2nd day at Saugatuck

At daybreak, Liz and Anne took care of the kids and prepared breakfast while the rest of us slept on..

the weather was cold and rainy, but we headed to the dutch village anyway. Here is Ming Ming, Antoine, Mike, and Avi having a cheesey good time at dutch village.

 

a petting zoo...

The main attraction turned out to be rides. Nourit and Lukas went first with Anne.

 Ming Ming watched Nourit and Lukas first, then decided that she wanted to go with the rest of the gang. 

Remembering her experience with rides in Paris, I was quite sure that she was going to cry. But Ming Ming really surprised me, she had a really good time, laughing all the way to the end.

 

and we learnt some Dutch folk dancing.

some more rides 

the kids do some shoe shopping

tried on costumes

played a Dutch game..
Then we gave up, it was raining too hard. We headed back to the house for lunch and nap time.

 

as the weather got better and the kids got some rest - the girl chatted all the way through their rest time - we went to downtown Saugatuck for some ice cream and coffee.

 

 

The kids had some fun in a local park, and we set out for a short stroll alone the harbor. 

we past by a fountain, the girls started getting pennies out of water and making their own wishes, and throw them back in again. Here is MM making a wish, with her eyes closed. 

After ice-cream, we again descended to the beach.
There is too much sun, so they have to make hats out of their dresses or t-shirts.

Antoine and Anne dived into the icy water. The kids got very excited and everyone jumped in. 

 

 

Antoine is very fun to be with at the beach. 
If you can't tell, this is Avi.

 

 

Nourit was very dedicated; she dug a Nourit-Antoine canal that went all the way to the water.  

digging. At Antoine's request, Ming Ming sang the Jewish slave song during the whole time:

The Building Song

Bang, bang, bang
Hold your hammer low
Bang, bang, bang
Give a heavy blow
For it's work, work, work
Every day and every night,
For it's work, work, work
When it's dark and when it's light.

Dig, dig, dig
Get your shovel deep
Dig, dig, dig
There's no time for sleep
For it's work, work, work
Every day and every night
For it's work, work, work
When it's dark and when it's light.

(PS: cadoux, now you know the lyrics, you can sing it during the week when you are away from us.)

 

drawing in the sand

 

 

the sand castle! it was Mike who made all the decorations.

Oscar's turn

taking a bath together, and giving me silly faces. 

dinner time.
yummy salmon for dinner, this was really a gourmet trip. Chef Mike never disappoints.

movie time again.
The kids were so tired, but, Ming Ming was the only one who fell asleep during the movie.
Then she woke up around midnight and blamed me for not putting her in the kids' room. And off she went, except that she came back around 3am to my bed, only to wake up in the morning blaming me again that she missed the sleepover. Arrrgghhh...

Hugo was still up

The greenwood commune set off for Saugatuck, Michigan

After spending so much time at each other's apartment and making noise at the courtyard, the greenwood commune decided to take school administrator Teresa Cxxk's advice and head out to a state park. The destination is Saugatuck, Michigan, an artsy little town that was hosting a tulip festival this weekend (although we would not see a single one of them due to an early bloom this year). Over the past week there has been some uncertainty about the Bohnenkims' participation and indecision about which house to rent, but at noon on Friday we were all packed and ready to go.

So, first things first, I was the one who drove us from Hyde Park Chicago to Saugatuck Michigan. Though it has to be taken into account that I had Keven as my co-pilot and, more importantly, as the person I believe who has the power to save us from any kind of wreckage that I might cause (on a general basis, I hold such opinion to whoever sitting right next to me while I drive). Almost 3 hours of highway driving without any incident, I consider my trip a remarkable success. Although Antoine differs in his opinion. Sitting on the backseat trying to work on his laptop (it was Friday afternoon and he had to be at work), he complained incessantly about my lane changing (well, I might have changed lane too often and, even worst, slowed down when I changed lanes), and became fixated on the point that I exited highway and arrived at a ramp at 70m per hour (instead of 35m). I thought that slowing down from 80 to 35 mile in 2 seconds seemed rather risky and thus did not slow down fast enough. Granted, this could have been a fatal error but we escaped the great danger unscratched. And, while I recognize that I suck as a driver, Antoine also sucks as a passenger!

Here is at the moment of arrival, the kids exploring the back of our rental home for the weekend.  

while the men left for hunting (at the local grocery store), we organized the kids and headed down to the beach. Walking in a line is very important you see!

encountering the vast ocean, or, the great lake Michigan..

it was cold and misty, but the kids knew no fear. they could not wait to take off their shirts and get close to the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the house, the kids took a hot bath and the adults started preparing for dinner.

chef Mike at work

sliding down the stairs

preparing dinner 

while drinking Martini and snacking

 

the kids ate first

 

moving them to the movie-watching section of the room

then adults ate. poor Antoine was sitting at back porch trying to finish some last minute work. fortunately it was done rather quickly and he could then join us for the rest of the meal, and, no more work during the weekend.

bedtime stories

 

the last story is from "Frog and Toad", with the light dimmed and everyone ready to fall asleep.
They were very excited with the idea of sleeping in the same room. and all the excitement made falling asleep much more difficult. Lukas opted out as soon as the story ended, preferring to sleep in his parents' room. Oscar was the first one falling asleep, while Avi kept asking what was the surprise awaiting next morning if she happened to be the first one asleep. Ming Ming, after struggling a little bit, preferred to sleep on the other airbed on the floor (Lucas' bed).

A nice hot tub brought the day to a perfect end.
Although for some, the night did not quite end there. Anne and I slept very lightly, worried that our children would wake up crying and wake everyone up as a result. Lily did an amazing job and slept with the girls until early morning (and then Anne came to bring her to their bed). Ming Ming woke up once, but refused to come to our bed, she determinately wanted the sleepover and to wake up with everyone in the same room. It took her a long time to go back to sleep and thus less sleep for me as well. But, I am not complaining here; she woke up the next morning with Avi, all smiles.

Nourit and Avi's garden

This is how Ming Ming's morning starts on a warm day: she eats her breakfast at our back porch, singing and moving around, hoping that Avi and Nourit, or Oscar, would take notice and come out too. If they do, then the kids would have a conversation from their respective porch. 

this time is with Avi, who is often MM's most loyal friend in these morning talks.

doing some dancing too

Mike and Liz got a spot in a local community garden, we dropped by to see and bumped into Avi and Nourit. The girls are happy running around.

and helped to water as well

this is Mike and Liz's lot. Mike was telling me how tall and big each one of these plants would grow, I have a hard time imagining but will keep you updated throughout the season as I have promised to come and work here some time. 

 

tasting some petals from a chive flower.. "a bit spicy" MM said

 

hot day!

"It is only the two of us now"

Ming Ming was a little bit sad after papou and mamie's departure. "It is only the two of us now," she said. I took out the brand new smart projector, which projects letters as well as pictures for her to draw and trace. She loves stencils so I figure that she would like this one too. And mamie thinks that tracing is hard for kids, so she can get some practice with this one. It was a blast, not only for her but for Avi and Nourit as well (whose arrival was most welcome and MM forgot about her sadness right away).
Ming Ming kept telling me during the next few days that it was the best toy that I have ever given her (yeah right, she also has the tendency to forgot all these other toys that I have bought her).

another evening with Claire (she is a school friend, and her name is also Claire!). Since the departure of her Chinese grandma, who also come to stay for six months like popo, Claire's parents have dropped her off at our place a few times when they were both working or away during the evening. The two girls used to speak English to each other at school, but they started talking in Chinese at our home!  

The weekend slipped away without a single pictorial trace. I spent the most of it in a conference (Friday and Saturday), and have no memory of what we have done on Sunday. This is Monday already. I picked up a ballerina puzzle on my way back from the Chinese consulate. 

she had a good time doing the puzzle, and imitated the ballerina postures afterwards. now my problem is that the puzzle has to stay where they are to collect some dust, and I am not allowed to put them back in their box.