April 12

What a wonderful day this was.

It started out by my capturing Little Son and snuggling him in so that we could read Chapter 12 of George's Key. And we also read Chapter 13. At his request.

There was some kind of wild play with tricks on the trampoline about "Egyptians" and "Angry Sloth".
shrug.
I don't know.There was also rasslin' with a pesky little sister.

Sandbox play....in the name of Prehistory, of course.

And then we were off!
We were on a mission.
To hunt Frogs.
Via an hour long ride in the car...

Cars are one of my very favorite places to learn. We get to talk about all sorts of things. From Mt. Rushmore to union strikes.
Today we talked of the northern and southern hemispheres. And I got to learn about the tomato frog and others and toads. And venomous spiders and snakes. And we talked of people living sustainably, and of ice ages and the possibility of the return of dinosaurs in evolution and we discussed tools and pollution.

And we found mole hills!
And deer scat
and a dead hawk. See its talon?
And what we think is a dead muskrat (only furry remnants on that one.)
and a caterpillar!...
and frogs!!The Columbian Spotted Frog. It's a native to Utah, though it's being re-introduced, due to the degradation and destruction of natural wetlands.
Last fall we had two of these fine creatures in our home for a few weeks for a study. We learned they are particularly fond of our ants.
We released our little friend, and will go back again in a couple of weeks to see if we can find eggs. Today they were calling, and the only time this species calls is during mating season. So soon hopefully we'll see eggs!

We also found today what Daddy says is probably a dead horse, but what Trev insists is a prehistoric mammal. Madd voted for a dinosaur. (Skeletons mostly look like dinosaurs, don't they?)(this is the muddy underside of its skull, the other side was bleached white.)Madd collected the other hipbone for her rock collection.
lol. (she didna bring it home.)
And there was skipping stones.
And admiring moss.
And loving.
Off t0 Grandma and Grandpa's, then.
For a lovely visit.

And an egg hunt

And pouring over photo albums - including fascinating pictures of when Daddy was just a babe.


And finally yet another fine treat...
a bit of private time with Grandpa, in which Grandpa reveals his Neat Stuff Box.
Not only did Grandpa share a few Neat Stuffs, he gifted Trev with a bicentennial JFK coin, and presented Trevelyn with his very own Neat Stuff Box.
I'm sure it shall today be filled with ammonites, a shark tooth, a bit of dinosaur fossil, and many other things that fit into the Neat Stuff category.

It was a lovely day--
filled with things we love to do
things we love to discover
and people we love to love.