At Last

This afternoon Reuben started drawing. Really drawing.

We draw every day but up til now the kid didn't do much beyond scribbling. Which drove me a little crazy because I'm obsessive like that and have spent the last 3+ years of his life trying to get him to try his hand at something representational.
Instead of people, animals, shapes etc. Reuben has spent the last year doing blobby swirls of color ( age appropriate, I know) maps and animal foot prints.

So I was surprised today when Reuben finished his map of Africa ( green blob) and Antartica ( black blob) and said hey look Mom I drew a little e. look now I'm drawing a face. And another face. It has eyes a nose and a mouth. And a mushroom growing out of the dirt. The dirt is from a giant who died and the bacteria ate up his body and changed it into dirt.

At last, drawing together is going to be a whole lot more interesting.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

This morning we ventured out to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a national park in Southeast DC, which maintains a century old collection of cultivated water lilies from around the world. The kids had fun running around chasing the wildlife. We spotted and pursued turtles, geese, ducks, herons and muskrats. We watched Osprey hover on the wind above us hunting fish and listened to the red winged black birds call to each other. Reuben followed raccoon tracks and examined beaver teeth marks on trees.

I enjoyed watching the wind send shudders through the fields of lily leaves. I found myself reflecting on the ability to see beauty. How could Monet look at a similar lily pond, full of mud and life, and use it to create his water lily paintings? What is that process? It made me think we are all given the raw experiences worthy of making masterpieces.

The kids also had fun shaking the young pussy willows, making them release bright clouds of pollen. We all left happy but sneezing.

Sabbath Strolls

Afternoon church is growing on me. It gives us the time for Sunday morning hikes as a family. I love Sunday morning hikes, they make me feel so peaceful and relaxed.

This morning we wandered around Roosevelt Island. We sucked honey suckle, balanced on fallen trees, made friends with strange dogs, watched rowers navigate the bridge, watched the fisherman catch fish, got muddy, and enjoyed each other's company. It was heavenly.

Proof

So I told you the kids looked cute on Easter Sunday. We let them climb the cherry blossom trees and were about to take pictures when our camera ran out of power. We thought all was lost but a friend stepped in and snapped some pictures with her phone. Hurray!

In other news, Miriam has started going to nursery on her own. We found out today that she has gotten into the habit of sleeping through church. She comes into class, Eats a snack, then finds a spot to curl up and nap. Today she reportedly slept an hour and a half. Keep in mind the junior nursery is not a quiet or calm place. But that's Miri. She does what she wants, and apparently at 2:30 in the afternoon she wants to sleep.

A Taste of Things to Come

Reuben played his first soccer game this weekend. I was way too excited about it. Reuben was less excited, but still did well. He scored two goals then marched off the field yelling "I am Tired!! I don't want to play any more soccer!" We dragged him back. He settled back as goalie, then did his best to wander away. In the end, I was proud. And we treated him to dim sum after the game.

We were lucky that Oma could be on location for the event. Miriam loved having an attentive care giver on the playground with her.

National Arboretum

We went to the National Arboretum the other day. It is one of my most favorite DC locations.

The columns used to be part of a portico of the capitol building which was demolished when the Capitol was expanded. According to a plaque they sat for over a hundred years in the Federal Agricultural Department's storage space. In 1986 they were placed in the arboretum for the public's enjoyment. This nugget of information has me wondering what else the FDA has laying around in storage.

Zoo again

We were back at the zoo the other day. The tourists have returned. They are a spectacle in and of themselves. I love watching them. If you see a group that has one very excited person and 2-3 miserable others being dragged along, they are likely American. If you see a group politely consulting a map and dressed way too well to be at the zoo, they are French or German. Germans speak such good english that whenever they ask for directions, I feel self conscious about my grammar.

Anyway, we were at the zoo. Now that the seasons have changed we've reverted to our summer tactic of arriving at the zoo before if officially opens, around 7, and leaving once the tourists show up when the crowds gather around 10. Here's the local secret -  the grounds to the zoo open at 6 am and it is early in the day, before it gets hot, when the animals are fed and are active. It's also when my kids are most active, so it works out well for everyone.

Back at home, Reuben has become interested in wild boar. He's been fascinated by them ever since our visit to the swamp where we saw a lot of boar tracks in the mud.  He keeps painting their tracks and talking about how he wants to go into the swamp and find them.  You can see his painting of boar tracks in the picture below.