Another outing? Do they ever stay at home?

SURPRISE! We went to the museum again today. It looked like rain, and hey... we have a membership! We dilly-dallied around this morning, so didn't get our usual early start on a museum day. Since Lily had a violin lesson, also in Grand Rapids, later in the day, it was OK. We just took a long, leisurely time in the museum (including a long, leisurely lunch in the museum cafe), then for the first time ever, wandered OUTSIDE the museum. That area of Grand Rapids has a nice riverfront walkway and lots of well-kept parks, museums, and squares. We wandered as far as the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, where we found an expansive lawn and some nice shady gardens. We rested in the shade and the kids scampered around a certain amount.

Here is just a pretty picture of a sweetheart boy with some lovely flowers. Henry was a TROOPER today. His only nap was about 30 minutes in the car on the way from the museum to Lily's lesson, yet he remained his usual cheerful, agreeable self (mostly ... he *IS* two years old, of course).

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And here is the loveliest Lily, who was very tired and droopy by the time we made it over to this garden. She enjoyed the shade and the cool rock, and all the pretty flowers (that bud had fallen; she does know not to pick public flowers).

Gregory is never tired, never needs a break. He spent our time in the park/garden leaping from rock to rock. He very much wanted me to take his picture while he was flying through the air, and made me try again and again until I got it right. So here it is!

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It was a tired, hot group that meandered back to the car after our very long museum, walking, and park/garden outing. But we did have a lovely day. Lily went straight to her violin lesson after all this, and was grown-up enough to have a very good lesson, even though she was so tired.