Top 15 Things to Do When Preschool Is Out of Session

Or, "So That's Why Bekah Looks So Tired Lately..."

Starring...

You're going to be seeing this photo a lot.
It's the First Time I've caught both children
smiling AND looking at the camera at the same time.
Nothing short of a miracle, I tell you.

Before we start, I have to give an explanation. 

My son owns pants. Lots of them. I put pants on him every. day.

And then, at some point during the day, he takes them off and refuses to wear them again.

I swear I try my best to keep him appropriately attired, but to no avail.

As you may have guessed, all of the best photo ops around the house occur when he has no pants on. So be forewarned. I'm not trying to mortify you, dear reader; imagine it's a Speedo, if that helps. I'm also not trying to embarrass his future self. But Future Luke, if you're reading this, that's what you get for taking off your pants when your momma told you not to!

My apologies.

And now back to business.

The Top Fifteen Things to Do When Preschool Is Out of Session:

15. Make Huge Messes with Arts and Crafts

I had to give the little one dried pasta to "sort"
because she kept trying to eat the playdough.
So she just ate the pasta instead.

14. Splash in Puddles

Especially fun when Mommy has just
changed you into your "nice shorts" for church.

13. Watch the Olympics with Daddy

Man, I miss this incredible excuse for watching TV all day.

12. Learn about Walky-Talkies

In case you're wondering, one- and three-year-olds
are too young to grasp the concept of holding a
button down to speak - but not too young
to figure out how to remove batteries.
And maybe put them in their mouth.

11. Take a Trip to the Library

Sarah has much more sophisticated reading interests
than her brother. And all forty other kids there for storytime.

10. Catch "Baby Lizards"

The first time, I told Luke we had to put it outside "so it
could go find its momma." Alas, Luke has now taken it upon
himself to return all the little lost lizards to their mommas....
and they usually don't make it out of the house with tails in tact.
(Heck, they're just lucky to be alive after that kid's been chasing them!)

9. Drop in on Great-Grandmothers

Both grandmothers have been extremely impressed with
Sarah's walking skills. And she is happy to show off for them -
as long as there are interesting things
(i.e. dangerous or fragile or valuable objects)
to discover around their apartments!

8. Watch a Thunderstorm Roll in from the Second Story Screened-in Porch

This is the first time we've used our "Florida room"!
It's quite nice! 

7. Visit the Doctor

Look at my sweet little readers!

6. Scribble with Crayons

Sarah has a special gift for coloring.
When she's not eating the crayons, that is.

5. Play with Friends

A few playdates with Zoe helped everybody cope with
the absence of our preschool!

4. Discover a New Playground

A new playground that we will not venture to again.
Oh well. One down, 746 more to investigate.

3. Watch Cartoons from Five Inches Away

Why do kids do this??

2. Ride the Train

Luke has a thing about loud noises.
Just in case you hadn't figured that out.
And Sarah, apparently, can't figure out how to smile.
I don't know - P took this picture.
We all know that I know how to get those kids to smile.

Ahem.
Where were we?

Oh, that's right - 

And the Number One Thing to Do When Preschool Is Out of Session:

1. Take Jesus with You!

It's especially handy if you have a finger-puppet-sized Jesus.
The people behind us in church probably think our kids are so holy,
what with their fists full of Jesus and the disciples and angels.