Marianne and Patrick have been planning a trip to Costa Rica since Feb of 2020. It kept getting canceled and rescheduled and canceled. This was the last year they could actually use the credits that they had for the trip. So they finally got to go! And we got to keep E for a week. It was SO much fun having a little kid again! Especially at this age. Five year olds are FUN. We had fun last year, too, but it was also a lot of work. And mentally exhausting. But she is SO much better at entertaining herself this year, so I had plenty of time to myself as well.
I planned lots of fun outings that I don't get to do with my big kids anymore.
We met Natalie and her boys at the Science Center.
Eden was quick to make friends with everyone
that I had scheduled playdates with.
Five-year-olds are great at that!
Whee!
This creepy bird was eating something.
Kinda gross.
The flamingos are beautiful!
They're kinda red instead of pink.
So many fun animals.
I miss going to the science center.
The kids had a blast on the playground.
Meerkats are one of my favorites.
She also got to participate in her first (and last?)
Super Bowl Party!
I think she's a fan!
My attempt at a charcuterie board.
I always think they're gonna be easier than they are...
A lego bike that E built
She's an amazing artist!
I was so impressed with this picture of Christ.
The three of us went to a little cirque-type show in Winston.
It was winter-themed and was decent.
They had a woman on canes who was awesome.
We were happy to find an art-o-mat there.
E's main form of entertainment was Lego!
She would play up in the reading nook for hours!
She made LOTS of creations.
These were sandwiches.
Another day we went to the zoo.
It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time.
More flamingos!
And E standing on one leg like a flamingo.
We took pictures by every statue that we saw. :)
The elephants were nice and close.
The polar bear is always fun to see.
And I've never had the arctic fox come this close!
Another day we went to the children's museum in High Point.
I tried to go there when Destiny's family was here, but there were
no tickets available. We had SUCH a great time. It's awesome.
This is such a cool climbing structure
when you first walk in.
It looks like colorful pringles.
E did a great job climbing up HIGH.
They also have a carousel outside that is included
in the price of admission.
We rode it four times.
Woo hoo!
So fun.
The water-play area is phenomenal.
I loved it.
I could've stayed there for even longer.
We built an obstacle course.
Had fun playing with these wind machines.
We built Lego cars and raced them down this ramp.
E did some climbing
And exploring.
They have a great big train table at the entrance.
She had a lot of fun there, too.
Back at home,
here was another of her fun Lego creations.
We played with Bumble and Scoot a bit.
We went to the park one afternoon
and she flew a kite.
She was a good little runner!
We had TWO playdates with Penelope.
They became fast friends.
It was adorable.
One of the days was with a ward playgroup.
It was so fun hanging out with the young moms!
We brought out kites to the park
and they were a HIT.
The kids loved them and did a pretty
good job taking turns.
E takes violin lessons, so we got to practice at home.
She liked the little grocery cart at Lidl.
More of our Lego creations.
So happy to have this time with E.
Her parents had a great trip, too.
