We have a long history with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. As a toddler, Meg's favorite character was Curious George. We read the books, we watched the television series and we watched the movies. George's museum and his friend, Professor Wiseman, soon became favorites of Meg's. Her celebratory trip for potty training was a trip to the Natural History Museum, where she spent the whole day looking for Professor Wiseman. 

Clare soon joined us on these regular excursions to the Natural History Museum. We were beyond excited when we found Smithsonian lab coats on sale at the the museum store. They immediately became dress up favorites (and can be seen in the first picture above). In fact, we still have the lab coats (six years later) and all the girls still use them. Our friend Nicole and I took Meg and Clare to the Natural History Museum to celebrate Meg's first day of preschool. When we moved to a new home, Nicole returned with the girls to the museum to distract them and give them a sense of the familiar during the move (the middle picture above is from that trip). 

We have long dreamed of doing a sleepover at this second home of ours and we finally got our chance! You may recall that Meg and I participated in a Smithsonian Sleepover at the American History Museum last year. You can read about that here. We thoroughly enjoyed that sleepover, but I am glad we saved the Natural History Museum sleepover for when Clare could join us. 

The Smithsonian Sleepovers are coordinated by the Smithsonian Associates. They do a wonderful job. Each child is given a booklet that contains the various activities to be completed throughout the night. We also received a bag (to hold all the projects), a flashlight/pen and an awesome Indiana Jones-style foam hat. 

Our night began in Ocean Hall, where we learned about bioluminescent fish--sea creatures that make their own light. "Bioluminescent" has become one of our favorite words to say and the girls later chose to sleep in the bioluminescent display area because they became so fond of these creatures. We were able to make our own bioluminescent animal using a small plastic water bottle. We filled the bottle with tissue paper, placed cute eye stickers on the bottle and then placed a light stick in the bottle. 

After making our bioluminescent animals, we moved to the fossil section of Ocean Hall. The girls thoroughly explored the displayed fossils and then set to work making their own fossils. We were each given a ball of clay that we flattened. Then we could choose from a variety of shells and rocks to press into the clay to make a fossil. Finally, we painted our diy fossils to allow the imprints to be better seen.

From fossils, we move on to learning about whales. A huge life-size model of a whale, named Phoenix, hangs over Ocean Hall. Just under this whale, we learned how blubber works. Sitting in the middle of a bucket of ice was a bag containing simulated blubber. Sticking our hands into the bag, we discovered how very warm blubber can keep a whale even in the coldest of water. At this station we also learned about callosities, which are hardened parts on whales skin. Because each whale forms different patterns of callosities, it is a way of tracking a whale once it has returned to the wild. The girls were very excited about a model of a callosity they could touch (see picture below).

On our way out of Ocean Hall we encountered a magician who uses magic to teach science. I very much like this clever use of magic to teach and enjoyed a similar presentation at the American History Museum last year. In the picture below the girls are learning about birds camouflaging their eggs among rocks. 

Our next stop was the Bug Zoo. This area holds a lot of fun memories for us. As a three year old, Meg once wowed a group of elementary students by being willing to hold every huge, ugly bug the docent could bring out. I said to her last night, "This used to be your favorite spot in the museum." She responded, "It still is!" Our activity in this area was to make a cicada noise maker. 

We next went to the Egyptian section. Here we made Egyptian wesekhs, which are those wide collar-like necklaces seen in all Egyptian art. It was an easy craft, but very effective. The shape of the necklace was cut from a paper plate. We added the design by coloring the paper plate with metallic markers. We added string to two holes punched on either side of the plate and we had a wesekh. 

The volunteers in the Egyptian section were wonderful about walking us through the various mummies (both human and animal) on display. We had been in this section many times in the past, but had missed so much. We were particularly fond of the mummified bull (pictured below).  One of the great benefits of the sleepover activities is that they make you look carefully at the exhibits and see them in a new way. 

The dinosaur display was our next stop. Here the girls were given "fossils" which they opened to find an item that provided them with a hint for a particular dinosaur. Meg's hint was a banana-shaped tooth. Clare's hint was a fish. They then gathered information about the various dinosaurs in the exhibit to determine the type of dinosaur. Meg correctly determined the banana-shaped tooth belonged to a T-Rex. Clare correctly identified her dinosaur, but I can't remember the name of the crocodile-type creature. 

After all this serious scientific hypothesizing, it was time to eat like a T-Rex. After choosing between a huge marshmallow and a few pretzels, we were challenged to make our arms short (like a T-Rex) and try to eat. This was not pretty (see below).

After conducting some extensive smell tests, we moved on to Geology. In this area, the girls picked out "rocks" (these were man-made) and then, using a magnet, checked to see if any of their rocks were meteorites. After learning about how weight changes on various planets due to differences in gravity, the girls received astronaut ice cream to try at home. 

By this point in the night, we were getting pretty tired. We completed the mammal questions in the girls' books. A guide walked us through the "cave" in the Human Origins section of the museum and talked about cave art. The girls made hand prints similar to those found on some cave walls. Sadly, we did not make it to the Totem Pole section before the end of activities at 11 p.m.--but that is the only activity we missed.

We set up our air mattresses in Ocean Hall. We had a beautiful view of Phoenix the Whale just above our heads. As you can tell from the smiles on their tired faces, the girls had a wonderful time. Clare cuddled with a stuffed bunny that she had once lost at the museum when she was 2 years old. She thought it was only appropriate that he return to the museum. 

I cannot recommend the Smithsonian Sleepovers enough. These nights have given us so many happy memories. The activities are so wonderful for sparking creativity and imagination. I hope these outings instill a life-long love of museums and learning in our children. 

So, this is what happens when you let your kids watch family vlogs on YouTube. They decide to entertain themselves by accepting YouTube challenges. Meg and Clare attempted the 100 t-shirt challenge, which is simply that one person attempts to place 100 items of clothing on themselves at one time. They knew right away that they weren't going to get to 100. Their first goal was 25 shirts. Once they hit that point (and Clare was still breathing), they went for 50. The picture above is 50 items of clothing. As you can see, by the end they were using skirts and a robe, which I believe is allowed under the challenge rules. We don't actually have 100 or even 50 t-shirts. 

Some of you may have seen the video where a girl freaks out because she can't get the clothes off. I am here to tell you that it is not easy to remove some of the clothes. Clare definitely needed my assistance. 

When the girls decided to take on this challenge, I told them they could do it as long as they put the clothes back after they were finished. I am happy to report that the clothes were returned to their drawers--not folded--but in the drawers nonetheless.  

We are off to a Smithsonian Sleepover tonight. Return this weekend for lots of pictures of the fun! 

When asked what they were doing this summer, Meg and Clare keep telling people we are doing a family science camp. This sounds as if we have signed up for something quite exciting. The truth is, they simply requested that we do lots of science experiments at home this summer. Unfortunately, they even had poor Anne confused. When Clare told her we were going to do science camp one morning, Anne began preparing to go somewhere. I had to break it to her that family science camp was at home. 

To prepare for a family science camp, I purchased Smithsonian Maker Lab and Smithsonian Maker Lab Outdoors. 

I like these two books because the supply lists are typically made up of things we already have at home anyway. Moreover, there is not a lot of prep work needed. If the girls are in the mood for an experiment, I can just open the book and choose something. A short blurb explains the science behind the project, which ensures the girls get the most out of the project. 

Yesterday, Clare and Anne wanted to do a science project. Clare and I had decided on making a rain gauge from the Maker Lab Outdoors book, but Anne wanted to do an experiment I had done with her during the school year which demonstrates how yeast works. You simply put warm water in a 2-liter bottle and then add a package of yeast to the water and swish it around. Next, you add a tablespoon of sugar (to feed the yeast). Finally, you put a balloon over the top of the bottle. It takes a little time (20 to 30 minutes), but eventually the balloon will begin to expand. We found the directions for this experiment on Science Bob. 

Our next experiment came from Art & Science: A Curriculum for K-12 Teachers from the J. Paul Getty Museum. This project is definitely part art project and part science experiment. Each child receives low-fire clay. She can create anything she wants with it. These masterpieces are placed in a safe place. The child then checks her artwork each day to see how long it takes for the water to evaporate from the clay, thus allowing the clay to harden. 
 
Meg, Clare and Anne all worked very hard to create beautiful pieces of art. Anne kept making something and then squashing it to start over again. When she finally decided she was finished, her clay looked like the big ball of clay that I handed to her at the beginning. Oh well. She still had fun with the art part and she can still watch her clay dry. As you can see from the pictures below, this is a bit of a messy project. 

Living in the Washington, D.C. area, there are often exciting events to fill up our time. We have such an event that I am very excited about coming up at this end of this week. That being said, everyone needs down days. Meg could happily have an exciting adventure every day of her life. Anne, on the other hand, needs more time at home. Clare is somewhere in the middle. I thought I would spend the next couple of posts highlighting some of the things we do on a quiet day.

When I was a child, I loved going to the children's section of the public library in Shelbyville, Indiana. At that time, the children's department was in the basement of the library and we would head to that basement many Saturday afternoons after lunch. I can vividly remember searching the stacks for Nancy Drew books and Dana Girls mysteries. Since both these series were ostensibly written by Carolyn Keene, I remember looking through a reference book with my mother to find out more about Carolyn Keene. Of course, what we discovered was that there was no Carolyn Keene. Carolyn Keene was simply a pseudonym for the many, many writers who wrote the various books in these series. On a side note, the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones television series offered a humorous take on how Edward Stratemeyer came up with the character of Nancy Drew. If you are a Prime Video subscriber, you can find it in Season 1, Episode 6: Spring Break Adventure. 

I've always wanted to live close enough to a library to be able to walk to it. During my single days, I had an apartment directly across the street from one of the Arlington County branches and I used it often. Since being married and having children, we haven't lived quite that close. However, in our new house, one of the Alexandria branches is walkable. It is not an easy walk--especially when loaded down with books. But the kids and I can walk it. 

Today, though the sky was threatening rain, we decided to chance the walk to the library. Meg has been struggling to find books that interest her this summer. I recently received many new book recommendations and she wanted to look through some of the books to see if any appealed to her. Before agreeing to the library trip, Clare clarified that she would not need to return the book she is currently reading, Circus Mirandus, because she isn't quite finished. Once I assured her we could renew the book, she was on board with the trip. Anne wasn't entirely sure she wanted to spend the morning at the library, but she was fully supportive of the idea of walking to the library. Sadly, once we were at the library, she was not nearly as enthusiastic about the walk home. 

We were loaded down with books to return on our walk to the library. Each girl has a designated backpack for library trips. Meg and Clare each have their own library cards and keep those cards in the front pocket of their individual backpacks. The main section of their backpacks are filled with books. 

Anne's library backpack is her Peter Rabbit backpack from school. She loves this backpack, but it is a smaller, kid-size backpack. As a picture book reader, Anne typically has a larger stack of books than either of her sisters to stuff in to her tiny little backpack. I, of course, held Anne's backpack on our walk to the library. It would be asking entirely to much of her to make her lug that backpack in addition to walking all the way to the library with her tiny little legs. 

Thankfully the weather was cool today, so our walk was pleasant. Our cheerful little group walked down the street. We waved to our neighbors. We said hello to our neighborhood dogs. We happily announced, "We are on our way to the library." It was the dream of my little library-loving heart. 

Our local library branch is small. While that does limit the book selection (it did not have all the books Meg had hoped to inspect), it does make it easier for me to give each girl the freedom to explore while being able to keep an eye on them. I was able to help Meg search for books, while Anne played with giant foam blocks. When I turned my attention to helping Anne find books, Meg and Clare could explore on their own. Clare began collecting books on how to put on a play, so I anticipate a dramatic masterpiece is in our future. 

Anne and I played on the computer for awhile. We couldn't quite figure out the Sesame Street learning games because there were no headphones to hear the directions. A sweet boy, who clearly spends hours at this particular library, came over and taught Anne how to play a particularly fun letter game. 

Meg found one challenging book that interested her and pick up some old standbys. Clare stuck with her drama books. Anne and I found some books with fun takes on fairy tales. While at the library, we picked up our reading logs for the summer reading program. 

While the walk home began as challenging (Anne was dreading it terribly), we pulled ourselves together and had a good time. We watched a fire truck pull out of its station on a call, which the girls found exciting. Clare kept a steady pace and declared that it seemed to take much less time to return home than it took to walk there. The girls had fun seeing the other side of many of our neighbors houses. The girls have deemed one house, which they typically only see the back of, as a haunted house. When they saw the front of the house on our walk, they decided it was much less scary. 

We really had a fun time. The library trip did not fill up our entire day. We did several other at home activities that I'll detail in tomorrow's post. That being said, the library was a high point of our day. I even picked up a fun mystery that I can't wait to read myself. 

The temperature was in the low 80s today and there was no rain in the forecast. It was a perfect day for the park. After an early morning excursion to IHOP, the girls asked to go to Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. 

Clemyjontri is quite the park. It has a carousel and a small train has just been added. The park has a rubberized surface and extensive play equipment with slides, bridges, rock climbing and ladders that kids can literally get lost in. There are tire swings and a maze. There are even musical instruments built into the equipment. It is amazing. 

One of our favorite parts of the park is the Peter Rabbit book statute. As you can see from the slide show above, it has been a favorite spots for pictures since well before Anne was even born.  Traditionally, the most recent picture of the girls in front of the Peter Rabbit book statue becomes the wallpaper on my phone. 

The Peter Rabbit pictures reminded me of a wonderful book four-year-old Anne and I ran across by chance at the Alexandria Library. The book is called Dear Peter Rabbit.  It is written by Alma Flor Ada and is illustrated by Leslie Tryon. The book is written entirely in letter form and I've gotten the impression, due to notes in the library book itself as well as a few videos online, that classroom teachers use this book to teach letter writing. I'm sure it is wonderful for that, but I must say it is quite an enjoyable read on its own terms. 

Dear Peter Rabbit cleverly combines the stories of Peter Rabbit, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood. Goldilocks turns out to be Goldilocks McGregor (yes, the fair-haired daughter of Peter's nemesis Mr. McGregor). Peter Rabbit happens to be friends with Pig 1, Pig 2 and Pig 3. The wolves from Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs rely on each other for comfort and advice after their bad experiences. This book is charmingly written with beautiful illustrations. 

Anne loves this book! She has had me read it repeatedly at bedtime over the past few weeks. After I read the book, she enjoys attempting to "read" each letter herself. Considering she doesn't actually read yet, this means she composes her own clever letters mixed in with what she can remember from each letter. In addition to being a great textbook for letter writing, this books is a great precursor to what readers will encounter in later literature. The epistolary novel was a standard format in the early days of the novel and is often revisited by authors to this day. It is wonderful to be exposed to this format so early in one's reading life.

Also, spotting references in one work to other works of literature is a key part of the study of literature. For example, one cannot understand T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, without recognizing his references to Shakespeare and the Arthurian legend. With Dear Peter Rabbit, Anne became so excited when she first recognized a new fairy tale being reference. Sure, she is a long way from analyzing T.S. Eliot, but I do believe this book aids that skill she will eventually need.

Anne and I are happy to give this book five stars. 

Over Memorial Day Weekend, our dear friends hosted a wonderful cookout. The kids played. The adults had a chance to talk. There was an abundance of delicious food. At the cookout, I had the opportunity to be reacquainted with a woman whom I had met previously and with whom I share many mutual friends. We have children of similar ages and enjoy reading on our own and with our children. In the course of a conversation involving several people, our host asked me I planned to write a book. I told the group that I had been working on a book idea, but that life kept getting in the way of progressing much. My few hours of kid-free time were often consumed with housecleaning and errands. This wonderful woman, with whom I was only slightly acquainted said, "You need to read Jennifer Fulwiler's book, One Beautiful Dream."

Most of us make book recommendations and leave it that. Imagine my surprise when later that week I received a text from our host telling me to stop by her house because her friend had left a book for me. Sure enough, it was One Beautiful Dream. 

I began reading the book and hoped that I would like it. After all this build up, who would want to say, "Sorry, that book wasn't really my thing." Happily, I was hooked almost immediately. Fulwiler is a very honest mother. She freely admits her shortfalls and I readily related to being a once professional woman who now might be found in a grocery store totally ungroomed with a cart full of kids. I know from personal experience those feelings of inferiority when confronted with the "perfectly engaged mom" or the "totally put together and unbelievably tidy mom." I know the horror of someone walking into your kid-filled house and seeing your family's true mess. Fulwiler's stories are beautifully relatable. 

If the book ended with these anecdotes, it would be an enjoyable read. But I am happy to say, it offers so much more. The gist of Fulwiler's book is that she knew writing brought her happiness, so for many years she tried to write in spite of having lots of small children. (At the beginning of the book she is expecting her third child. By the end of the book, she has her sixth child.) Finally, at a retreat that she is not particularly enjoying, a priest helps her to see that her writing should be a family project and not just her own individual work. She and her husband begin to make work decisions based on family goals. Soon her work is not competing with her family; it is an outgrowth of her family. Perhaps the sweetest and funniest chapter comes near the end of the book as Fulwiler is driving her van around town with her older children trying to keep her smallest child calm. When the child is calm, Fulwiler stops the car and writes. When the baby begins to fuss, she drives again until her older children can distract the youngest. In a beautiful family effort, her older children managed to entertain her youngest long enough for her to finish the last chapter of her first book. 

Light bulbs were going off and aha moments were happening like crazy as I read this book. I knew so much of this was true. My kids love to be a part of my work. They love for me to talk about what I'm writing. Rather than rolling my eyes and complaining about how I don't have time to write because I'm a mother, I need to make our home life and my writing life a family project. I immediately began plotting in my mind how I would do this over the summer. Not only are my kids at home 24/7 during the summer, but my focus rightly becomes our summer adventures--not my writing aspirations. Imagine my delight when an administrator at our school suggested I challenge Meg (whose great reading skills make it hard to find challenging but age-appropriate books for her) by encouraging her to write more. Thanks to sibling rivalry, if Meg is writing more, Clare will be writing more as well. I haven't figured out all the details yet, but I do see some fun family writing adventures happening this summer. 

I very much want my kids to see us as a family unit. They are not just three separate individuals that we happen to be raising at the same time. Each member of our family plays an important role. We should constantly be learning from each other, supporting each other, and depending on each other. 

I should note that Fulwiler's book is not just for aspiring writers. She effectively demonstrates how each mother has their passion and the same concepts apply to these various passions. 

I am so grateful that this friend of a friend made sure I read this book. Fulwiler has inspired me to change the way I approach my writing. She has also inspired me to reevaluate how I view the role of family. I come from a loving family and I believe my husband and I have created our own loving family. But we have a lot of work to do when it comes to depending upon each other and sacrificing individualism for the sake of our family unit. 

Meg has been wanting to go to the National Geographic Museum for a long time. She is the type of kid who jumps up and down when her Nat Geo Kids magazine arrives in the mail and many National Geographic produced books sit on her bookshelf. Several weeks ago, she asked if we could go to the museum the first week of summer. I was happy to oblige. 

The Tomb of Christ exhibit is currently at the National Geographic Museum. I thought the girls would find it interesting, but I had no idea how amazing it would be. The exhibit uses unbelievable technology to transport visitors to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, aka The Tomb of Christ. National Geographic has been heavily involved in the Church's recent restoration and used the latest in technological advances to record the structure in 3D. 

As we entered the exhibit, the girls were intrigued by the automatic doors that seemed to open in unexpected places. Visitors immediately feel like they are being led into an ancient area that should be reserved for Indiana Jones. After a brief introduction, visitors are directed to an area to pick up 3D glasses and then walk into a room with 3D images projected on the wall. It is immediately impressive, but you have no idea what you are about to see. The room seems to come alive around you. It is as if you are standing in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. People around you are reaching into thin air because, with the 3D glasses on, it as if they can touch the ancient structure that appears to be around them. Oh, but it gets better. Because these are simply recorded images, you can be transported into the air to look down upon the Church. You begin to believe that you are flying through Jerusalem air space. 

Upon leaving this amazing experience, you enter a slightly more traditional museum exhibit that shows the history of the site. However, visitors can see some of the less traditional equipment that allowed National Geographic to record these amazing 3D images of the Tomb of Christ. At the end of the exhibit, the experience becomes high tech once again. Visitors can put on virtual reality headsets and explore the site again on their own. By looking at marked areas, doors open up or you can ascend to the top of the Church and look at certain pieces closely. 

Meg and Clare loved every second of this exhibit and would go again and again if given the opportunity. They have already talked their dad into taking them in July. Four-year-old Anne was overwhelmed. She had to be held during the 3D portion and she wanted nothing to do with virtual reality. So the bottom line is, this is an amazing exhibit, but it is probably best for kids seven years old and above. 

Anne loves Disney's Doc McStuffins and basically wants to be Doc McStuffins. She regularly dresses up in doctor's clothes. She wears a stethoscope. She operates on her stuffed animals. When her sisters get hurt, she drives them crazy with her medical attention. She wants to clean their cuts, put band-aids on them and cover them in ice packs. 

Last summer, while on vacation in Rhode Island, Anne saw a commercial on Disney Jr. for Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit. This is a travelling exhibit put together by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It is a hands-on experience in which kids can give examinations, pretend to operate and care for dolls in a nursery. Anne immediately wanted to go to the Exhibit. The problem was that is was in California at the time. After some research, I discovered it was going to be in Reading, Pennsylvania, in Spring 2018. Reading is not particularly close to us, but it is driveable. I made no promises to Anne. I kept my mouth shut and waited to see if a day would open up in which I could take her. 

In March, such a day did arrive. I checked with Meg and Clare to see if they wanted to go. Clare was quickly on board. Meg gave it some thought but decided she didn't want to be left out of a road trip. We kept everything quiet until right before we left. When we finally told Anne, this was her response:

Yes, that child was ready to do some doctoring. The drive to Reading was long, but we made the time pass by listening to A Wrinkle in Time and The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. That passed the time quite well for Meg and Clare, but poor Anne was beside herself with the long ride.

When we finally arrived at the Reading Public Museum, Anne was a bit overcome and needed some time to acclimate herself to the Exhibit. She spent a lot of time in the clinic examining dolls. She would occasionally make her way over to the surgical area, but instead of performing surgery, she mostly reinflated the inflatable dog.  

Eventually she began to feel comfortable and truly began exploring the Exhibit. She scrubbed in and performed some surgery. 

After stitching up a torn teddy bear, she took her turn at the reception desk of the toy hospital. 

She took some x-rays and rocked some babies to sleep. She was clearly very excited to see the huge Stuffy cutout. 

By the end of our time at the Exhibit, Meg, Clare and I found a comfortable bench and just watched Anne play. She was in her own world--or rather, she had finally managed to get into the Doc McStuffins world she always wants to be in. We just let her play until she curled up on a chair and could no longer stand. Not too long after we got into the car to return home, she looked like this...

It was a wonderful experience. As I mentioned above, Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit is put together by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Some of my favorite childhood memories were at that museum. They have come through for me again with this wonderful experience for my daughter. I have recently learned that The Exhibit will be making its way to our area in Fall 2019. Perhaps we'll go again then, but I'm glad we made the trip to Reading Public Museum this year. I don't know that Anne will love Doc McStuffins quite as much in a year and a half. I'm not sure that her imagination will be so all encompassing. It was the perfect experience for her right now and I'm glad we captured the moment. 

We are so excited that school is out for the summer. The school year ended with a half day of school on Monday and we have been in party mode since then. After having a major dance party, we ate cheese pizza and cinnamon sticks from Domino's and then the girls hosted our neighbors for a sleepover. 

For our first full day of summer break, everyone wanted to start our summer off right. Meg is required to track her reading minutes this summer as a graded project for her upcoming fourth grade year. I bought all the girls digital watches with stop watches to make tracking reading minutes easier. (This has been a source of ongoing confusion for poor Anne. She is convinced that the watch is supposed to teach her to read. No matter how many times I explain I bought the watches so we could time how long we were reading, she continues to ask, "Will you switch it to the mode that teaches me to read?") After breakfast this morning, Meg and Clare dutifully read for 25 minutes, which they timed very carefully on their watches. 

We then had to decide on our first official summer outing. After much discussion, we headed to an old favorite: Seven Oaks Lavender Farm. We first went to this lavender farm at the suggestion of our friend Nicole the summer I was pregnant with Anne. Though it is an hour away, we return most summers to this beautiful and peaceful place. The long drive was a benefit today because we are trying to finish the audio book of The Penderwicks at Last. 

It was a hot day today. While the lavender itself is necessarily in the sun, the farm has many trees and the picnic tables and play area have been placed strategically under these trees. The girls love the old-fashion play area at the lavender farm. There is a great play house with a front porch that even includes a porch swing. There are lots of shaded swings as well as spring rocking horses. We placed our picnic (packed by the girls at home) on one of the picnic tables and ate while the girls simultaneously played.

When we finally made our way to the lavender field, Anne and I cut a few sprigs of lavender, but we left most of the hard work to Meg and Clare who probably cut nearly one hundred stems each. Anne and I worked on sachets under the tent in the field and enjoyed complimentary cupcakes.  While coming in from the field, I was either stung by a bee or bitten by one nasty ant. No worries. The hostesses in the tent provided me with lavender oil and ice, which took the pain away quite quickly.  

After our time in the fields, we returned to the play area and Meg headed over to the bunny pin. She picked some clover to feed to the bunnies (as is recommended by the farm) and the bunnies came right to her. She developed creative stories explaining each of the bunnies' unique personalities. The heat finally got to us all and we headed back home. 

The drive home turned out to be more memorable than we expected, because we drove into a huge storm. As the rain turned into legitimate "gully washer" status and the lightening appeared closer and closer, Meg suggested we pull over and find a hotel for the night. I tried to explain that a hotel might be a little excessive considering we were only a half hour from home. The girls were clearly getting more and more nervous and then, I suddenly realized, there was silence. Meg and Clare had fallen asleep and Anne sat quietly watching the rain. I was reminded of when Meg was two and Clare just under one. We were driving to Georgia for my uncle's funeral and found ourselves in a tornado just north of Cleveland, Tennessee. As the storm around us grew louder and louder, my two babies cried and cried. When the hail began, they both went totally silent. They simultaneously fell asleep. I could only hypothesize that their stress levels could only take so much. When they could take no more, they fell asleep. Apparently, seven years later, they are still the same.

We made it safely home from the lavender farm. I was grateful for the car full of lavender that kept my own nerves quite calm. This return to one of our favorite places was a great way to begin our summer break. 

I am certain there are benefits to being the youngest in our family. Anne has learned so many things by simply watching her older sisters do it first. But I'm often aware that she is missing out on some things as well. Meg and Clare are only 18 months apart and generally they can enjoy the same activities, books and outings. Anne is five years younger than Meg and three-and-a-half years younger than Clare. Too often movies we attend or books we listen to are a little over her head. So many times she has sat on the sidelines and watched her sisters go skiing, rock climbing or tackle a ropes course. So it is nice when we can have days that focus on her interests at a preschool level. 

Anne loves fairy tales. Since she was two, her favorite book has been Sarah Gibb's beautifully illustrated version of Rapunzel.  She has always loved James Mayhew's Ella Bella book series, which tell the story of different famous ballets in a most charming way. Her favorite has always been Ella Bella Ballerina and the Sleeping Beauty. At three years old, she was a little terrifying when she would randomly quote from the book, "She will prick her finger on a spindle and die!" In the past year, I worked to find books that would resonate with her and truly make her fall in love with reading. I quickly realized I needed to go back to basics and fill her shelves with beautifully illustrated fairy tales. 

At some point, I remembered that The Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park specializes in fairy tales. There was a time I would take Meg and Clare to these puppet shows and worry that a newborn baby Anne would disturb the show. Now that Anne is old enough to enjoy the shows, Meg and Clare have outgrown them. So what better time to take her than when Meg and Clare are still in school but Anne is already out of preschool for summer break. It gets better. The Puppet Co. is currently performing Sleeping Beauty. 

After dropping Meg and Clare at school and walking the dog, Anne and I headed to Glen Echo Park. We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets and sit down for the show. Anne happily sat in front of the stage on the carpet area designated for children only, while I sat to the side where I could watch her. It was so precious to watch her sit with the other children attentively in criss-cross applesauce form. We so often think of her as our baby. It is nice to see her acting like such a big girl when she is with other kids her age. 

After the show, we walked to the carousel. In the past I have always stood beside Anne as she rode a carousel. She was quite amused when I instead rode the carousel ostrich beside her ostrich. I don't think she realized Mommy could do that. 

Following the carousel, we shared a tuna sandwich from the cafe. This was a treat for me. Neither Meg nor Clare will touch tuna. It was nice to be able to share this with Anne. She then decided to play on the playground. Playgrounds are always tough without her big sisters or a friend to play with. She tried to get a few of the other children to play with her, but she did not have much success. So I pushed her on the swing, played tag with her and watched her build a "fire" from sticks she found around the playground. After a few hours at Glen Echo Park, we called it a day. 

I'm so happy that I remembered The Puppet Co. while Anne is the right age to enjoy it. It would have been such a shame to miss out on this unique fairy tale presentation for a girl who loves fairy tales so very much.