Tag Archives: children

Toys for Toddlers in France

These beautifully handcrafted wood and metal cars are just the right size for a toddler to enjoy. And they are displayed attractively right off the main street in Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives.

Lovely little things, eh?

Toddler sized toy cars outside shop in Normandy, France.

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Sunny Shiny Sydney Beaches on Mother’s Day

It’s not the kind of Mother’s Day celebrations I would have ever thought about, but apparently one of the ‘things to do’ on Mother’s Day in Sydney, Australia is to take your mother to the beach to celebrate if it’s a nice day. And Coogee Beach was a perfect example of the packed-with-people spots. The ‘Pram Brigade’ of young parents pushing children in strollers was certainly out in force!

The skies were gorgeously blue, the winds were ever-so-slightly brisk, and the temperatures were warmer than the norm. So it was a perfect day for a walk along the boardwalks and footpaths at the seaside with a hearty cafe lunch as a reward.

Danger sign on the clifftop walk to Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Boardwalk along a section of Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Every single bench facing the ocean was filled on Mother's Day at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Every single bench or seat facing the ocean was filled on Mother’s Day at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Family Time in the USA

It’s been an amazingly busy three weeks here in the USA and we are winding down to our last few days with more than a tinge of wistfulness. My sisters, Karen and Cindy, flew up to Washington State from California to come and visit with us while we were at my son Chris’s house.

The line-up below is as follows — my youngest sister Cindy, my next-youngest sister Karen, yours truly, my son Chris, and his darling wife Diane.

Family time in Tacoma, Washington with Cindy Hatton, Karen Heilbronner, Deborah Harmes, Chris Fowler, & Diane Fowler

On Friday afternoon we all went to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Here are some random pictures from that wonderful family-oriented museum.

My son Chris and his youngest son Ryan

My sister Karen Heilbronner helping my grandson Ian with an exhibit

My sisters Karen Heilbronner and Cindy Hatton helping my grandson Ryan with an exhibit

Ryan working with magnets and iron shavings

Mark and Diane after a wee visit to the gift shop

Stay tuned for another post with more images of this marvelous museum in Seattle!

Beautiful Bouncy Boys in Washington State

Time for some more family frolics — this time in Washington State. We took a wonderful 3 and 1/2 day trip across the country on an Amtrak train — and I will have some images from that trip in an upcoming post. Now we’re in Lakewood, Washington just south of Tacoma visiting with my son Chris, his wife Diane, and their two little bouncy bundles named Ian (aged 5) and Ryan (aged 3).

All of the boys were out front the other day when it was time for Ian to head off to school. Each boy had some quick chats with Mark and then Chris walked Ian down to the bus and went on board with him. Know why? School buses have safety belts now and he was making certain that Ian was buckled in safely!

Stay tuned for more family frolics in the days ahead. As Mark said the other day, “This certainly is a different kind of travel for us.”

Mark and Ian (age 5) chatting before school

3 year old Ryan chatting with Mark on a rare & sunny Washington State day.

Chris walking Ian down to the school bus before school.

Chris on board the school bus making sure that Ian is buckled into his seatbelt

Day Out At Walden School in Louisville, Kentucky

We are having the most wonderful time visiting with our family in the USA and a particularly wonderful few hours was spent at the Walden School in Louisville, Kentucky where my grandson Johnny is in the 1st grade.

Just have a peek at these classrooms and tell me if you aren’t envious of the children that get to go to school here! It’s a wonderful and nurturing environment that encourages creativity and individuality instead of expecting each child to ‘conform’ to a methodology that might not suit their specific personality or intellect. I am quite pleased that my daughter Jennifer and her husband John are able to send Johnny to this marvelous private school.

We started our visit to the school with a meal in the lunchroom. Walden School actively encourages parents and grandparents to drop in for lunch on ANY day — not just on specific or pre-defined family days. I’ve been suffering from hideous allergy problems since we arrived in the USA due to pollen that is now ‘foreign’ to my body — so that’s why my face and eyes are so puffy in this group shot below taken in Johnny’s school lunchroom.

Mark, Deborah, Johnny, and his mother Jennifer having lunch at the Walden School.

1st Grade classroom at Walden School.

The science classroom for the elementary school. Note the ‘treehouse’ area in both the main classroom and this science room where students can just get away and have some quiet time.

Another section of the science room at Walden School.

Johnny showing the koi pond filled with live fish to Mark.

A phrase that seems to encapsulate the Walden approach to their students

Johnny’s diorama showing the cheetah that he sculpted out of clay. His accompanying report gave information about cheetahs.

Johnny walking back to the classroom after lunch.

Jennifer and her little man — Johnny.

Frolics With Family — Part 1

Have you wondered where Mark and I have been? We’ve been in Louisville, Kentucky after flying from Europe to Iceland to Canada to the USA. And my daughter Jennifer, her charming husband John, and their darling children have been my focus for the last couple of weeks.

This is a VERY quick post because I am sitting in the train station in Portland, Oregon and I have a wifi signal for the first time in days. The Empire Builder train that we travelled on from Chicago to the West Coast didn’t have active wifi. (sigh!) So I am VERY FAR behind on my posts right now.

Here are some shots of my grandchildren Johnny and Elena — and there will be more in the days ahead. We are headed to Tacoma, Washington in 35 minutes to visit with my son and his wife and their 2 children. What a wonderful whirl of activity we are having!

More soon……………