Busy and Fun

Yesterday was so full of fun things that I didn't know which to pick, so we just did them all. The first was a concert at the Scarab Club in downtown Detroit. It was a chamber music concert for children 5 and under. I've wanted the chance to expose my kids to live orchestral music but most symphonies are not places for small children. So I was excited for the chance to take them somewhere that would understand if they got fidgety and noisy. This performance was a lot like Peter and Wolf, in that they told a story and the instruments were the voices of the characters - the old man was a bassoon, the bird was a flute, etc. The narrator would tell a part of the story and then the musicians would play a piece illustrating it or sometimes play as the narrator spoke. It was wonderful and my kids loved it. Benjamin leaned over to me a few times and made comments like, "The old man is sad, so now they're using the low instruments," when the cello and the bassoon did a duet. After the concert was over, the kids were allowed to meet the musicians and play their instruments. Benjamin wanted to try the violin and Bella was most interested in the flute. They both stood in line repeatedly to get a chance to play. Everyone was very friendly and complimentary and made my kids feel like musical prodigies. It was a wonderful experience that I hope we get to have again soon. And next time I'll remember to take pictures! I was so mad after we left and I realized I had forgotten to take a single one!

After that, we went right next door to the Detroit Science Center - the science museum for kids - and went to the planetarium and the museum in general. It was their first time in a planetarium and it was so fun to see their reaction as the sky rotated overhead and they both thought the room was spinning. "Why are we turning, mommy?" Bella also loved the young kids' area and was absolutely giddy about the animal print feather boa vests and butterfly wings.





After that we picked up Kelly and Christian at home and headed to Maybury Park to go on a tractor ride to the beehives and learn about the honey harvest. Unfortunately we didn't get to assist. Kelly and I were so stoked at the idea of donning the beekeeper suits and getting in there, but we simply rode past the hives and then went back to the main barn for a demonstration. A bit of a letdown. We were shown a hive with the honey still in the comb and taught how it's made and how it's extracted. The kids got to wear a beekeeper's hat at least, and they had a great time.



After that we went to another nearby park for a potluck "Ancestor Party" - Pioneer Day party, Michigan style. We had great food and told stories about our ancestors, while the kids played super heroes in a huge sand pit and Bella took a dirt bath. A good time was had by all.




Such a full day and so much fun. Summer really is great, even if it's blazing hot. It's sad that Bella doesn't nap anymore, but I love having the extra time to do fun things and have a day like this.

One last thing I wanted to blog about - the kids were playing in the pool and Benjamin got a gallon-size ziploc bag, filled it with water and then tried to throw it on me. In an effort to convince him to use his energy for good, I suggested he try to throw the water into cool forms and we'll take pictures to see what they look like as they go through the air. He was immediately excited and we ended up throwing the bag about 20 times before he'd had enough. Here are some of the best results. I love how some of them look like giant water monsters chasing him.