Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away...

Over Labor Day weekend, the Saucier clan finally had our first chance to visit Sesame Place.

Disneyland bills itself as "the happiest place on earth". But when you're a 2-year old who has been watching Sesame Street every morning since before you could walk -- and when the first 2-syllable word out your mouth was "Elmo" -- Sesame Place might be actually be the happiest place on earth.

Our day started with a ride on Elmo's Flying Fish. Dad and Morgan climbed aboard, while Gwen watched from the comfort of her stroller. We weren't sure if Morgan would be afraid or not. Luckily, as soon as the ride ended, she begged "Let's go again!!!"

Next, we were off to Big Bird's Balloon race...

And then we followed-up the Balloon Race with some time in the Monster Maze.

Finally, it was time for "Elmo's World Live". It was just like Elmo's World on TV, except... well... it wasn't on TV.

"Guess what is Elmo thinking about today...? Fish!"

"Elmo's pet goldfish Dorothy has a question: How do you swim like a fish? Let's ask Mr. Noodle!"

"And now, Elmo will ask a baby..." (Hey, that baby looks very familiar!)

After lunch, it was time for the Sesame Place parade.

Morgan was so thrilled to see all her favorite characters: Abby Cadabby, Zoe, Grover, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and the whole Sesame Street gang. In fact, she spent most of the parade jumping up and down with excitement... right on Dad's shoulders. (Ouch.)

Meanwhile, Gwen wasn't impressed by the throngs of screaming kids and singing Muppets. So she decided the parade was a perfect time to take a nap.

After the parade, we decided to try out some of the water rides. First up: Morgan and Mom braved The Count's 3-2-1 Splash Castle.

Needless to say, "Splash Castle" is an accurate description of the ride. Buckets of ice cold water dump themselves on unsuspecting castle guests, while hoses squirt you at every corner. This prompted Morgan to claim "this is CRAZY!"

Needing a warm-up after visiting Splash Castle, we settled down to enjoy "Abby Caddabby's Treasure Hunt Show". Cookie Monster, Grover, Elmo and Rosita all joined Abby to search for clues to open the treasure chest. (Morgan was completely captivated by the show, to say the least.)

Hey, look -- the treasure inside the chest is books! (All the head honchos at PBS approve!)

After the show was over, it was on to some more water rides. Morgan loved riding "Slimey's Chutes" with Mom. She went on it four times and would have gone another four times if the late summer air didn't get so cool.

Finally, it was time to go.

Today's adventure was brought to you by the number "7" (the number of hours Morgan spent at the park without a nap) and the letter "X" (as in "x"-hausted, which is why Morgan fell sound asleep minutes after we got to the car).

Hello, crib!

It took us a few months to put it all together (see: "Bye bye, crib!" below), but Gwen's nursery is finally complete.

The color scheme Ariella chose is based around a Monkey duvet she found at Pottery Barn. You wouldn't think that brown, pink and orange could coexist. But, with a little help from Andy's Mom's handiwork, two Monkey duvets were transformed into new curtains, a new bedskirt and two new quilts that work together perfectly.

Hopefully some day soon, Gwen will join her two stuffed monkeys every night in her crib. But, for now, she still prefers sleeping in her bassinet in Mom and Dad's room.

Bye bye, crib!

Morgan's transition from crib to bed is finally complete.

Last weekend, we set Morgan up with a matching white twin bed, dresser and side table. With a new pink comforter, and new polka dot sheets and pillows to accompany the polka dots on her walls, carpet and curtain, Morgan's room is now a polka dot playground fit for a big girl.

Morgan was very excited to sleep in her new bed. Although, looking at the photo at the bottom, she still hasn't realized that she can spread out yet.

First Week as a SAHM

When Andy finally had to go back to work last week, it meant Ariella took on a new job title, too: "SAHM" (Stay at Home Mom). How did it go? See for yourself.

Monday, 8/16:

We kick off most mornings with walks to the train to drop Daddy off for work, followed by long walks around the neighborhood. On Monday, Morgan thought she needed to cool off in her water table after a vigorous walk! (Getting pushed around in a stroller is harder than it looks.)

Monday afternoon, Morgan requested to feed Gwen for the first time. She did a good job, and even tried the "hold the bottle in Gwen's mouth with your chin so you can use your hand for something else" trick.

Tuesday, 8/17:

Lately, Morgan has been obsessed with tomatoes. So she was thrilled to help Mom make stuffed tomatoes for dinner (and steal a taste or two). Another favorite pastime of Morgan's is playing in the sink. So Ariella killed two birds with one stone by handing her soapy scrubbing brush. (Who knew doing the dishes could be so much fun?) Meanwhile, Gwen learned that even though she loves being held by Mom, sometimes she needs to ride in the swing, too.

Wednesday, 8/18:

Wednesday was a rainy, muggy day. But that's nothing a stack of construction paper, some popsicle sticks, and a tube of Elmer's Glue can't fix!

Thursday, 8/19:

Gwen celebrated her first Monthday with a trip to the Voorhees Library to check out some puzzles and books with Mom and Morgan.

Friday, 8/20:

Ariella, Morgan and Gwen met up with Karen, Katie and Andrew at "Pump It Up" gym for some slide and climbing fun. All this excitement wore everyone out. In fact, Gwen got a head start on nap time while still at the gym.

Saturday, 8/21:

"SAHM" and the girls had a great week filled with all sorts of fun adventures. To cap it off, Morgan pretended the the gold chair was a school bus, and took her favorite new passenger for a ride.