Harley Davidson of North Texas

Last week, I was trying to come up with one last gift for Stuart that the kids could give him. Something along the lines of a mid-life crisis kind of gift. I thought of giving him pictures of a Ferrari or something like that but after talking to Nicholas, we decided to go with a Harley-Davidson themed gift.

Fortunately, there is a Harley-Davidson store near our house and Nicholas was than happy to help me check it out. It turned out to be a fun little outing.

Nicholas picked out this motorcycle for Stuart. Of course, all that we could afford was a picture of it.



We talked to a guy briefly about motorcycles but Nicholas just wanted to go around looking at them all. He even borrowed my camera to take some pictures around the store of his favorite bikes. I think he got some great shots!





One of the ladies that works there gave each of the kids a Harley-Davidson key chain which was quite a hit with them.



Nicholas ended up giving Stuart his keychain. Both kids gave him a Harley-Davidson t-shirt along with a note and pictures from their trip that told Daddy how much they had wanted to get one of these bikes for him.

MicroWorld Adventures at Haggard Library in Plano

We love spending time at our library. But sometimes it's fun to try out other libraries in the area. Especially when they offer cool programs such as MicroWorld Adventures at Haggard Library in Plano. MicroWorld Adventures is produced by the Contact Science Program through the University of Texas at Dallas.

Nicholas had fun playing with the "scope on a rope". It was really neat for him to be able to put the microscope lens just about anywhere he wanted to and get a new perspective on the things around him.

First he tried his skin. We were impressed with the quality of the picture. It's a really great microscope.



Next he explored the fibers in his shirt. Interesting!



Daddy wanted to look at Nicholas' hair. I was just fascinated with how easy it was to pick something new to look at.



Next Nicholas used the high power microscope to look at a dollar bill up close.



This is more like the one we use at home. It takes a little bit of time to get the object lined up with the lens and in focus. But we love that it can display a digital image on a computer screen for everyone to see.



Rachel enjoyed playing with the interactive computer displays even if she didn't quite understand what she was doing.



Of course, Big Brother was happy to jump in and explain it all to her. He is such a good teacher.



There was also a display of books specifically about microscopes and the microscopic worlds around us. I liked that there were books as well as hands-on activities all together in one place. It made for a great mini science class disguised as fun :)



While we were at the library, we had to check out the children's section. It is a bright and cheery room with shelves and shelves of children's books.



Rachel picked a few books off the shelf and went to a little table to read them.



While she was sitting there she happened to notice the cart next to her with books to be returned to the shelves. She pushed her books aside, pointed to some books on the cart, and said, "No, I want those pink books". She then grabbed three pink books from the cart and proceeded to happily look through them. Hmmm, am I creating a "girly-girl"?

Next we played with the puppet theater. Rachel tried out each and every puppet. She especially liked having them jump out at me from behind the little red curtain.



There were lots of puzzles, stuffed animals and even activities on the walls. What a fun and interactive learning environment.



There is also a separate room for "The Greatest Storytime On Earth".



The Haggard Library offers storytimes for all ages.
* Rhyme Time, ages 0-24 months - Tues 10:30, Friday 10:30
* Toddler Time, ages 18-36 months - Mon 10:30, Tues 11:15, Wednesday 10:30
* Preschool Storytime, ages 3-5 years - Tues 1:30, Wed 11:15, Thurs 10:30
* Family Storytime, all ages, Mon 7:00 pm

Although I've taken Rachel to many storytimes, we haven't been recently. She never wanted to actually sit still and listen to the stories so we quit going. But now that she's a little older, I guess I should give it another try.

But she is quite content to just browse the shelves and pick her own books.



And she'll sit down right in the aisle and "read" them aloud to me as she looks at the pictures and flips the pages.



The Haggard Library is located at 2501 Coit Road in Plano. You can reach them at 972-769-4250 or check them out online at their website. Their hours of operation are Monday - Thursday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm, Friday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

Surprise Presents!

Who doesn't love a present? What about a present when you aren't expecting one?

Grandmother C was mailing some things to us that we had left in Baton Rouge when we visited them at Christmas. But tucked in the box were two wrapped presents, one for Nicholas and one for Rachel.

They were super excited to have presents to open (what kid isn't?)



Nicholas got another Automoblox car. He was wanting the orange one so this is a hit!



Rachel got some furniture for her Calico Critters Tree House.



Pictures just don't convey excitement the way video can so here you go...



I love how Rachel says she has something for her "Calico Kitters Tee House". We need to work on her "r" sounds but it sure is cute for now.

The kids ripped into the presents without even letting me read each of their notes from Grandmother. But in the letter Grandmother says sweet things to each of them. I love that often when she talks to Nicholas on the phone, she recites or talks about the poem, "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. It's especially neat because Nicholas has much of the poem memorized just from casually hearing it or discussing it with Grandmother from a distance. In the note that came with Nicholas' present, Grandmother mentions a quote from Hamlet that they might start discussing next. I love Shakespeare so I think I would enjoy sitting in on their discussions too :) Grandmother, thank you for taking the time to share your passions with the kids. They may not fully appreciate it now but some day when they are older they will hear these poems and quotes and be reminded of you and how you shared that special time with them.

And from the kids, "Thanks Grandmother C for the surprise presents!"

Bounce U with Playin' Around Town

We had a great time at Bounce U today.

My kids love bounce houses and inflatable obstacle courses so when we found out that Playin' Around Town had sponsors for the event that would let us go play for free, we knew we had to go.



Rachel loves the bounce houses but she's still small enough that the obstacle courses can be too challenging for her so I played with her a lot. We climbed and went down slides. We shimmied through the obstacle courses, and bounced until our hearts were content.

Rachel loved this little blower that floated balls up in the air. She struggled with hitting the ball but you've got to admit, she's got determination!



Nicholas was running around and jumping in every bounce house. He even worked up a sweat! I love it when I can consider an outing as fun AND good exercise for the kids.



The girl is wet too but not from sweat...



I got tired of lifting her up for the water fountain because she just likes to play in it. The next thing I know I look over at her and she had solved the problem herself!



If you are in the Dallas area and want to find fun, free events to take your children to then sign up for Playin' Around Town. They have an event at least once a month at a local business and the sponsors help to make the events free for you!

Slim Goodbody's Bodyology

We love this time of year because every year around this time Slim Goodbody stops in the DFW area on his Bodyology tour around the country as he talks to children about how their bodies work and how to take care of them. To find out more about Slim and see some of the free educational resources, please visit his website.

Nicholas was excited to see Slim again. I believe this is his third year to go to the show. Rachel has been before but she was just a baby at the time and slept in her infant carrier for most of it. I was excited to be able to finally take her along to see Slim too.



The original Slim Goodbody has been performing for children in his special body suit for 30 years, he is no longer doing the shows himself. Although we miss the "real" Slim, the show was all the same Bodyology show and the new guy did a pretty good job...but I don't think anyone could do it as well as the original Slim.



We learned about the circulatory system, nervous system, respiratory system, muscles, bones, nutrition, etc. There is lots of fun videos and slides on the screen, songs and dance, and even lots of audience participtation. It's really a great way to teach kids about their bodies while having fun doing it.



Thanks, Slim! We look forward to seeing you again next year!