Earth Day at the Botanical Gardens

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens had free admission for Earth Day, so playgroup met there. However, the gardens were packed, so we had to park in the neighborhood across the street, Ansley Park, in the heart of Midtown. I was so enthralled by these houses dating back to 1904 that we dawdled. I am especially nostalgic about Atlanta these days since we will soon be moving. (These pictures don't show my favorite houses in the area, but they are the best shots of the girls.)


The girls in Ansley Park (est. 1904)


Silly Sunglasses


Annabelle in the stroller

We were late getting out the door in the first place -- the story of my life. Add that to my tour of Ansley Park, and we reached the gates just in time to say goodbye to Gabi's friends. We enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll and a picnic lunch in the gardens, anyway. It was cool in the morning but warmed up quickly, so I changed Annabelle's outfit during our walk around Ansley Park.


Bella would rather be held, but she's still cute


Maybe I'll plant irises at our new house...


In the Orchid Conservetory


Gabi dancing in front of a Jap Maple

After our visit to the Botanical Gardens, Gabi played on one of the playgrounds in Ansley Park while Bella napped in the stroller.


Gabi's playtime

Annabelle has learned to crawl! She likes to straighten her legs so that she's doing a push-up and then try to walk forward on her toes, but she can also work with the hands-and-knees position. She doesn't quite get that she needs to move her hands forwards as well, so her progress is limited somewhat. She will push forward with her legs and then reach with one arm and dive forward. Repeat that, and she can definitely move.


Annabelle with Gabi's baby doll Ella

Gabi often tells me things that happened in the past and then adds "this morning" or "yesterday" to designate it as a past event. Once she was telling Daddy a story, such as "We ate oatmeal before school this morning" and I told her that, yes, that happened, but not this morning. Then she amended her story to say "We ate oatmeal before school yesterday," to which I gave her the same response. She then told me "Those are my options. 'This morning' or 'yesterday.' Those are my two options." I wish I was recording that. Her tone of voice (and her inflection on "options") was quite funny.


Gabi at the breakfast table

Gabi also started making up words when she doesn't know what something is called. When we were at Lolo and Lola's house, Gabi had a toy perched precariously on the ottoman and I wanted her to move it to the floor. I didn't think she knew the word "ottoman," so I asked her to move it off the chair. Gabi replied, "That's not a chair. It's a kahnt." I tried to tell her it was actually an ottoman, but from then on, she referred to the ottoman as a kahnt. Hey, at least she's consistent... (And I could tell she knew she made that word up. Maybe she just wanted to be the one teaching me a new word.)

Another time she brought me a toy, and I asked her where she found it. "Next to the troot." What is a troot? I never got an answer, just pointing and repeating of her new word "troot." And there was the time she was reading a book to Bella and telling her where all the animals lived. She came to a page with a caterpillar and didn't know where a caterpillar lived, so she said that a caterpillar lived in a "tom." What a very silly three-year-old we have!