Week of March 13 - Part I

Monday of this week was rainy. The boys and I had nothing in particular planned for the day, so we set out in the van and ended up at Ms. B's, a used book store in town. There I planted both of them at the very back of the store, where the children's books are found, and Charlie quickly got to work rearranging the young adult section. Henry and I found six new (well, used, but new to us) books in good condition: two more Madeline books, a book of fables, a book called More, More, More, Said the Baby, a picture story called The Red Book (which upon reading seems like a precursor to Flotsam) and The Gingerbread Man. The books cost $14 altogether, and just before paying, we realized we had some long-forgotten store credit slips buried at the very back of my coupon holder, in the amount of...$15! An auspicious beginning to our week.

On Tuesday we went with some friends from our moms' group to the huge indoor play area at Cornerstone Church in Madison. It is free and open to the public, and we go there on days when the weather is inclement, as it was on this day. Henry hung close to me and was reluctant to play, although he has played marvelously there on recent trips. I inquired about his hesitation, and he said he was afraid of climbing up the stairs (the play structure is three or four stories high). This is not the first time lately he has alluded to a fear of heights. I share this fear, and I don't do anything to allay it in Henry, as I consider it A) a healthy fear and B) a sign of advanced intelligence. At one point Hen needed to use the bathroom, and I left Charlie in the capable hands of Susie, who ordinarily is one of Charlie's favorite people. As we finished up and exited the bathroom upstairs, though, we heard the loud, lusty Cry of the Moore Boy, and sure enough, when we go back to him, Charlie was red-faced and screaming his head off. And so it is official: separation anxiety/stranger anxiety have set upon Charlie. That seems about right. It seems like Henry began to display these same fears at about this age. Sigh.

On Wednesday, we went with Melanie and Claudia to Warner Park Nature Center over in Bellevue, Russell's and my old stomping grounds. Since we lived there in 2002, they have added an impressive outdoor fenced play area for kids. The weather was unbelievably gorgeous, and we packed lunches to eat outside. In the interest of not reinventing the wheel, here is the park's own description of its play area, followed by pictures we took there, which I feel convey the experience as well as anything I can write (possibly I'm being lazy, though):

"Remember when you had hours of fun simply playing in a sand pit or dirt pile? Your toys were sticks, rocks, and cups. You made mud pies, truck lanes, and deep holes in the sand. You got dirty, but you had the time of your life. The Nature Center wants kids to experience this good, old fashion fun in our new Nature Play area. Just below the Learning Center you will see a bright ladybug gate on a very cool twig fence, and then you have to look for the secret tunnel entrance. Designed by Tara Armistead and funded by memorial contributions for her father, Dr. William Crenshaw, this exciting new play area includes a cedar wood playhouse, a stone wall in one corner, 2 dirt piles one of which has a slide on it where kids can slide into a huge sand pit next to a huge dirt pit. Plus, (and this is the most fun part) there is a spigot that funnels water into the dirt! Mud pies anyone?"