live and learn

Evidently Henry isn't ready to visit the dog park yet. Charlie was great though! We took him for a walk first so he was too worn out to be his normal loud self. Where he would usually be racing along the fence, barking and growling and jumping, tonight he was like, "Oh, you're a dog too? That's great. I guess." And then he let Henry spray him with water, and then he laid down like a pig in slop. I bet it felt good, but I had terrible visions of Mike seeing a muddy people mover and flipping out. Luckily, we had a blanket in the van, so I cleared out the way back and spread out the blanket, basically making a crate behind the third row of seats. Let's hope it holds him long enough for Max to finish soccer practice so we can make a quick Dilly Bar run (they serve doggie ice cream bowls too!) then get this dirty dog home. 

potato creek

Max's game this week was in Lakeville, so afterward we decided to explore Potato Creek State Park, which we've never been to (well, I have, but I grew up here!) despite living only 20 minutes away. It was a little chilly, but sunny, and the park wasn't crowded at all, which is just how we like it. That kind of weather must bring out interesting people, though, because when we made our way to the beach to do some recon for possible summer outings, we happened upon a woman with a laundry basket. A laundry basket full of ducklings and chicks. She greeted us as we approached: "Hey, would your boys like a duckling?" 

Friends, I might spend 95 percent of my time holed up in my house like a hermit, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who thinks that is a strange way to greet someone. The boys didn't think there was anything unusual going on, though, and she seemed otherwise like an ordinary woman enjoying a sunny but slightly windy day by the beach (you know, playing with her ducklings), so we went with it. The boys sat right down and made themselves comfortable, cuddling the ducklings and begging us to let them take some home. It turns out that the woman went to the farm supply store intending to buy only a couple of chicks, and the store ended up offering her a deal on the whole basket of them that was just too good to pass up. And I have to admit, having a quirky origin story to tell ("Oh, Ducky? We found a woman on the beach at Potato Creek, playing with a basket of ducklings, and she gave us one on a random Saturday and it was true love, the end.") was more than a little appealing -- it sure beats "We searched the classified ads, then drove to a farm where they had the kind of puppies we wanted, so we paid the farmer and brought one home." But in the end, common sense won out, and we told the boys that if they want a duckling, they have to talk to their Aunt Bethany about some kind of boarding arrangement.

After our beach encounter, we decided to take a hike. There are several hiking trails, but we chose a fairly easy one that wound around the wetlands. And off we tromped. The scenery was lovely, and the bugs weren't out yet. Eventually, we happened upon an observation deck that looked out over a beaver lodge, which we thought was really neat. And then right after that, Max wasn't looking where he was going and got a nasty scratch from a branch that was hanging in the trail. Luckily, we were close to the end of the loop by that time, so we decided to head home rather than do any more exploring. 

But the best news is that once we got home, we decided to rent a cabin here for a weekend in the early fall! 

My grandparents did that at least one summer when I was a kid, and we all piled in (okay, it was actually two cabins, I think, because no way would we all fit in one!) for a week. I remember walking to the general store to get slushies, going swimming at the beach, and reading a Stephen King book that was much too scary (though I did enjoy relaying all the terrifying details to my younger cousins). When we go, we're planning to take advantage of the various bike trails and maybe do some swimming if it's still warm enough. I hope the boys like it as much as I did!

happy easter!

This year, while everyone was at church, we celebrated Easter by heading to the aquarium for a few hours of exploration. This time, we caught pretty much everything we missed the last trip, including the 4-D movie, and went back to check out some of our favorite areas. I think the highlight for the boys this time was getting to touch the sturgeons. They stayed there for a loooooong time, and kept begging to touch them just once more. Liam was a little too enthusiastic, and dipped his whole arm up to the shoulder in the tank -- too bad he forgot to pull up his sleeve first! I have a feeling that if we lived closer, we would be at the aquarium every weekend at the very least. But since we've got other stuff to do, it's probably for the best that we're a couple of hours away.

After a morning with the fishes, we headed out to the burbs for to hunt eggs, visit, and have a holiday meal with Barb and Kevin. The boys wore themselves out running around, climbing trees, talking with cousins, and playing their new recorders. And then the trip came to an end pretty much the same way all our trips do, with one too many fights and/or a meltdown. But at least we got a great picture of the boys and Lucy and Richie with their grandparents first!

spectators

We finally made it to one of Klaudia's track meets for this season! She had two events, the pole vault and the 100-meter relay. The pole vault is in the first set of events for the meet, which is lucky for us because apparently meets last hours and hours. She did a great job, and it was so much fun to watch -- she is so strong and determined.

Naturally, though, I had a little too much fun watching Klaudia and forgot to keep my eyes on the devil child, who was busy thieving someone's shot put so he could "compete." He is so proud of himself, and I guess he should be because those things are HEAVY.

Also, between events the boys entertained themselves by dragging large branches out into the woods. I guess there are trails back there (for the cross-country runners), but I didn't tell them for fear that they would take off and get lost.

By the time Klaudia finished her second event, the boys were starving and so tired of being here and so bored, so we offered our congratulations and beat a hasty retreat. Great job, Klaudia! We are proud of you!

soccer time again

Max is the only one playing soccer this year, as Liam and Henry have elected to go for baseball and T-ball, respectively. This was actually Max's second game -- I missed the first one because I had a previously scheduled appointment. Anyway, the game was in Culver, and I figured it was a good chance for us to take some time to explore the beautiful shore of Lake Maxinkuckee while we were in the area. There are some really neat playground areas, all sort of clustered together along a lakefront path, and there were lots of toys that were new to the boys. Add in some unusual trees, a beach, and a stop at an old-fashioned root beer stand for ice cream afterward, and the boys were in heaven. The only flaw in the day was that Mike had to work, so he couldn't come with us. Next time!

seussian

Today the second grade held a "wax museum." Each kid had to dress up as an important cultural figure, then they posed in the gym while the other classes walked around and tried to figure out who was who. Max chose Dr. Seuss as his important cultural figure, which was great, but didn't tell me about the project until Tuesday night, which was not so great.

So Tuesday night involved a last-minute run to the fabric store and several drafts of a beard template that might work, and Wednesday I spent more time than I care to admit adjusting the frames from an old pair of sunglasses and sewing a multilayered beard that attached to the glasses. After that, it was just a matter of finding him a turtleneck, slicking back his hair, and liberally applying powder to make hair and beard gray. Add a star-bellied Sneetch (he got to carry a "clue" for the other kids), and he was good to go. And all of us had fun trying out the beard at various stages!

overheard at bedtime

Henry: Do you know much about true love? True love is when you have freezing powers and you can make a giant ice monster guy. I learned it from watching Frozen.

Max: Henry, true love is about kissing. [I'm guessing Princess Bride?]

Henry: Kissing? Really?

Max: Mom and Dad kiss each other.

Henry: Then they must true love each other.

splash

We've been trying to plan a day trip for what seems like forever, but every time, somebody decides to act up in a way that makes it impossible for us to go. Sigh. But today we broke our losing streak with a trip to the Shedd Aquarium! We got there right when it opened, so it wasn't too crowded, but by the time we left two and a half hours later, it was so packed we could barely move. Guess we got the timing right! We saw the Jellies special exhibit, the aquatic show (which frankly was disappointing -- more like an infomercial for the Shedd than like the exciting performances I remember seeing years ago), and lots of exhibits. The boys got to touch starfish, which was neat for Henry and Liam, but Max found it to be unpleasant. And the best part is that we got a membership, so look for lots more aquarium pictures in the coming year (hopefully I can get better at taking those kind of low-light pictures along the way).

heartland gallery youth art show

Friday morning, I got an email from the art teacher at the elementary school. It was a form letter that helpfully let me know that "one or more" of the children had a piece of art chosen for display at the local art gallery's annual student art show. Yippee! I thought. But which one? So I waited for the boys to get home from school, and (naturally) neither one of them had any idea what I was talking about. So Saturday afternoon, we went to check it out, and it turns out that for the second time in his short life, Liam had been picked as an outstanding young artist. Check him out:

henry houdini

You know, here at Circus Forticus HQ, we are totally in favor of the boys getting more independent. But this weekend, we found our limit.

Saturday was a pretty nice day, weather-wise. One of the few we've had so far this "spring." So while Henry was taking his nap, Liam and Max decided to get their bikes down for the first ride of the season. They have a pretty clearly defined area for where they are allowed to go, and we reminded them of the boundaries and told them when to come home, and off they rode. It's a system that worked well for us ... until Henry woke up from his nap and decided to go looking for them. We told him they were out riding bikes, and that he could go next time, but that answer wasn't good enough. So Henry informed us that he was going to go out in the yard and look for them. We reminded him of his boundaries, telling him to say inside the fenced part of the yard and come back inside in a few minutes (another system that up until now has worked well for us), and off he went. Mike was grilling a turkey breast, so he was running in and out of the house, checking on Henry each time, and I was working on something inside, so it's not like we just totally neglected him or anything. So it came as a surprise when Mike came inside and reported that Henry was gone. Gone? Yes, GONE. He climbed over the fence, went into the garage, got his bike (with training wheels), and rode off in search of his brothers, eventually finding them at a playground about three blocks from home. Luckily, Liam and Max understood that the appearance of Henry sans parents was a serious deal, so Liam stayed with Henry while Max started riding home to tell us what was going on (Mike met him halfway when he went out looking for Henry). Eventually, we got everyone home, but Henry spent a loooooong time up in his room before dinner.

During his confinement, Henry had plenty of time to think, though we didn't anticipate that he would just use the time to think up his next plot. Which is of course what happened. We ate dinner (delicious spicy turkey and avocado enchiladas!) and cleaned up afterward, then Mike headed to the living room to hang out and watch tv with the boys, and I went back to the bedroom to fold laundry. Henry stayed in the living room long enough to lull Mike into relaxing, then oh-so-casually strolled out of the room and decided to take out the trash. By himself. He somehow managed to lift the trash bin out of the sliding cabinet where it lives, pull out the trash bag, close it up, get out the door, open the (notoriously difficult) gate off the back deck -- letting the dog out in the process -- and make it all the way to the garage door before we noticed. The only reason I even saw him was that some passersby were yelling in alarm at the dog racing around the neighborhood, so I glanced out the window just as he was turning the knob on the garage door. Sheesh, this kid.

And to put a cap on the whole thing, Sunday morning I got a text message from my mom: "Dad wants to know if Henry drove to McDonald's for breakfast this morning."

At this rate, I'm not sure that would surprise anybody.