The things we've been doing.

1. Edie's birthday presents from Baba Yaga. She claimed the boxes, John claimed the presents. Naturally.

 2. Rainstorm on the weekend. The boys went outside to check it out and immediately stripped, chanting "we love rain! we love rain!". Then we found an amazing funnel-web spider with dongles on its face. So swift!

 3. The next day Oscar found, and Eric caught, an elusive blue-tailed skink! It dropped its tail right away, which kept wriggling for a long time after. Then we let it go to regrow a tail in peace. Amazing colors! It belongs in Biophilia for sure.

4. Edie hates the pool, until she's in it. John is a shark. I am the mommo.

5. Oscar and I got our life jackets! We went kayaking last Wednesday together. Oscar liked it okay for a tiny bit. Then he wanted to paddle. Then he thought we should get a motorboat instead and go fast. And then he thought he should be allowed to dive off the side of the kayak. Oh well - we'll try again soon!

John was furious he didn't have one, then after we took these pictures he wore mine around the house for a while and was content.

This one captures family life so well.

6. Friday night Eric returned from his seemingly successful interview at Michigan State University, and on Saturday he took the boys to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, on the Clemson campus. The Geology Museum is also housed there, which has glow-in-the-dark rocks! Oscar played in that room for a long time, learning about fluorite.

7. LOTUS.