13 April 2012

With warmer weather, we've started to come out of the house and make use of our front porch.

Rose Pink asked if they could do a craft.  Like what, I say?  Um, paint sticks from the front lawn, she says.  So she did.  And Nut Brown painted a picture on his paper instead of painting sticks.

Mr. Brown and the kids put together and played with a balloon on a straw on a piece of  yarn.  Science.  Propulsion.  Rockets.  Lots of fun.  Here's Nut Brown helping him prepare it for a run.  (Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for that book of science experiments you gave us for Christmas!)

Nut Brown asked if we could play cards on Sunday afternoon.  Rose Pink took this picture of me contemplating my hand.  Not that there's a whole lot of strategy in this particular card game... but we had a great time playing together.  As one of our acquaintances here says, older kids are the best.  Because you can do fun things like this with them.  We played Swap and Uno and enjoyed the sunshine.

12 April 2012

Today was Rose Pink's first soccer practice with her team for this spring, and she asked her teammates and coach to call her by her middle name, because, she told us, she's tired of people getting her name wrong.  I suppose it had to happen sometime!

What we have been singing at bedtime lately: Big Rock Candy Mountain, Keep On The Sunny Side, He Sent His Son.

11 April 2012

Mr. Brown's brother from Iowa City and his family stayed overnight with us twice as they were passing through Detroit.  It was so great to see them again.  I miss living close like we used to.

And look at this picture.  Is it any wonder I used to get them mixed up when I wasn't paying attention?

10 April 2012

Easter!  We ended up with three Easter egg hunts: one at a cookout we were invited to on Saturday night, one I organized with some neighbors on Sunday afternoon, and one at Easter dinner at a friend's house on Sunday evening.  Can you say candy overload?  The kids started Sunday morning by devouring the peeps that Grandpa sent for breakfast, and went on to eat nothing but candy the rest of the day.  Well, I think Rose Pink might have had a sandwich in there somewhere, but Nut Brown had only candy all day.  He was crazy by bedtime.  When Nut Brown was hunting eggs he'd let out this 'a-ha-ha!' half laugh, half exclamation when he found something. It's so fun to get excited!  Here they are with some of the treasure. 

We're also going to dye eggs this week.  We didn't quite get to it last week, but who says you have to save Easter traditions strictly for Easter week?

7 April 2012

 Children painting at the table.  They made pictures of shields and various armors and weapons in a variety of colors.

Mr. Brown, who is making pancakes, I think.

5 April 2012

Rose Pink playing her first video game, a computer game called Terraria.  She plays by herself with just a little help from Mr. Brown when she gets stuck.  Nut Brown will stand by and watch her.  She said the other night, you know what, Daddy?  I have the music from Terraria stuck in my head.  Mr. Brown uses game time as a reward for doing her homework, as in: Can I play Terraria, Daddy?  Yes, you may, if you do a page out of your math book first.

4 April 2012

Rose Pink is reading a book from the library about native Michigan plants because she wants to know more about them.  Last week we bought a kids' reference book about animals at a mom-to-mom sale for a dollar, and she read it in the car and told us what she'd learned about alligators.  Mr. Brown says to me, I have been waiting her whole life for this.