Monday stuff

Monday, June 24:  I picked Brendan up from his sailing class in EGR and suggested that we go to "Yesterdog" to catch a hotdog. Brendan laughed out loud! He told me he would much rather have a Happy Meal at McD's ... so that's what we ended up doing (naturally!).

But first, Brendan requested that he have a little time to do some swimming ... so we marked off 15 minutes for that. There weren't many other children in the swim area--it was still a little chilly Monday, but the cold doesn't seem to bother Brendan in the least little bit. 

 Brendan doesn't usually wear a life vest--except during his sailing class. These kids go all the way across Reed's Lake in a 2-person, very tiny sailboat! I'm thankful he has the life vest on for that.

 Brendan was showing me all of his "strokes" that he has learned at Gold Fish (his swimming school).

 We ate our lunch, and then I switched children! I dropped Brendan off at his house and picked Aidan up. I was a little uncertain about the afternoon weather, so I thought I'd mix things up a bit instead of being at my place the entire afternoon.

 We drove over to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. It's such a nice place. They keep it very clean and as tidy as they can ... I guess I am an "order" freak! Anyway, they've "held over" the "Toys" exhibit and that's where we spent our time. 

 These tiny airplanes are "new" to me. I haven't seen them here before. We are members at the museum, which is a bargain and a half.

 "Cleared for take off!"

 Look at this precious boy ... gah! He is so adorable.

 Cruising down the runway ...

 We went up to the 2nd floor to play at the "Toys" exhibit. The last time we were here, Aidan wasn't too terribly interested in playing! He would barely get out of the stroller. But this time, he entered into all of it quite readily.

 Aidan spent a lot of time cleaning up the kitchen area ...

 For a break, Aidan offered me a glass of milk from the refrigerator ...

 But then he went back to his cooking and cleaning ... so cute.

 Many of the toys on exhibit CANNOT be played with. They are antiques! There are toys from way back ... even as far back as when I was a child! Aidan really badly wanted to jump over this glass enclosure, especially when he saw this ...

 ... good thing Aidan has an Elmo at home that he can cuddle with! 

 Their huge xylophone didn't make very clear sounds ... I'm not sure why. Aidan enjoyed beating it about for awhile though.

 The Potato Heads were a hit too. We stayed about 90 minutes here, but then I thought we should head over to my place to eat.

 When we got to the Beach House, Aidan immediately went over to the train bin and started building. I warmed up his garlic pasta and he ate a very big bowl of it!

 But then he went back to building more track. It was raining outside, so I diverted him from the water table that was outside. I'm storing it upside-down on my deck for the summer months. Aidan didn't even see it on the way inside.

 Aidan wanders around my whole house in between building and playing trains. He gets numerous toys out and adds them to his train play. Several stuffed animals were in on it Monday.

 It was getting close to the time where we had to head back to Aidan's house. He was SO sleepy. Look at him grabbing at his curls--a sure sign of fatigue. I talked to him all throughout our road trip home.

 We sang songs too! And our little sheep, Sarah, entertained Aidan enough to keep him awake ALL THE WAY. Our drive took 55 minutes, which is crazy. But this time of year in Grand Rapids is so full of road construction that no matter which way you decide to route yourself, there are always detours and road closures. 

That's okay, though ... it's part of the process. I love being in the car with this little sweetheart. I can't believe how close he came to falling asleep! We get to Aidan's house by about 6:00, which is only about 90 minutes from his bedtime--if he falls asleep in the car, it kind of makes his usual bedtime tricky. Mission accomplished! One 2-year-old delivered home ... awake!