We went to our local drainage pond (lovingly called the Egret’s Nest) early yesterday morning before school. Jessica caught a few tadpoles to bring to her preschool class, one even had some tiny legs growing. Art and Lewis can be seen here with their capes.

A photographer friend of mine (Kathy Easthagen) took this fun photo of us at the May Day parade on Sunday.

Today was the May Day parade (it was postponed a week by rain). I won’t try and describe what any of these photos mean cause I have no clue. The parade and play were great, although Jessica and I both agreed that somehow this year’s celebration lacked the ‘wow’ factor. Easy to be a critic though. It’s always an amazing event and we had a great time, minus a rock throwing incident an overtired boy (Lewis) crying all the way home and going to sleep 3 hours early.

The sun travels across Powderhorn Lake to take part in the play.

A sloth on wheels during the parade.

This photo makes me really sad. Also feel like a lazy journalist who has to do more meaningful stories.

This is a deer’s heart of course.

Oh, how wonderful!!!  An exhibit of things that look so real but are completely fabricated… and often the completely wrong size.  I was originally going to try and see this exhibit with my sister today but she couldn’t make it.  We will go another time before it closes, but I realized the kids would probably have a great time so an hour before the museum closed we all arrived and hit the Life Like exhibit at Walker Art Center.    Here is Art under the metal card table and chairs.  There was a delightful while also giant detail of an extra chair folded and leaning against the opposite wall.  So I wonder, do they actually fold?

Notice how smooth and shiny our hair looks.  We used a wide-tooth comb.

I literally shook my fist at the kind guard who asked me not to get so close the the pieces.  I was laughing while I growled at her but also genuinely frustrated.  I wanted to touch almost everything in this exhibit!

This may have been my favorite piece – tiny elevators.  I could have sat in front of those the entire visit. The lights work and the doors open.  My mind kept imagining the little elevator going up and down inside the wall and I actually got giddy waiting for it to “arrive” on the 1st floor, which it did with a tiny “Ding!”.  I can’t wait to see it again!!

Playing tag. Look closely and see a girl in mid-fall.

Bailey

Hippest changing table a round.

Uncle Josh bought this huge inner tube for the boys last winter thinking it would be good for sledding. It wasn’t. It’s just way too big. However, it’s superb for bouncing. It’s like a poor man’s trampoline and has provided gobs of solid entertainment. Just today I re-inflated it and Art has all the sudden been able to bounce super high. And then I threw in a photo of Netta showing off her belly button.

I spent a day last week photographing the principal at Art’s school, Steve DeLapp (for a gift book thing some parents are putting together). He’s retiring this year, and while I don’t know him well, I’m sad he’s going cause it’s clear he cares deeply and has developed a great school and staff and environment for children. Here are a few photos from that day.

This fellow, the head maintenance man, every day helps this little girl in Art’s class get from room to room. She broke her leg.

Arthur, right, having a good laugh with a couple other kindergartners.