Quiet Summer Weekend

This weekend was a relatively quiet one for us. I was feeling pretty burned out from planning for and having last week's party so I wanted a peaceful weekend. Saturday morning, Evan, Marino and I went to the pool for a little while. Marino loved it; he is getting really good at grasping the concept of kicking his legs to get where he wants to go in the pool via his boat. We also made a friend in the baby pool. He just learned "splash" this week (receptively, not expressively) so we had some fun splashing.

After a nap (Marino, not Mama, unfortunately) we went to Sarah's house to have a playdate with her and Claire. Claire is getting so big and she can do everything Marino can! It was fun to watch them play, although I wish there was a simple way to teach Marino "gentle." He is pretty rough.

Doesn't he look like he's up to something in these pictures?

After a nice long nap, Daddy helped us clean up the yard and we played with the water table, a birthday gift from Aunt Sonia, Uncle Wil and Cat. As you saw in the pictures from Marino's birthday party, the water table is a big hit with kids of all ages. Marino loves splashing around in his.

By the way, if anyone has advice on how to grow healthy grass, please tell me! We've grown some new grass since the spring but then some of the formerly healthy grass died. I'm lost!

Today we just relaxed and ran errands, including buying a big boy carseat (although he can still fit in his infant seat for now). I have to say that Marino is becoming increasingly opinionated and tempermental. I suppose it could be teething but it is probably more likely a sign of him becoming a toddler. He has adopted a new cry that sounds like some small animal is being tortured. I'm hoping once he is able to communicate better, the amount of crying and tantrums will be reduced, but I am probably kidding myself:)

We got a few new things for the tub today, too. Last week Marino fell backwards in the tub and hit his head, since all he wants to do is stand in the tub. My mom suggested we get a no-slip mat and we found it serves a dual purpose, since he like pointing at the cars and "telling" us about them. We also got a fun new toy, hoping he would sit in the tub longer.

Here's a picture from tonight's bath.

Our efforts seemed to be relatively successful!