California Day 7

This morning John drew his cousin Maddie a birthday picture, in anticipation of seeing her today, her sixth birthday.

On our way to meet my dad and sister, I drove around some old haunts, including the beautiful Willow Bank neighborhood behind my mom's house. For days I've been hearing a familiar loud cry without being able to identify it. As I was driving along, I spotted this striking peacock in some one's front yard: that's what I have been hearing!

Then we met my dad, my sister, and my niece at the UC Davis Arboretum, where we quickly spotted turtles and ducks.

Maddie (6) and John (3-1/2)

Fried egg flowers

Beautiful California poppies

A good spot for a snack

Studying an excellent specimen of an interesting caterpillar

Feeding the ducks his peanut butter crackers

After visiting the Arboretum, we drove home for naps, then played in the back yard till dinner time. Above, John is very pleased with having collected the fallen crab apples.

For a week now John has been creating and adding to his Castle. This is a castle for ants (who can enter through the tiny holes in the abalone shells) so they can hide from Mean Grasshoppers. John has used various stones, bricks, shells, broken plastic, and sprinkler heads to create the castle, plus dirt sprinkled on top. Every day he adds to it.

Mary keeps getting stuck in this lattice work. "Mama! I stuck!"

I think Chris thought I was joking over the phone when I said that Mary climbs the lattice nearly to the roof. I took a photo as evidence: she then climbed several rungs higher. If I didn't laugh at how often I am saying, "Mary, climb down from there!" I would cry.

In other tidbits: In the last few days, John has learned how to button and unbutton his clothing. So neat! I hadn't been teaching it to him because I didn't think he had the fine motor skills. As a first-timer, I don't have a clue if three-and-a-half is early, average, or late for learning buttons, and I don't care, I just think it is neat. At lunch time, I served chicken nuggets and warned that they were hot. John didn't miss a beat: "Don't worry, my guardian angel will protect me." I reported here last night that I'd overheard him privately praying twice that evening. Well, he did so again a half dozen times today! Clearly, he is working through something with Jesus. That's the right man to go to when you've got something to work through.

Our visit is now over the halfway mark!