More Art Park

This sculpture's title was "Queen":

So here's the queen of our hearts:

And if that wasn't fun enough, there was a rope swing!  Playground swings just don't compare to that utter freedom of the long arc of a rope swing attached to a majestic tree.  Lily said she felt like she was flying:

And lastly, here's a sweet sculpture that captures how I felt about this peaceful family outing:

Art Park Hike

Yesterday, after having a proper holiday weekend breakfast--donuts from Mel-O-Glaze--we all piled in the car (Cocoa included) and went to Caponi Art Park in Eagan, MN, about 20 minutes from our home. We got there early in the morning and no one else was there.  It was beautiful weather, cool and a little cloudy and breezy. So we went for a little hike and looked at the Sculpture Garden.  Following the path, Lily would say, "Follow me! I know the way!" and she'd run ahead and discover another sculpture and then tell us to come see.

Here's one that's called "Nugget," that looks kind of like a hand with fingers clasping one half.  We had to lift Lily up to see the fingers on the top:

I like how rainwater collects between the fingers.

Here's one called "Lovers":

  

I asked Lily what she thought this one looked like:

She said they looked like birds from her show "Dinosaur Train."  I quite agree.  Pteranodons.  Made of iron.

The trail was a bit muddy from all the rain we've had lately, so it was fun for Lily to pick up sticks and draw in the mud:

Look at that golden hair in the morning sun...

When You Die...

"Dad, when you die, Mommy and I will give you some food so you can grow up and not be dead."

Um, ok.  Starting to try to process death and what it means.  Hmmm. I think they say something in school about it; they don't shy away from such topics.  It's just fascinating how she tries to process it.

One day we squished an ant because it was inside the house, and we put it in the trash can, where Lily said it would be happy.  "Um, no, it's dead," I said.  But she was undaunted.  It can still be happy dead, why not?

Lunchtime and a Little More Playtime

The Lunchtime Gang

Lily and I dress up in quilts at playtime.  Oh so fun!

And Playtime, Too!

The other really fun thing about Lily's celebration was that we got to stay and play as long as we wanted with Lily and the other kids.  So we got to really see what they do in school.  I mean, you know, we knew from descriptions, but that's the first time we actually got to be there and participate.  I think Lily loved it.

Lily in the playroom, making a bed out of a bench.

Playing with toddler-sized wooden bowls (all of their toys are all-natural materials, like wood, or wool) in the play kitchen.

Lily playing with some knit and crocheted kitties.

It was a beautiful day outside, and they always play a couple times outdoors.  Here's one of the popular toys: a bouncy board.  I even got to try it.

Lily in the actual Willow House that the kids built last year in the backyard.

Lily playing on a wooden structure that is alternately imagined as a house, a boat, a rocket ship, and  I forget what else.  I know Lily told me it was one more thing...

Birthday at Preschool

Lily's preschool likes to have all the kids be able to celebrate their birthdays during the school year, so last week we got to celebrate with Lily at school.  It was so much fun!  First of all, they do this really sweet ceremony where she wears a crown and a cape and sits on a chair with beautiful silks on it.  And one of the teachers tells a story about when Lily was up in heaven and her guardian angel was with her.  It was so calm and sweet and loving.

Lily was a bit shy about the attention, I think, and was mostly looking at us and holding on to John's arm. 

Her teacher is helping Lily light candles for each year she's been alive. We sang a verse about the world turning for each year.

Here's the other kids in her class, sitting quietly around the table, listening to the story and watching Lily. 

Lily and I bring a special birthday snack to share with everyone.

We made mini-cupcakes, strawberry flavor (pink) and pink frosting.  They were a hit. Pretty soon you could hear, "More snack, please," from everyone.

Lily was pretty happy, although she was very quiet about it.

She's So Beautiful

"Mom, you're so beautiful I'm going to keep you forever and ever."  Well, dang, that just made my day for about a week.

I've been really sick and haven't been able to play with Lily so I've been really enjoying my time with her again this week since I've gotten somewhat better. I had terrible flu last week and now I have a cold.  Every time I cough, Lily says, "Mom, I'm sorry you don't feel good."  Aw. 

Today we played "Babies," in which we take care of  several of her small stuffed animals (also known as "soft friends").  Usually we rescue the babies first, like today they were in a stroller and a big dinosaur came by and knocked it over with his big foot.  So we rescued them and gave them food and water.  One baby swallowed some seawater (when did we go to sea?  I know, I try to keep up) so we had to give him some medicine. 

Then Lily read them a story I gave her the book and she made a up a story pretty well approximating the one in the book.