Here are a few of the things we did while my mom was here. . . . .
Painting. As every grandparent who has crossed our threshold knows, first on the agenda is always painting with Mary.
Madison Children's Museum. It's taken me a while to decide how I feel about this particular children's museum. I'm starting to burn out on the whole children's museum thing. Which is why I think I decided that I love this museum--it's quite different from other children's museums. Less plastic. More interesting. (The whole second floor is like a giant art installation.) And designed to encourage age-appropriate play. Compared to some other children's museums, there is not as much to do, mostly because the space is small, but you can't beat the fabulous location on Capitol Square. Best of all, the parents seem to hover less. (Maybe it's a Madison thing?) My mom and I had a great time taking the kids to play there.
At the end of our visit we ventured to the roof. And it was Farm Day! David and Mary were able to pet a baby goat, a baby pig, a duck, a chicken, and plant their own soy beans. They even got stickers that said "I Met a Farmer Today." Pretty fun.
The Capitol. After our visit to the Children's Museum, we walked across the street to the State Capitol. It was the first day of the Dane County Farmers' Market, but it was cold and there weren't many vendors, so we headed straight for the shelter of the capitol building.
Things have changed since the last time we stepped inside.
I guess I didn't mind the annoying security check so much, but I was really irritated that I wasn't allowed to bring in my crockpot.
After the metal detector, we headed straight for the rotunda.
What are they all looking at?
The dome, of course.
It really is a very nice capitol building. Even if you can't bring your snakes inside anymore.
Thank you, Mary, for this lovely picture.
And, thanks again, Mary. At least my mom can look normal in a picture.
Once we were back outside, Mary ran away. She was being a little anti-social this past week. Also, I believe she wanted to join some demonstrators who had just passed by.
After trying to claw her way into the capitol back in February and then trying to run off to join the protesters last weekend, I have concluded that Mary is ready to take a stand here in Wisconsin. She is very stubborn: She fits in perfectly with this state's politics.
David is just a happy guy (except when he's not). Look at these cute pictures.
Thanks to my mom who lovingly carried the plants in the freezing cold so I could operate my camera. I think it was worth it.
Wii and haircut. My mom was a good sport and, for the first time in her life, played video games. She danced with us, and she was quite the determined racer on MarioKart. It was when we were all so into MarioKart that Mary decided to style my mom's hair with a water bottle and a brush. And it was when we were all still so into MarioKart that Mary fetched some scissors--and no body noticed. When my mom and I finally realized she was actually cutting my mom's hair, I freaked out. Poor Mary--she was so embarrassed. She seemed to believe she was really doing her grandma a favor. She sure chopped off some chunks! When I was cleaning it up, I couldn't believe how much she'd cut before anyone noticed! Miracle of miracles, you could hardly notice on my mom's hair. Mary took it off the bottom, and my mom's layers hid it perfectly. What a blessing! Can you imagine if my mom went home with a big bald spot in the back of her head or something?? I suppose the moral of the story has something to do with the evils of video games. And scissors.
Sunday morning Playmobil battle. I love it when someone else can entertain my kids.
New Glarus. I am loving this little town more and more. On Monday Mary was out of school for her spring break, so us girls drove to Little Switzerland.
Mary and I took my mom to buy homemade lotions at the Bramble Patch and then sweet goodies at the bakery. I tried the nut horn, one of the things for which the bakery is famous. It's a rolled flaky pastry with a walnut filling, and it was tasty! Out of curiosity I also tried an anise springerli, which is a traditional German cookie which tastes like black licorice. The taste was unusual, but I loved how delicate each cookie was.
Mary and my mom opted for chocolate. You can never go wrong with chocolate. Mary ate a chocolate donut.
One of the best parts of visiting New Glarus is the drive through the countryside. My mom and I agreed that it was the Midwest at its best.
Lunch date. David was feeling a little sad that he had to go to school every day while Mary and I got to hang out with Grandma. So I considered taking him out of school on Wednesday to spend the day at one of the museums in Milwaukee. But David simply couldn't stand to leave the incubated eggs for even one day. They were supposed to start hatching, and he didn't want to miss out on any of the action. But he really wanted to do something special with Grandma Evie. So we decided instead of Milwaukee, we'd take him out to lunch. He felt very special. We had a fun little lunch at Culver's, including custard, of course, during David's lunch and recess. And he was back in time for the next chapter of Junie B. and P.E. I love how much he loves school. (What are we going to do this summer??)
It was so nice to have my mom here. She was great about playing with the kids to their hearts' content and super patient with their mood swings. She babysat in the evenings and let me drag her shopping in the daytime. She was easy-going about the nasty weather and the tedium of our normal routines. We're sad she's gone. David and Mary are already making plans for this summer. See you in August, Grandma!
P.S. Grandmas are always welcome to visit! Even in April, and even if you bring snow!
