Having a day off at home with sick kids is finally giving me time to catch up on our activities for the past month (I can't believe how fast the time has flown!).

NT has been faithfully watching PBS's Cyberchase each morning and picking up lots of math concepts that are actually geared toward 8-12 year-olds. He loves it. We've almost finished a 1st grade math workbook that I picked up at a bookstore for my own comfort. He hates every minute of it since it's boring and "too much like school", but I can get him to breeze through it during Lizzy's dance classes if I promise to play cards or Connect 4 after only a few pages.

NT has been going through library books like crazy. He has 40-60 checked out from Hennepin County and St. Paul libraries at any one time. Subjects are all over the map--his interests are broad: Tropical fish, chickens, Big Foot, Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda Triangle, Lost City of Atlantis, reptiles, inventions and inventors, acid rain, volcanoes, airplanes, building wooden toys, making space ships and boats, reptiles, UFOs, the Trojan Horse...the list goes on and on!

He has watched DVDs on a similar range of subjects, including reptiles, underwater sea creatures, the mechanics of roller coasters, evolution, the history of the chicken, rockets, and more.

We started seeds indoors in late March and have been watching them grow for weeks. We started seeds outdoors at Dowling in the past week and are keeping our fingers crossed! We discovered an active robin's nest near our patio and found a woolly bear caterpillar while uncovering perennials in the yard. The kids filled the pool yesterday for the first time this spring.

Now that the weather is nice, I've been printing off maps for NT to lead us on walks to "mysterious destinations" around the neighborhood, he's been doing all kinds of science experiments in the back yard, and we've been meeting friends at the park, zoo, and at play group.

NT and John have been busy with Cub Scouts. Most recently NT competed at the regional level in the Pinewood Derby and the Raptor Center visited their last pack meeting. John took NT to visit a television station downtown and NT was just awarded his Tiger Cub badge!

Lizzy has been taking three dance classes a week and NT continues with his ceramics class. We took a family trip to Duluth where the kids spent hours in the pool, threw endless rocks into Lake Superior, chased seagulls, and visited the Maritime Museum. The kids have been building endless forts in the living room and consistently inventing all kinds of contraptions with LEGOs and Magna Tiles.

NT and Grampy went to The Works' "Circuit Play" program in March, and the kids and I toured the State Capital last week with a huge homeschool group. We built airplanes at Leondardo's Basement and attended a "Motion Mayhem" presentation at the Wescott Library put on by the Science Museum. The kids have been swimming at the indoor beach with Grampy and Maria, and NT went kite flying with Grandpa Alan while Lizzy and I recently attended an excellent performance of the James Sewell Ballet company.

We have been so busy enjoying the coming of spring that I have not felt compelled to sit down and write!

Since my last post more than two weeks ago we have had many adventures including NT's last basketball game of the season followed by lunch and medals, the Ballare Rhythm Festival, the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, Mad Science classes, ceramics classes, and lots of dance classes.

NT and I attended a fabulous music and dance performance of "Carnival of the Animals" at Orchestra Hall with our play group, and we all attended the (modified) winter picnic at Grampy's. We have been to the Minnesota Zoo and the Como Conservatory with friends, and the kids have gone swimming at the indoor beach and out for treats with Grampy and Maria.

We walked with Kiki and learned about reptiles and amphibians (and even touched them!) with other homeschoolers at Wescott Library. NT went to an Irish music concert with Grandpa Alan & Minna (it turned out to be a trio including Lizzy's Irish step teacher and her husband--small world!).

We've watched PBS's Cyberchase and PBS's Reading Rainbow DVDs on birds and manatees and transportation, and a 3-part NOVA series on evolution called Becoming Human. We've researched chicken breeds and brooding methods, collected supplies, met another urban homesteading family with chickens, and ordered our chicks.

We've seen bald eagles and wild turkeys and built tons of stuff out of Magna Tiles, the Zoobmobile set, and toothpicks and marshmallows. We've read books on birds, tropical fish (of course!), planets, and guacamole. We've drawn pictures and written letters and cut up stuff (including pajamas--oops!). We've been digging in the dirt and playing outside a LOT and doing lots of running.

And, finally, yesterday we went to see NT's artwork hanging at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with Minna & Grandpa Alan, followed by lunch outside on the patio at The Black Forest Inn. Afterward the kids went bird watching at Becketwood and saw the resident owl (and a crow) with binoculars before walking all the way home. The kids played in the yard until it was time for Cub Scouts.

NT was up early for PBS's Cyberchase and then was immersed in his Guppies Today book from the library. He has big plans to breed guppies in his tank...which his parents have not approved.

We had an exciting morning with a flat tire and our very first orthodontist appointment. NT got all kinds of x-rays and pictures taken of his teeth and especially enjoyed playing with the plastic model of a set of teeth.

This afternoon the kids played in the back yard while Grandpa Alan attempted to change the flat (NT was no help, even though he had recently "learned" to change a tire at ceramics class), and then NT got to show off his new guppies to Minna.

NT watched another IMAX DVD on ocean life and then it was off to bed after a very long day.

NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase on linear measurement. Afterward, he watched an IMAX DVD on Shark Island and a Nature DVD on sharks.

Lizzy asked me to bring the big cardboard blocks up so they could build their own coral reef which didn't last long because NT was back into reading his fish book to figure out what he wants to do now that he's not sure he wants to keep the other blue gourami after the tragedy. He is also very intent on getting a loach, so he's trying to read up to figure out which kind will be suitable for his tank. In the process of his research he came across the term "import", so we talked about what it means to "import" or "export" something.

The kids played Go Fish again. I'm not sure how much Lizzy "gets it", but they seem to enjoy playing it anyway and she is easily identifying the numbers.

We spent the entire afternoon with homeschool friends at the zoo and had a great time getting lots of exercise and learning lots of new things about the many aquatic fish and animals they have there!

NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase this morning. He came upstairs afterward to show me that he had learned to add three 3-digit numbers together so we fine-tuned what he had seen on the show.

After breakfast NT asked for our old digital camera and the kids took turns taking pictures for quite a while before they decided to build a pirate ship in the living room out of furniture, couch cushions and blankets, which soon turned into a bird's nest. They used two laundry baskets to make the egg that they took turns "hatching" out of.

After lunch NT went to the Science Museum to see Into the Deep at the Omni with Grampy, which he loved. Lizzy and I went to meet friends so Lizzy got to run and play and share dance steps with with two other little girls.

Late afternoon NT and Grampy returned and NT twice watched the Into the Deep DVD that Grampy bought for him to take home.

Though it was a fun day, it was a disappointing evening for NT. He and John walked over to basketball practice only to discover that it was cancelled for both this week and next, meaning that there are only two games left and no more practices for the season. NT was so upset. John took him down to their basketball "court" in the basement and they practiced for a little while down there.

When it was time to go to bed we went to feed the fish, only to discover that one of his new fish, a blue gourami, had gotten caught in the shipwreck and drowned. NT was devastated. His Siamese Fighting Fish had died earlier in the day (we were expecting that since he had not been well for some time), so it was a doubly difficult loss for him.

Highlights from the past several days:

We tried out the new play group last Friday. They were meeting for a class on endangered species at Woodlake Nature Center. NT at first refused to go and refused to "learn anything" but, wouldn't you know it, he learned a lot, got to touch a live turtle, met some new friends, and had a lot of fun.

Saturday morning NT had a basketball game and had a good-sized cheering section, as usual. He and John went to the fish store afterward and he brought home 5 new tiny fish for his tank--he has been reading about them over and over in his fish book.

Sunday Aunty Em and Craig took the kids ice skating and out for a treat afterward. We had homemade pizza and banana splits in honor of Valentine's Day while watching the Olympics.

Monday Lizzy had ballet and then the kids went swimming with Grampy and Maria at the "indoor beach" and out for a treat afterward. Late afternoon, NT went to play at the neighbors' while Liz and I went to Irish step class--it was a busy day!

All the while, NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase, reading his fish book like a fiend, inventing all kinds of things, playing like crazy with his Marbulous building set, devising and writing up all kinds of "secret plans" to "trick" his parents with his sister, and conducting all kinds of physics experiments in the living room which make a huge mess and drive his mother crazy. :-)

NT was up to watch PBS's Cyberchase on mixed numbers in fractions.

We were out the door early this morning to get to The Snowy Day at Stages Theatre with a bunch of other homeschoolers. While waiting for the play to start, NT and I talked about the different kinds of jobs people have to create a play--creative director, music director, choreographer, lighting designer, costume/make-up designer, etc.

After the play we had a quick stop at home to change to go check out the homeschool open house sample classes at Ballare where Lizzy takes ballet. Lizzy tried out the homeschool Creative Dance class and NT tried the hip hop class because he is interested in breakdancing...but they didn't do any.

In the end, the director and I decided to keep Lizzy in her regular class instead of switching to the new homeschool class because there is no year-end performance with the homeschool class. The performance is very important to Lizzy!

In between activities NT has been poring over his tropical fish book planning for the trip to the fish store on Saturday. He has all kinds of fish picked out. It will be interesting to see what he comes home with!

NT has invented all kinds of things today--from a sling shot to a paper surf board (to slide down the dance studio stairs) to a bird feeder made out of an egg carton. I can hardly keep up.

Liz surprised me and "cleaned" her room all by herself this afternoon (the floor is picked up and there is a "mountain" piled up on top of her bed, her toy box, her shopping cart...), and she has spent quite a bit of time this afternoon performing with her microphone on her "stage" (today it's the couch). If only I could find her a class where she could sing and dance at the same time!

It will be early to bed tonight!

Tuesday we had a much needed at-home morning to sleep in (until 7 a.m.), catch up on housework and laundry, and build pillow forts in the living room.

In the afternoon, we joined some new homeschooling friends at the History Center where NT showed us around the Ben Franklin exhibit. We checked out the MN 150 exhibit, and finally ended up in the granary play area where the kids got all rosy-cheeked climbing up and down, running through tunnels, and "driving" the grain wagon.

NT had ceramics class in the late afternoon and then he and John had a Cub Scouts den meeting in the evening where it was a craft extravaganza!!

Yesterday started out bright and early with PBS's Cyberchase and then it was time to take NT to his weekly MN Science Museum class, which he is really enjoying.

The kids built a fort in the living room/dining room after lunch and then we took an impromptu trip to the Como Park Conservatory to meet some other new homeschooling friends. We saw all kind of tropical fish and plants, lots of cool koi, and even an up-close sloth that we watched for quite a while and learned quite a bit about! We really enjoyed the warm, humid air--NT pretended he was back in Lamanai!

NT had basketball practice and one of the other parents approached me to tell me what a great game she thought he had on Saturday!

Today the kids did some more fort-building and then we were off to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where we waited in line for an hour with hundreds of other artists so NT could register his artwork to be shown in the Foot in the Door exhibit starting later this month. He is really excited--he has been asking to show his work in the "Minneapolis Substitute of Arts" since he was 3-years-old!

After lunch we headed over to the library where we picked up a bunch of lacrosse books and a lacrosse DVD that NT had requested, and Grampy picked NT up to take him to practice basketball at the gym for the afternoon.

Last Friday we went with a homeschool group to see Mr. McGee and the Biting Flea at the Children's Theatre and met some new friends who invited us to try out a new play group not far from us which we will do on Friday of this week. After the play we spent a little bit of time at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, but NT was disappointed that there wasn't any artwork up that was done by kids, like the last time he visited, so we didn't stay long.

Saturday NT had a big audience at his basketball game--Aunty Em, Grampy, Maria, Grandpa Alan, and Minna all joined us and got to see NT make the first basket of the game for the second week in a row!

Afterward we went to the co-op and then John took the kids ice skating (Lizzy's first time!) late afternoon. Grandma Ruth and Bob came to play in the evening and the kids stayed up late taking "pictures" with the old camera they brought and playing all kinds of board games.

Sunday NT and John went briefly to a Cub Scout event and then we had a quiet day. We all stayed up late to watch the Grammy awards. NT wanted to see the Black Eyed Peas perform and Lizzy likes all the singing and dancing ladies.

This morning NT was up early to watch Cyberchase on gears ("algebraic thinking").

Lizzy had ballet class and NT practiced punting his hackey sack up the stairs the entire time. He was trying to figure out how to get the ball to go straight, as opposed to curving or hitting the ceiling--it was an interesting scientific experiment!

The kids played all afternoon and then NT went to cooking class. It will be early to bed tonight!

Today NT was up early, as usual, for PBS's Cyberchase. The subject was percents.

We had another busy day today. We joined the local homeschool adventures group for a tour of a fire station in NE Mpls and had a great time. The kids got to climb aboard a real fire truck and got to sit inside an ambulance. They got to see where the fire fighters eat and sleep and how they slide down the pole. They also got to hear a lot about what it's like to be a fire fighter. It was very interesting!

Afterward we went to the library where we spent quite a bit of time looking for new books. NT checked out more books on the game of chess and he got some books on chemistry, plus one on the Titanic, which he read for quite a while this afternoon.

The kids built a pillow fort late this afternoon and watched a very detailed dinosaur documentary that NT particularly enjoyed.

Everyone fell asleep early tonight!

Today NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase on factoring.

The kids changed yesterday's wooden "dance floor" into a "tennis court" this morning, complete with pipe cleaner tennis ball.

NT had his first Science Museum class for the Homeschool Engineering: Machines that Move series where, among other things, they each made and tested their own anemometer.

Lizzy went to spend the morning with Minna. They played the little violin and baked banana muffins.

NT and I stopped to check out the new library on Lake Street on our way home from the SMM. We decided it didn't have a very good selection of books (compared to what we're used to at Southdale), but NT did find a book on Chess, which he spent much of the evening reading. We also requested some books online about lacrosse.

The kids played more "tennis" in the late afternoon and built all kind of things with the Magna Tiles in the living room. Then they helped me grate all the cheese for dinner.

We tried a new recipe (Three Cheese Manicotti) for dinner. NT gave it only 1 star (because of the onions).

NT had basketball practice last night and then spent the rest of the evening reading his chess book. Lizzy and I read books on the couch and tried on some of my jewelry.

We have been so busy the past few days that I've had a hard time keeping up!

Sunday we had brunch at Minna's with a number of our Seattle relatives who were visiting. Of course, during most of it, NT was glued to the Vikings game in Minna's den.

Late Sunday afternoon NT and Liz went to Grandma Ruth's to decorate Valentine's Day cookies and play with Bob. They came home with a huge stash of craft supplies (and a glue gun!) from Grandma Ruth and a whole bunch of notebooks and pencils and items for NT's Leonardo DaVinci inventions from Bob.

Monday morning Liz had ballet and NT worked with his new multiplication flash cards while we waited. We went to the library and NT checked out a number of books on medieval knights & weaponry, and some books on different types of spy planes, etc.

In the afternoon NT went to Minna's for a walk with some of the Seattle folk and then back to the condo to work with his new glue gun. Meanwhile, Lizzy and I met some of our new friends for a hike by the river and a warm-up afterward at the Riverview.

Tuesday NT asked if we could go to the Science Museum to see the Titanic exhibit once more before the exhibit closes. We saw that exhibit and explored many others, including the Egyptian mummy, which we discussed at length with a docent.

We went to the historic 5.8 for lunch and learned about its history and how it started. We talked about the Prohibition and what a speakeasy was.

Late afternoon NT had ceramics class where they are currently working on tea sets.

Today Liz visited with more Seattle folk at Minna's with Auntie Em for brunch while NT and I went to check out The Works where they had a homeschooler program on estimation and budgeting today. NT really liked it and is looking forward to visiting again soon.

When we got home Maria met us with a HUGE surprise for NT. She found a 20 gallon tank with all the equipment (including fish!) for NT, who has been wanting his own fish tank for a very long time. We spent the afternoon cleaning and filling the tank, and then NT and Maria went to the fish store to learn more about what to do to try to keep the existing fish alive. NT is beside himself with excitement!

Tonight NT and John are at basketball practice.

All week NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase and we have been practicing a lot of math as it has applied to our everyday life. We have been reading another Hardy Boys' mystery. NT has had his globe out and has been figuring out where places are, like Wisconsin and Iceland. The kids have been building things like crazy with the Magna Tiles and jumping on the trampoline in the living room and making obstacle courses all over the first floor.

I think we're all ready for a day off!

The last few days have been packed full of activities!

NT has been keeping up with PBS's Cyberchase in the mornings.

Tuesday we went to Northrup Auditorium on the U of MN campus for a "physics circus" with a group of homeschoolers. NT loved it just as I had expected he would.

Tuesday evening NT had ceramics class and then toured a local fire station with his Cub Scout den.

Wednesday NT and I read about Benjamin Franklin and then he went with Grandpa Alan & Minna to the History Center to see the Benjamin Franklin exhibit and then they met Auntie Em for lunch.

Wednesday evening NT had basketball practice. He is really excited for the first game coming up on Saturday!

Thursday we went to check out a local homeschool co-op's open house. We stayed for over 5 hours. The kids each got to sit in on a class and they both loved it. There was a big social room where the kids got to play with other kids of all ages and they had a blast.

While we were there we ran into people with whom we were in Little Sprouts at the Waldorf school when NT was just two. They now have a little girl Lizzy's age as well. They invited us to go out to dinner and play. The kids all hit it off and we are so happy to have found some great new homeschool friends to hang out with!

This morning Lizzy had gymnastics and, while waiting, NT read made out his first-round birthday list and read one of his 28 library books on football. Later we stopped at the library and he checked out about 10 books on basketball.

This weekend was full of fun activities.

Saturday morning NT had an art class where he worked with both pastels and modeling clay. This particular art class offers the opportunity to have artwork displayed in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, so he is really excited.

As a follow-up to Friday's conversation about Elvis Presley, NT asked if we could listen to the XM Radio station that plays ONLY Elvis music. He liked it very much.

Saturday afternoon Minna, Grandpa Alan, & Auntie Em took the kids to the Lake Harriet Kite Festival where they saw lots of really cool and colorful kites, and the warmed up afterward with hot chocolate at the Riverview. Lizzy wasn't feeling well so she stayed back to rest and watch the original Muppet Movie with John.

Sunday John took the kids sledding and then NT went out to play with the neighbor in the snow. Both kids went to bed on time for the first time in days. There have been so many activities, everyone needs to catch up on sleep!

It's been a busy several days with lots of time spent outdoors playing in the snow, playing with friends, decorating cookies and playing games with Minna, Auntie Em, and Grandpa Alan, and playing LEGOs by candlelight during our mid-winter power outage--brrrrrrrr it was cold with no heat!!

We've been keeping up with our Hardy Boys reading, built lots of giant pillow forts, and had pizza at Fireside Pizza in Richfield on New Year's Eve for the 2nd year in a row. The kids love that there is a tree "growing" in the middle of the restaurant!

We watched the Rose Bowl and the Vikings, and read about fish. John took the kids on a field trip to the fish store today so NT could do more research on the kind of fish he wants, and then they stopped at Cold Springs--an historic site near Minnehaha Park--on their way home. NT wrote a "SECRIT!" letter to his cousin Ezra.

We're two days into NT's dinner menu plan and so-far-so-good. Last night's dinner was a hit (Lizzy and John made it and Lizzy set the table), but the kids decided tonight's dinner wouldn't make the cut for future menus.

Another big day today...

NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase on angles in bouncing.

The kids listened to Marlo Thomas' Free to Be You and Me while NT played with LEGOs and Lizzy played with the Bright Builders. They raced again on their 2-floor obstacle course and then NT read to me from his book on pet fish while I helped Lizzy get dressed. We discussed the meaning of the word "prone".

Grampy and Maria picked both kids up to go see Disney's The Princess and the Frog and took them to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Maria and NT pored over NT's fish books and Maria told him all about all the fish she used to keep. He really wants a big tank and is saving up. Right now he says he wants guppies.

John left work early so he could join us on our trek down to Honeymoon Creamery, just outside of Red Wing, to pick up the last of our fresh milk until spring. While John and I loaded up the milk, the kids romped around on the farm in the snow with the farm dog and got to see a very cold turkey who "leaked" out of the warm barn out into the snow!

On the way home we drove through the city of Red Wing and the kids commented on what a pretty town it is (especially all lit up and decorated for Christmas!). We decided when it warms up a little we would take a field trip to Red Wing and will check out all the cool places like the famous St. James Hotel and Red Wing pottery. NT was especially interested in the limestone bluffs and we told him how they use dynamite to blast the limestone apart so they can put a road right through a bluff. John showed him how you can see the lines where they drilled to insert the dynamite.

Later we stopped to check out the ski hills at Welch Village (the kids approved and want to ski there sometime this season), and then had burgers and crinkle fries at Wiederholt's in Miesville. There, NT and I read more from his fish books (he wants to do tons of research to get his tank!) and then played hangman while we waited for our food. Meantime, Lizzy played waitress and took John's order with her notebook and pen. NT did an experiment to see if he could numb his taste buds with an ice cube so that he couldn't taste the water in his glass (it tasted like iron). He said it worked.

By the time we passed the Koch refinery it was dark outside and the refinery is stunning with all the lights. The kids don't remember seeing it this way before and were quite impressed. We talked about how they change oil into gasoline for our cars there.

Just before home we stopped at our favorite Christmas light house a few blocks from home. The whole house is decorated with millions of tiny little colored lights that are perfectly synced to music on a special radio station you can turn on in your car. It is really impressive and the kids love it. We can't figure out just how they do it, but one of these years we plan to find out!

This morning NT watched PBS's Cyberchase where the subject was number and operations.

After breakfast he built a structure with his Magnatiles and then disappeared to his basement workshop where he created his own Secret Decoder (note to self: get him some brads!) before it was time to leave for today's field trip.

We picked Minna up bright and early and headed to the Minnesota Children's Museum to check out their new dinosaur display which was really impressive! The kids dug for fossils, learned cool dino facts and saw what North America looked like 65, 75, and 85 million years ago. We stayed at the museum for over 3 hours! Besides the dinos they did a craft, played in the kitchen/restaurant, made a music video, worked with other kids in the factory, and NT worked for quite a while with the hydraulics in the water room--it is so cool to watch him figure things out that even most adults can't do!

After the museum Minna treated us to a fancy (for us) lunch at Fabulous Fern's and then it was home to finish up the crafts they've been working on for the cousins while they listened to more Encyclopedia Brown mysteries on audio book.

After dinner John walked the kids over to Ellie's and then to Debbie's to deliver some homemade toffee--an event they look forward to every year!

Today was a big day.

The kids spent much of the morning playing beautifully together with the Princess Castle, though for a bit NT was heavily engaged in making and testing paper airplanes by following the instructions in a couple of books we got from the library. He also spent some time drawing in his room with his little sister snuggled next to him watching.

This afternoon and evening we attended two holiday parties--one at a neighborhood bowling alley where the kids got to bowl with friends Auggie and Louisa, and one at the neighbors' house where they got to catch up with all their neighborhood buddies and get a little crazy.

Tonight NT and John are watching the Vikings game together, though NT is likely to be asleep well before the first quarter ends!

This morning NT helped me make breakfast (Minna showed him a great way to crack eggs that works well for him every time!) and then John took the kids for a run around the neighborhood. Afterward, they played outside in the snow for quite awhile and then went sledding at the golf course.

This afternoon the kids and I walked over to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a movie based on the book of the same name by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett. It was Liz's first movie in a theater and she loved it.

Since the theater only takes cash and we rarely carry any, I borrowed cash from NT. John took the opportunity to explain to NT that he should charge me interest and explained to him that's how banks make money. I also had NT figure out how much it would cost for the three of us to see the movie ($2 x 3 people) and asked him to figure out how much change I would get back from the cashier.

Earlier in the day NT asked me how people could afford to retire--where do they get money? I explained the concept (and importance) of saving and investing for retirement.

We also discussed, at length, alternate meanings of the word "sharp": That looks sharp and Be there at 5:00 sharp.

The kids were engaged in imaginative play together for quite awhile this afternoon.

This evening the kids helped John put together Liz's castle, NT and I walked the dog around the neighborhood and looked at all the Christmas lights, and NT watched PBS's This Old House before bed "so I can give Daddy some tips".

Today was our first "official" day trying out the unschooling life. Of course, it wasn't any different than any other day, except that I was much more aware of what the kids were learning and absorbing as we went about our business.

NT started the morning bright and early watching Cyberchase on PBS, where he learned about measuring the passage of time.

Later, we picked Minna up and went downtown to see the 8th floor Macy's holiday story, A Day in the Life of an Elf. We arrived just as it opened so we almost had the place to ourselves, giving the kids as much time and space as they liked to check out each animated scene.

Afterward, the kids burned off some energy running around in the skyway while we tracked John down and then walked over to Peter's Grill--the "oldest continually operating restaurant in the city" (94 years!)--where Minna treated us to brunch.

This afternoon NT spent several hours building and rebuilding structures with his new Marbulous set from Gramma Ruth. He talked about gravity and angles as he re-engineered his designs to make the marbles go faster or take different paths. For a little while he had some help from Grandpa Alan.

We read Hardy Boys' Secret of the Old Mill out loud for about an hour. NT asked if he could stop me if he heard a word he didn't understand so I could explain it to him. Today he learned what "genuine" means.

NT also spent quite a bit of time in his basement "studio" working on various crafts, including some pretty cool monsters he fashioned out of sparkly pipe cleaners.

After LL's nap we watched a DVD of Swan Lake from the library so she could see real ballerinas perform. Interestingly, her brother seemed much more interested in the performance than she was!

NT read a book about the Titanic to himself at bedtime. He is really fascinated by shipwrecks. We talked about how scary it must have been for the people who were on the ship when it went down.