A Trip to Space with Boa Constrictors

On the most beautiful day of the year - or so it felt, my boys wanted to go to the Science Center.  And, since it's air conditioned, I said yes.

We got late start, but by noon we were filled full with lunch and then launched into outer space.  The boys typically go to the space exhibit first.  And then the bugs.  There are so many creepy, yet fascinating bugs on this planet.  I'm glad they are in cages when I see them.

The boys got a serious kick out of feeding time for the naked mole rats.  In their series of tubes to travel, there were carrots, what looked like potatoes, and a toilet paper roll.  The rats were determined to pull the toilet paper roll through their tube.  The pulling rat get trampled by the others as they hustled by and over straight through the toilet paper roll to get some more carrots.  Then trampled again as the carrots traveled back to the preferred eating spots.  It was quite comical.  They probably could've watched it all day.

We missed the feeding time of the boa constrictor, which I thought would be seriously cool.  (If a little grotesque.)  The boys love snakes, bugs, strange creatures of all sorts.  Of course they do.  Luckily, I don't mind them either if they are, in fact, in heavily guarded and locked cages.

I will not, for the record, never go camping in Australia.  They have the freakiest, most massive bugs there I've ever seen.  The science museum there was filled with bugs the size of my head.  No thanks.  I'm sure it's beautiful, but I'll stay in a hotel.

The boys do always want to go see the butterflies.  They are so effortless and fascinating.  (That is, of course, after they go through what must be a strange and uncomfortable metamorphosis... analogy for our lives too... but anyway.)  The butterflies WOW!  And so do the koi.

We did all the puzzles and played a game of big chess.  I still don't know how to get a farmer, his chicken, a fox, and corn across a river without each thing eating the other.  Google didn't even help me with that one.  I found other versions of the game, but no answers.  If YOU know the answer to the "Crossing the River" game, please enlighten me.  The boys, the other random kids who tried it, and I am stumped.

Worth 1000 words

Here are just a few pictures of our summer!  

First, the garden, which is now much more out of control.  

We have lots of lettuce, peas, raspberries, and strawberries. 

Very fun to feel like I don't have to go to the store when I need something.

Lego contraptions: this is a clock.  These legos have been THE best!  

Graeme's getting big!  He tried BMX practice on Wednesday... enough to get suited up and go to the start line.  Then it was a little too intimidating and he decided to try it another day.

This is Graeme at the Field Day at Gavin's school.  It was really cute because this 4th grader behind him adopted him to show him around for the first few activities.  Pretty fun!

Gavin came out one morning stating: I made my Halloween costume!  

Awesome!  Looks good!  I'm not sure what it is, but if I don't have to make it... it's perfect.

The boys on a recent hike at the lake.  

A wonderful thinking spot!

A picture of our mornings

The sky was SO beautiful this morning when I went to the studio for my yoga class.  It never looks as good in a picture, but this comes close.  It's great to have a cool, sunny morning after a few days of rain.  

Today my goal is to run the boys and find a workout for myself (among other business-y goals for myself).  We are checking out a new place (new to us) that's a trampoline jumping deal for kids.  I'm guessing they will LOVE it!  But, since it's gorgeous out too, we'll go to a park and bike a bit.  

Thus far, summer has been pretty lazy.  We've had lots of mornings where the boys stay in jammies, playing trains, legos, and reading stories.  (I tend to get some work done those mornings, so it's easy for me to just let them play.)  I recently checked out Pippi Longstocking from the library - it's a pretty big book.  Gavin grabbed it and read it in one sitting.  Now he's reading it again.  

The problem with this, though, is that he's now silent reading.  He doesn't like reading out loud much, so Graeme doesn't get the benefit of the story.  I'll have to read it again with him... but the point is the reading doesn't entertain both boys at once like it used to.  We may have to just institute summer reading time where all of us get to read for 30 minutes on our own.  Hmmm... sounds good.

We've also done some "clean water science" from a kit we got for Christmas.  The boys enjoyed it, though I think they were hoping for something more exciting than clean water. I did try to explain the importance of clean water and that not everyone in the world has that, so we need to appreciate it.  But my explanation was a little lost on them.  They love science though and, as long as there's not too much effort involved, I love to play along and orchestrate their experiments.

Jewels in our backyard!!

Yesterday the boys found "jewels" in one of the bigger rocks in our backyard.  They noticed the shiny bits and were determined to dig up the rock, drill out the jewels and make me a necklace.  I thought I'd share a bit of the conversation.

Gavin and Graeme (running up stairs): Mummy!  We found jewels in the backyard!!  Real jewels!  They are shining in the sun!  Come see!  Come see!

Me: Awesome!  I'm coming!  (I go down to look.  And, yes, there are sparkly flecks in a rock.)

Boys: We have to dig them out!

Graeme: I'll wash them off to see them better.  (Gets hose.)

Gavin: Mummy, we need to dig up this rock.  I need the shovel.  Then, when I get my tool box from Santa (he's asked for a tool box for Christmas already), I can drill out the jewels and make you a necklace!

Me: Well, this rock is part of the bike track, so I don't know if Daddy will want you to dig it up.  How about we just enjoy the jewels inside the rock?  It'll be like our backyard is a treasure hunt.

Gavin: Well, Mummy, we really need to dig out the jewels.  If we don't dig them out, then no jewels for you.  Which would you rather have, a rock in the backyard or beautiful jewels?  What if they are diamonds?  Then we wouldn't need to go to Diamond State Park in Arizona because we have jewels right here!

(He read somewhere about Diamond State Park in Arizona somewhere where "for a small fee" you can keep any diamonds you find. He's been asking to go for a few months.)

Me: Maybe buddy, but I still think you should ask daddy.

(Meanwhile, Graeme is diligently hosing off rock.)

Gavin: Well, Mummy, don't you want the jewels?  Which would you choose, going to Arizona where its probably WAY too hot, or just, like, digging up this rock in your backyard?  (Astonished at the ease of having jewels so close!)  Which do you want?  I'm mean if we have to go to Arizona, then it'll be really hot and, you know, take a long time.  When we have jewels right in our backyard!  So, I really need to get the shovel and dig up the rock.

Graeme (running up the stairs): I'm gonna start the letter to Santa, so we can get the tool box.  Then we can drill out the jewels.

Gavin: We could call the news station and tell them!  Then the newspeople would come and take pictures and put it on TV and everyone would know that we found jewels!  So, really, Mummy.  What's your choice?  Go to somewhere really too hot or just dig out this rock?  It's such a great discovery!

And then it continued... for about a half hour until I convinced them to wait till Craig got home to ask about digging up the rock.  So they waited in the front yard for him to get home.  For another half hour.


And we had a very similar conversation again.

I LOVE their enthusiasm!

(And Gavin just read part of this post.  So he's talking about it again.  Maybe I should call the news.)

Father's Day Fun

Is it really almost summer?  Tomorrow is the last day of Kindergarten for Gavin.  He'll be a first grader.  That's crazy.  He's quite excited for the lazy days of summer.  Mostly because he thinks he'll be able to play with his electric train the whole time.  We might mix in some other stuff too... like actually being outside!

This Father's Day we did a little train time with grandparents at Stewart Farm, White Rock, BC.  The boys loved it!  The G scale trains mesmerize, and give them too many ideas for train tracks and rails in our backyard.  Seriously, they could watch trains go round and round forever.  It is kind of fun and the steam engines are particularly impressive.

We also spent some time exploring Crescent Beach.  A great way to welcome better weather, though I realize I need to invest in new beach toys.  The cracked bucket I have from last year isn't going to cut it.  

"There's someone in there!"

Checking out the beached hermit crabs moving slowly in the sand.  

Graeme insisted on taking a few home.  

I'm afraid they didn't fair so well.

I think everyone is ready for a little more sunshine and beach time.  We'll have to clear out some space to hold the boys' collections of beach finds.  They are all, of course, "precious"!

Guess what we found!

Well, Graeme, actually.  He's the finder.  The finder of all things interesting and potentially gooey.  On the walk to school today, he informed me that he had a "wet" side and a "dry" side.  Each hand, that is.

In the "wet" hand,  lived two snails (one large, one small) and an earthworm rescued from the middle of the street.  The "dry" hand held two rolly polly bugs and a baby maple tree sprout.

Once we got home he plated the tree in a pot and transferred all the bugs into his bug catcher.  (Best couple bucks I've spent!)  Both boys have been obsessed with bugs (well, forever), but since I got them new bug kits with catching tools!  Hours of mummy-free entertainment.  Wonderful independence!

We also had a  different friend, Ted, come visit us this morning.  Apparently, he's fond of bird seed.

Next up... Broadway!

Last night, we all watched Gavin's debut on stage... a "Bugs Life" musical with his kindergarten class.  He was a firefly, which was the most fun part apparently because they got two glow sticks to keep.

The first time his teacher mentioned the play, Gavin was less than excited.  He may have even hid under a table when we tried to get his to initially practice his lines.  (There were four.)  We went a little old school and made him write them out ten times.  But he learned them... and did a great job last night.

Though he was nervous and said he didn't want to go, once we got to school he raced off to his classroom to get in costume.  We're not really expecting Broadway in his future... unless of course there's a musical about trains.  (Little does he realize that they do a play every year.)