To say this week has flown by would be an understatement. Our week was spent with friends excepting brief pauses to do laundry and and a 24-hour lock-down for Audrey, who suddenly decided it was time to show us she has not transitioned so smoothly as we had thought. My little velociraptor...at it again.
 |
| Eating strawberries while perched in a swing |
Most weekends I make a half-hearted attempt to stock up our refrigerator with enough food to last through Sunday, when all the markets are closed. Needless to say, a Monday morning trip to the Naschmarkt is becoming a tradition. Since we're so close to Vienna's largest outdoor market, I've also become snooty enough to only purchase milk, butter and eggs from our neighborhood supermarket. Everything else comes from my beloved purveyors, pushing free samples of falafel at you at 9am. I've tried out quite a few sellers and have settled on at least one favorite--the man who gives the most generous dollops of hummus on his falafel is where I purchase my olives, hummus, tzatziki, and pita that are all becoming daily snack staples.
 |
| B bit holes on both sides of her cone...she's squinting through it. |
|
 |
| lunch with friends |
This week we took 'our friends' (as Audrey and Bailey now call Sarah and Bridget) to the Naschmarkt. We breezed through the stalls, buying snack food for our day at the park...and stopped back by on the way home for ice cream...and perhaps a few items with which to make dinner. (we do sit down for the occasional meal at home here).
The next day we met up again with our friends at Donau Park, a large, sprawling green space just north of the UN Complex. The girls had a picnic lunch at a table sandwiched between riotously blooming flower beds before going on the hunt for the best playground spot in the park. They settled for a gigantic sand pit with two separate clusters of play houses...I tell you man, the Viennese might know coffee, but they've got this playground thing down solid too. Our days tend to end with the girls racking out in the stroller or attached to my body...and this day was no different. We don't have a key to the lift in our building since we're only one flight up; I physically can carry a sleeping child in our umbrella stroller up the stairs, but why would I when I could stop for ice cream instead on the way home? Bailey, lucky dog that she is, woke up before sister and got in on the action. Poor sister. She has to have something to tell her therapist.
 |
| This one's for Grandpa G--they stopped to smell some purple irises |
Thursday was a long day; The previous two nights, Audrey had thrown screaming fits that sounded like we were trying to murder her; no amount of talking was getting that girl off her ledge. And most of the screaming fits (that's right--there were plenty more, just not quite so loud) were connected to her not getting her way on something...like being able to eat ice cream or stay at the playground. I was legitimately worried we had a
Veruca Salt in the making. So, Thursday was our lock-down day. Since then, I've heard a lot more "Ok, Mama" around here. It's a good thing.
 |
| look at those pig tails fly |
By Friday I was stir-crazy and tired of being a nag...it's exhausting work. So, we met up with 'our friends' again at the Bundes Bad, where the only instructions I had to give were: "Don't put sand on your sister's head" and "Stop throwing rocks". It was a beautiful thing to be able to spend the day beach-side with good people. Not to mention all the Vitamin D I've been absorbing has sent my mood to soaring.
 |
| too much fun...gotta recharge with a power nap |
After a full day at the beach, including slumbering naps under the cottonwood trees, we attempted to put ourselves back in order to meet the Papas for dinner at an elaborate Chinese restaurant. This place had a wandering garden with pools and pergolas...not to mention the outdoor seating area where we sipped local wine and ate while our kiddos ran circles in the garden paths. We ate ice cream and baked bananas for dessert before taking our sticky, exhausted girls home. It was a full week and a good week.
We are not chasing a dream here, but living it.
No comments:
Post a Comment