View from my window this morning:

Bundled up and raring to go:

Lots and lots of snow:

Evidence of Mama’s hard work:

When the work is done, it’s time to play!

We started out the day with the boys acting out complicated scenarios with their playmobil men. First it was all about the SWAT guy (he’s new, after all), but then it was a unique combination of Romans, Gauls, and the SWAT guy. All of this was done in fleece sleepers, before breakfast.

Yummy breakfast. Boiled oatmeal. Never do oatmeal according to conventional package instructions. Boil it like pasta. It doesn’t get slimy (and therefore disgusting). Drain it. Add some butter, brown sugar, or cinnamon (or all three!) and some raw milk… even I thoroughly appreciate oatmeal done this way.

Although, yesterday’s breakfast of farm fresh eggs was great, too. The eggs were delivered by my farmer friend Monday evening, so of course they were breakfast on Tuesday. Alhamdulillah her eggs are laying again… o how I am greatful for those dark orange yolks!

Back to today.

After breakfast there was legos and more playmobil. And the finishing up of a New York Times crossword puzzle (a Tuesday!!). Then a big snack and super duper tooth brushing because we went to the dentist.

Dr. Morgenstein has got to be the best dentist in the world (for kids, anyway). He has a (pretend) greyhound bus in the waiting room. A bus! And what is inside the bus, you wonder? A driver’s seat, of course, for the up and coming drivers amongst us. But also a play kitchen! And a play work bench, with all the tools! The boys were quite sad that we were called back to the red chairs so quickly.

But the red chairs! So much fun. Why? Because they are surrounded by more toys! And friendly hygenists who offer cool sunglasses and a toothbrush in any color imaginable.

Now the boys have clean, flouride treated teeth. No cavities! Yusuf’s bottom teeth are coming in, they say. And Mansoor’s underbite appears just to be his teeth, not his jaw. They’re keeping an eye on it.

From there, the logical place to go would be home for a nap. But no! We went ice skating instead. Good idea, boys. And good choice, Mama. We had the rink to ourselves for two hours. Yusuf did great, Mansoor… well. He didn’t wipe out, but he wasn’t exactly confident. He did enjoy sititing on the ice, until he noticed his pants were getting wet. And he liked going fast with Mama holding him up. But yes Mansoor, ice is slippery.

Post ice-skating, did we go home for a late nap? Why of course not! We went to the library and filled up our Eat. Sleep. Read. library book bag. And then we went to a different ice rink (close to the house) to check out the facilities. The boys will insha’Allah start lessons there in January. And surprise!

There was a high school hockey game going on. So of course we had to stay and watch. It was a great game, suspenseful and action-packed. Both boys were entralled, pounding the bleachers with each goal.

Then a quick stop at Pizza Roma.

Airplane flying. Temporary tatoos. (The dentist gives out goodie bags, of course.)

Pajamas. Quran. Yusuf recited Bayyinah perfectly tonight, got a sticker on his Juz Amma chart.

I think the boys were asleep before I turned out the light.

An adventure-filled Wedventure, indeed.

Scenes from our Wedventure two weeks ago (click to enlarge):

There is nothing like a late afternoon walk in the fall. The evening light makes the colors even more beautiful than they are midday. Of course, the boys are so fast on their bikes now that I spent most of our trek around the lake running to keep up (note to self: I need a bike!). I did manage to take one quick pause to snap a picture with my phone. Gorgeous, right?

Wednesday is the boys’ day off school, so usually we plan something special. It is fitting that our first documented Wedventure (Wednesday + adventure, get it?) was a trip to South Germantown Park’s Adventure Playground. The outing started with Mansoor slamming his sweet finger in the car door. He screamed, his fingernail turned purple, but all in all he handled it like the little man he is. Our trip ended with Yusuf accidentally kicking Mansoor smack in the fact while clumsily attempting to climb a ladder. Between Mansoor’s tears, Yusuf managed to fall off a four foot high seal statue and land (hard) on his face. Thankfully, the ground was sawdust rather than cement. Despite the absurd number of injuries (and two emergency trips to the bathroom), we had a great time. Really!

Blogging is a habit that must be developed. Whenever I sit down to post, I feel that I have to catch up with all I have ever intended to post before I most on to the post at hand. To appease myself, here are some of our recent excursions.

PlayWise Kids in Columbia, MD

I’m convinced this place is run by the church next door as a fund-raising venture, and it seems a bit pricey for the quality and quanity of the exhibits. Regardless, the kids have a blast each time we go. It was nice this time to meet up with other sisters there (and our masses of Muslim kids), it felt very homey with so many familiar faces running about. I didn’t get many photos of Yusuf because he was too busy running around with the big kids.

Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin:

Mom and I went the day after the official parade, a beautiful sunny day in the 70s! I actually got sun on my cheeks and nose for the first time in many years. It was packed around the mall and Jefferson Memorial, but thankfully the crowd thinned out by the time we reached the FDR Memorial. This was my first visit to see FDR, and I was completely surprised and impressed with the design. The cherry blossoms were at their absolute perfection… a great day indeed.

Huntley Meadows Park:

The boys and I went to Huntley Meadows last summer, but this was our first visit leaving the stroller at home. Mansoor is so small for his age that it’s easy to forget he’s nearly three! He is completely capable of being a full-time walker now. So, we all walked the two miles, on a nice path through the woods and on the boardwalk across the marsh. Mansoor did not ask to be picked up until the parking lot was back in sight, and when he was politely denied a ride, he walked his little self to the car. Masha’Allah, I was very proud of him. It was a bit colder and windier than I had anticipated, but alhamdulillah we had fleeces and windbreakers. We saw many birds including the great egret (I love the big water birds!), but insha’allah we’ll be heading back in a month or six weeks for more flowers and frogs.

I don’t have any pictures of our recent trips to Dumbarton Oaks, Williamsport, or the Baltimore Aquarium, but alhamdulillah I’m feeling more caught up.

The Baltimore Aquarium, as a side note, has not only a new and improved dolphin show, but it has a brand new 4D Immersion Theater which is amazingly fabulous. In addition to the 3D goggles, they have 4D effects like mist, breeze, bubbles, leg ticklers, back pokers, and vibrating seats. Yusuf loved it; it was great to see him enjoy the fright, to shriek in surprise with a smile on his face.