Busy Days

Since Bella's birthday I've felt like we haven't been doing too much but then I downloaded the pictures from my camera this evening and found that there really have been quite a few cute moments. We're heading on vacation tomorrow, so I don't have a lot of time to blog, but I wanted to post a few fun ones.

One rainy day I decided the kids needed to expend some energy so we took bikes, balls, and other toys to the church and played in the gym for nearly two hours. However, despite the things that we brought, the kids' favorite thing to play was "the garbage can monster" - go figure.


I also taught them how to put on a play and to use terms "first act," "final act" "musical number," "standing ovation," "audience," and "applause." That was so much fun. They came up with the cutest things. My favorite was when Benjamin, in an effort to say, "Ladies and Gentlemen" said, "Girls and George." Bella's musical number was "I will stand up" - a primary song (p.278) that she loves. She stood up on the stage and I sat on a bike down below and of course, she received multiple requests for an encore. :) So wish I'd gotten it on camera!

We also visited a library on a different rainy day - been having a lot of those lately - and luckily, unknowingly came on a day when they were doing a space exhibit. The kids had a blast (no pun intended) in the rocket flying to the moon, jupiter, and pluto (I'm sorry, I still pretend its a planet), and driving their moon buggy around collecting moon rocks. I love it when there's toys that I have fun playing with too.




Finally, today, a beautiful, sunny day, we went to Greenfield Village. I love that place so much. I'm such a history buff and could spend all day there in the various houses. However, I've never been without small children, so my main destinations every time are the farm, the carousel, the horse-drawn carriage, and the train. Still a great time, though, and so nice to be outside in the sunshine and to be able to have friends join us and share in the fun.




Have to say, though, that my kids have an eerie ability to track down water wherever it may be. People sometimes laugh at me for brining a change of clothes EVERYWHERE I go. You would too if you had my kids, believe me. You don't think of Greenfield Village as a water park, but my kids found the old flower pots by the side of a house which were filled with rain water, the horses' watering trough, and every single muddy puddle in every single field of grass we passed. By the time we left, (again - so wished I'd taken a picture before washing them!!) both my kids were soaked head to toe in muddy water. They got many curious, puzzled looks as I walked them to the restroom. They'd both worn white shirts which were brown clear through and even their face and hair was mud encrusted. Their shoes squished and leaked as they walked. Whenever someone commented on their appearance, Bella would say, "Me dirty! Me jump water!" and grin.

I hope people didn't mind me stripping my kids naked in the public restroom and washing them off in the sink. I'm European, okay? Nudity's not such a big issue to me - deal with it. :) Filthy muddy car seats are a bigger problem. In any case, it was fun to see them so happy. A lady actually came over while I was washing Benjamin and said to me, "I saw him jumping in those puddles in the field. He looked like he was having the time of his life!" He really did. And his buddy Amelia, standing at a safe distance, laughing her head off each time the muddy water sloshed over his head, only egged him on more. I can just see him as a teenager trying to impress the ladies. I can only imagine what stunts he'll come up with then.