Furlough Day From School

The kids were out of school today due to the teachers being furloughed (which conveniently coincided with election day).  We were busy bees this morning and cleaned up the house.  The kids helped with moving furniture out of the way while I vacuumed and mopped.  Once we got chores out of the way, we headed out for some fun and went to a big park.  The kids brought their bikes and helmets.

We took a little trail down to the creek flowing under the bridge.

The start of it off the paved path was cobblestone.

Chloe found big sticks to pick up.

And throw into the creek.

Owen found helicopters to toss up into the air.

I thought the underside of the bridge was pretty cool.

I think she got her stick obsession from her brother.

Owen was looking for mica and pyrite.  Chloe was just looking for cool rocks.  I love watching them work together and side-by-side.  It is really nice seeing them mature a bit and become friends, where the other's presence doesn't set off a temper.

She had to venture farther downstream.  Because I had already said it was time to go back up to the park.  Twice.

She was proud of her loot.

They wanted to go up a different return path and called it the short cut.  They bet me they would beat me up.  Guess who was surprised to see me waiting at the top for them.  :)

They road farther ahead of me this time and parked their bikes in a bike stand next to the playground.  Chloe want to play and made new friends on the merry-go-round.  Owen was a bit intimidated by all of the kids at the park and chose to sit next to me on a bench.  We had a nice conversation together about photography, babies, growing up and coming back to this park another time with one of his friends.

After we left this park, we headed to the Learning Express so the kids could look at kendamas.  Owen has been pining for a kendama since his birthday when his friend Preston got one.  All he has talked about for WEEKS is how he wants a kendama, how he's saving his money to buy a kendama and how he hopes Santa or Mommy and Daddy will get him one for Christmas.  We were going to 'just look.'  

After staring longingly at the kendamas for quite awhile, I asked him which color he thought he would choose and he narrowed it down to three.  Then he got really quiet and said, "Mommy, I know you're going to say no, but I just have to ask, even though you're probably going to say no, but will you please buy me a kendama and I'll give you all of the money I have at home and you can keep my allowance for the next two months?  I just know you're going to say no."  He barely made eye contact, so I knelt down and said "You're right, Owen.  I would say no."  I waited a few moments and then said, "I would say no because I was already planning on buying you a kendama today and you don't need to pay me back."

It took a bit for my words to register and then his eyes widened and he threw his arms around me in a big hug.  He stepped back and told me that I deserved a hundred kisses before he looked at all the kendamas again and with a different expression.  Then he started crying and wrapped his arms around me again.  This boy was so extremely happy.  In his world, he just won the lotto.