Pontoon boat riding and the bump makes an appearance

It was Grandma's birthday this weekend so we had a lovely picnic at Black Hill Park and then went for a ride on a pontoon boat around the lake. It was super hot and muggy so we were glad not to be doing anything that required exertion, like walking or even canoeing around the lake! The pontoon takes you around to all the little inlets, there is a breeze, beaver lodges, dragonflies and other fun lake things and all for just $4 a person! The captain of the boat gave us a little history of the lake, but more interestingly, he pulled out furs of the creatures that actually live in the park around the lake. It was fun and a little creepy to touch beaver pelt, coyote, squirrel, fox and even mink! The kids had fun putting the smaller animals on their arms and freaking the parents out.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Family Photo taken by Uncle Travis

HOT

Wearing a groundhog. Much hand sanitiser was used after. 

Summer holidays some more

Last week was another busy one but lots of fun. We rode in a pontoon boat to look for dragonflies. We found just a few but Emma had a lot of fun looking at the provided charts and guessing which were the dragonflies we were seeing. We also spotted a couple of great Blue Herons skimming along the lake away from us, a number of turtles sunning themselves and a lone deer in the woods. We also went to play at Cabin John playground and picnic area where there is a mini-train. This was with a couple of other Butler School families and it took her a while before she was ready to play with the kids instead of me. On Saturday, Keir took Emma down to a fun day of all things Civil War. General Stuart (a re-enactor on his horse) and his army marched into Rockville and arrested a whole bunch of Northern traitors. We had been talking at breakfast about generals, armies and such and I had mentioned how the army would requisition people's livestock and food for the war. Emma completely fixated on this, I suppose as something she could understand. When she saw General Stuart ride in on his fine steed she stuffed her water bottle and snacks behind her so that he could not get them! K explained to her how the General had told the assembled crowd of 300 people not to "fear for their belongings" and so she allowed him to lift her up to his shoulders for a better view of the handsome fellow. I have a few photos here of last week, and also some random ones off my phone as it slowly recovers from it's toilet dunk. Included are some pics of Grandma in civil war costume. We didn't have a good one of her face, but she is the lovely lady in the pink with hoop skirts! Just one more reason Grandma is awesome. Also included are a photo of a friend Theresa, who we met in Kenya and is now living back in the States, a picture Emma drew of K on her board, the cat being patiently tortured with hairbands, feeding the chickens at the farm-share whilst wearing protective headgear and marking on the star-chart when she had slept through the night.

Dear Emma, 2 July, 2013

Dear Emma, In the car today you asked to play the kid and the monkey game. I said I didn't know how to play and you would have to teach me. You told me that I had "teached" you the game and then you proceeded to sing; " I wrote a note, I wrote a note and then I dropped the note. A monkey found it." I realised you meant the clapping song "I wrote a letter to my love". You loved that we clapped during the game and then when it came time to catch the monkey you had to run screaming all over the house. Of course we couldn't do that in the car so instead we just sang the song over and over again. You soon became bored of the lyrics and made up your own. "A little monkey picked it up and pooped on it. Then he squished it with another note and put it in his pocket." Which led naturally to a discussion of how one would get monkey poop out of the note and also out of a pocket. Hugs Mom

Dear Emma, 1st July 2013

Dear Emma, Today you had a high fever all day and did not feel well. You actually opted to lie down quietly every now and then in a "nest" of pillows on blankets on the couch. During one of these sessions you were quiet for a while and I thought you had fallen asleep. Then you chirped up and asked me "Mom, is the baby naked in your tummy?" I responded that she was and you then said to me: "Well, you share your chocolate with the baby, you should share your clothes too." Hugs Your Mom

Quiet Day

On Saturday, after a busy week, Emma asked me if we could, please Mommy, just have a day to watch movies? I slowed the pace on Saturday, and Sunday too, and today has been quite glacial. We had a slow breakfast, cleaned the house and stayed in our pajamas 'til nearly 2. On Sunday we had been strawberry picking with Dad but the berries are not great so Emma and I have laid them on wax paper on a cookie sheet for freezing, for something we will come up with later. She played a while upstairs with her doll house before she declared it filthy. I set her up at the kitchen sink with soap and water and a towel and she has been occupied washing all the doll house goodies for 45 minutes now. She is wet through, the counter, the floor and parts of the ceiling are wet, but she is happy as a pig in mud and so am I!

Picnic

Yesterday we tried to go creeking. I don't think I have ever done this, unless A-level Biology and Geography fieldwork counts? I imagine it to mean that you wade up and down a creek and find fascinating stones, creatures and other creek stuff. Unfortunately, it had rained, well, more than a little bit. The creek that we chose is on a floodplain. In usual circumstances one crosses a lovely green field, take a short walk in a cool woods and end up on a stony beach. This time we trekked though a mud paddy, and then halted when we saw the woods were essentially a swamp. We were with friends, one of whom is a nearly four year old boy. He said, "there's crocodiles in there" and we abandoned. We piled back in the car with our very wet shoes, studiously ignoring the fisherman putting on waders and gumboots, and headed off to a playground. It's actually an excellent playground with lots of different things for the kids to do and a good flat (dry) bit to put your picnic blanket under a tree. We all had a blissful three hours outside, swinging, jumping, eating, climbing and chatting. Then we came home to put our sneakers in the wash and agreed that when it was hot and dry we would try the creek again!

First summer playdate

We went out to friends who have a house with a lovely garden where they grow actual vegetables, have two ponies and chickens! Emma played for four hours straight and I chatted for four hours straight and we both had an awesome time. One of the highlights for me was Em's little friend taking her out to the garden and them eating handfuls of snap peas straight off the vines and then collecting the eggs out of the coop. On the way home she crashed so hard that she couldn't be woken up, even with the move from the car to the house.

Dear Emma, 12 June 2013

Dear Emma, You only have two concepts of time. Five minutes and forty five hours. The first means a short time and the second means a long time. You mean the long time to actually be longer than forty five hours but just how long is variable. When we leave a fun place and get in the car you sit there for a few minutes while we drive away and then you realise that we are actually leaving. From the backseat you pipe up loudly and complainingly; But Mommy! I wanted to stay there for FORTY FIVE HOOOUUUURRRRRRS! Today you were conversing with Cousin Travis about how you could both become statues and stay frozen for a long time. You told him very seriously that you could stay statues for forty five hours. I have tried to explain how forty five hours includes night-times as well as day-times but you won't be swayed from using it to measure how fun something was. Or how long it is taking me to finish this blog post. Hugs, Your Mom.

Summer Holidays, Age 3

Emma is on summer holidays. Her last day of school was Friday and I am determined that we are going to do something fun every day to celebrate this wonderful area that we live in. We are going to the theater, to parks, to playgrounds, to farms, to the zoo, bowling, creeking, hiking and swimming. And that's just this week! Hah! It's so easy to not get out of your pajamas, lie around all day in the house and get bored with each other. Emma chose a colour pen and we wrote on the calendar. One activity for each day this week. Yesterday was the library (amongst other errands) and today we are going strawberry picking. Of course it rained on our first day out but we broke out the Gumboots! Today we started the day with craisin-beet muffins which are scenting the house in a marvellous way as I type.

Dear Emma 30 December 2012

Dear Emma, You were supposed to be going to sleep and you came into our bedroom. You had cheerios neatly arranged in lines stuck to your shirt. I pointed them out to you and you were very proud of them. I asked how you got them on your shirt. You carefully explained that you just suck on them and then stick them. Your Dad lay laughing helplessly into the duvet while I tried to convince you to take them off and go to bed. Hugs Your Mom

Dear Emma January first, 2013

Dear Emma, As long as your Dad and I have been together he has loved to sing the Puff the Magic Dragon song and it has made me cry. I feel so heartbroken for Puff when his boy leaves him so alone and he retreats to his cave. Your Dad has always enjoyed teasing me at how emotional I become but none the less does not sing the song while I am around. And so you have come to be three years old and heard the song perhaps once or twice. Looking for Christmas presents for your Dad in the bookstore I came across a lovely board book telling Puff's story. In this one, the last two pages where they repeat the chorus, Jackie Paper returns as an adult and brings his daughter with him. What a wonderful idea! At last Puff will have another friend. And this little girl will one day bring her children to find the lonely dragon too! We opened the book on Christmas day but it wasn't until Sunday night that we read it to you. You lay on your back between us on our bed and when Jack left, you got teary! I swear I have never said anything about it in front of you. You became sad for just the same reason that I always did! You and I had to talk and talk through the pictures of Jack bringing his daughter and you still were not resolved that the story wasn't too sad. Your Dad made up two new verses describing Puff and the girl's joy at finding one another. Now it is a story, book and song that makes us happy instead of sad. Hugs Your Mom