Beka and Jared enjoyed looking at the animals and petting them. We saw sheep, pigs, rabbits, goats, and cows, and probalby some I am forgetting. Then we went and looked at the crafts. Some of the Lego projects were amazing. There was a baseball diamond with stands filled with fans.

The second part of the week focused on sunflowers. Each child drew a closeup of two sunflowers and colored them with oil pastels. I wish I could have gotten pictures of all of the sunflowers. They were so beautiful. The kids in class really took their time.

(Beka’s picture is on top and Jared’s is on bottom)

We had an exciting week this week. On Monday afternoon, Beka was trying to walk the dog. Well, Kahla went one way and Beka went the other. Beka bruised her foot pretty badly but it wasn’t broken. She is still limping a little, but she is much better. The unintended effect of the injury was a lot of down time on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday night, Jared was getting a feral look in his eyes. I knew if I did not get him some exercise and outside time I was going to regret it. So Thursday and Friday afternoons were spent at playgrounds around town giving Jared plenty of time to run and play. I played frisbee, soccer, and sharks and minnows. I think I was more tired than Jared, but at least the feral look was gone.

Now, you might wonder what Beka was doing while Jared and I were playing. Beka has been wanting to cross-stitch for awhile now. So I bought her a little stamped cross-stitch kit where you make a whale. It was very travel friendly and kept Beka occupied for hours.

The finished product doesn’t look too bad either.

This past weekend we were there for a bridal shower. My brother is getting married in August, so my family threw a pampered chef party for the bride-to-be. The shower went much more smoothly than I had expected. And everyone reported that they had a good time.

This week is filled with Jared’s sports sampler camp through the parks department here. I will have more about that later.

Jared looked at me and said "Mom, I would rather read than watch a movie"

I am hoping and praying this attitude keeps up. It could be a very interesting summer if all three of us have our noses stuck in a book 75% of the time.

Sidenote: Jared also lost one of his front teeth on Friday. So hearing him say oil pastels all weekend was hilarious

Well, I finally found a solution. We started the question of the day. Questions range from “if you could invent a type of ice cream what would it be?” to “what super power would you choose?” Sometimes we do best and worst of the day or the top three highlights of your day. But the questions seem to work the best.

The other night we discussed what the world would be like if people lived underwater. We decided that would be fatter in order to insulate us from the cold water and that we would probably live in underwater caves eating cold fish. Beka and Jared actually look forward to the nightly conversations now, and they remind me if I forget to ask the question. And no one is just rushing through eating either. Meal times has become much more enjoyable for everyone.

I am sure as the weather gets warmer though, we will spend a lot more time outside.

I am hoping the year continues to be one of great joy and love.