I told you we were doing weekly "field trips" this year. So far the trips have all been to Thanksgiving Point (where we have a membership), since it is free and fairly close! There is a lot to do there and it's been fun to do it at a more leisurely pace, knowing there is no hurry. I love watching and being with these little kids, and I love the talks we have together. I hadn't realized how often the older kids monopolize the conversation (not intentionally, but just because they have so much…I don't know, so much going on and so many thoughts about things and so little time for the often inane things small kids want to go on and on about)—and it's been very sweet to slow down and talk with these little ones and hear their surprisingly perceptive gospel questions and see their curious minds at work! I love them so much.
Playing "animal doctor"
Floating heads!
Oh my goodness, the children were so nervous to climb across the rope bridge to this airplane! Even once they had arrived safely in the cockpit, look at their nervous little hand-in-mouths (why do they do that?)!
When the older kids heard about the new carousel, they insisted we go early to choir a few different times so they could ride it too!
Daisy re-enacted this iconic moment when she bit the Disneyland carousel
Dinosaur Museum
I loved how Clementine seemed interested in the sand and kind of alarmed by it at the same time. She held her hands above it so gingerly. It was so funny to watch her.
More carousel
It's been a long time since I've been to the little farm. We went on my birthday, and it was such a nice day! A beautiful 60º day. Clementine loved every animal.
And she loved riding the real horsies almost as much as the carousel horsies!
Gus felt big and proud.
Ziggy got the biggest pony and felt even more big and proud!
There is a fun playground by the farm. This made me feel so ready for Spring when we can be outside like this "for real" (i.e. without the sense of disorientation and impending doom one always has when one has a spring-like day when it should still be winter and will soon be wintry again)!
Butterfly Museum
It was so surprising to me when Ziggy and Clementine both became suddenly terrified of butterflies when faced with the prospect of holding one. Butterflies! Soft, delicate, sweet little butterflies! Children are so funny. Although, later when I said to Ziggy, "But why are you scared of them? They are so soft and would not be able to hurt you!"—he said, "I'm not scared of them hurting me. I'm scared of ME hurting THEM!" Ohhh. That makes a little more sense! Anyway, they both got braver as time went on, and let the butterflies land on them and quite liked it!
Nervousness about the real butterflies regardless, Clementine loved putting on butterfly wings and running around the play area saying "Flutter flutter flutter flutter!"
And so did Gus!
Clementine was utterly delighted when she stood by accident on this vent and her dress puffed out. "I'm so pretty!" she said joyfully.
This is the little water area. It has these fun tubes where you put a ball in, it gets sucked up into the tube, and then eventually rains out through one of these little "clouds."
Clementine could not stop watching them
"It will be fine to let them play in the water," I thought. "How wet can they get?" I thought.
I adored watching Clementine play in the water. She was so focused, so intent on her tasks. She worked with utter seriousness for an hour, carefully filling things with water, carrying them back and forth, dumping them into each other. When I asked her what she was doing, she said (briefly, and with slight impatience at the interruption), "Making dinner." I could have watched her for hours.
Gus had his own work to do.
Clementine got so soaked that she spent a while just standing still with her arms out to dry off. She talked to me with great earnestness while she did it.
At the very end of the night she put on boots and a smock. Closing the barn door after the horse got out!
Such dear little sweeties!
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