Bookworms

I love reading, so I'm thrilled that my kids are learning to enjoy books at a young age.

Joy likes to look through some of her favorite stories, and occasionally "reads" them (reciting the parts she can remember). However, she usually prefers to have me read them to her. Sometimes she asks me to "talk about it" (i.e. tell the story in my own words).

Daniel likes books, too. His current favorite is Baby Cakes, and he'll sometimes bring it over to Phillip or me so we can read it to him four or five times. Then he'll throw it on the floor and fetch another book to read.

A few nights ago Daddy wanted to rest and Daniel wanted to read, so they compromised. :)

Fun Times

I'm not the most creative person in the world, but now and then I try to do something fun and different with Joy, to spice up our usual routine of errands and trips to the park. Here are a few things we've done lately.

I got the paper plate fishy idea from a class the kids and I attend each week. You cut a wedge out of one side for the mouth, staple it to the other side for a tail, then color the fishy to your heart's content. Simple, yet fun.

I recently read that you can make s'mores in the microwave, so we decided to try it. We put a few graham crackers on a plate, topped each with a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow, then microwaved them until the marshmallows began to puff up. We then topped them with another graham cracker and munched away.

It was a fun novelty and it spared us the trouble of making a bonfire (which is generally not advisable in an apartment), but the result was pretty messy. The gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate got everywhere (note the face of my lovely assistant). Further experimentation revealed that the s'mores are much less gooey if microwaved for a shorter time (i.e. stop when the marshmallows barely begin to puff, not when they DOUBLE IN SIZE!!).

Thumbprint art was surprisingly LESS messy than microwaving s'mores. Here's Joy displaying her inky thumb and the art created therewith.

I had a lot of fun with it, too. And yes, the design on the left was created with rubber stamps; I don't have a heart-shaped thumb.

Happy We Will Be

We celebrated Father's Day at Uncle Nile's home today. We ate a sumptuous feast, presented cards and gifts to all the patriarchs present, and shared favorite stories about Grandpa. The camp stories inspired a group performance of a favorite family camp song:

"There Was a Little House in the Middle of the Woods"

It was also fun to see Aunt Breta's garden. She kindly shared her bumper crop of squash with us, and I plan to put it to good use.

Sick and Tired

It's been a rough week at the Hendrickson Homestead. First Daniel got sick, then he got better just in time for Joy to catch the same bug.

Here Daniel's making the international sign for "I'm tired. Put me to bed."

Joy just wanted to lay on the couch watching a movie or Pink Grandma's book slideshows. She fell asleep there at least twice. Here's to a happier, healthier day tomorrow.

Menchie's

Today's family home evening activity consisted of a trip to Menchie's.

Like Yogurtland, it is essentially a frozen yogurt buffet. You can fill your cup with any (or all!) of about a dozen flavors of frozen yogurt, in any amount and combination you like. Then you add the toppings of your choice (Oreos, sprinkles, fruit, etc.), and pay for your creation according to its weight.

I love that you can play around with different flavors, then enjoy eating what you've created. Anything that combines fun and food is a winner in my book. :)

This evening Phillip opted for Hawaiian Sorbet with gummi worms. He said it was good, but the candy hardened a bit as it chilled.

I chose mint and cookies & cream yogurts, with no toppings (I tend to take my yogurt straight). It was so good I couldn't restrain myself long enough to take a picture. :)

Joy was content to just eat a few samples. I don't think she realized she could fill a big cup if she wanted to. Should we tell her?

I don't know--she seems happy enough with the chalk board. :)

Spinning at the Huntington

Every year, my spinning guild joins a few other archaic craft enthusiasts (e.g. weavers, dyers, etc.) for a demonstration at the Huntington Library's herb garden. You'd probably be surprised at how many hundreds of people spin as a hobby in this state alone, to say nothing of the rest of the country. Today even I was amazed at the number of people who asked where they could go to learn to spin.

Here's yours truly with my wheel. I was hoping to turn that pink wool into a scarf for Joy, but I don't think I have enough. Maybe some mittens instead?

Other demonstrators included Michelle with her little drop spindle (which is how people made yarn and thread for millennia until the spinning wheel was invented in the Middle Ages) . . .

. . . and this woman with her Canadian production wheel. She's spinning lace-weight yarn (essentially thread) to make a wedding veil for a friend. A very, very, very good friend. If you add up all the hours she'll spend on this project, it will require weeks of work. Spinning really is a labor of love.

Shaven and Shorn

Joy and Daniel both received their first haircuts today (unless you count the time Joy singed a lock with a candle and I snipped off the sizzled end).

I loved Daniel's full head of hair, but lately he's been moving steadily into mullet territory.

Today he was squarely in "deer in the headlights" territory. I'll spare you the subsequent picture of him crying. ("Mom! What IS that loud noise behind my head!?!?")

I really like Daniel's new look, except for the fact that it makes him look nearly a year older to me. It reminds me how fast he's growing up. Sigh.

Joy's flowing mane was an accurate reflection of her free-spirited personality, but it's gotten a bit unruly of late and I decided to try something a little shorter.

Joy endured her haircut much more happily than her brother did because we turned on her current favorite movie: Monsters, Inc.

I love that her curls look pretty now, instead of just wild.

You're a cute little girl, Joy. Don't let it go to your head. :)

I Love to See the Temple

On our final day of the Hendrickson reunion, we went to . . .

. . . the temple! :) Ironically, most of the people we did work for (including the name card you can see in my hand) were my ancestors. Oh well - they're related by marriage, and I'm sure they're grateful for our service.

We took turns watching the kids outside while the adults spent time in the temple.

Joy reminded her baby to stay cool and hydrated . . .

. . . then she took her own advice when we got back to Grandma's house.

Thanks for planning this fun reunion, Grandma!

Shore and S'mores

Today's Hendrickson outing was to the beach.

It was Daniel's first beach experience, and he really enjoyed it. We caught him pressing his face into the sand a few times, just for the fun of it.

It was fun to hang out, . . .

. . . feel the sand tickle our toes (that was Joy's favorite part), . . .

. . . and roast s'mores. Mmmm . . .

Feathers and Photos in the Park

The Hendrickson clan headed to the park today for a family photo shoot.

We also got some nice pictures of our little family. While it would be great if Joy were smiling nicely for the camera like everyone else, I guess randomness is half the fun of pictures with kids.

Feathers are like people--we have a lot in common, but no two are alike.

I love my boys.

If time travel were possible, I would totally use this shot for our engagement photo. :)

Monkeying Around

Today's Hendrickson outing was to the LA Zoo.

"Mom, I thought you said there were gorillas in this place. I don't see any . . ."

Ah, there they are. Here's the patriarch of the group with his four-year-old daughter. I expected a four-year-old gorilla to be bigger, but since humans aren't very big at four years I guess it shouldn't surprise me that gorillas aren't either.

At any rate, I think my family's more fun to watch. :)

Stop the Carousel!

Phillip's siblings are in town this week, and Mom H planned some fun activities for us to do together.

We started off with a visit to the Magic Kingdom. I know the kids look decidedly underwhelmed in this picture, but they really did have a good time. Daniel would have enjoyed it even more if his hat hadn't kept slipping down over his eyes.

At Joy's request, our first stop was the merry-go-round. Note that Daniel is strapped securely in front of me. At first I was just holding him, but they stopped the carousel half-way through the ride to inform me that I had to strap him in. How embarrasking.

And of course, Daniel's hat was down again.

We next rode Pinocchio's Daring Journey, then made our way over to the Dumbo ride. Laura and I let Joy take the controls, and she switched between up&down&up&down so fast that I thought the lever might come off. When the ride ended I was glad to be on solid ground again.

Three rides was all we got in before the kids got tired. Fortunately a friend had signed us in for free, so we still felt like we got our money's worth. :) We headed to Pink Grandma's house so the kids could nap . . .

. . . then play with Grandma . . .

. . . and have some cousin bonding time.

Memorial Day

This weekend Papa prepared a little treasure hunt for Joy, with clues hidden around the cabin.

The treasures she found included a little whistle (which you can see around her neck) . . .

. . . and this fun puzzle.

Daniel doesn't need treasures these days - he's got stairs to climb.

This afternoon we went to the village to ride the merry-go-round . . .

. . . and the little train. We also had some ice cream. Mmmm . . . ice cream.

As we rode the boat around the lake, I somehow found myself talking with Joy about why we celebrate Memorial Day. For most of my life I've just seen it as an extra day off school or work, but as I told Joy about soldiers giving their lives to protect our liberty, I reflected that I ought to take more time to make this weekend a memorial, not just a holiday. The thought seemed particularly poignant since my veteran grandpa was riding just a few seats away from me.

I'd like to start some Memorial Day tradition that would help my little family honor the soldiers who've died and the freedoms they protected. Any thoughts or suggestions, anyone?