Amtrak train ride and Stockton Children's Museum - pictures taken by Josh and Leslie

North LOVED waiting at the station and giving the conductor his ticket.




Sky loved the window. He was a great train traveler!

We walked eight blocks to the waterfront and ate our lunch.

North slept.

Skyler ate his lunch.

We crossed the street to the museum.

We played for hours! There was so much to do! Police cars, fire trucks, motorcycles, and tractors to climb on as well as slides, face painting, arts and crafts (we didn't even go in that room!), water play, magnet play and hospital exploration. At the hospital, we saw an x-ray of a finger with a fishing hook stuck in it. North and I spent a long time talking and looking at the picture. I hope it all sunk in!

We walked back to a train station and headed home. On the way home, Aunt Leslie suggested a train treat: ice cream!

Lavender farms and other garden adventures

Pageo Lavender Farm

North liked looking for the bees on the flowers. He noticed that the bees were fuzzy and worked hard. We smelled many of the flowers to compare the scents of the different types of lavender. Most of the flowers were just beginning to open. I can just imagine the smell of the farm during the height of summer!

A table full of dried lavender flowers! I would love to have this as a touch and scoop table at preschool. I bet the days would be very relaxing....

North loves hanging out in Nana's cherry tree.

The ground under the cherry tree is littered with half-eaten cherries and pits. North loves to spit.

Skyler exploring Mom's courtyard. Sky really likes to move. Have I mentioned that before?

Umm Skyler? Perhaps no one has told you the drowning stories involving babies and buckets. Maybe you should mellow out with the water play.

Letter home

My love,

The boys had a great day. After Sky's morning nap, we headed over to Nana's to pick cherrys. North just flies up the ladder and disappears into the leaves and branches. Sky has developed a love of cherries as well, but he still has not pooped (its been two days) so if those cherries haven't worked their magic by tomorrow, then I am off to the store for some prune juice.

After eating cherries, we walked to the park and then to a nearby kids thrift store. Mom was worried that Sky would be developmentally delayed if he didn't have a push-walker like he does at home, so we found one that he can use here in the valley. The toy converts into a little riding car, so I think we will be using it for awhile. We walked back to Nana's, the boys ate lunch and napped. Deecee and I snuck away to get pedicures. While we were gone, Sky woke up after 40 minutes and North slept over two hours. It is nice with the second child; I don't worry that they (and myself) are going to be crazy for life, I can see the bigger picture of one countinous series of phases.

It started to rain. North and Deecee made a paper frog and listened to books on tape. Sky alternated between playing and frantically following me around the house whenever I stood up. (Some days, I swear that kid is more moody then North!)

We ate Quedoba for dinner then packed up to go back to Mom's house. Sky went to bed while North ate a snack of strawberries (sad strawberries) and milk (happy milk). North is now sleeping in the big bed because the little cozy bed makes him nervous. Whatever.

Tomorrow I hope that the rain stops because we have plans to go to the lavender/herb farm. I guess the farm can wait, but as it is Mom's last day off work it would be nice to do that with her.

I am having a great time, but am looking forward to our time together again. While viisiting is very nice, it also makes me so appreciative of the space you and I have together up north. I am very grateful.

With love,
Trisha

Turtle Bay

We watched part of an animal show. The birds were cool, but North LOVED the porcupine.

North explored the idea of water current flows and dams in a great water feature complete with a kid-movable water wheel.


He also conquered his fear by successfully crossing a net bridge.

And Sky? Well, he just looked cute. Like he does everyday!

North and Sky at play

North in mid-leap after tripping over a toy. No, that's not a loose wine bottle about to hit him on the head. Shhh! Oh...and Sky's diaper is really still dry. We just had eaten out-of-season watermelon as a snack. You know babies; food goes everywhere.

This is a everyday, all day kind of activity. Until he gets stuck on a wall or piece of furniture, that is. He hasn't quite figured out how to turn the toy around yet.

Working on a project. WHICH I HAVE YET TO SEE YET, BY THE WAY, REED....

By the way...Do girl children really sit still for more then 3 seconds? 'Cause I would love to know. Well, maybe not.

Present and Future

School is on my mind these days.

It seems that anytime an adult mentions anything involving their child, I counter with my own questions: "Where do they go to school? How is it working for them? How involved are you?"

I haven't abandoned the idea of public schooling at this time, although I do take the view of it being a small component of my child's overall love of life and interest in learning.

However, reading about other peoples experiences with unschooling has been very inspiring to my own role as a guide and educator of the two small faces residing in this house.

From the website Joyfully Rejoycing:

"Science, math, history, literature, writing, reading are all tools.

Science isn't the important part. It's the questions that are important. Anyone can look up the answers. But asking the questions is what's important. Not "Why is the sky blue?" science questions. But any question. Wonder about things. Why do pigeons walk funny? Why did my friend do that to me? Why does the cat behave that way? Why do people believe that?

History is a tool for helping us understand why our favorite characters lived in the society they did, and why the things that happened to them happened.

Math is a tool for helping us to compare things to other things so we can make better decisions: This deal is better than that one. I need to save for 3 more weeks to get both toys. It's 11 AM and Daddy will be home at 6 so that's 7 more hours or 14 of my favorite half hour shows.

Literature is a tool for helping us answer the questions we have about humans. But without the questions, literature is just a bunch of words on paper.

Writing is a tool for putting our thoughts down on paper and potentially getting them into someone else's head. Without the need to communicate thoughts, there's no need to write.

Reading is a tool for getting information we need. It's one of many tools. It's a really useful tool but unfortunately it's worshiped at the expense of other tools. Not because reading is light years ahead of the other tools but because reading is the most efficient tool for mass education. Which unfortunately gets interpreted to mean it's the best tool. But the best tool is whatever matches a child's needs and learning style. Movies, videos, hands on, talking, nature, listening can all beat reading if they work better for the child."

Augh!

My younger child has discovered how to open the toilet lid and the toy box. Augh!