Parades, Sprinklers, Biking, and Beach

We've had some nice weekends recently and have been finding lots of ways to enjoy ourselves outdoors. Maddy loves being outside and would prefer it to just about anything else - the only problem is getting her to come INSIDE, although if we get her ready by using a 5 minute warning and countdown (i.e. 4 minutes/3 minutes/etc), she seems to do OK. I took a quick trip up to VT to visit Theresa and her new baby Aubrey, who is adorable and so good! Greg stayed home with Maddy and rented a hybrid bike with the pull cart attachment where Maddy could ride along. She LOVED it and they went about 12 miles in all, stopping at various points along the bike path to have a snack or play on a playground. We need to get ourselves one of those carts (and some better bikes). Over Memorial Day weekend, we ventured to the beach at Walden Pond in Bedford, only to discover that the water level has risen so much that there is hardly any beach space yet and everyone was packed in like sardines. We stayed for a couple of hours and ate our lunches and had a nice time. Later that day we set up the sprinkler in the back - Maddy was slightly apprehensive at first but quickly got into it and proceeded to get absolutely drenched (not sure why we didn't put her bathing suit on!) Billerica had their annual Memorial Day parade that Monday - we found a nice spot right in the Town Center and parked our chairs down and waited for the parade, while enjoying our packed breakfast and Dunkin Donuts coffees. Maddy loved it - she seemed most excited about the bands and was clapping and waving. A great weekend!