Happy Hollow

This Saturday was amazing because I spent the entire day with the cutest little companion ever. I was looking forward to this day all week long because a) she's the funniest, smartest little person who knows how to make me laugh and b) work has been kind of stressful lately so I really needed a day outside and away from it all. And now that my niece lives super close to us, seeing her is just too easy! I absolutely cherish my time with her, just the two us, because we have such adorable conversations and being around her infectious personality is the best.

After picking her up in the morning, we ventured to Happy Hollow where not even the bagillion degree heat could stop us from having the best day. We spent the afternoon riding all the rides, playing on all the playgrounds, and feeding all the animals. I have so many memories at Happy Hollow from my own childhood (pretty sure I have pictures of me as an infant on that same merry-go-round), so it's pretty neat to come full circle and take my niece there now. 

I let her lead the way the whole time, so we started by going on the merry-go-round, then climbing on the huge playground (she insisted I climb and slide down the slides with her), followed by rides, an icee, and animals. I am so amazed by how patient she is. We were both so hot and sweaty, and even though we had to wait in the sun for the rides, she was the only kid there who didn't complain for a second. Other kids were crying and screaming but not her! She's also very modest because when I told her how patient she was, she smiled her little smile and said "I'm not patient Auntie Nay Nay". 

My favorite moments are when she runs on the playground and yells "AUNTIE NAY NAY!!!!" to make sure I'm right behind her. I also love seeing her expression and laugh when we ride roller coasters and go on the drop zone ride together. It was pure joy on her face! 

After three hours at Happy Hollow, she turned to me and said "We've been here a long time Auntie Nay Nay, and it's really hot, so let's go home now" so that was my cue! We made our way to Target so that I could get a few things, plus we needed to be in AC badly. We did some candle shopping there, and spent about 20 minutes smelling all the candles. After I would smell one, I'd say "Oooh I love this one, it smells like roses!" then she'd smell it and say "Yes, it does!" and then put it in the cart. No matter what my reaction was to the scent, she'd always copy it. When I said "Ew, I don't like this one" she'd smell it and immediately say the same thing. It was SO cute. After that, we ate at Whole Foods (where we got a few purple bath bombs that she was excited to use that night) and then shared some vegan ice cream at Pressed Juicery. Her request was "chocolate with chocolate chips", and she totally loved it! 

Our last stop was at the playground, perhaps her favorite place in the world. She made friends with two little girls who followed her around everywhere, and you could tell she was in heaven. I am already planning our next adventure together, so stay tuned :-) And if you couldn't already tell, I love this little girl to the moon and back. Xoxo