Monet, Degas, and the Big Horse

We visited Frederik Meijer Gardens in GR on Tuesday. It was the first time we had ever been to the outdoor gardens and sculpture park. In the past it has always been butterflies indoors or at Christmas time. This was absolutely beautiful, but hot too. It was a perfect day for the beach, so after about an hour outside wandering through the Monet-inspired gardens, we ventured indoors for the Degas exhibit. I really enjoyed that, but Samedh was tired and had enough by then. Thank goodness for the stroller! I hope to make one more trip to the outdoor gardens this summer and another one in the fall. There is so much to explore outside, and Tuesday's visit was just the beginning. Oh, and by the way, if you look closely at the horse's nostril, you can see a wasp nest inside. Samedh thought that was pretty funny!

Overnight at the Cottage

Last weekend Samedh had his first "overnight camping experience" at Grandma and Grandpa's cottage. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was only the three of us plus my parents, so it was a quiet and relaxing weekend. Samedh got to experience the joy of a night time campfire, complete with all the "night time sounds." We didn't roast marshmallows or hot dogs, but it was nice just sitting out there listening to bullfrogs. After about 20 minutes, someone commented on how the bullfrogs' sound had changed. Instead of the familiar "twanging rubber band sound", they now sounded like, "Um-um-um-um-um". That did it for Samedh, and he wanted to go inside.

The following morning, Samedh enjoyed a hearty hot breakfast and spent some time playing on the swing. He even took some time out to pose with Grandma's famous watermelon wedge and sat on the paddle boat. The boat never left the shore because it was far too windy that day. We'll attempt that another time. Just sitting on shore was enough for Samedh. He enjoyed wearing Grandpa's old fishing hat, but wasn't too sure about the "coat" he was wearing (he was referring to the life jacket).

Overall, we had a great time and hope to make one more overnight trip up north before the end of the summer. Not sure if it will be just our small group again or with all the cousins, but we'll see how it goes.

1st Diving Board Jump

I just had to post this video today. For the first time ever, Samedh asked to jump off the diving board after class. All last summer, he enjoyed watching "the big boys" jump and dive off the board. Even yesterday he watched the other kids and their parents jump off the diving board after class. Then today, he announced that he wanted to try it. He liked it so much (I think) that he asked to jump a second time. For someone who has a difficult time jumping to me from the side of the pool, he sure surprised us. We are happy and proud beyond words. So is Samedh!

Wednesday

On Wednesday we ventured to Helder Park to enjoy the summer playgroup offered by the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD). During the school year, we attended the monthly Literacy Playgroups. This was the same group, just an outdoor summer version. We were there from 9:30am-11:00am and I'm not sure Samedh was all that ready to go home afterward. He spent most of the time digging in the blue sand (one of his favorite activities), but enjoyed running around the playground just as much. Because he is so much taller this summer, he can climb the playground equipment with ease. He is also more comfortable going down (and up) the slides this year. Just the small slides, though. What a difference one summer makes!

Tuesday

Tuesday morning Samedh and I went on a Backyard Safari at the library. There were stories and songs about bugs, and we went on a little "bug hunt" to see what critters we could find. We found all but one, so that's pretty good. Samedh was more interested in running around than looking for hidden "paper" bugs. The photos are of Samedh proudly making and wearing his bug hat during craft time. He was so excited that they had orange pipe cleaners among the color choices, as that is still his favorite color!

A Quiet 4th

This year's 4th of July was very simple and quiet for us. We did a little yard work after a trip to Lowe's and Barnes and Noble (Samedh played with the Thomas the Train table of course), then escaped the noise of motorcycles at our neighbor's house later in the evening. It seemed our entire neighborhood was gone (except for Mr. Carl's motorcycle show), so we decided to head over to the local Indian restaurant for dinner. After a delicious dinner, we noticed the parking lot was beginning to fill up with cars and people setting up lawn chairs, etc. It was just after 9pm, but these folks were obviously getting settled in for the fireworks show that night. What an excellent idea...for next year that is. We were not in the mood to sit in the parking lot for an hour to wait for the fireworks, so we just went home. But this would be a perfect location to sit and watch next year. The view would be perfect and traffic would not be an issue afterward. Certainly something to consider.

Another Reunion Video

Here's another video from our weekend in Chicago...

Dancing Bollywood Style

Here is one of the videos I took while we were in Chicago last weekend. Samedh and Pankaj show off their Bollywood moves. Sorry about the sound...not sure why it doesn't work.

India Families Reunion

Last weekend was our long-awaited "families reunion" in the Chicago area. Nine families attended, all of whom adopted children from Bal Vikas Orphanage in Mumbai. This was the first reunion of this size, and it was a huge success. Families traveled from as far away as Boston, and many of us were meeting each other for the first time. The older children remembered the younger children from their past at BV, and it was touching to see them unite once again.

Samedh enjoyed himself for the most part, but so often during the weekend he kept telling us that he wanted to go home. At times it was a bit overwhelming for him, which is something I certainly did not expect. Now that we are home, Samedh covers his eyes whenever I look at the photos families are sharing online.

I plan to order a variety of photos from our weekend and make a scrapbook that can be shared when we all meet again next summer. I'll just be sure to work on that project during Samedh's nap time, and will only show him the pictures when he feels he is ready. Below are only a few of the photos that were taken over the weekend...

Group photo on the basketball court Friday.
Samedh and Anish playing with the pine cones they collected.

The cake we shared Friday night.

Samedh with his new friend Madhu at dinner Saturday.

Pankaj and Samedh "hit the pool" after dinner on Saturday.