We've been going to Zoo Tales at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk every Tuesday for a few weeks now, which I think firmly plants us in the "Big Fans" category because sticking too closely to a routine is something we find boring! We don't like to do the same thing over and over again -- there are too many other things to explore. But we will make the exception for Zoo Tales because that's how great it is.

 The main bulk of the event are the stories, which are always animal-themed, of course, but the real draw is the fact that...you get to meet an animal. And learn about it. AND touch it. So far, we have gotten to get up close and personal with a couple of snakes and frogs, a creepy crawly millipede direct from the Amazon rainforest, and a bearded dragon lizard. (Kids under two couldn't pet the lizard because secretions in its skin can cause an allergic reaction but you can bet I lined up to take my turn. Who knows when this chance will come around again?)

We were members of the National Zoo up in DC and loved it and were sorry to move away from it, but the VA Zoo is a wonderful zoo in its own right and is a little bet less of a production to get to and lighter on the crowds. As such, it is shaping up to be one of our favorite summertime places to while away a morning.

This past Friday, Anouk and I were lucky enough to be able to spend some time with the Fischer Sundae Puppets at the Virginia Beach Central Library. The FSP is a nonprofit organization run by a fabulous husband-and-wife team, based out of Chesterfield, who put on shows at libraries, schools, and other locations throughout the community to promote a love of reading. The theme the day we visited was "Amazing Dreams," and with the help of Noah Goodbook, the Billy Goats Gruff, and Strega Nona, Mr. and Mrs. Fischer encouraged all of the kids in the audience to use their imaginations to make their dreams come to life.



You can read more about the Fischer Sundae Puppets here or follow them on Facebook for a list of upcoming events.

I'm always on the lookout for art projects to do with Anouk, but our options at her age seem to be fairly limited. Cutting and pasting are too complicated for her little hands. Anything involving clay or other play-dough type substances is out, as she hasn't fully passed out of the stage of putting everything in her mouth. But she is at the point developmentally that she sometimes needs something more than a handful of crayons to hold her attention. So today we tried making monoprints, and it turned out to be a surprisingly toddler-friendly craft.

The gist of the project (which I first read about at No Monsters in My Bed) is this: You roll a thin layer of paint onto a cookie sheet or other nonporous surface (we used a paint roller and the Crayola washable fingerpaints -- "washable" turned out to be the key word here). Older kids can use a Q-tip to draw on the painted surface; we used our fingers and hands. When you've got your design just how you want it, you press a piece of paper gently over the paint, pull it away, and voila: you have a print.



 Baby A. was a little freaked out by the sensation of paint on her hands, and after a few tears, we looked for other objects to use to make designs.


Verdict: I can't think of an art project that's more likely to appeal to a bunch of different age groups from infant to adult (while Anne worked on her masterpiece, I played around with ideas for holiday cards and thank you notes). In spite of one moderately annoying cleanup job (I've seen worse), I'm calling Operation Monoprint a keeper.

I've decided that East Beach is my pick for most kid-friendly beach in the Hampton Roads area. Here's why:

• It has a quiet, residential vibe.
• It's not crowded, even on a Saturday afternoon at the height of summer.
• There is ample (close! free!) parking in the neighborhood near the beach access on 19th Bay Street.
• The breakwaters keep the waves at a manageable, toddler-friendly height. 
• The bottom is smooth and sandy and shallow enough for a little one to do some serious off-shore exploring.

I think the only thing that could possibly make it better would be a public bathroom in the vicinity, but as my kid's still in diapers, I'm not making this a priority. Next summer, maybe I'll be singing a different tune. 

James, Anne, and I spent a few hours at East Beach today with some friends and our toddlers, who also endorsed the beach very highly. It was Baby Anne's first official beach trip, and while she was a little apprehensive of the big water, she enjoyed holding court in her beach chair in the shallows, as you can see from the pictures above.

As you can also see, the clouds got kind of nasty, and it did eventually start to rain. We all took shelter under our towels and umbrellas and watched it come down for a while. Have you ever been at the beach while it was raining? I hadn't--it was more pleasant than I expected. The water was speckled with raindrops--people up and down the beach hunkered down under floats and boogie boards--but a few intrepid souls kept swimming. We watched one man float for a long time. He didn't seem to mind the weather at all. It was so interesting, and I ached to take pictures but wasn't quite brave enough to expose the camera to the elements.

Of course at the first rumble of thunder we ran for our cars. (Luckily, we didn't have far to go).

We'll be back soon, for sure.

When I was a little girl, Northside Park was one of my favorite places. My dad was a teacher back then and had the summers off, and we'd walk to the park almost every day, me riding on Dad's shoulders when I got tired. There was a grove of sweetgum trees around the park that dropped little gumballs all over, and to me, it was magical, our trip through the Gumball Forest to the park's Imagination Island. It was just a special place. I loved it.

I was really eager to take Baby Anne to Northside as soon as we'd settled into our new house and had the time to go, to see if it had changed and if it was anything like I remembered.

We went today. The short drive to the park from our house was long enough for Baby A. to fall asleep, and I am not one who looks a gift nap in the mouth. But I did unload her sleeping self into her stroller and took a quick remembering walk around the playground area. The first thing that hit me was that it smelled the same. The second was how much smaller everything had gotten.  Third was how much I recognized about the place, even after 20+ years. The playground equipment had been updated, but the old, charmingly vintage-y rocking horses were the same, and the pirate ship sandbox (my old favorite) was still there. I even remembered that certain slant of sun coming in through the leaves of the trees.

Anne (when she finally woke up) was similarly fond of the pirate ship -- sand is her favorite delicacy these days. Also fast favorites: the swings, the jungle gym, the rocking horses, and even the water-mister over by the tennis courts. So basically: everything. It was all a big hit. I guess you could say the apple (gumball?) doesn't fall far from the tree, in that respect.




                                                

One of our family's favorite things to do together when the weather is nice is to sit outside with a bucket of chalk and cover the front walk with drawings. On Saturday, the weather was decidedly not nice, with temperatures well above 100 degrees. But we filled up our water bottles and slathered ourselves with sunscreen to brave the heat so that we could visit Chalk the Walk at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. It might sound excessive, but like I said: We are fans of the sidewalk chalk.

I'm pretty sure the drawings were gone by the next morning, thanks to a passing thunderstorm that evening. I suppose that's the bad thing about chalk art. Or else the cool thing about it: to put so much effort into something that can't possibly stick around for long. I can't decide. I know it definitely does hurt to think about some of those amazingly meticulous drawings being washed away! But I am glad we had the chance to see them -- even if the experience melted our brains a little.

To reward ourselves after a long, hot day of unpacking and settling in to our new house, James, Baby Anne and I picked our tired bones up and went to Big Bands on the Bay at Ocean View Beach Park on Sunday night.

The series runs all summer long, featuring a different band every week. This week it was The Continentals, who offered an upbeat mishmash of big band interspersed with beach music, oldies, and classic country western. The pavilion was crowded with dancers, ranging from beginner to advanced, folks were barbecuing on the boardwalk, and the setting sun and the bay made a picturesque backdrop to the festivities. 



Baby Anne was a little overwhelmed at first by how loud it was, and protested every time we tried to set her down. I think she was a little afraid she'd be run over by some of the jitterbugging couples. (To be fair, it wasn't an irrational fear--I did have to bob and weave a little to get that shot, above, with my camera). She did deign to dance with her daddy--but once we moved away a bit from the hubbub--she let loose. That girl can cut a rug for sure.



It was just right.