Following Edge

 

This is the first weekend that has really seemed like Summer with the family. This was one of the weekends that we don't share Lauren with her grandmother. So, we've been both enjoying Lauren's company and eagerly anticipating a break from her.

Yesterday, we all took a bike ride along the river. Lauren did a great job riding, managing to go both up and down hills without crashing, and enjoying stops along the way. Since the ride was about 2 miles total, there were a lot of stops for Lauren to take a break. Unlike the contextless picture by punkindunkin that I've been wondering about for two weeks, anyone from Eugene should recognize what Lauren's playing on during the break pictured here.

In fact, by the time we got to our destination, Art and the Vineyard, we missed the Planned Parenthood demonstration we were hoping to join (relating to their effort to raise awareness of the need to take action now that Justice O'Connor has resigned).

Even though we missed the demonstration, we did get a nice lunch, some ice cream, a balloon hat, and 2 bottles of wine. It definitely felt like Summer.

Today was less fun and more chores... shopping, errands, etc... but, we did go look for a GeoCache for about half an hour. We couldn't find it, so it was kind of a bummer. Then, Lauren decided not to take a nap, so she was a bit crabby this evening.

I'm expecting that she'll stop taking naps in the next few months. In fact, based on the fact that few of the 4-year-olds in her class still nap, and based on reports from other parents, it's nearly inevitable. So much so that I'm counting on it. This fall, we've signed Lauren up for 5 days of school instead of 3. If she goes to school until 1:00, then takes a nap after that, there's not going to be as much recreational time with her as we currently get on her two days off. But, if the naps end, the afternoons will be fine recreation time for her to spend with me, Anne Marie, and grandmother.

So far, she's still been enjoying a 1.5 to 2 hour nap almost every day. But, there have been an increasing number of days where she doesn't nap. Happily, she's willing to play (relatively) quietly in the afternoon, since everyone needs a bit of quiet, recuperation or work/study time during the day.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July... We've been enjoying lighting a few fireworks so far. I'm sure tomorrow will be a blast (so to speak). Happy Independence Day!