Ice and snow

Sebastian has two new words, ice and snow. He has become obsessed with going outdoors to play. He loves his boots, mittens and hat and does not want to take them off when he goes inside. Which usually means lots of crying. He's going to be an outdoor boy, just like his brother.

Book trail

Kiss

Tara, the vice president of the BABS board (soon to be president when my term is up), invited us all over for brunch. Maia and Sebastian gave each other hugs and kisses. Julien played pet shop with Tara's husband, Spencer. Spencer pretended to buy a scorpion from Julien. Julien was thrilled.

Bowling

Richard was out of town this weekend, so I organized lots of outings! On friday night we hung out with Julien's classmate, Isaac and his family. We went out bowling, which was a first for Julien. It was really fun to do something so different. Even Sebastian took a few turns.

Night time routine

Sometimes the night time routine takes forever, but it is still one of my favorite parts of the day. When all goes well the boys love their bath, which they take together. The bathroom gets very wet in the process. After PJs they tumble into Julien's bed. Julien reads a story, then I read a story, then we lie down for an "underneath story," which is really a discussion. For the last two weeks we have been imagining floats for a parade- an insect float, a manatee float, a Star Wars float, a float for all his favorite books, etc. Every night we come up with a new one. Then we all get up for Julien to go potty one last time. Then we tuck him in and then I take Sebastian in to our room and nurse him to sleep.

At some point this will all simplify. For now, I am happy to have a bit of time each day just concentrating on the boys without too many extra distractions.

Puddle

Sunday was particularly warm, but it was also rainy. Finally, in the afternoon, the sun came out, so we went out in the yard to play. The boys went straight for the puddle. By the time we came in they were both completely drenched and very, very happy.

A muddy hike

It was a lot warmer this weekend so we all went out for a hike at Griffy lake. We had not realized quite how muddy it would be. Julien loved it.

Balloon tangle

Richard's mom sent us Valentine balloons (as well as flowers and yummy chocolate). The kids were thrilled with the balloons.

Valentine Party

Julien's Kindergarten class had a Valentine's Day Party yesterday. Julien's favorite song that they performed was "I'm gonna mail myself to you."

I was impressed that most of the boys gave out homemade valentines.

Snake touching

Sebastian was apprehensive about touching the snake. But he did, very gently.

Neal's Party

Julien went to Neal's birthday party at Wonderlab this last weekend. Neal is a friend from Hoosier courts pre-school. Julien was very happy to see all his old buddies.

Peanut butter play dough

We recently made peanut butter play dough, following a recipe from the "Peanut Butter Party" book. Lots of fun.

Last week Julien had me read "The Young French Chef" as his bedtime book every night. It is a recipe book my sister and I used when we were little girls (published in 1969). It's great. Julien's favorites (to read) are "Mackerel in Foil," "Crepes" and "Chocolate Mousse," although the only recipe we have actually made so far is for crepes. When I read it I skip the intro that says, "This book is intended as a beginning book of French Cooking, to introduce American girls to the joys of French Cuisine." But I do read the section titled, "Before you begin," which includes, "If you are roasting meat or deep-frying, protect your hair from odors with a scarf."

I'm not sure what he likes about this book, the promise of good food? That children are expected to be capable of making something of substance? Is it the similarity to a chemistry experiment? Or is it just the straight forward declarative sentences?

Science Experiments

Recently, we have been doing simple science experiments in the kitchen. Mostly we have been mixing food coloring, baking soda and vinegar and watching it bubble over. Richard and Julien also bought a small chemistry set and have started to do a few more complicated experiments. Sebastian has not gotten involved in this activity yet, but I am sure he will soon.

The end of the hike

Breaking ice

Stalagmite

We went into the opening of Wolf Cave, where we found ice stalagmites. It really looked spacey.

Glistening

Everything was glistening in the sunlight.

Hiking

Brethren

While at McCormick Creek we went into the Inn to use the bathrooms, when suddenly we were surrounded by people with amish beards and bonnets. We figured it was some kind of Menonite event, but what? Finally Richard saw a sign that explained it, a Young Couples Retreat for the Old German Baptists. We saw many young couples out for a stroll. Richard wondered, is it like a school dance, where you dance with different people? Do they go on a stroll with different people? It was facinating watching them strolling in their handmade dresses looking both austere and flush faced.

When we got home we had to look them up. The Old German Baptists are called "the Brethren" and are related to the Menonites. One difference is that they accepted the phone. The largest number reside in Ohio and Indiana. I have seen Brethren before at the farmers market, I believe (based on dress and that they use cars), although how to differentiate between the groups I don't know. For some reason I keep thinking about them. It was a peek into another world.

A cold lunch

We had a picnic out in the snow. It was cold.

In this photo Sebastian looks like he is eating worms.

Running

McCormick Creek

It was a bit warmer this weekend and SUNNY, so we ventured out to McCormick Creek State Park. It felt so good to be outside. The boys were excited to run around and throw snowballs.

Sore throat

I've been sick this last week and drinking lots of tea. I'm feeling most of the way better now.