Educational Resource Center...and Other Things

One day I was at the library and saw this speed limit sign in a part of the parking lot I don't normally drive through. And I had an epiphany. This would be a great answer to all the people who ask me if I'm having more kids. This would also be a great answer to all the people who hear me say no and they ask if I'm sure. So I give you my last baby announcement!

One morning, I was getting ready in the bathroom and heard a knock at my bedroom door. I called for the kid to come in but when I came out no one was there except Sam, who was already in my room. Just this on my desk. The boy and I ate my breakfast appetizer, then went to thank Katie.

We've discovered that our bricks are exciting to Scarlet. We've been too busy lately, but have decided that we need to build creations just for her to explore.

Katie went to a friend's birthday party one Friday, so I took the other kids to explore Focus on the Family. This Narnia room was pretty cool.

Since it was free to get into Focus on the Family, I decided to treat the kids to some ice cream, which turned out to be a pain in the butt not only because we had to wait over 20 minutes for the ice cream after we ordered it, but everyone except Tommy found something to fuss about. This may or may not happen again. The one saving grace about the ice cream experience was that they had sorbet, which is dairy-free. Sam got to have an ice cream cone!

Park nights!

When you go to buy a gun safe and the back of the van doesn't quite close. I sat in the back with Shad's belt looped around the door handle to hold it closed for the one-mile drive home.

Back in the ERC...

Hydraulic bridge

It came to my attention that even though I've talked to many people about how we go to the Educational Resource Center (ERC) at the library weekly, that doesn't mean you know what it is. Here are pictures.

Educational games, a box of maps, yellow tubs are social studies, purple and orange ones contain music and other stuff I can't recall right now.

The green tubs are science, blue tubs math, and red tubs in the red shelf unit next to Katie are for language...reading, writing, Spanish...with art supplies on top. The outlet from the ceiling is where we plug in the wind tunnel Samson loves to play with, and when we get to it, microscopes.

The locked cabinets contain rock and mineral collections, a laser maze, microscopes, circuitry sets, and more.

Skeleton, Bill of Rights, construction toys, Newton's cradle (gets replaced often due to abuse), three computers.

We love the marble maze, chain reaction sets, earthquake simulator, and vehicle construction set.

Even Samson was able to learn basics of hydraulics.

Tommy's hydraulic crane

Home!

The thing I love most about traveling is that it makes you appreciate your life more. So that the same old things don't feel monotonous and you're actually glad to resume routine. And when you resume that routine with a fresh attitude of excitement, creativity abounds!

Like listening to Georges Bizet's Les Toreadors (Bullfighter) from Carmen.

And going to the park dressed like this so you can wear a little pouch on the belt.

And finding new ways to use a ladder.

And devising new pirate fashion statements.

"Look at me, Megan! I'm a pirate!"

(He's been calling me by my first name since at least April. It was 50/50 then, but then he picked Megan. I love it. It's indicative of our close relationship.)

And having the option to choose to sleep on the floor instead of your bed.

And then coming back to the Educational Resource Center at the library and discovering that they got a hydraulics kit while you've been gone! We built a lift!

There's a new church that's taking up residence in the elementary school across the street and they invited the community out to a carnival night.

Hooray for ring pops!

And face painting!

{Katie, Dancy, Thora, Tommy, Samson}

Tough girl showing off her face paint AND friendship bracelet she made.

Tommy's friend Tucker came, too.

Katie and Taylor got matching face paint.

Dancy is annoyed that I'm making her show me her manicure when she's got a Capri Sun she needs her hands to hold.

Hey, kids, here's how you can tell when your parents are ready to go home. We were still exhausted from Utah.

Then we took this one just so we all know we enjoyed the night, too.

And those clouds!

Scarlet didn't get much time out of her cage while we were in Utah, which is to be expected, bunny. So one morning I decided I'd let her out of her cage at the end of my yoga session. Having a furball nuzzle my hands and feet during final resting pose would be preferable to hearing her rattle her cage, right? I failed to take into account that this was her first time to have access to my hair.

I mentioned people were getting creative, right?

Utah: Temple Square

After leaving the mansion, we went to show the kids around Temple Square a little bit before driving to Bountiful to stay with the Marujis for the weekend.

Eagle Gate

{Katie, Thora, Dancy, Shad, Samson, Tommy}

We toured the Beehive House, but took no pictures. I was a little disappointed that tours can't go upstairs anymore.

Salt Lake City temple

{Thora, Katie, Dancy, Samson, Tommy}

Inside the north visitor's center

{Shad, Dancy, Samson, me, Katie, Thora, Tommy}

I forget which building we finally found the kids' play area in because we asked several different people who worked on Temple Square and they all told us different buildings. But we found it!

Tommy had fun building, but ended in tears because the other kids playing were careless in bumping the table.

Giving the chicken a piggy back ride

It's the boat that Nephi built!

Artist Dancy

Tommy's ruins

New art by Jorge Cocco Santangelo from Argentina. I love his style!

Jumping a photo spot before the bride and groom got there for their shoot.

{Tommy, Shad, Katie, Sam, me, Thora, Dancy}

These trees look so whimsical!

After Temple Square, we went to The Beer Store before going to the Marujis. Shad was interested in finding a home-brewed root beer and that's the place we found after searching Google. A blogger talked very highly of Brigham's Brew, which could be had in a can or on tap. We were very disappointed. They no longer had it on tap and it was overly sweet, nasty honey root beer. Don't do it!