Picnics, Paints, Play

To catch you up to speed on what we have been doing when we aren't out on the town, this post will do the trick.  Like I have said in a previous post, Bobby and I have had to work a lot this summer.  Summer school is very intense and very fast (6 weeks).  To help occupy the kids in our small apartment with not many toys; I have used paints, lentils, library books, and the playground.  Below are a couple of silly pictures.

I cut shapes into potatoes to use as a stamp.  Amelie loved it and it was really easy.

This was the first use of paints with Liam since he was really little.  He loved it!  He called all of the colors blue...we are working on knowing our colors now! ;)

We had a bag of lentils in our cupboard when we moved in.  Out of desperation one morning I pulled them out with some measuring cups and spoons.  Both kids have played multiple days for a good chunk of time with these lentils.  It was a great find!

Yes, playing with lentils makes a mess.  However, it turns into a teachable moment.  They each take turns cleaning up their area.  Amelie knows that if she wants to play with them then she has to help me clean them up afterwards.  They actually both like vacuuming so it's a win/win.

Down the street from our apartment is a very nice square.  When I don't want to make the walk to the playground, we come to the square to burn some energy.  We bring bread to feed the seagulls and ducks.  We have a duck family and a swan family that are in the river outside of our apartment.  We enjoy watching them too.  In the square are round barriers.  A game Amelie has come up with is to play dot-to-dot where we run from one sphere to the next.  It's a beautiful area to pass the time.

Don't worry, this is a statue. 

We have also started doing the same kind of picnics that we did when we lived in Paris.  Buying turkey, cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread, and fruit.  It's an easy, delicious lunch.  This picnic was had at Leith Links after playing on the playground.  

Part of living out of one suitcase is you don't have a handy picnic blanket.   The kids don't mind.

Liam's favorite part of the picnic are the tomatoes.  We try to break them in half for him but he is fast and will shove the whole tomato in his mouth.  He is proud of himself when he accomplishes this feat and has tomato seeds dripping down his chin.

Liam trying to tackle Bobby. 

Amelie is talented...kicking while eating bread.

The benefit of being close to home is we are able to take good naps in our own beds.