It's hard not to love a calm and quiet moment when I'm accustomed to the sounds of running, screaming and toys clattering on the hardwood.
Well, I love it once I search out the little munchkins and figure out if their silence is a good thing or not; I've walked in on them several times when they've been up to (and this is sometimes putting it mildly) mischief.
And of all the quiet scenes to happen upon, my child sitting quietly with a book is by far the greatest.
I remember sitting with a book for what seemed like hours, carefully examining the artwork, weaving my own tale beyond the actual story and imagining if the drawings came to life off the page. There have been a few times when I've come across a book in a store that I immediately recognize from over thirty years ago, even though I haven't seen it since then and would never have remembered it otherwise. It's such a forceful memory; like when you are jolted back through time with a scent from your buried past.
I hope and even expect this will be true with my children. I truly want them to experience that joy of rediscovering an old friend.
The Dinosaurs exhibit at the Royal BC Museum opened May 17th and the girls and I have already been three times. It's a fabulous exhibit and always a good time.
One of my favourite parts is hearing Haven shout "BIG!" every time she sees one of the dinosaurs ...so an average of every thirty seconds. There have been a few times when I've been across the (very large) room from her and she shouted "BIG!" over and over again until I acknowledged her. I realize it's only cute to me, so I do my best to get to Haven as quickly as I can and to remind her to please be quiet. I've failed thus far, but the exhibit is on until September, so hopefully by then.
Sonja is always very curious about the names of each and every dinosaur and I'll admit I've had a fun time with each and every tongue twister. It didn't take long for me to realize that my knowledge of dinosaur names is pretty sad. Who knew I'd actually learn something? Retaining it is a different story; enjoy the photographs but I have no idea what these critters are called.
Oh, did I mention that Sonja and Haven celebrated the opening of the Dinosaur exhibit with some dinosaur-themed face paint?
But of course.
I finally bought Sonja the face paints she's been asking for. I hesitated to buy the paints, because I always find face paints greasy and messy. When I found a box of water-soluble wax pastels, I struck gold.
These pastels are simple and ...well, awesome. They are basically a crayon that you dip in water and then draw directly on your kid's face. The colours are incredible and the best part is when they dry they are dry. No greasy smearing. Want it gone? Soap and water and you're all good. Genius.
It was so fun that after I drew butterflies on the girls' faces, I drew a flower on Sonja's arm. And then the two little butterflies spent the whole walk searching out and finding the best flowers. Because butterflies love flowers.
My brother Phil had this little desk and he told me awhile back that he wanted my girls to have it. Problem is he's in Medicine Hat and we're in Victoria. Well, Peter was in Medicine Hat recently for work and when he came home, he brought this terrific little desk with him.
Sonja adopted the desk immediately; she loves that she can store her pencils and paper inside and I suppose the light streaming in is ideal for some serious creating. Although that light is pretty bright... Shades are a must.
Sonja went into creative overdrive from the moment she sat down at the desk; she scribbled furiously on each piece before dropping it to the floor and moving on to the next piece. When she got to the end of her paper supply, I had to convince her to add some flair to the reverse sides of her discard pile.
Luckily she agreed; you gotta tread lightly with these temperamental artist-types.
Thanks, Phil. It's just perfect.
Thank goodness for a warm day - not all that sunny, but warm - a huge roll of paper and a whole lot of paint.
Thank goodness for little hands and little feet and sliding. Sliding in paint on paper; thank goodness for that.
Thank goodness for cameras. Seriously, thank goodness for cameras.
Thank goodness for showers and kids who love to take showers. And thank goodness for garden hoses to spray off the deck.
Did you catch all that?
Thank goodness for warm days, huge rolls of paper, a whole lot of paint, little hands, little feet, sliding in paint on paper, cameras, showers, kids who love to take showers, and garden hoses to spray off the deck.
And most of all for this life and being able to live it.
