Who needs a house full of toys?

Our kids are finding lots of ways to entertain themselves around here. First, there are the new friends they've made at TYB. Tyson and Jori both really enjoy going over to play and they often talk about their friends when we are at home.

Something they have just recently found to be fun is opening and closing the gate. The other day, Darin went somewhere with just Jori and she surprised him by opening and closing (but not latching) the gate. Tyson decided he wanted to try this too, so now they both ask to open and/or close the gate whenever we go out. After church, Tyson got out of the car to shut the gate behind us. He looked SO PROUD of himself standing there. I gave him a thumbs up, which he returned with a little grin.

We did inherit some outdoor toys from Leenstra's that keep the kids pretty busy. They like to golf and play soccer together. Leenstra's also left behind the ultimate in fun-a cardboard box. This has become the kids' bulldozer. They decorated it with stickers and have all sorts of fun with it. It is pretty funny seeing how much stuff they try to squish inside. The box is barely big enough for the two of them, but the other day they had their golf clubs and some buckets in there as well.

When Darin and I were gone on Thursday, both Amos and Mama Rebecca worked hard to keep the kids busy. One result of that was this inventive swing that Amos made. Tyson and Jori can both fit in it together, and Amos even put a base in the bottom so it doesn't just fold in on them.

One final fun thing to do is look for wildlife. Daddy is especially good at finding lizards for the kids to look at. They are both very familiar with the dreaded hornbill and are quick to look up in the trees whenever they hear any bird call. Jori loves finding spiders, “I find a big 'pidah and a wittow one. Two! Two 'pidahs”. Tyson has no fear when it comes to squishing bugs in or out of the house. I wonder how overwhelmed they'll be with all their “stuff” when we get back home?