We’ve been bombarded with snow this week. Today’s Saturday, and the first storm was last Sunday night. School was closed for two days, and then another (smaller) storm came in Friday at lunchtime, so all the local schools closed early. My birthday is just a few minutes away now, and yet another snowstorm is set to head our way either tomorrow night or Monday, I think. And here’s the thing we’re learning about Washington–they don’t have a lot of snow plows.

The weather hasn’t been spectacular fall weather yet this year, to be honest. But Mother Nature has had it with us, so it’s not that surprising. We’re still trying to do All Of The Fall Things, though, which means basking in apple season. Even when we set out in the morning dressed for fall, and need shorts and tank tops by lunchtime.

Adam was actually in Texas for work on his birthday, but when he got home from that trip we had a weekend picnic at one of our local parks. We actually learned as we were leaving that Hamilton was not supposed to be in that park, but we didn’t see the signs. We’re still learning this whole dog ownership thing, but he had the most amazing afternoon out with us as well.

Other posts on this trip: We Spent Last Week in Italy.
Our first full day in Italy, we headed to Treviso, which was actually the closest city to the house. It’s much smaller than Venice, and we were there on a Sunday in August. It was practically deserted, but we ate some pizza at Pizzeria Sant’Agostino di Mansi Patrizia, and it was so good I’m still thinking about it, and we wandered the streets. Treviso has a mini canal system like Venice, it was fun to just walk along the water and in and out of the streets.

Other posts on this trip: 10 Years Married!, Mexico’s Croco Cun Zoo.
The two outings we’ve done on this trip have both been animal centered because H is a deep animal lover. Like, owns several vet doctor’s kits, loves Doc McStuffins, treats pretend animals, and has been making us play “water hospital,” a game she invented, in the pool through this entire trip. So yesterday it was the Croco Cun Zoo, and this morning she and I swam with the dolphins at Delphinus Puerto Morelos.

Other posts on this trip: 10 Years Married!
We haven’t left the resort in 4 days, but this morning we headed out to Croco Cun Zoo, which is right nearby. It was so much fun! It’s an interactive zoo that used to be a crocodile farm. They have more than 200 crocodiles hanging out around the place. It’s not a wandering zoo, you get a guided tour (and bring tip money, our guide was well worth it). It takes about an hour to walk through, but you pet some very cool animals that are almost all local to Mexico. They also take in rescues and confiscated animals that people used to keep as wild pets.

I mean, let’s be real. It’s not screen free all day. She is four (five tomorrow!), and I have work to do. But she did get a snow day here today because of the blizzard named Stella, which is really more of a gross, slushy snow dump than a proper blizzard. But nevertheless, here we are cooped up inside. It seemed like a good day to share some screen free activities we’ve been doing lately (while the small human is tucked up in our bed watching Scaredy Squirrel).

Last Friday we headed to Battleview Orchards after school to get our apples. We’re late this year, we’re usually out in September. But late meant that the late varieties of apples, like Granny Smiths, were finally available. We never get Granny Smiths!