A Little Bit of Home Away from Home

The email lists strike again.  Today we were able to meet up with Nora and her 2 year old twins, who, although Swiss, were living in Somerville for 6 years up until two months ago (well, clearly the twins only lived there for 2 years).  We met at a park near her apartment, walking distance from ours, and we discussed differences between Swiss and American cultures, as well as Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square, while the kids played (holy commas, bat man!).  Hopefully we'll see them again next Friday.

Layla had fun splashing in the paddling pool and making "mud" in the sand box.

Josh decided his Red Sox hat needed a wash. 

In other news, I think we lost Layla's water shoes at a park the other day, so we went in search of new ones today.  I'd read decent reviews of a shoe store not far from us and I decided that this would be the perfect short outing to attempt a walk without the stroller.  The stroller we're using is ok, in that it provides a spot for the lazy kids to rest, but it is awkward and heavy to push and the wheels were not made for the constant ups and downs of the curbs here.  I have been worried that Joshua would have a difficult time walking and staying safe; listening and obeying are not his strengths!  Although I'd been warned that people would look down on me for using a leash for Josh, I decided it was better to not lose my child in a foreign land than to worry about how others may judge.  Layla was more than excited to guide Josh and he had fun walking backwards for a bit.  Surprisingly, though, he did super on our outing and held my hand when I asked, so we really didn't have to use the leash after all.  And we scored Layla some cute shoes. On a side note, everything here is wicked expensive.  However, shoes seem to be priced fairly.  I may need to go shopping :).