Big Family Weekend - Saturday

We took pity on Turtle today and set him free. This morning we lazed about in bed awhile deciding on how the morning should play out. Cesar made a dump run. I showered and packed our bags for a weekend trip to VoVo's house. Cesar, Hugo, Bella, Rodrigo, Turtle and I all piled into the car and headed down to our local beach. Cesar had placed the turtle in a purple flower bucket for his second and last ride in a car. No roaming back and forth under the seats this trip. Hugo carried the bucket across the sand and down to the waters edge. Cesar fished Turtle out of the bucket and set him off on his speedy way along the shore line. "Aren't you going to take any pictures for the blog??!", I asked excitedly. "Oh yeah." he answered The above is what we have to share with you of Turtles release back into freedom. Did ya miss him? He's there in the lower right hand corner - look again. The turtle was totally stoked to be back on familiar turf. He dove fast and away like a lead rocket out of our site.

The swans were curious and decided to investigate our happenings in their neighborhood. I thought for a brief moment of opening the passenger door and luring them in with our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Swans would make great playdate pals right?

Okay. So here we are on the road heading toward Rhode Island. I found the sky to be amazing today. We had big billowy clouds all the way across the state of Massachusetts. Normally I watch the trees, bluffs, and farms pass by but today's trip was all about the clouds in the sky for me.

Hugo slept like a champ . . . until we pulled over for gas and burgers.

An active train trestle. No trains spied today.



We arrived safe and sound and thank heavens, with almost no traffic. Kisses and kisses went all around. Then in mere minutes we all dispersed. Hugo headed for the basket of cars and trucks next to the television. Cesar went off on an errand with his father. Rodrigo and Bella rounded the side fence and into the neighbors yard they charged terrifying the timid Chocolate Lab next door. Mad for flowers that I am, I pulled out the camera and headed back to Momsha's garden to check out all things blooming.

Hugo being Hugo, discovered every nook and cranny of the backyard. He chopped down hosta plants with his mini chainsaw. He helped Papa dig a hole in front of the house to plant a Limelight Hydranga tree. Hugo also helped water the new tree and all the pots in front of the house and all the flower pots in back of the house. He then was distracted back to the cars and trucks in the basket by the television. A great start to our Big Family Weekend.

Babysitting Thursday

Our day was overcast and gloomy with scattered showers all day long. We stayed in our pajamas today. We also had friends over! We warned them that it was a gloomy pajama day but they decided to come anyway.

While we ate our dinner sunshine magically appeared through the windows. It was warm and inviting. We pulled on our new bug boots and hurried through the door to shake out some wiggles in the wonderfully, warm sunshine.

I followed Hugo and Parker throughout their journeys in the yard. We weren't outside more than an hour and yet they were here, there, and everywhere all at once. They played together well for awhile. Hugo tried to show Parker some of his favorite things but Parker had his own ideas of what to do. Hugo did a lot of following. I encouraged as many races as I could. "Run, run as fast as you can!" I would shout after them.

Then Hugo decided he was done following for a moment. He was distracted by these clay pipes. One of his favorite things to do outside is to fill the clay pipes with treasures he finds in the yard. Parker wasn't interested.


Hugo went in search of Parker. "Run, run, run! Faster and faster!" I encouraged.


After a bit I realized that I needed help entertaining Parker and Hugo so I enlisted help from our canine neighbor Layla. She was more than willing to play with the boys. We threw sticks for her to catch. We watched her roll about on her back in the wet grass and shake her legs in the air. Everyone got kisses. All was looking nice and calm and I was feeling pretty great about myself and then . . . Layla ran through the brush into the neighbors yard, Parker ran to the front of the house, and Hugo took off for the woods. I went a little nuts. Where and to whom should I run first? To my flesh and blood naturally but Parker's parents had trusted me with his care and I had borrowed Layla from her owner who was on the telephone and had only waved at me as I pulled the dog out the door! Thank heavens it all worked out fine.

We made a pit stop at the Turtle Habitat. Hugo calls him "tuttle"and grabs everyone by the hand who stops by for a visit to lead them over to see his "tuttle". I thought for a brief moment about how cruel it was of me to subject the poor turtle to the two little boys and a curious chocolate lab but I needed a break. We had been doing a lot of running and I was very tired.

I decided it was quitsville for the yard play. We walked Layla home baiting her with the treat word. Hugo through a huge fit once Layla was pushed back inside and he realized that he was not to follow. He loves to feed Layla her treats. The little stinker also knows exactly where the cutest mini juice boxes and baggies of animal crackers are kept in the kitchen just for him. Sherry spoils him rotten. Soooo, I carried him kicking and screaming back to our house. We decided to watch the movie that Parker brought to share, Cars. Hugo hadn't seen it before and all sadness was forgotten at the site of an entire movie dedicated to cars.

Good Night

We had a playdate at our house today. There was good food, lots of clouds but no rain and very few tantrums. The turtle was a big hit. I am really, really tired. So long for now.

Wild Turtle Experience

This morning was filled with errands. We had two new serpentine belts installed on the car at a local garage. We had photos developed and bought groceries for the week. We made a quick stop at our Sam's Club for diapers and garage rags. We also popped into Target looking for water wings for pool time this summer. They finally arrived, Yeah! I was proud of us and felt we were pretty productive and almost 2 year old tantrum free. Almost. Well, we settled into the car, me in my new shades and Hugo with his Harry the Dirty Dog book in hand, windows rolled down and the music up. We hit a green wave with the traffic lights. Nice. We turned onto a quiet semi country road and I assumed The Hugo Monster would be asleep any minute but as I looked in the rear view mirrow, I could see the time was not quite yet.

Then - Momma spied a turtle crossing the road and the car screeched to a halt. I through on the hazards and jumped out of the driver's side to run back and grab the turtle! He/She saw me coming and started booking it back the way he had come. I screamed a little as I reached for him, he really was fast! Once alongside the car I showed him to Hugo but He didn't seem to get the full wild turtle effect that I was presenting to him. I decided to bring the turtle home with us. He rode along on the floor of the car. He walked all over. Front to back, back to front. I was nervous he would crawl under my feet but he didn't. Hugo did not fall asleep. He was silent but did not close one eye for a minute or sleep. The three of us arrived safely home.

So, okay what happened next, happened pretty fast and I'm not sure I can do it justice, but here goes . . . I fished the turtle out of the car and set him down on the gravel driveway. Hugo was released from his seat and once his sandled feet hit the gravel he went bananas. He simply freaked out with excitement. Hugo poked the turtle, pulled his tail and half stomped on his shell all in mere seconds. The turtle was running for the grass in hopes of cover with all his might. I grabbed the turtle up by the back of his shell and tried to calm Hugo down all at the same time. You see, this was not the way I had envisioned our wild turtle experience to be. I wanted Hugo to feel the ridges of the shell and the wrinkly, loose skin of the turtle's legs and his nails, which weren't sharp at all by the way. They were super long but soft. Surprising to me. Anyway, Hugo The Monster, stroked the turtle's leg and then in 1.5 seconds squeezed the same mentioned leg, dropped it and went for the head. It was all happening in slow motion for me. I saw the turtle open it's mouth pretty wide. Wider than I had ever imagined it possibly could and then heard it hiss. My eyes went to my baby for you see, the rest of me was completely frozen for that last .5 of a second. Hugo was giggling and gripping close to his chest a piece of his destroyed blanket in one hand as the other hand was reaching out for the turtle head to squeeze it silly. And that's when it happened. The turtle from the semi country road which I'm sure I must have saved from almost certain flattening, bit Hugo's finger. I could say he nipped it but that isn't quite right. It didn't get his nail or heaven for bid bone. It bit that lovely soft fleshy part of the pointy fingerprint skin of his index finger. Chomped it right off. Hugo cried in shock and pain and there was blood. I quickly flipped a bucket over the turtle and ran Hugo into the kitchen to scrub his little finger. We dabbed on Neosporin and wrapped on his first ever band-aid, which he hated.

Do you think Hugo may have learned his lesson and might now be a little afraid of our wild pet? Nope. Fearless. He is still very interested in the turtle. He did slow down and listen to me and touch the turtle more gently as I held it. Since then only the turtle's back side has been offered up for Hugo to inspect. Our wild turtle is now resting in a discarded tire habitat. There is water on the inside rim of one half of the tire with leaves and debris in the middle. I added carrot peels to the mix from our dinner hopefully to be his dinner. I'd like to keep him till our Friday playdate but am a bit worried that he now has a taste for toddler flesh and might choose to strike again. If all goes well, I hope to set him free down in the swampy part of our woods. Wish us all a bite free couple of days please.