A green tea, a long walk, and a swing

This morning, while Finn and Layla napped, Kate and I washed and sanitized the infant toys and equipment and prepped lunch for the big kids.... Sesame Noodles w/ tofu, mixed greens, and carrots. I used my new hand blender to mix some of the greens and carrots and set some of the tofu aside for Finn to eat when he awoke.
The big kids were downstairs "secretly" at work on my birthday surprise. They walked over to Thriftway to get all of the supplies they needed to make some cupcakes after nap. They made sure to get some blue frosting, of course, because blue is the coveted color around here.
After the babies were awake, changed, and fed and the big kids were happily singing and dancing with our music teacher, Bonnie, I bundled up Finn and Layla and we headed out. First we walked to Cafe Ladro so I could get a big green tea to sip and then we headed to the Pea Patch, which isn't much to look at right now, but has an interesting pathway to stroll along. We were greeted by two big friendly dogs out for their own walk, much to Finn's delight.
I hadn't intended on such a long walk today but we were so close to Lincoln Park at this point that I decided to venture in. Finn and Layla looked up at the huge tall evergreen trees and watched as crows and seagulls came near us to see if we might have a little snack for them. I tossed the rest of Finn's rice cracker and he stared in amazement as they swooped in to fight for it.
The park was empty today so we just strolled along quietly until I noticed a new yellow swing at the swing set that would be perfect for Finn. After getting him out of the stroller and strapped in I gave it a small push. He wasn't so sure at first but he eventually enjoyed slowly moving back and forth.
It was starting to get pretty chilly so we headed back for home. Layla was tuckered out from all the excitement and fell asleep in the infant carrier while Finn reclined back in the stroller to watch the cars drive by. Life's simple pleasures.
One of the reasons I love my job..... being with people who are seeing everything with new eyes makes me stop and notice things I rarely remember to see anymore.