Meri was out of town this weekend so Sam and I got to hang out, just the two of us (note to self: this doesn’t happen nearly enough).  After chores, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, running errands, Sam’s naps, daddy’s naps, etc., that left us a whole hour a day to have fun!  Sometimes two!  :) 

The highlight was Ray’s Splash Planet, an indoor water park in uptown Charlotte.  They have a giant slide, a jungle gym of sorts with water dumping from buckets and pipes, a section with basketball and volleyball nets set up in the pool, and inner tubes you can ride in a current.  The first 45 minutes was spent coaxing her into the water.  I figured she’d take to it immediately since she enjoyed the pool at our apartment complex in Raleigh and she LOVES pretending like she’s swimming in the bath.  Of course, those didn’t have a bunch of screaming kids and this general level of excitement and eye candy.  But finally we found a beach ball and Sam eventually waded into the kiddie end (0-3 ft) to play with it.  She got bolder after a while and walked with me to where the water was almost chest level for her.  All in all she had a blast and got to play with some kids.  It was nice to be indoors since it was 90-95 degrees out and I didn’t have to worry about sunburn.  At $8/adult and $6/kid (more for non-county residents), I’m not sure how often we’re going to go, but it’s still a good time.

Near our house is a shopping plaza with several restaurants that have outdoor seating.  It’s been absolutely gorgeous in Charlotte, and while a little warm for this time of year, around 6pm outdoors under a canopy felt perfect. 

You’ll notice in the pictures below I didn’t pick the world’s healthiest restaurant.  But I needed Sam to eat and we can always bank on her throwing down a hot dog.  She doesn’t really eat the fries; she prefers to dip it in ketchup, lick it all off, then hand me her slobbery uneaten fry.  She ate her hot dog though like a big girl so I let her have the ice cream that comes with their kids meal (note to parents: this is BTs Burger Joint in Rivergate.  Their kids meal doesn’t come with anything healthy.  Burger or grilled cheese or hot dog and fries with ice cream.  That’s pretty much it.  It’s greasy-goodness, but consider yourself forewarned).  She insisted on eating the ice cream by herself and actually did a decent job with minimal spillage.  I was proud, broken-hearted, and relieved all at the same time.

This was also Sam’s first time in a booster seat, whereas normally we put her in a high chair.  She didn’t seem to mind but after a while asked me to take it away.  She was also rocking the shades most of the day.  It was beyond cute and intrigued the little boy sitting in the next table.  I think I heard his mom make a comment about flirting, which I didn’t find funny in the least bit. 

So and overall fantastic weekend.

Last night, we finally decided to take Sam for a big girl haircut.  Meri found a place in Fort Mill, SC, called Clipper Doodles, which even I have to admit is a fairly cute name for a children’s barbershop (or hair salon, whichever).  We really weren’t expecting Sam to go in without a fight, but to our huge surprise she was a trooper and extremely well-behaved.  Here she is before the party got underway, with a little bit of a deer-in-the-headlights initial reaction:  

The lady cutting Sam’s hair was really good with her, moving around Sam’s head as she looked around rather than forcing her head into specific positions.  It also helped that each station had a little TV and DVD player, so Sam got to watch that Go Diego show.  I loved how cute she was with her hair pinned up on each side.

I’m really not sure whether she liked it or hated it, but she never complained once.  It’s probably because this was entirely different from anything she’s experienced so far, and in those situations (e.g., the zoo, aquarium, kids she’s never met, etc.) her typical response is to quietly take it all in.

Here’s the finished product, too cute for words.

And, as all good haircuts should, it ended with a lollipop.