines).  I was leary of this plan, knowing all too well that Sophia would not be content just sitting back and watching.  She prefers to do everything that her big sister is doing, and the temptation to go in the water would be too great for her.  Sophia and I obliged though, fully prepared to head back early if she became too fussy.

Getting her worm ready to bait on the hook:

Fishing near the water's edge:

Resting on the shore:

Trying to keep Sophia occupied for a short time:

Before long, she managed to find the worms in the cooler:

After that, Steve tried to get her to just sit with him, but she wanted nothing to do with that -- notice the "waterworks" that she turned on immediately.  Rather, she wanted to be IN the water ...

So, I just headed back home with her.  Sam needed that special one-on-one time with her dad, and Sophia and I were able to have our own time together ...

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Steve saw an ad in the newspaper on Sunday and asked if we would like to go pick some blueberries.  I thought that it was a wonderful idea, so I dressed the girls appropriately (jeans and boots/tennis shoes) and we embarked on our little adventure.  We were sorely disappointed to arrive at the advertised location, only to find that they were closed for the season. 

We then went to Plan B, and took the girls to a huge park where we had never been before.  It was even more fun for Sophia because she is now walking and could manuever herself around without a lot of crawling.

The rubber tires were a hit with both of the girls:

Samantha practiced her balancing skills several times:

She's getting really good at it ...

The girls each rode the teeter-totter:

And I proudly pushed everyone on the merry-go-round:

Sophia found a lion that was just her size:

And Sam went down the slide no less than 100 times that morning:

I have a feeling that we will be visiting this park quite a few more times this season.  There were so many things for the each of the girls to play on, and we really enjoyed seeing how much fun they were having.  It's a little further to drive for us, but on the weekends, it will be great to do as a family.