Forging Friendships

I never really did figure out this game, but it seemed to go something like this:
"You lie down, and I'll poke your tummy with a block."

"And then I'LL lie down, and YOU can poke MY tummy with a block!!!"

(Listen to me, the over-analytical adult. What's to "understand"? That IS the game, and a fine game it was, too! Kept them entertained for a good twenty minutes.)

They seem to be connecting these days, Owen and Astrid. Let the dancing commence!

Getting the Good Picture...

Isn't that easy.
It takes persistance. Dedication.
And a lot of luck.

Photo #1:
Grown-up: Sooooo mellow.
(All appearances to the contrary, no illicit substances were involved in the making of this picture.)
Child: Disgruntled? Offended? Pooping?
Result: Mediocre

Photo #2:
Child: Not bad.
Adult: Demented
Result: "Mommy? Daddy? Are you sure she's safe?"

Photo #3:
Adult: All right.
Child: Pretty good.
Result: Okay. C+, B-?

The quest continues...

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

They are absolutely not allowed to do this.
Not, not, not.

Buuuut... She likes it in there so well. Would it be wrong of me to get one for her? I promise I'd leave the door open!

Most of the time.

Nature Fascinates

"Look, guys! What's that?"
Etienne's sharp eyes caught sight of a fuzzy red caterpillar.

They loved it!

Just for looking at, mind you...

We don't want to have to actually touch it.

Some of us, in fact, were completely overcome... zzz...

Excitement!

Co-operative play

This game needed constant monitoring and instruction, but they really enjoyed themselves. Very cute.

Look who we bumped into the other day!

She seems to be loving her new "school".

Museum of Nature, Part 3: DINOSAURS!

The Museum of Nature, we call it. The kids don't call it that, of course. To them, it has always been, and probably always will be, "The Dinosaur Museum".

And a well-earned designation it is, too. The new dinosaur exhibit is gorgeous. Eliana looks just the teeniest bit uncertain here. It is dim in here, and they sure are BIG, those things!
It's blurry, but this picture provides a decent impression of the room. (Eliana seems to have recovered from any passing nervousness!)

"How about Astrid?" Dad wanted to know. Was she intimidated by the dinosaurs, did I think?
Um, not so's you'd notice, no...

Museum of Nature: Part two - PEEK!

But keep a wary eye open for those polar bears!

In this exhibit, we see polar bears patiently waiting by a seal's air hole, with an unfortunate seal about to pop above the surface of the water.

We don't see the bears actually in the act of dining.
(I am suitable grateful.)
The seal is at one airhole. The kids (with as much help as required) can pop up and be seals in another.
Fun!!

Museum of Nature, Part one

Busses are fun!
(They're even better when you have someone to hold your hand.)

Yes, the renovations are STILL ongoing! I knew the central tower had been a problem: the stone was too weighty for the foundation, and had been settling in an increasingly unstable manner. I didn't know this was their solution, and I rather like it. The new entrance is much more welcoming, too, and very much more practical for all the stroller traffic this museum gets!

And where there are renovations, there is Heavy Machinery! Since any trip with the tots is an Experience from the moment our toes hit the sidewalk, we're not about to hurry past the backhoe to get to the museum. We know how to stop and smell the roses.

Or diesel fuel, as the case may be.

Once inside, there are all sorts of fun things to see, do, and TOUCH.