Ursa minor

The real story has been a wonderful week with Aunt Ruth! But I am awaiting a photo of the final Spider-Man decorated Sam's room, and will post about Ruth's visit in a day or two....

Very eventful weekend:

Started with a lazy Saturday. Read books (can't get enough of the Magic Treehouse books--I think we'll finish the series before too long), and adorned the kitchen blackboard

Went to the first of this weekend's open houses, for Sara, who is graduating from high school. Congrats, Sara! We'll miss you this summer!

Then off to a group play date/picnic out in the country. (The parents both work with psychologically very troubled populations. One of them is even an Obie. They are a lot of fun to talk to. But this is Sam and Josh's blog, not ours!) Sam squealed with delight when Alicia drove off with him in her electric car. Surely a high point.

Then we drop Sam off at a play date with Lexy (had a great time!) while we have a take-out-Chinese date with Josh. Very pleasant, and over too quickly. (Lexy's home schooled, and her parents shared with my a funny bumper sticker, which reads, "OUR GIRL IS HOME SCHOOLED. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT GRADE SHE'S IN!"

Sunday afternoon the boys and I went to family day at the art gallery downtown. A storyteller recounted myths and played a few notes on the Native American flute. A face painter made Sam into a bear. One artist helped Sam weave strips of cloth into the cast-iron fence and another helps Sam make pipe-cleaner-and-cloth spectacles. A docent shows us the "fiber art" exhibit (a docent Sam later agrees "rambles"). The afternoon ends with a long interpretive dance session (see movie below) in which the kids walk like animals while listening to tinkly music, run around carrying colored pieces of fabric, and finally form a parade around the atrium.

Sam couldn't have been happier. He was into it. Even the rambling docent whom he dutifully attended to for quite some time until I lured him away with arts & crafts.

Sadly, at the second high-school-graduation open house of the weekend (congratulations, Corinne!), Sam, who had a sudden headache, threw up a little, sending us back home, where he sacked out for a couple of hours, looking like a limp dishrag. I suspect it was dehydration; he went to bed in much better spirits.

As mentioned above, in a day or two you can expect Ruth's Visit, Part 2, which is worth waiting for. A teaser, though: When Ruth first brought Sam in to let him help her paint, she put down a big plastic drop cloth. Aunt Ruth warned Sam away when he was in danger of ripping the plastic. He obeyed, then smiled, and said, "That would be tear-able!"

That's m' boy! :-)

Oh, one bonus: A movie from the recent Westerville Collins weekend, to give you your Josh fix!