Waterpark

WaterparkDad and Mom went to the zoo with us for “Mommy Camp”. We had a great time exploring. The kids were treated to a stuffed tiger and a ride on the zoo train. They both enjoyed it, but Megan was fascinated with it.

After the zoo, we enjoyed a picnic lunch. The kids wanted to play on the playground, but I told them no. Then I took out their swim suits I had brought and let them play in a small water park across from the playground. Megan ran around screaming with joy.  Adrian enjoyed having the water dump on his head and I often found him under the bucket trying to get hit.

It was hard to tell them it was time to go. They were having a great time and I enjoyed watching them have fun. I thought they would be exhausted and fall asleep in the car, but they talked about the water park the whole way home.

Smile
A very cold, but happy, little girl!

Holly and Paul

Megan and HollyOur neighbors have two barn kittens.   The soft fluffy one is Holly, and the stripped one is Paul, often called “Paully”. Yes, there is a story there, be sure to ask the children about it.

The kittens are  friendly and love to be cuddled.  Paul almost always purrs when held.  Holly takes a little coaxing, but she purrs for us too.

They are extremely tolerant of Megan, who tries hard to hold them gently. Megan loves to take Paul on drives and he will sit next to her while she borrows the neighbor’s car for a spin around the driveway.Megan and Paul

Holly hates joy rides but after playing “Momma and baby” prefers to play hide and seek.  She discovered if she sits on the fence railing, she can can hide from Megan very nicely!

Holly

‘Nuffy

Megan and FrogAudrey and Adrian are in “Nature Explorer Camp” this week. Today they got to explore a swamp and then learned about reptiles and amphibians.

Megan and SnuffyMegan was fascinated with the frogs and toads. She enjoyed learning how to play gently with them.

She was a little scared of Snuffy the Cornsnake at first.  Megan petted Snuffy while Audrey or Mark held him. She watched the big kids all hold Snuffy and decided that she needed to also. When Audrey offered to let Megan hold him, she took the snake and held him just long enough for a couple pictures.

She told me “‘Nuffy nice. I like ‘Nuffy”.

Playing

turtlewalking Twirl Tower ClimbingThe kids and I had a field trip to the zoo and a playground near it. While the kids played, I experimented with my camera.

I am trying not to use the “P” setting at all. So I needed to adjust my camera settings for their playing and the brightness of the sun. Since I am trying to learn to pose people better, the kids let me take two posed pictures also. Then I practiced candid shots.

We played until the zoo opened. Even though it was very crowded, we were able to visit our favorite animals before leaving. We then enjoyed a picnic lunch, and headed home.

 

 

Bubbles

Playing with Daddy

Every year, the kids and I experiment with different bubble solutions to find ones that we really like.  Store bought bubbles are good, but home made are more fun.

Before bed, the kids invited Allan to see their bubbles. They had practiced blowing large ones earlier and wanted to show Daddy.  He joined in the fun and blew some for the kids to chase.

We will experiment some more this year. We have lots of ideas we want to try!

We used our normal bubble mix. Mix 1 part Dawn or Joy dish soap (classic is better than Ultra, but both work) with 3 parts soft or distilled water.  Start with a few drops of glycerin, but experiment with how much is needed to get longer lasting bubbles. Let the mix sit a few hours before using. Keep the solution in a tightly covered container so the mix does not dry out. We are looking for a replacement for glycerin, it is slightly expensive, but helps to make wonderful bubbles.

“By Myself!”

Megan's SmileMark and I were outside trying to get pictures of some baby robins. I went inside to discover Megan sitting on the bathroom sink by herself. I asked her who left her up there.  Smiling hugely, she told me “all by myself, need down.” After hearing “you can’t do that, your too little” all the time, I think she was proud that she figured out she isn’t too little to wash her own hands.