A Perfect Day!

We had the best day ever! The day started with me making a big batch of cinnamon toast and cheesy scrambled eggs. Our normal Saturday breakfast. Then Daryl and Bodie took Riley to her ice skating lessons. While they were gone, Kaylee napped and I talked to Aunt Kara on the phone.
Today was absolutely beautiful!!! so we left the house as soon as everyone was done with their morning activities. The high today was 65 - we haven't been that warm since we left Texas!!! We headed to the lighthouse restaurant (don't know the real name- that's what we call it) at Onondoga Lake Park. Excellent food! We at on the deck with a rainbow umbrella and got there RIGHT before the crowd hit! The girls and I shared the seafood sampler with clams, scallops, haddock, shrimp and THE BEST sweet potato fries you have ever had! Not a crumb left. Then we headed to the park. It was like the entire town woke up from winter hibernation and hit the park!
The Onondoga Lake Park is obviously on Onondaga Lake in downtown Syracuse. It is a huge park with a skatepark, doggie park, paths around lake, and a huge kids playground. It is also a handicap accessable park. The kids all had fun running from around the different playgrounds, swinging on the swings (Kaylee didn't want to get off but there was a long line, only 6 swings for the ENTIRE park) and throwing rocks in the lake. Kaylee is such a sponge. All she does is watch her siblings and then follow their examples. That is either good or bad! :) It was so good to be outside without coats!! You can tell everyone else in the city was enjoying it too, since they were all out with us! I will be so excited to see all these trees with leaves on them!
After naps (I grocery shopped with my usual Starbucks peppermint mocha), we explored another park - to get the most out of this BEAUTIFUL day. We went to the North Syracuse Plank Road Park. Did you know that North Syracuse had the first plank road in the US in 1846? Well, we went to the memorial park today. We drive by it on our way to church and I have always wanted to visit when the weather got warmer. The park isn't as well taken care of as it should be! But it still is neat. A great playplace for the kids, monkey bars and swings. But no toddler swings for Kaylee. :{ There is an old trolley car, a toll road booth and an old one room school. The kids saw robins, 4 stray cats, chased a pair of geese, squirrels and a woodchuck. So much fun!!
For dinner, we went to a local mom and pop restaurant- Barberi's. Kaylee had excellent homemade mac and cheese with ham chunks. Riley and Bodie shared a cheese pizza. Daryl had spaghetti and meatballs. And I had the chicken marsala. All wonderful!!! The house italian dressing is so good we had to order an extra salad!!! I really wanted to try the red velvet cake for dessert but we noticed the Big Dip ice cream stand was open. Ice cream season has started - didn't know there WAS a season! :) Oh, it was SOOO good! Amazingly. I guess it should be because the stand is on the side of the road and there was a line around it! It will be a new family tradition for us!
The day was so good AND so fast, I never even got to take pictures! It was a beautiful day.
We are loving watching our flower plants peek out of the ground. When we moved in last fall, Bodie and I planted tulip, hyacinth, and daffodil bulbs. We are so excited to check on them every day!
That was a wonderful spring day! As an aside, last week on the second day of spring, it snowed and should snow again on Monday!! Spring had not fully sprung in central New York but it is on it's way! :)
We love it here!