Our Vacation - belatedly

Well, our vacation was over a month ago, so these pics should have been posted in September, but whatever. I'm busy.

We travelled up to the north-westernmost corner of Vermont, to the border of Lake Champlain and Canada and stayed at a family resort called The Tyler Place. Think Dirty Dancing but with toddlers and sand pits rather than hot & heavy dancing teens. It was great because Serena got to play with a bunch of kids her own age every day, and Matt and I got to eat every meal in peace. We loved it.This was our cottage, which was called Hickory:



There was an aquarium at the boat dock, which Serena loved. It was pretty mucky, but there were several native fish glugging around in it.

An afternoon at the pool:


On a hayride. Serena is sitting on the right side next to her counselor, Britta, who was from Northern Ireland. Before you worry about the dangers of falling off this thing, know that it was driving more slowly than Serena walks.

Sleepover!

On Friday night, Serena's two favorite big girls Grace and Georgia came for a sleepover. After enormous bowls of spaghetti & meatballs, everyone (except the photographer) settled in for a bit of Looney Tune viewing.




Then we set up the inflatable mattress and there was a snuggle fest!

More Painting

Some paint did actually make it onto the paper, but not much.

Professional Tooth-brusher in the House!

Serena is now getting quite good at brushing her teeth all by herself.

It's the Elmo pajamas that kill me, though.

Totally gratuitous, I know.

Serena Cooks!

Serena loves to cook, and last week she made her own pizza. I bought pre-made dough from the grocery store, sauce, and toppings, but she did all the work herself!


Rolling out the dough...


Spreading the sauce...

Lots of cheese -- big slices of fresh mozzarella and giant handfuls of shredded mozz too!


Watching the pizza cook in the oven.


YUM!

Statues!

Ever since she first noticed the colossal female lions guarding the entrance to Prospect Park several months ago, Serena has been fascinated and excited by statues. We took her to the small sculpture garden behind the Brooklyn Museum and let her be amazed by the enormous winged lady, the gargoyles, and the miscellaneous heads scattered around.


Most of the sculptures are remnants from New York City architecture that no longer exists. The museum rescued the sculptural elements and preserved them in this pretty paved garden. I liked the large dragon perching over the entrance door. Serena's favorite by far, however, was the replica Statue of Liberty (artist unknown). Serena is actually in the photo below, the tiny figure at the bottom left of the statue's base.

Trip to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Yesterday was warm and sunny, so we all went to the Botanic Garden here in Brooklyn. The cherry and magnolia trees were in full, gorgeous blossom, as were tulips, daffodils (including one named the Kilworth!), pansies, and all kinds of other flowers.


After a while, we all got a bit peckish, so we went to the snack bar for a treat. Serena ate an entire chocolate-covered chocolate ice cream bar!

Serena loved the water lily pond. The lilies are not yet in bloom, but the bright orange koi were pertly swimming around, and Serena observed their wriggling intently.