The kids get some special treats and fun with mom while dad’s away camping. Mom’s clearly a pro, starting with ice cream first followed by physical activity. Shortly after this photo, Eleanor started screaming because she thought Des was taking her gelato. Des is eating avocado gelato with sprinkles.
Perfect spring weather for a ice-cream-fueled trip to the park
Movie night watching Lady and the Tramp
A rare warm Friday afternoon, it was the perfect afternoon for dad to bust Des out of preschool for some bike riding around the lake at Heartland Park. As Des was finishing his snack, a gaggle of geese descends to beg for his snack mix.
Mom grabbed Eleanor a bit later and joined us for some more prime goose watching
Des and Eleanor practice holding hands after dinner and impromptu downtown evening
The morning started as a house divided, with mom and brother getting a haircut with aunt Megan. Eleanor and dad head to the children’s museum for some rigorous fruit sorting-
Ella was surprisingly cooperative while donning her smock for water play
It took a while, but she finally got to take her turn pushing around one of the carts. Now she was on a mission.
Driving tractors like a pro
Desmond and mom joined us, where Des was quick to overcome his fear of walking over netted surfaces (this part of the playground and zoo hasn’t traditionally been his favorite)
Sign now reads, “Days without arm-stuck incidents: 0”
Des is getting old/tall/strong enough to play with the big-kid gizmos
Meanwhile, sister doesn’t quite have the weight to actuate much of the gadgetry
Balls + columns of air = magic!
The seasonal winter display included a “sledding ramp” (think air hockey table) and snowball-throwing zone
Eleanor, the Fearless Climber
…and carousel chicken rodeo wrangler
Desmond predictably opted for the train ride, though auditioning a new seat rather than his familiar caboose spot
Eagerly waving to brother, “Hello! Good-bye! … “Hello! Good-bye!”
A nice weekend lunch out, Des gives the Ethiopian restaurant “two pieces of injera up!” Or maybe it was just getting to eat with his hands?
After naps, it was both warm and windy- prime kite flying weather (for early March anyway)
Eleanor joyfully exercising her newfound freedom of running through fields
Not shown: mom’s large box kite proved too much to navigate in the high winds. Comedy ensued.
We weren’t the only ones with the kite idea-
Eleanor showing great restraint with not eating the play-doh. That did not last long.
With weather in the upper 50s, playing outside was nearly irresistible. Stinson Park provided the perfect snow-melt-mud-free destination
Ella shouted to the horizon as she ran, as if yelling “fore!” to warn the world she was coming
Ok, rest.
Not shown: Desmond sprinting off into the distance towards the tower. In open fields, the well-practiced and respected “red light!” system kinda breaks down :/
Ella giving it a good stretch of the legs
Eleanor definitely has the butt-scoot-shuffle-GO! move down better than her brother at this age, mastering the slide
“Take a picture of me!”
As dad was loading the camera back up to return home, this incredible “golden hour” light just jumped out. Ok, a few more.
Sunday evening art collaboration
Desmond honing his chopsticks skills on some of dad’s pad thai
A nice fall evening to stop at the park after work. Eleanor may be a bit of a thrill seeker
Elmwood Park began “stocking” sand toys and all the construction trucks a toddler could love
“WHEE!”
He wasn’t really taking any time to line up the vehicles, but by the end it was clear he had done so in descending size order
A rainy day trip to the zoo with grandma and Calvin
Grab all the fishies!
Mesmerized
Lunch with monkeys, everyone’s favorite
Started to dry up by mid-day, but it was getting close to nap time
It was the perfect windy afternoon to (belatedly) try out mom’s birthday kite
Des exploring the rose garden at Memorial Park. This may or may not have been while dad was driving home to get his grabber tool to retrieve some kite parts accidentally dropped into the storm drain.
Mom quickly learned that getting a kite off the ground with a baby carrier on was a non-starter. Dad gets it flying after a few sprints.
It’s mom’s kite after all, so gives it a go with Desmond giving chase
Desmond exercising his “outdoor voice”
Eleanor also gets into the kite-chasing fun
Quite the speedy crawler
A boy and his dog
Playing at the park while dad’s wrestling the raspberry jungle in the garden
Desmond’s first smore, with mom (appropriately)
Playing guitar only gets easier the more hands you have, right?
The kind of Sunday evening prime for a visit to the park before cooking dinner
Filling sand pails, as you do
Swinging life away
In his happy place
