There were games of Wildcraft, a cooperative herbology game.

We listened to the beginning of the third Harry Potter book in the car.

We went up to Red Butte Garden again, for a shorter visit this time.

The chickadees were flitting everywhere and the squirrels were doing acrobatics.  The snowdrops were dropping open.

The kids loved exploring the paths and finding new ways around.  They ended the visit by rolling down the long hill near the entrance, always a favorite activity.

Lilah played with her paper dolls.

Gavin got out the marble maze and invited Lilah to join in.

There was some tag around the house.

Lilah and I worked on origami with her paper and books from the holidays.

In the evening we went to a special short performance by the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Company.  It was wonderful and we even got to sit by some friends we ran into by chance.  Lilah loved the opera bits.

Gavin sat next to his buddy and they were both pretty still throughout the performance.  It started at the kids’ bedtime, really, so Gavin especially was tired as his internal clock gets him up at 6 or earlier most days.

Lilah was bouncing, kneeling, clapping with the rest of the audience, swaying.  She just can’t keep still.  I’ve slowly come to understand that movement is part of how she listens and thinks.  She reads on her back, swirling her feet around.  She tells stories while running around the table.  It’s part of who she is.  She had such a hard time in school last year with that.  We ask her to be still when we are concerned about it and she tries hard, but then she’s involved in whatever is going on and her body starts moving.  I’m so glad we can let her move as she needs now, rather than constantly cajoling and pleading and what occasionally happened at school last year, threatening her to be a statue.

She didn’t bother anyone aside from me occasionally worrying (because that’s what’s expected rather than because I actually thought there was a problem).  A few times I reached over and asked her to sit down a bit so she wasn’t blocking others’ view and she would sit down and then look at me, to check if I was upset with her.  I am glad to be in a place where I am smiling back when she checks.

Here’s a picture Lilah drew and cut of a bird about to eat a fish (sticker).