Cleaning out

For those of you without an in-home 6-year-old boy, allow me to share the contents of his backpack at the end of the school year.

Riverfront picnic

Bike the Drive

17 miles for Team Family Awesome this morning.

The Mighty Marshmallows

The nicest group of kids and coaches

A Koz!

Civil War Games

Civil War Days

Some of us aren't a fan of pretend war.

Fishing

Oddly, on this 45-degree, rainy Friday evening, we again had the forest preserve entirely to ourselves.

Night at the Field Museum

Brought my own, thanks.

Night at the Field Museum

It's older than Earth!

Night at the Field Museum

This year we also spent some time in the mammal prep lab watching the scientists skin a coyote. 

And an African dog.

Night at the Field

We met a new bird scientist

And our favorite old bird scientist.

Field Museum Member Night

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Backyard baseball

A "John" tradition

Pond life

Boy with stick

Mother's day

Night at the Cougars

He's a sloth

Learned a little too much in the rainforest unit.

Also at the forest preserve

John was naturally devastated to learn he could not yet do archery-- we assume the 9-and-up rule was created literally with him in mind-- so he took the world's worst fishing pole to the pond instead. He was skunked, but had a good time.

Watch out, Murray Lake.

New hobby

The forest preserve will, on a chilly Wednesday, offer to teach your 9-year-old to shoot real bows and arrows.  For free.

I like to think we get the most out of our tax dollars.

John does his homework