Brrrrrrm! Splash!

They sat like this for a good 25 minutes.
What rivets them so?

It's the ice-smasher-boat!!

Otherwise known as the "AmphibEx" (amphibian excavator).

How do I know this?

A few years ago, a different group of tots was rivetted by the same spectacle, only this time some of the "workin-guys" were on shore. They admired the kids, and chatted about their work. The children were MESMERIZED.

Those big men!
That big machine!
The roaring and the cracking!
The whoosh of the water!
Those big chunks of ice!
(I mean, really. Does it get any better?)

One of the worker-dudes approached, hitching his jeans importantly.

"Stay in school, kids, or you'll end up doing this."

Well. There goes five families' hopes of their child's post-secondary education...

Spring is splooshing up all over

On a mild and soggy day, we trotted over to the park. Well, some of us rode, of course.

There were "Rivers! Lookata river!" to explore,

and puddles to wade in,

and though I thought we'd been pretty careful,
I guess it's no surprise

that fresh socks were required by all the walkers when we got home!

A long and winding road...

More Ikea cardboard! This was flat, so it was a perfect canvas for a roadmap. You saw the finished product; this is the process...


Serious business, painting.

Rx, Teddy

Teddy is sick! Never fear, Ella and Josh will fix her.

"First you listen to her heart with the stuffascope,"



... "and then you scrape her nose with this thing." (The thermometer.)


All better!

Dancing boys

Get it? Get it??

Apparently, only Owen gets the joke...

Box Art

Get a Big Box from Ikea, and get hours of play! (And that doesn't even count the hours of fun assembling what used to be IN the box!) The box has become, as you all know, a castle. And if you have a castle, of course you need swords and shields.

Very dull swords. Cardboard, no points, a little floppy, most of them. Because we all know that Important Parenting Maxim:

"It's all fun and games till somebody loses an eye!"

Owen is very proud of his lovely blue shield.

Toothbrushes: More than just clean teeth!

Ella and Josh decided they preferred a roof on the castle.

The roof came off the next day, when EVERYBODY wanted in.
Not sure what's up with Ella, there. Seems someone strafed the castle with Knockout Drops.

These boots are made for walking. If you can find them, that is.

Guess who's been busy this morning?
It's either Milan or Owen...

Here's Milan, but is he just checking out his compatriot's handiwork? Let's see...

Indie and I think the available evidence suggests it's Milan, all right!

(Darn that tattle-tale velcro, anyway...)

One of our more puzzling games...

No, they haven't all suddenly collapsed on the living room floor. We are playing "Sleeping Bunnies."

(Psst! Milan! Sleeping bunnies!)

Hop, little bunnies!
Off we go! Hop, hop, hop!

I'm not quite sure Milan gets this game...

But he sure does find it interesting!