Curious George Visits the Museum

Asheville's Pack Place featured a traveling Curious George exhibit. We live in a house almost completely overrun by Curious George stuffed monkeys - some with clothes, some without. Naturally, we couldn't resist the lure of a museum featuring George.

We spent Saturday exploring the museum (after turning the wrong way down every one way street in Asheville's crowded downtown area). The kids loved George. Finn walked over to a stranger her same height, and after giggling and pointing, began poking this poor child in the eyes. Uh-oh. Bergen found Chippy, a chipmunk from the Curious George shows, and carried him throughout the rest of the non-George museum until we realized the stuffed chipmunk was not ours and forced our young, thieving son to return said chipmunk from whence it came.

For a lunch break we walked a few blocks down to the coolest pizza place in the world. (Yes, it really is.) The Mellow Mushroom was so funky and fun. The pizza was the best pizza I have had in recent memory. Delicious. And they are all about local and natural so that was really fun. Plus, the waitress said our family was beautiful and who doesn't like to hear that when you are eating at a restuarant with five kids who you know will leave the floor much messier than how they found it and all you can really think about that is, "Hey, at least it's not in my kitchen!"

A Pair of Red Clogs

This week we have been reading A Pair of Red Clogs for kindergarten. The wee ones really wanted to make their own wooden clogs, which I am not crafty enough to pull off.

I am, however, crafty enough to cut "wooden" clogs out of cereal boxes and weave yarn through them - which seemed to satisfy their clog desires.

Then we created "kimonos" and they felt like the real deal. They put on a show for Kevin when he came home for lunch. Midway through the show though Bergen ditched the kimono for a Batman cape and insisted that Batman become part of the Red Clogs tale.

Ring Around the Rosy

The following blog was written by London Eli Scout, age 5.

That picture is when we were doing Ring Around the Rosy. And we liked it. We liked Piper with us.

I just holded out my hands and she holded onto my hands and we went around in circles. She likes playing Ring Around the Rosy.

I try to hold Piper.

Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin

Disclaimer: This story may make the Keigleys sound as if they deprive their children of holiday joy. In fact, we do not. (Or maybe we do - it depends on your perspective.)

It was Halloween day. In our house, that doesn't mean an awful lot. Or, well, anything really. For the whole of our children's lives we lived on the farm in Virginia where no honest soul dared traverse the long dark drive through the woods to get a measly candy bar from a stranger. Hence, no Halloween for Keigley kids. I bought Riley a bag of her candy of choice. The other kids were very young. They didn't know. They didn't care. It seemed to work out just fine.

So along comes our friend Jane on Halloween afternoon. She asks if the kids are dressed up. Well, they aren't currently naked - so....yes. She asks if we are going anywhere. We aren't. And then she tells us of a nearby college that decorates their dorms and passes out candy. Our Friday night held no plans. At all. And I like candy too. Especially bite sized amounts of candy.

"Hey kids, you should go find some fun costumes and wear them," I told them. They didn't even question me. They just ran to the dress up trunk and found some dandies. When they came back, dressed as tiny ninja, ninja boy, ninja turtle and, in Mosely's own words, "Ummm ....[cute head tilt and crooked grin]....I don't know." I told them that we were going to go to a college dressed up and say "trick or treat". They happily agreed. "Do you know what will happen when you say that?" Blank stares all around. "You'll get candy!" Then applause, glee, rapture, such joy as three ninjas and an I Don't Know could display.

We went to the college, we got our free candy. Bergen approached every door and first said "thank you" and then as he exited he followed it up with "shrick or shreat"!

As we got in the car Berg announced, "I like Halloween. Let's do it tomorrow!"

Grandfather's Journey

Surprise! Dad drove up from Florida to visit us recently.

We loved the surprise. The kids loved having Grandpa around. I loved having extra hands to help and Dad to chat with. He drove Riley to her co-op class. He read Stellaluna to the kids, shared a bedroom with Bergen, pushed Piper on the swing, made a campfire, cleared out a bunch of brush by the stream so the kids could have easier water access. He was a busy guy!

We took him to Look Up's chili cook-off and pumpkin carving evening. We visited Lake Jocasse and Bee Well Honey Market. Kevin made sure Dad had a Snow Leopard - Kevin's favorite beverage at his favorite coffee shop. We tried out the new Huntin' Camp restaurant, where animal carcasses adorned the walls in a truly Southern fashion.

All in all, it was a great visit! Come back soon Grandpa!