Happy Birthday Mae!

Special friends.           Special times.

Mae, a sweet, sweet friend we met through Aunt Christine had her 3 year old birthday. They decided to celebrate at a play center in town that is truly a special environment for toddlers. We were so happy to get to be part of her big day.

Malynn and Jack could have stayed there for hours making discoveries at the interesting stations they had set up for the kids.

Malynn couldn't resist a little 1:1 time with baby Evan helping him learn about the curved blocks. She was so sweet: handing him his ball when it rolled away, showing him different ways to position the blocks, telling him "no-no" kindly when he tried to put things in his mouth.

Jack found cars and places to drive them -what more could a toddler boy ask for!

I'm sad that I didn't get more pictures of this memorable birthday. I only had my phone with me and was enjoying adult conversation with parents since so much independent play was going on. Mostly I wish I had a picture of the birthday girl who was a graceful star of the day. She greeted us as we arrived, played joyfully with all her friends, and thanked us all as we left. Thank you Mae! We look forward to meeting up at the park again this spring!

The Water Table is Back

Bye-bye winter! Summer came with a vengeance the last couple days! When we hit highs near and in the 90s I had to frantically find the piles of short sleeves, dig out the sunscreen, and set up fans. The kids were being total troopers about toughing out a few hot days without turning on the AC yet, so I decided to surprise them with the water table after naps.

I was captivated watching them engage with familiar toys using new abilities and curiosities.

I'm ready for water shoes and the regular smell of sun screen. Yay!

Sand, Buses, & Books

Daddy had a couple big work days near Grand and Ottar's house, so we made a little trip out of it.

Now Jack and Malynn are big enough to handle the walk a little ways down the road to the neighborhood co-op preschool which has an amazing playground that surrounds it! Our favorite spot by far was the HUGE sandbox!

 

We were busy there both afternoons and late for dinner both days because it was just too hard to leave!

Saturday brought an exciting new experience...our first bus ride!

Here's Jack with his first bus schedule and Malynn listening intently to a little tutorial from Ottar.

The bus took us to the local library where we found some of our favorites, like Maisy books, and some fantastic new fire truck stories thanks to the librarian who overheard our desires as we walked in. :)

Malynn and Jack got the "full" city bus experience when the bus that was scheduled to take us home didn't show! Bummer.

We all took it in stride, especially the kids. Malynn and Jack kept themselves occupied while we waited with hunting down dandylions and a little ring-around-the-rosy around the bus stop pole. Then we settled on a little walk along a trail while Amita drove home to do a car switch and come pick us all up.

Daddy was finally done and able to meet us at the playground before dinner. After a full day of play, outside time, and a big dose of walking, the kids had earned a little daddy ride on the way home. We love our strong daddy!!!