Hey there Peanut –

It was AWESOME spending the day with you!! Much needed for both of us I think. Although we both got very little sleep last night (you were up from 11:15pm – 1am and then again at 2 and 3am… sigh… ended up spending from 11:30pm on in our bed b/c Daddy was at work – and you had to have my pillow… *sigh* Anyway – hope you know you’re loved), we both had LOTS of giggles and we got a lot done!

First thing in the morning we headed over to the east side of the city to check out and participate in Rochester’s “Clean Sweep.” Mayor Bob Duffy called us this week to personally invite us (although, because we weren’t home his recording was left on our recording machine ; ))… ANYWAY, I thought it sounded like a GREAT way to get us engaged in some community service and be outside, so we went to check it out.

Just so you don’t think that these things always work out smoothly – let me let you in on a little of the messiness of such adventures. First, there was no sleep on either of our parts. Then, the directions we had to the meeting place were useless as the major road was closed due to construction with no designated detour… *sigh*. THEN, when we got there, it appears everyone already knew who there “team” was, and many of these team leaders did not want new people joining them. So, in a somewhat chaotic atmosphere, we had to figure out what was going on, find a team and get directions. THEN, after the initial pep rally, we all drove to our meeting spots with our teams (well, some took a bus, but we couldn’t do that in case we needed to go home earlier than others). As we followed the directions given to us by our team leader, we ran into aNOTHER road snafu. Another main road was closed due to construction. This time a detour was marked, but I followed the signs wrong and we ended up by this sweet bear playing golf. I told you, “I think we’re lost.” You said, “Are we sad?” I said, “No, it’s going to be fine…we’re not giving up.” You asked, “Why?” And I explained a bit about perseverance. We laughed at the bear, took it’s picture and ended up finding our way. The moral of the story (i.e. why I’m sharing all these seemingly trivial details) is to let you know that we ALL hit hurdles on our paths to adventures… Don’t ever let them become roadblocks. The experiences are usually worth it, and the benefits feel even sweeter when you’re forced to invest just a bit extra.

Okay – so this is what we did.
We met with the 400 other Rochesterians (isn’t that awesome?) in this big tent. We were given BRIGHT yellow-green t-shirts to wear and directed to the back of the tent to pick up some breakfast. You had a blueberry muffin. We then sought out a team to join. We ended up working with a group of high school students from Jefferson. Some of our new friends’ names are Nelson, Jasmine, Jessica and Dino. We helped them clean a big grassy lot across from an elementary school. You were a FANTASTIC help!! You raked, shoveled and picked up a number of pieces of trash. You were the youngest person there, and I could tell from many little comments and expressions, that you were an inspiration to others. We had a great time… can’t wait to start up our own team for the Spring Clean Sweep!

After we had worked a couple hours, you saw a playground at the school…. so we took a 10-15 minutes break to play.

While we were at the playground, the news crews came and interviewed our team! How cool! Then our new friends shared some chips with us, and we headed out.

On the way home, we did our week’s grocery shopping. We had lunch and a nap.

PUMPKIN PATCH
Then it was off with Marlie and her Mommy to Power’s Farm Market to look at the pumpkins, pet the animals, play in the tepees, and drink some cider – just like we did a year ago when you had your purple cast on your leg!! (Check out how much you and Marlie have grown in a YEAR!! Wow! What a difference a year makes!! How fun to watch you grow, Baby Girl!)

Here are some pictures from our adventure!

We had such a good time I think we’re going to go again… And next time we will actually buy a pumpkin to bring home and ride the hayride! Should be fun… Anybody want to join us?!?!?

When we got home, we cooked Daddy dinner (he was sleeping all day because he worked last night and then again tonight). After dinner we played upstairs with your Dora kitchen and giggled a bunch more.

I’m POOOOOPED! You?
Can’t wait to see what fun adventures my day with you tomorrow holds… Thanks for all the fun you bring into my life!! I love you Peanut! *Mommi
p.s. I’m pretty sure big changes are on our horizons… I’ll tell you more soon. I LOVE doing life with you Peanut!